Goodbye Windows 10

[Skeeter]

Most people didn't use 7 because they chose too. They used it because there wasn't an alternative... until now.

I've moved everything to 10 and having to then use 7 at a client feels like an old OS. There's nothing wrong with it, but its certainly no better than 10 and has elements that feel really dated (like everything being rounded and trying to look 3D).

 

[Rroff]

You are missing the point I'm making :S

Moving onto the second point...

I get that not everyone likes the glossy, rounded, 3D look of 7 but personally I find it looks far more polished and modern than the style of 10

Spoiler

While no one is exactly going to be using extra large icons (I just stuck them like that to clearly show the differences) so some degree of that attention to detail and quality is a bit wasted - the difference in quality of the icons, etc. speaks for itself IMO.

There are some elements I feel are dated that Windows 10 _should_ be an improvement on in that image you can also see a mockup of what I'm trying to achieve from the start menu which would be a significant step forwards from what I have on 7 but just ends up a tragically ugly looking mess and lacking some levels of functionality due to lack of imagination and/or flexibility and ***** poor icons/tile styles from the developers.

But hurray the weather live tile is finally working - literally just before I took that screenshot it suddenly randomly sprung into life and stayed working after not working/only working for 10 seconds max over the last few months.

EDIT: Kind of funny how notepad, etc. still has the compiled icon from Vista/7 and looks so much better than the native 10 icons :S

 

[Skeeter]

I think we just disagree in whether 'widely used' is the same as 'does everything people need'.

The weather tile is massively hit and miss. I think it's only ever worked once on my tablet.

 

[Rroff]

Nah - I understand that 7 has become widely used largely with a lack of choice if you wanted to stay with Windows but I also understand that the user base is split between people who embrace the 7 style of use and those who had no real choice but to use it.

 

[GAM8LE]

I have never had an issue with the weather tile or live tiles in general. Even my windows phone and w10 sync almost instantly when I delete emails on one device.

Maybe I'm lucky.

Anyway OP, did you fresh install afterwards?

 

[Rroff]

Dunno if its due to always signing in with the same ID (long standing developer ID that has been through a lot of products, etc.) but had the same issues with it over all my installs whereas 1-2 other people I know running 10 IRL don't have the same issues with live tiles.

 

[V F]

You are missing the point I'm making :S

Moving onto the second point...

I get that not everyone likes the glossy, rounded, 3D look of 7 but personally I find it looks far more polished and modern than the style of 10

Spoiler

While no one is exactly going to be using extra large icons (I just stuck them like that to clearly show the differences) so some degree of that attention to detail and quality is a bit wasted - the difference in quality of the icons, etc. speaks for itself IMO.

There are some elements I feel are dated that Windows 10 _should_ be an improvement on in that image you can also see a mockup of what I'm trying to achieve from the start menu which would be a significant step forwards from what I have on 7 but just ends up a tragically ugly looking mess and lacking some levels of functionality due to lack of imagination and/or flexibility and ***** poor icons/tile styles from the developers.

But hurray the weather live tile is finally working - literally just before I took that screenshot it suddenly randomly sprung into life and stayed working after not working/only working for 10 seconds max over the last few months.

EDIT: Kind of funny how notepad, etc. still has the compiled icon from Vista/7 and looks so much better than the native 10 icons :S

I can't seem to find who created them. Or it's not in the artists profile yet from NDAs... As it was The Iconfactory that made Vista's/7.

The inconsistency of some make me think its made in-house.

This has been over 2 decades of this Microsoft con - changing interfaces and icons and bloody ribbons all that garbage but not making the REAL IMPROVEMENTS: stable platform, new functionality and features, fixed/non-constantly-changing interface and menu item places, taking into account users feedback. Con con con. And unfortunately Google with Android 5 and iOS learned this trick and now started playing the same con game. And millions of users are into this con completely fooled, discussing it for hours.

Stop con masters, demand real changes and improvements, freeze sense-less unnecessarily UI tweaks! We are sick of you, con giants Microsoft, Google, Apple.

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/the-icon-evolution-in-windows-10/

Flat or 3D really does not matter. They are simply amateurish. Too bad that MS can't afford to hire somebody skilled.

I wonder if that is true or opinion. The inconsistency shows it though.

 

[Rroff]

^^ will admit that some of my comments along the lines of "looks like they were designed in ms paint on someone's lunch break" originate from 9xxx builds but even the latest ones don't inspire me - might be more tolerant if I was coming onto the OS fresh but coming from a long history of RISC OS (using the 3D/shaded UI replacement from like 1990-2 onwards) and then Windows 7 they just look really naff and dated to me and the inconsistency really grates.

http://icons.bav0.com/icons/imageres_184 This one especially makes me laugh - the 9600 build is basically ripped from 7, the 9926 build just had me wondering why anyone bothered spending dev time on it when the 7 one is fine as a placeholder - HAD to be they needed to give the intern a task to do as that is ugly as sin. THe 10147 build version isn't terrible but just looks really naff - if they wanted to move away from the rounded 3D look of the original atleast use a shaded version even if the design was flattened.

 

[V F]

I loved this marketing tidbit.

"We've updated our icon design to reflect our Microsoft design language, creating a more consistent and cohesive look and feel across all our product experiences. These icons are more modern and lightweight, while creating a better visual relationship between typography and iconography. On top of that, app icons are now more consistent between desktop and mobile so apps like Word and Excel look similar no matter what device you're using.

"Feedback played a huge role in the current icon design refresh. In earlier preview builds, we heard our design was too flat and lacked richness. We've since iterated to deliver a balance between mono line style icons on mobile, and the three dimensional depth of desktop icons. The new icon set is familiar, yet fresh and usable."

Lightweight, heh! It makes no difference what is in 256x256/512x512. It's how well it was created.


Trend followers = modern.

 

[Skeeter]

There just icons.

 

[Rroff]

They are just icons that I have to look at most of the time when using the OS... most people don't willingly choose to look at something dull and boring at best and often downright ugly

 

[V F]

There just icons.

Tell that to the Apple fans who suffered the same fate.

 

[Elevon]

Something you don't seem to understand due to having a different approach and requirements from an OS for some people Windows 7 is the best fit so far for their needs so everything will be compared against it as a benchmark.

You forget I owned and used Win7 from day one of release until 8 was out,infact I could say the same from Dos 6.22 to Win10, also throw in all my Linux distros as well,again WTF is special about 7,basically nothing if people are being honest.

Sure some don't like change but that happens,get over it.

 

[Rroff]

You forget I owned and used Win7 from day one of release until 8 was out,infact I could say the same from Dos 6.22 to Win10, also throw in all my Linux distros as well,again WTF is special about 7,basically nothing if people are being honest.

Sure some don't like change but that happens,get over it.

Which basically proves my point - I'm not saying anything about whether you have used the OS or not. There is nothing "special" about Windows 7 on its own merits its a fairly mediocre OS at best - but the style of the OS suits a lot of people (probably as a really rough guess about 40% of the user base) that is not to say its the pinnacle of that experience.

Its nothing to do with change whatsoever (though a lot of people are resistant to change and that includes new OSes but that is another story entirely - change for changes sake is not a good thing either).

 

[Skeeter]

Got anything to support that 40% quote?

I'd suggest that over half the people who use Windows don't even know what version they are using, and that most people don't really care so long as they can access the websites they need or do their jobs.

The whole idea that people have a preference for an OS is based on a requirement for there to be an awareness of the versions that simply isn't there for the largest part of the user base.

Its a common problem on here that people seem to forget that most people aren't like us.

 

[Elevon]

Which basically proves my point - I'm not saying anything about whether you have used the OS or not. There is nothing "special" about Windows 7 on its own merits its a fairly mediocre OS at best - but the style of the OS suits a lot of people (probably as a really rough guess about 40% of the user base) that is not to say its the pinnacle of that experience.

Its nothing to do with change whatsoever (though a lot of people are resistant to change and that includes new OSes but that is another story entirely - change for changes sake is not a good thing either).

The style of Win7 is basically modern Win95 UI,so shows you how long it has remained the same for,almost" groundhog day "so again change to something different is some thing some people don't like.

Also I could remind you those still on WinXP even after EOL and have ignored Win7.

 

[Rroff]

Got anything to support that 40% quote?

I'd suggest that over half the people who use Windows don't even know what version they are using, and that most people don't really care so long as they can access the websites they need or do their jobs.

The whole idea that people have a preference for an OS is based on a requirement for there to be an awareness of the versions that simply isn't there for the largest part of the user base.

Its a common problem on here that people seem to forget that most people aren't like us.

As I said its a really rough guess at the numbers - its more the point that its not a statistically insignificant proportion of the user base than anything else. As I mentioned before OSes didn't evolve in a certain pattern for no reason though I suspect that style appeals more to the more old school techie types than more modern consumers.

Even people who have no concept of what OS version they are even on will have different approaches that suit them better - given a range of different OSes and asked to pick one that worked best for them they wouldn't necessarily all pick the same OS.

i.e. I've had a lot of discussion with people who like to just click start and start typing to find what they want - for me that isn't at all an optimal approach but for them it is - take that away in a new OS and they wouldn't willingly upgrade to it and it wouldn't be an optimal experience for them no matter how much they changed their use to suit the new OS.

The style of Win7 is basically modern Win95 UI,so shows you how long it has remained the same for,almost" groundhog day "so again change to something different is some thing some people don't like.

Also I could remind you those still on WinXP even after EOL and have ignored Win7.

All of which just shows you have zero concept of the fact that people have different "fits" when it comes to approach to an OS just like people like different styles and types of clothing, cars, etc. and if you don't cater for that then people don't tend to jump onto a new OS unless they really have to. This isn't ignoring that a lot of people are also resistant to change and will tend to stubbornly stick to what they are used to - that is another story again.

 

[Elevon]

As I said its a really rough guess at the numbers - its more the point that its not a statistically insignificant proportion of the user base than anything else. As I mentioned before OSes didn't evolve in a certain pattern for no reason though I suspect that style appeals more to the more old school techie types than more modern consumers.



All of which just shows you have zero concept of the fact that people have different "fits" when it comes to approach to an OS just like people like different styles and types of clothing, cars, etc. and if you don't cater for that then people don't tend to jump onto a new OS unless they really have to. This isn't ignoring that a lot of people are also resistant to change and will tend to stubbornly stick to what they are used to - that is another story again.

I can understand Microsoft changing the pattern to accommodate modern hardware,especially if it's designed to handle it all.

I'm not saying don't use the OS they like but a lot bring Win7 up in comparison, not the XP users or 8 users ,also every OS including Win7 has EOL so sticking with an OS for ages and getting too attached makes no sense to me.

I wonder how they going to handle EOL on 7.

 

[linktoinsanity]

I wonder how they going to handle EOL on 7.

They have until 2020, I do not believe it will be a problem. I don't think any resistance to 10 will stick, anywhere near as much as it did with 8 so by the time 2020 comes along, most of those still running Windows 7 will just be on old computers (or in some businesses, refusing to upgrade for numerous reasons, mostly nothing to do with IT).

I actually had to set up a Windows 8 (not 8.1, just 8) machine last week and it really was painful. 8.1 ended up much more useable.

 

[zola25]

I actually had to set up a Windows 8 (not 8.1, just 8) machine last week and it really was painful. 8.1 ended up much more useable.

This is very true, I recently upgraded a family member's laptop from 8 to 8.1 and it really made me appreciate the small changes made in 8.1 (and update 1).

Although I have nothing against 10 - Windows Update aside - the Start Menu isn't really a start menu, it's incredibly similar to the all apps view in Windows 8.1.