50mb packages go to 100mb, existing 100mb packages go to 120mb and have a slight price reduction if I recall. In theory the bands will then be 40mb, 60mb, 100mb and 120mb. Much like now I expect only the top band (120mb) will be unmanaged/not traffic shaped (although I could be wrong).
Windows 8 Consumer Preview Thread
- Thread starter bledd
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50mb is initially going to 100mb, but they are also getting the 120mb upgrade eventually. Which is why 100mb has been reduced in price to the 50mb cost.
So it's going back to their normal three tier package. M, L, XL
Exactly which is why I think 99% of the moaning is fear of changing. The start menu still exist, it's just full screen and with a better search. Same number of mouse clicks. A lot easier to navigate and find stuff. I just don't understand the reaction. Even if you just use icons and no live tiles. It's still an improvement over the old start menu.
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30/60/120 Mb/s.
And I doubt there won't be any p2p/usenet traffic shaping on the highest package.
To be on topic, I find the Consumer Preview to work really well on my laptop.
It's an Acer Ferrari One with a low power Athlon X2 and 2GB RAM. Previously bloated with Windows 7 x64 and Acer crap. Now running Windows 8 CP x86 with no additional drivers or anything, good battery life, everything works just as expected and the system feels much more responsive and sleek.
Getting used to Metro UI isn't easy, I dislike it on the desktop but somehow it makes using the netbook a more enjoyable experience.
I love how formatting the drive and installing Windows takes like 5 minutes, with additional 10 for customisation and initial boot up.
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I have no problem with the lack of traditional start menu but the Metro UI feels like an unnecessary layer added on top of the existing desktop, Metro apps in the Preview are certainly not something I would use, the default screen is bloated with crap that I don't need and it takes a few additional clicks to launch things that would be one click away on Windows 7.
There are many features that I like about Windows 8 and I don't find Metro that intrusive but it is something that I don't need, can't disable and have to learn to live with. Hopefully there will be option to turn it off in the future releases.
Also, the Search doesn't work as well as I would like it to, it's fast but having to switch between Applications/System/whatever the other categories are in the search menu.
Of course I don't know all the features of Metro UI and how customisable it is but that's coming from my relatively short experience with Windows 8 and default settings.
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Has anyone managed to customise (add new items) to the Win+X menu yet?
The group folders are in appdata and you can remove or add duplicate shortcuts, but can't add new ones, or amend copies to point to different targets - once you do that they disappear from the menu
Customising this would be excellent, with a custom WinX plus pinned taskbar applications and jumplists, it's really no different to how I was using Win7.
Even worked out you can bypass Metro by adding the desktop shortcut to the startup folder if you really want to, not that I will
The group folders are in appdata and you can remove or add duplicate shortcuts, but can't add new ones, or amend copies to point to different targets - once you do that they disappear from the menu
Customising this would be excellent, with a custom WinX plus pinned taskbar applications and jumplists, it's really no different to how I was using Win7.
Even worked out you can bypass Metro by adding the desktop shortcut to the startup folder if you really want to, not that I will
How?
If your program is in start menu you have to click on start. On win7 that would bring up a list, in win8 that brings up a full screen metro with apps pinned to it, in any order you want. Virtually the same as a list but full screen. Both old start and metro allow you to start typing and search. But w8 search is better. So where are these extra clicks coming from? It's identical number of clicks.
As for apps, they're pretty pointless in current state but that'll change and even ignoring metro apps, you pin your normall programs to it and you have a full screen start menu.
So yet again I don't understand where you guys are coming from or where these extra clicks are.
There allready is p2p shaping on highest package, so that will continue.
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Press winkey, type search, no applications found, dammit, I was looking for mouse settings... Have to move the mouse pointer all the way to the top right, click on Settings tab, well finally I got it...
I'd encountered a few more similar problems such as log in screen, etc. Most are easy to get rid of once you customise Metro screen or other UI settings so there aren't many issues all in all.
I'm starting to like the fresh look of Metro, I'm certainly not one that has problems adapting to new interfaces but there are still things that I dislike about the new UI and default look is definitely not something that many will like.
Also, I liked my Windows 7 with Rainmeter better than Windows 8 with Metro UI and most things would be pinned to the taskbar or accessible through hidden desktop shortcuts. You could always use Everything for power searching, etc...
And yeah, I know that the highest Virgin package is traffic shaped which is precisely why I think it will be the case once the upgrades roll out.
Did you find any functional drivers at all? I couldn't find any for my DG, had to resort to using the onboard sound card which isn't ideal TBH.
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Things are in different places, few if any have more steps.
Are you disagreeing with what I described as an issue then?
I'm not trying to be picky, I'm just used to Windows 7 and this was one of the things that strikes me as less intuitive.
Not to mention that the whole system will be pretty difficult to get used to for casual users.
I let my mother use my laptop with Win 8 CP on it the other day, she found IE app on the metro screen but was unable to look for desktop feature not knowing that it's there nor did she like the full screen app where the way you operate is totally different to previous UI.
You said it doesn't take more clicks to search an open anything on Windows 8, I proved you wrong.
Are you saying that's not an issue?
How does it take more clicks?
It's simply in a different place.
Just like power takes same number of clicks but rather than going to start menu, you go through side bar.
Windows 7:
- Winkey
- Type "mouse"
- Click on "Mouse settings"
Windows 8
- Winkey
- Type "mouse"
- Click on "Settings" tab
- Click on "Mouse settings"
So there are things that are less functional than they were on Windows 7.
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Pin Control Panel to taskbar, Pin Mouse to Control Panel jump list.
But it's a good point - it's annoying to have change your search selection, right across the screen - hopefully something that can be streamlined over the next few months.
But it's a good point - it's annoying to have change your search selection, right across the screen - hopefully something that can be streamlined over the next few months.
fixed
same number of steps. different place.
how is it less functional?
I'm just pointing out, there's probably a fair share of other options you would be searching this way.
That's fair enough, as I said earlier, I'm new to Windows 8 shortcuts so it will take some getting used to.
Are there any advantages of Metro UI over the Windows 7 Start Menu (apart from the full screen view)?
Live tiles could be extremely usefull, also the standard settings/charms bars are a massive improvement over developer does what ever they want. W8 will be far easier for people to use, once they've got use to the changes.
And don't underestimate full screen metro and full screen search. Makes life so much easier as well as more info and catogreies in a sensible way, all improvements over w7 start/search.
As well as the start menu doesn't exist anymore. It's metro and a start menu in metro wouldn't work.
And don't underestimate full screen metro and full screen search. Makes life so much easier as well as more info and catogreies in a sensible way, all improvements over w7 start/search.
As well as the start menu doesn't exist anymore. It's metro and a start menu in metro wouldn't work.
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True, but we have desktop gadgets in Windows 7 that do much of the same thing and are 'live' allowing the desktop to remain the same and just have what we need as gadgets as well. Juts how is a screenful of rectangles better?