Windows 8

[Joyrex]

wow, that's a major facepalm.

but still, there's a lot of movement on the front of low power consumption non-fucktraded (ie x86) cpus

not really, the TDP hasn't really changed that much since Sandy Bridge.

i had the yet to be released haswell in mind.

 

Another bit of irony - in order to connect to an Exchange mail server on mobile devices and enforce policy restrictions, etc. you need to use a Microsoft ActiveSync connector - we use it to provide iOS users here at my Firm access to their corporate email.

 

Today, someone brought in a Surface tablet, asking if they could get the AS connector added so they could get their email. Now, at this point, you're thinking, "Microsoft Exchange connector + Microsoft device = pure win", right?

 

It's incompatible with Surface.

 

And, does not work on Windows Phones either

 

Microsoft

yeah, it's the first surface (rt), it's useless for this kind of stuff.

the new one that's coming out this month will have no such facepalms.

 

 

So you don't consider Microsoft hardware not being compatible with their own software not a glaring mistake, and speaks to the flawed logic in Microsoft's approach to such a device?

 

I highly doubt the x86 "Surface Pro" will make much of an impact - we've had tablet PCs around for years, and they never really took off - main reason, I suspect, is they used Windows, in addition to being poorly designed.

[eugene]

i just don't care about surface rt and its failings at all, its sole function is to showcase the design/hardware of the upcoming surface pro.

 

i also don't care about microsoft as a firm and whether surface pro sells in zillions or not, to me it looks like a dream pc in my current status as a student: with it i can basically do everything i do on my desktop pc besides heavy gaming AND it weights less than 1kg, it has touchscreen with appropriate os and a stylus. i don't know any older tablets that can do that and among the current hybrids i believe surface is the best (though it might change soon).

 

there's just no escaping the path of a unified and mobile device, smartphones are sort of "attacking" it from their angle and now windows 8 based tablets will do it from theirs. in 10-15 years the idea of hauling a tablet, a laptop, a smartphone and having a desktop pc will look ridiculous. surface pro and other hybrids look like a first serious step in that direction.

[mcbpete]

I think this is the reasoning behind the above issue, sounds like it kinda makes sense - http://www.infoworld.com/d/microsoft-windows/microsoft-finally-joins-the-byod-revolution-it-enabled-203845?page=0,0

[Joyrex]

I think this is the reasoning behind the above issue, sounds like it kinda makes sense - http://www.infoworld.com/d/microsoft-windows/microsoft-finally-joins-the-byod-revolution-it-enabled-203845?page=0,0

Very interesting - I'll bring this up at my next meeting.

[eugene]

for fucks sake microsoft surface pro battery life is 3:46 according to endgadget, i could overlook it's unusability on a lap but this is just a total failure.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/05/microsoft-surface-pro-review/

[luke viia]

isn't ~4 hours pretty average for a laptop's battery life? i could be totally wrong but i figured that was kinda normal (for continuous use anyway, like in the article)

[mcbpete]

Made the switch from Win7 to 8 last night. Apart from in some tech blogs this cheeky little offer hasn't been very much vocalised - Windows 7 users can get Win 8 Pro for just £14.99/$14.99 (yeah not sure how they quite worked out that conversion rate !)- https://www.windowsupgradeoffer.com/ . All you have to do is be a little creative about when you bought it - pick less than 6 months ago and suddenly things get considerably cheaper than they should be !

 

Disabled the whole Metro thing using Classic Shell ( www.classicshell.net ) which also brings back the conventional Start Menu, and now I've essentially got a bug fixed, quicker Windows 7 and haven't had to reinstall a single application. Thumbs up !

[Joyrex]

Windows 8 users can pin WATMM on their Start Page... we've got a customized Page Tile.

[eugene]

isn't ~4 hours pretty average for a laptop's battery life? i could be totally wrong but i figured that was kinda normal (for continuous use anyway, like in the article)

yeah but it's quite a bit of a tablet too, with such hardware no one expected it to do 8-10 hours of usage like tablets offer but it's still pretty bad. the charging time is very good though, 2.7 hours for full charge according to anandtech.

[skotosa]

I don't get people who dislike the Metro Start. Its everything the Start menu is but better.

[GORDO]

nope, it actually has less functionality, only improvement is the search speed.

[Guest fiznuthian]

how about gnome 3?

 

 

installed it a couple days ago and it's very cool

[oscillik]

how about gnome 3?

 

 

installed it a couple days ago and it's very cool

 

gnome 3 isn't an operating system.

 

[Guest fiznuthian]

 

how about gnome 3?

 

 

installed it a couple days ago and it's very cool

gnome 3 isn't an operating system.

 

 

oh, oops. well, yes it's just a desktop environment but I thought it was a nice comparison to the new changes to window 8's desktop environment.

[skotosa]

nope, it actually has less functionality, only improvement is the search speed.

Explain.

 

Because I think I entirely disagree.

[GORDO]

The feature i miss the most is it updating your most recently and onften used programs and putting them in front, also being able to open files of said aplications from it, that's a functionality that it doesn't have.

 

others like simply grouping things in folders and stuff. I don't miss that but it's certainly functionality that's removed.

 

there's no no added functionality at all, unless you consider dynamic tiles functionality. I don't count that because they only work for metro apps which are dreadful anyway.

[skotosa]

The feature i miss the most is it updating your most recently and onften used programs and putting them in front, also being able to open files of said aplications from it, that's a functionality that it doesn't have.

 

others like simply grouping things in folders and stuff. I don't miss that but it's certainly functionality that's removed.

 

there's no no added functionality at all, unless you consider dynamic tiles functionality. I don't count that because they only work for metro apps which are dreadful anyway.

A. http://www.instantfundas.com/2012/10/where-is-recent-documents-in-windows-8.html

B. If you right click in the Metro UI and hit All Apps it displays all your programs and groups them for you.

More details http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/rearrange-tiles-start

C. Metro apps really aren't that dreadful and I find them quite useful. Use it for news, weather, and even steam games (all dynamic).

 

Plus the I like the fact it takes up the whole screen. Why have it be so small (like in past windows OS) when that is what you want when you click on start, to get to your program/app. So it switches to it until you are ready to switch back, which are all still just a click or button away.

[GORDO]

A. 404

 

Do you mean having to look for the category recent in the start menu? that's not the same as having them instantly after one click or keystroke. and i don't remember programs having a submenu for the recent files each of thos programs used.

 

B. Can I make my own groups? k, whatever. (but stil...l going to all apps is slightly more inconvenient that clicking all programs in old menu.)

 

C. Yes they are. why do i want a full-screen whatever app? Win7 gadgets were the right thing to do. And in win8 the possibility of gadgets has been removed enitrely (I think).

[skotosa]

A. 404

 

Do you mean having to look for the category recent in the start menu? that's not the same as having them instantly after one click or keystroke. and i don't remember programs having a submenu for the recent files each of thos programs used.

 

B. Can I make my own groups? k, whatever. (but stil...l going to all apps is slightly more inconvenient that clicking all programs in old menu.)

 

C. Yes they are. why do i want a full-screen whatever app? Win7 gadgets were the right thing to do. And in win8 the possibility of gadgets has been removed enitrely (I think).

I never used gadgets since vista and have always thought they were lame. Why not have a full screen app. What gadgets did you use that is so terribly implemented in windows 8?

 

How is all apps slightly more inconvenient than clicking all programs? I guess I was just better prepared for win 8 since I used Win 7 like I use Win 8. Every time I hit start I'd just type what I want. Regardless there really is no major issue.

 

Why that 404ed I have no idea. Lets try again here if not straight from google.

All my pinned programs on the taskbar have recent files if I right click them. Recent files (from renoise to word), folders, and websites. There is even a recent places shortcut under favorites in the file explorer.

[GORDO]

 

A. 404

 

Do you mean having to look for the category recent in the start menu? that's not the same as having them instantly after one click or keystroke. and i don't remember programs having a submenu for the recent files each of thos programs used.

 

B. Can I make my own groups? k, whatever. (but stil...l going to all apps is slightly more inconvenient that clicking all programs in old menu.)

 

C. Yes they are. why do i want a full-screen whatever app? Win7 gadgets were the right thing to do. And in win8 the possibility of gadgets has been removed enitrely (I think).

I never used gadgets since vista and have always thought they were lame. Why not have a full screen app. What gadgets did you use that is so terribly implemented in windows 8?

 

How is all apps slightly more inconvenient than clicking all programs? I guess I was just better prepared for win 8 since I used Win 7 like I use Win 8. Every time I hit start I'd just type what I want. Regardless there really is no major issue.

 

Why that 404ed I have no idea. Lets try again here if not straight from google.

All my pinned programs on the taskbar have recent files if I right click them. Recent files (from renoise to word), folders, and websites. There is even a recent places shortcut under favorites in the file explorer.

 

gadgets in win7 are much better than in vista. I only use a couple tho, a twitter gadget and the windows sticky notes gadget. full screen is bad because you can't have them there at the same time you're doing something else. it pretty much negates the whole "windows" metaphor.

 

all apps is slightly more inconvenient because you have to drag your mouse further, no to mention the annoyance of switching to a full screen menu

 

yes, on pinned apps but pinned apps don't atomatically update to be most often and/or recent used programs, they also don't automatically (and temporarily) pin themselves when a new program has just been installed. Also pinned apps were already there on windows 7. I also don't want to pin a lot of stuff there cus it feels cluttered.

 

From the link you posted

 

... in Windows 8, there is no automatic filling of the most frequently used and most recently used programs and files. In fact, that functionality has been entirely ripped off the Modern UI interface.

 

Which was my point. It has less functionality, not more. I'm sure there are ways to go around every thing, but that's hardly ideal.

 

I realize I'm probably the only person in the world that misses that feature but whatever, my point stands. Not the biggest of deals.

[skotosa]

But you do have them there at the same time, check the top left corner and hold the mouse there for a sec a side bar will open up with your desktop/any other apps you have open. You can even resize or toss the desktop on whichever side of the screen you want and have something else tossed on the other side or in the middle or toss it to one of your multiple monitors. They are all always there for you, in the corner. Metro gets the bottom right and everything else gets the top left.

 

You know you can scroll through that menu, you don't have to drag your mouse. And again its full screen because your desktop is hidden in the to right of the screen. Switching between the two is sooooo easy. Up click your in one place up click your in other.

 

Pin what you want. Start menu was limited anyways to how many it would display.

 

They took it out and replaced it via another method.

 

I'm sure you'll get over it and get with the times :) I've heard crazier things from some pretty stubborn people as to how terrible Windows 8 is lol. You just have to learn the slightly different design method which works effectively the same once learned.

[Guest nene multiple assgasms]

I don't know why people like the old start menu so much. it was cool in 1995, but it required too much mouse movement and clicking. that said, windows 8's start screen needs to be more customizable. and I wish they hadn't gotten rid of universal search, where you could search for an app, file, or setting just by hitting the windows key. now you either have to use the specific keyboard shortcuts (win+w for settings, win+f for files) or use the arrow and enter keys to search in the right category.

 

writing the above paragraph has made me feel like pierre bernard.

 

 

bottom line, microsoft: bring back universal search, and make the start screen easier to customize.

[Guest Ron Manager]

I wish they hadn't gotten rid of universal search, where you could search for an app, file, or setting just by hitting the windows key. now you either have to use the specific keyboard shortcuts (win+w for settings, win+f for files) or use the arrow and enter keys to search in the right category.

 

Eh? In Windows 8, when I hit the Windows key, all I do is start typing and I get immediate search results from apps, settings and files...

 

After using Windows 8 for a bit over a month now, my conclusion is that it is fucking fast, and I really like it.

[awepittance]

Windows 8 in my opinion is extremely underrated. I was pretty happy with it. Tablet 'computers' not just tablets like the Ipad (which i dont consider a real computer) have finally reached a point where they are fully usable and not cumbersome at all. I never thought Windows would integrate a touch screen so flawlessly, but they have, and barely anyone has noticed (except Image-line, the makers of Fruity, who are literally the only mainstream sound app makers to have adopted this format)

[GORDO]

But you do have them there at the same time, check the top left corner and hold the mouse there for a sec a side bar will open up with your desktop/any other apps you have open. You can even resize or toss the desktop on whichever side of the screen you want and have something else tossed on the other side or in the middle or toss it to one of your multiple monitors. They are all always there for you, in the corner. Metro gets the bottom right and everything else gets the top left.

 

You know you can scroll through that menu, you don't have to drag your mouse. And again its full screen because your desktop is hidden in the to right of the screen. Switching between the two is sooooo easy. Up click your in one place up click your in other.

 

Pin what you want. Start menu was limited anyways to how many it would display.

 

They took it out and replaced it via another method.

 

I'm sure you'll get over it and get with the times :) I've heard crazier things from some pretty stubborn people as to how terrible Windows 8 is lol. You just have to learn the slightly different design method which works effectively the same once learned.

 

You can have the desktop displayed at the same time as a metro app in the same window? Didn't know that. How to do it tho, is far from obvious. Even if that's the case, they're awful and slow to load, previous default viewers for things like pictures being replaced by apps is a pain in the ass. It's still more scrolling that before, 2 keystrokes with old menu vs at least 4 in metro. Pinning was already there, it's the automatic thing that I'm after. yes I'll pin whatever i want thank you, "whatever i want" is no more than 4 or 5 programs, the menu automatically puts other often and recently used programs in quick reach. The "new" method was there before, they just removed a a far more convenient application of user habits tracking. I don't think it's terrible, but it is kinda schizo, the new menu and apps are a distraction and worthless. And I repeat, it has less functionality, not more.