Windows 8 Adoption Poor

Devrij said:
I'm disappointed that Microsoft are bowing to pressure. I think they were on the right track, and time would have resolved the issues people were facing once they familiarised themselves with the interface.
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I think sales will increase once Windows Blue/8.1 is released,besides Microsoft will have some more new tablets/phones out as well.
 
Windows 8 opened my eyes a bit.

Microsoft do not care what its customers think, the initial reception for Metro was appalling - and yet they stuck with it, even though very few actually like it.

Upgraded to Linux, not going back for a little while methinks.
 
Number_25 said:
Windows 8 opened my eyes a bit.

Microsoft do not care what its customers think, the initial reception for Metro was appalling - and yet they stuck with it, even though very few actually like it.

Upgraded to Linux, not going back for a little while methinks.
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I upgraded my old XP PC to Linux ages ago,I still have a few Linux Distro's as dual boot with Windows 8 etc...


I have been pretty impressed with a lot of Linux Distro's for quite awhile now.

However I'm still happy with Win8,Linux has always been a very good alternative in my books especially if you don't game.
 
Dj_Jestar said:
Another link re: u-turn.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/330c8b8e-b66b-11e2-93ba-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2SbWWnYCE?utm_source=feedly

Looks like MS are ready to "undo" some of the changes that Win8 brought with it.
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Unless there are more things changing than we know already, then the only "undoing" of note will be the return of the start button (NOT the start menu, the button will merely point at the start screen). Other than that, the major reported GUI change with Windows Blue is the ability to boot to desktop.
 
this_is_gav said:
Unless there are more things changing than we know already, then the only "undoing" of note will be the return of the start button (NOT the start menu, the button will merely point at the start screen). Other than that, the major reported GUI change with Windows Blue is the ability to boot to desktop.
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There's a list of changes that I can't get to because I don't subscribe to FT (linked in first paragraph as "key elements of its Windows 8 operating system"). Would like to know what is on that list.

It's certainly more than just the button by the way, because the button is already in Win8 when you mouse over the very bottom-left corner of the screen.
 
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They're only adding the button because so many people don't realise (and there's a lot of W8 "guides" around with conflicting instructions for the average joe) they can just right click in the same place they always have in the bottom left to access it. The same way they don't realise they can just mouse the right corner and hit settings to shut their pcs down.

Those 2 corners are much more efficient than previous windows, especially the left for people who make use of those functions, but apparently the majority of pc users are icon/point and click dependant, which is unfortunate...
 
Elevon said:
I think sales will increase once Windows Blue/8.1 is released,besides Microsoft will have some more new tablets/phones out as well.
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At the end of the day, people will HAVE to get used to it as their PCs start to age too much to last any longer. Either that or fork out an extra £100 for W7 if you feel that strongly about it.

My view is that these changes are a result of ignorance. In the FT article I saw (haven't read the digital version if it's any different) they admit that they could have raised better awareness of the changes and trained retail staff better. I think that would have been better than those stupid artsy ads they put out that didn't actually tell you about what made the product better. They tried too hard to build hype without actually telling anyone in straight words what was different or how to use it.
 
deuse said:
Why don't they just put in an option when you install that says "Tile desktop or Start Desktop" problem solved.
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Because you WILL get used to Metro and you WILL like all the changes to Windows. If you don't you're just not trying hard enough or complaining for the sake of it.

How dare you etc. :D ;)
 
Dj_Jestar said:
How about we just stick to the real definition of a u-turn? That is to undo something. To go back on what was first said/done.
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Which was implementing WinRT, removing the Start menu and making Metro the primary interface was it not?

So a U-turn would be deprecating WinRT and the Metro UI and restoring the Start menu.
 
Dj_Jestar said:
It's certainly more than just the button by the way, because the button is already in Win8 when you mouse over the very bottom-left corner of the screen.
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We already knew the button was coming back. I can only imagine that some are struggling to work out what to do without a button, which I can well understand given some of the people I've worked with.

That said, if people are shown what to do, then they've been fine with it in my experience. I think where Microsoft have let themselves down with the new GUI* is with a complete lack of instruction. As far as I can tell there's only a short animation which shows while Windows is finishing installing (or on first boot up on an OOB system). Had they included a tile to guide users through doing this or that on demand, it would have been far better. I'm sure there's plenty of info buried away in a help file somewhere, but that's the issue - it's buried away.

I'd love for them to have given us the option of start screen or start button, but I can't see them doing it - they need to encourage developers to continue to add apps to aid their mobile platforms, and if everyone could switch off the start screen (and most would if it were an easy to see option), many developers simply wouldn't bother putting the effort and cost into programming apps and tiles.

Personally I couldn't care less. I'm not a fan of the start screen, but it doesn't slow me down in the slightest. I can still open programs in two clicks and indeed more of my programs are visible without having to go into All Programs. I can still open programs by simply hitting the windows key and typing a couple of letters. I still shutdown a PC by pressing the power button. The only negatives for me is having to dig into the charms bar to restart a PC, though that's still three clicks as it is with Windows 7 (unless I create a shortcut, though I restart so rarely its not worth it), and I'm missing the recent items for individual programs (obviously the Office suite have their own recent items and I can continue to pin my important items them in each Office program, but some programs don't have that recent list or the ability to pin items.

That said, I could happily continue working with Windows 7, though I'd miss a few features, GUI tweaks and the optimisation Windows 8 has had. As I said, couldn't really care less either way. I'm certainly not a fanboy and wouldn't encourage or discourage anyone against either, save for telling them that "this is the way it's going, so you might as well just do it now".

* and don't get me wrong, while I don't mind tiles instead of buttons, I'd have gone much further in changing the GUI and integrated Metro into the desktop rather than having the current old flat, 2D and relatively useless desktop.
 
Azuse05 said:
They're only adding the button because so many people don't realise (and there's a lot of W8 "guides" around with conflicting instructions for the average joe) they can just right click in the same place they always have in the bottom left to access it. The same way they don't realise they can just mouse the right corner and hit settings to shut their pcs down.

Those 2 corners are much more efficient than previous windows, especially the left for people who make use of those functions, but apparently the majority of pc users are icon/point and click dependant, which is unfortunate...
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windows key. it's been on keyboards since before the release of windows 95. ie, 17 years ago. That's how long we've had a key that takes us straight to the start menu and now screen. 17 years and still people haven't learned to use it:p

They can replace the start button, it wont mean a whole lot. people are only clinging on to the start button fiasco because of what it means for Microsoft to bow to pressure and put it back on the desktop. The real issue, though, has always been the replacement of the start menu with the start screen. I've always maintained that the way i use the windows desktop hasnt changed much at all - and it hasn't. I still pin stuff to the taskbar and i still [Win Key] + app name to find everything else, just about. So I really dont mind if we have a menu or a full screen. I just dont want to see a return to the start menu of old; I'd like to see a metro-styled start menu, one that's a lot more flexible then either the old start menu or the current start screen.
 
The fact that reporting is so polarized says a lot in itself. You can blame a lot of it on the torrent of diatribes re: Metro that emerged in the beta stages. That obviously provoked a strong reaction, and we've been wallowing in a cyclical FUD storm ever since.

The reality is somewhere in between. Sales figures and recent results from the Windows division are actually pretty decent if people care to look.

But, of course, 'business as usual' a headline does not make.
 
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