Windows 8 Consumer Preview Thread

[NathanE]

All I'm saying is, desktop users and corporations probably won't.

Extremely positive reactions from all corners of the web, including even Apple fanboys (!), suggests you are probably going to be wrong on that one.

The entire world has been waiting for this OS for many years now. Microsoft was the only company that could deliver it and they only themselves only realised what they needed to do just 3 years ago.

 

[Django x2]

I just like my rotating backgrounds on my desktop, ok

They could have at least done something snazzy with Media Center

 

[a03dugga]

Has anyone figured out the Windows-to-go feature yet?

 

[ubersonic]

Ok first of all "Overlord" is a title used by the network admin character Mordac in the Dilbert cartoon strips back in the 90's, I chose it as a department in joke, not because I have a complex or anything

If your an overlord, you should have enoug knowledge to realise you don't need to replace any monitors, touch screen is not essential.

Or have we all ran out and bought touchscreens to try the preview version?

That part of my comment was aimed at the post about everyone redesigning all their programs for touch screens and how its going to take over.

If you were a real "network overload" you'd know that XP extended support ends in 2014, which is certainly the foreseeable future and something you should be planning for.

I do know that, but I'm not planning for it, so XP support ends in 2014, its not going to instantly stop working , XP is fine for what's needed of it at the moment so we will stick with it until anything changes, and judging by Windows 7 and what I have seen of 8 so far the end of XP may become the point at which OSX becomes our most viable option.

You sound like the stereotypical IT administrator, always lagging 10 years behind everyone else.

There's a reason that sterotype exists, because its true, switching to the latest shiny thing may be great for the average home user but in business the three things you need most are speed, reliability and functionality and if you have something that ticks all three boxes it doesn't matter how old it is as long as its still viable. Our accounts department still use a DOS based version of Page and payroll was still using the DOS version of Payemaster until they cut support for it about 5 years ago forcing a move to the Windows version, hell we didn't switch from Supercalc to Excel until around 2001 "If it aint broke don't fix it".

 

[Glaucus]

That part of my comment was aimed at the post about everyone redesigning all their programs for touch screens and how its going to take over.

that's half the point, design in metro and you instantly have both. Its neither one nor the other.

 

[Gashman]

this just both sucks and rocks at the same time, the biggest suck is my graphics card don't work properly! why on Earth with their 'Windows 8 Preview drivers' did AMD not add support for 4*** series cards, the specifications for Windows 8 say 'Direct X 9 Video Card or Higher...', hope they release some new drivers as soon as possible like!

 

[Andrew_McP]

88% of Windows 7 users already do not use the Start menu. This is from MS's own statistics of millions of people.

The problem with this is that a lot of techy folk probably told MS where to stick their feedback. So they have a disproportionate mount of feedback from people who use a PC like they use a toaster, or people like my mother who turns her PC on once a month the check it still works.

Having said that, the future of everything is lowest common denominator, and old fashioned computers are probably dead for most people. Tools like the iPad will be the only computer most people need or want before long, which is why MS are desperately trying to jump on that OS bandwagon before it's too late.

Having recently experienced an iPad and its accessibility for "normal folk", I have to say I think MS may already be too late, just as they were with the phone.

Interesting times. Fortunately there's nothing in Win8 I need or want (integral Skydrive is nice, but so is Dropbox on Win7), so I can sit back and watch this from the cheap seats for a few years. I'm very tempted to short Microsoft stock though. They say invest in what you know about, and shorting AMD & MS seems -- sadly -- like easy money at the moment.

 

[Django x2]

I guess, what i'd really like to see, is Excel open straight from the GUI without popping back to desktop first. Maybe that will happen with the next Office version.

 

[Macro]

There's a reason that sterotype exists, because its true, switching to the latest shiny thing may be great for the average home user but in business the three things you need most are speed, reliability and functionality and if you have something that ticks all three boxes it doesn't matter how old it is as long as its still viable. Our accounts department still use a DOS based version of Page and payroll was still using the DOS version of Payemaster until they cut support for it about 5 years ago forcing a move to the Windows version, hell we didn't switch from Supercalc to Excel until around 2001 "If it aint broke don't fix it".

And this is why many old style IT depts are seen as a cost to the the business, specialising in saying "no" and eventually outsourced. The registers BOFH is a great example

This kind of thinking was best left back in the 90s, increasingly successful IT teams work as business partners taking advantage of new technology to enable the business to work better together, encourage flexible and agile work place, increase productive, decrease time to market and 101 other benefits.

IT technicians trying to defend their patch from "new stuff " they don't have the skills in is going the way of the Dodo as more and more business get wise to the possibility of IT being a valuable asset, not an albatross.

 

[XeNoN89]

Ok first of all "Overlord" is a title used by the network admin character Mordac in the Dilbert cartoon strips back in the 90's, I chose it as a department in joke, not because I have a complex or anything




That part of my comment was aimed at the post about everyone redesigning all their programs for touch screens and how its going to take over.




I do know that, but I'm not planning for it, so XP support ends in 2014, its not going to instantly stop working , XP is fine for what's needed of it at the moment so we will stick with it until anything changes, and judging by Windows 7 and what I have seen of 8 so far the end of XP may become the point at which OSX becomes our most viable option.




There's a reason that sterotype exists, because its true, switching to the latest shiny thing may be great for the average home user but in business the three things you need most are speed, reliability and functionality and if you have something that ticks all three boxes it doesn't matter how old it is as long as its still viable. Our accounts department still use a DOS based version of Page and payroll was still using the DOS version of Payemaster until they cut support for it about 5 years ago forcing a move to the Windows version, hell we didn't switch from Supercalc to Excel until around 2001 "If it aint broke don't fix it".

IMo you are stuck in the past, We have moved over 1000 PC's from XP to 7. Everything is much better...I can see why Windows 8 would be a bad idea though, metro will just not work here.

 

[Andrew_McP]

There's a reason that sterotype exists, because its true, switching to the latest shiny thing may be great for the average home user but in business the three things you need most are speed, reliability and functionality

This week I was listening to a BBC podcast and there was mention of a big financial firm which has only just upgraded from XP to Windows Vista. Vista!

As long as the OS does the limited range of things a firm requires with minimal tech support, that's all that really matters. But I understand one of the features of Metro is its ability to be locked down to a few simple Apps, denying all flexibility and creating customised experiences for corporate use. It may eventually be just what the business world needs... but not for a long time yet.

 

[anything I don't mind]

88% of Windows 7 users already do not use the Start menu. This is from MS's own statistics of millions of people. Getting rid of the Start menu was a good idea and most people will not care that it's gone.

And since 7 you simply pin your most used software to the taskbar, as everyone else already does. Or you can pin it to the Metro screen, or simply search in Metro which is already much improved over 7.

77% don't use the start menu. That is hilarious. I don't know where MS get their data from.

I call it "the problem of the beta" specially public betas. It is something I defined when watching youtube roll out their new features. What happens is a company releases a new version of their product and existing users and new users try it out, the ones that don't like it, well they simply stop using it. The ones that like it, they continue to use it. Which of course gives the impression that the new version is well liked, that is because all the people that hated stop participating in the beta.

Also this whole idea that this new ui is going to be better for new people. What new people. Everyone has used a computer these days and if you haven't it is most likely because you are very young. Young people generally have no problem with learning UI. Just a false idea that there are still millions of new users that are waiting to find windows is just outdated and flawed. MS biggest market is their existing market share.

 

[ubersonic]

This kind of thinking was best left back in the 90s, increasingly successful IT teams work as business partners taking advantage of new technology to enable the business to work better together, encourage flexible and agile work place, increase productive, decrease time to market and 101 other benefits.

That's a nice collection of buzz words, but the bottom line is we could convert the network to 7 tomorrow if we wanted, it would cause a lot of disruption, the systems would run slower, and the would be 0 benefit.

Your kind of thinking belongs back in the 00's, when it was fine to blow through a massive budget upgrading everything and implementing loads of changes with nothing to actually show for it

As long as the OS does the limited range of things a firm requires with minimal tech support, that's all that really matters.

This guy gets it

 

[NathanE]

I do know that, but I'm not planning for it, so XP support ends in 2014, its not going to instantly stop working , XP is fine for what's needed of it at the moment so we will stick with it until anything changes, and judging by Windows 7 and what I have seen of 8 so far the end of XP may become the point at which OSX becomes our most viable option.

Are you sure you work for a corporate? Because no real corporate of them would ever even remotely consider OSX. It's group policy and general domain environment support is hilarious compared to Windows. And that's before even mentioning the cost differences.

You've got two years to get funding for expensive Mac hardware, retraining of all your employees, repurchase of all software with Mac licenses, redevelopment of all bespoke software to run on OSX, hiring more IT support staff. If you think you can achieve all that (and all the other hidden costs) in the 2 years remaining then you're deluded. I suggest you start planning for W7 or W8 because it's your only option in the time you have left. And if you let your XP environment go past 2014 you're putting your job at risk as the IT administrator. Do you really want to do that?

There's a reason that sterotype exists, because its true, switching to the latest shiny thing may be great for the average home user but in business the three things you need most are speed, reliability and functionality

No, corporates want support. Support is all they want. You're already in extended support phase with XP, which is not ideal. "Speed", reliability and functionality all come secondary. Reliability sort of comes under the support bracket anyway.

A typical IT administrator lags anything from 0 to 3 years behind. Which is fine. A stereotypical one lags 10 years behind. You don't want to be one of those guys.

 

[Macro]

That's a nice collection of buzz words, but the bottom line is we could convert the network to 7 tomorrow if we wanted, it would cause a lot of disruption, the systems would run slower, and the would be 0 benefit.

If you seriously think there is 0 benefit in a modern desktop and productivity tooling environment that explains why you're stuck in the past and seen by the business as a cost, not an asset.

Of course there has to be a business as well as cost benefit, most of it pretty well documented and realisable.

 

[edgedemon]

As a corporate network admin, we are still using XP, and plan to roll out Win7 this summer to around 700 client PC's
Rollouts like this take time and planning, and although we like nice new shiny tech, it pays to stay one step behind the curve as Vista proves..

On a personal front, installed this yesterday and have been very impressed so far..

 

[RobP]

77% don't use the start menu. That is hilarious. I don't know where MS get their data from.

They get their info from the Customer Experience Improvement Programme, and the correct number and quote is:

"In fact, 88% of app launches are from outside the Start menu today".

http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/10/11/reflecting-on-your-comments-on-the-start-screen.aspx

Well worth having a read of that blog, give some reasoning behind the design decisions.

 

[NathanE]

IT technicians trying to defend their patch from "new stuff " they don't have the skills in is going the way of the Dodo as more and more business get wise to the possibility of IT being a valuable asset, not an albatross.

Exactly. As soon as the powers that be get a sense that their IT department is holding back the company. Then that IT department can consider itself outsourced. It's the only way that firms can lay off their IT department. You can't for instance make your IT administrator "redundant" in a big firm because, well, you always need that role. It wouldn't be legal ... unless you outsource your entire IT operation. That's why outsourcing is so popular. It lets CEO's cut loose a dysfunctional IT department. Even if the outsourcing venture turns out to be a flop, it means they can form a new IT department a year or two later with much more forward thinking individuals at the helm.

 

[Macro]

As long as the OS does the limited range of things a firm requires with minimal tech support, that's all that really matters.

that tends to be what old style IT wants, not the business. It is of course true that the business has no interest in what technology is under the covers or why they should care about a move from XP to 7 (or anything else), they are however interesed in improved service.

Offer the business the benefits of Bitlocker encryption, Direct Access, improved networking and security, application virtualisation, VDI, UAG and a bunch of other technologies that come from a modern desktop environment and they jump at it.

The problem is when IT talks to the business in IT and product terms rather than business benefit. Rather than the list of technologies I mention the discussion with the business is about enabling hotdesking to take better advantage or real estate capacity, agile anywhere working for sales and engineering teams "out" on the road, the ability for seamless working from home, massively improved wireless perfomance, Branch cache boosting performance and reducing WAN costs for small remote offices, blah, blah, blah. W7 performs much the same in terms of requirements as XP so any desktop or laptop built in the last 7 years or so will be fine although of course there will be exceptions and "well my XXX team are working on Pentium IIs with 1mb of RAM and 40GB hard drives".

To beardy sandal wearing IT staff of old it's a list of buzz words, along with grumbles like "why would a company want "instant messaging", micro blogging, crowdsourcing etc". For the rest of the world it's the future leaving the old world of IT to be outsourced and driven down to lowest cost maintenance status within a company.

 

[Photek]

The problem with this is that a lot of techy folk probably told MS where to stick their feedback. So they have a disproportionate mount of feedback from people who use a PC like they use a toaster, or people like my mother who turns her PC on once a month the check it still works.

It's statistics gathered directly from Windows 7 and sent to MS servers. MS collect all this data, so it's not like MS literally asked people "hey do you use the Start menu?". They didn't say if it was gathered by people that purposely opt in to this data collection, or if it's something MS get from every Win 7 PC (which would be a bit scary). Either way it's from millions of 7 users so i'd say it's about as accurate as you can get.