Windows 8 Consumer Preview Thread

I put it back on in duel boot and it takes ages to go the screen where you pick what os you want.

It maybe good on a touch screen or for people with ipads\xbox but that's it windows feels like a toy os now
And why bring in the looks of office 2010 into it? this makes it harder for new users, Ubuntu beats it hands down.
 
Glaucus said:
Do you really think they'll release it with out an optional tutorial.
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Of course, how stupid of me. They've done that with every other release of windows haven't they.

The last good one I remember was XP, and no one ever watched that. You can't really call the "getting started" window a tutorial :)
 
Yeah, I really don't get why they've removed the Start button. They've saved about 40x40 pixels at the expense of making one of the core UI elements completely non-discoverable. It WILL confuse people. I can only assume that it'll be changed back.

Glaucus said:
Why? Do you really think they'll release it with out an optional tutorial.
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A UI which needs a tutorial to understand is not a good UI.

These tablets are gonna be competing with the iPad, and nobody needs a tutorial to figure out how to use an iPad.
 
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i installed this today and have to say i like it- especially the font they use for text. I can see theyre trying to get a synergy throughout their products with the 360 and wp7 looking the same.

Problem is it feels very tacked on in terms of windows though which is a shame as it macks of change for changes sake!
 
Mattus said:
A UI which needs a tutorial to understand is not a good UI.
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Rubbish, any change in UI will need a tutorial, it's the same as most people are clueless about most of the features in IOS.

Change needs to happen, we can't stand still forever. The only reason we haven't needed tutorials for a long time, is the UI on many devices not just OS, haven't changed and been standardised.
 
djkav said:
That just describes how to get drivers installed. We can already install the Xonar drivers, using windows 7 compatibility with no problem.

Its the Xonar control panel that is in "Control Panel" that just won't work. Its installed, just won't load up.
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And I've never had any issue installing the drivers, be that brainbit drivers or the Asus official, it's just the control panel :p
Lack of being able to use flexbass is annoying as hell too.
 
Part of UI design is making it as easy to learn as possible. The standard see>poke>enjoy has worked great for years.

Hiding important UI elements until the user puts their mouse over an invisible 5x5 square... well... that's a puzzle game.

language warning, but hilarious:
 
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shuzzbutt said:
i installed this today and have to say i like it- especially the font they use for text. I can see theyre trying to get a synergy throughout their products with the 360 and wp7 looking the same.

Problem is it feels very tacked on in terms of windows though which is a shame as it macks of change for changes sake!
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Indeed! It seems very odd that the very obvious tablet OS should be put out as a desktop OS as well, especially as the competition, Apple, do two operating systems, one for tablets and phones and pone for desktops. Whilst there re some here who obviously worship this new OS, it seems clear that the metro interface does not enjoy that mush support. it is not helped by the need to create one's own short cut button to close the machine down.

of course it is fairly usable - installed software like Office etc. create their own metro buttons, the whole Metro system of buttons (I think they are called tiles actually) look ugly on a large screen and there seems to be n way to make them look better.

I'm still playing with the OS but I just don't think there is enough in it to justify and expensive upgrade and I haven't tried all my applications to make sure everything works in 8 yet. We will have to wait and see if any changes come along - I'm sure this is a test to see how popular Metro is for desktop users.
 
Mattus said:
Yeah, I really don't get why they've removed the Start button. They've saved about 40x40 pixels at the expense of making one of the core UI elements completely non-discoverable. It WILL confuse people. I can only assume that it'll be changed back.



A UI which needs a tutorial to understand is not a good UI.

These tablets are gonna be competing with the iPad, and nobody needs a tutorial to figure out how to use an iPad.
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Agreed. It really does need a visible indicator in the bottom left other than the 1x1 pixel area for the Start Thumbnail or Win X menu.

The same could be said for open apps top left and charms top right, especially on multi monitor set ups (and why can't these hot zones be configured ie moved around, or made permanently visible as an option)?

The UI won't need a tutorial on iPad competing devices - any more than an iPad does, everything will be through Metro and will be easy enough - WP7 is simple enough now, I don't see mainstream Win8 tablets being any harder to use.

What is needed, is time to come to terms with the changes if you're a desktop user, and that's where help/tutorials/guidance will be needed.

In that video doing the rounds, you've really got to ask yourself how competent the guy is in any other version of Windows too. He may be almost as inept on Windows 7, did he try pressing F1 - the universal Help key on Windows for ages now? Didn't even attempt to google it from the desktop IE?
 
ChileanLlama said:
What is needed, is time to come to terms with the changes if you're a desktop user, and that's where help/tutorials/guidance will be needed.
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Yes, but the point is why make these changes that require more learning? Apple have been updating their OS but haven't found the need to put their iPad OS on their desktops and laptops. Their Os ofr deskops has evolved alongside a separate iPad OS. Windows 8 is, essentially, pushing the the tablet OS onto the desktop when the Windows 7 interface has worked fine for years and really doesn't need upgrading.

I'd say that this sort of a new interface is going to either stop people buying Windows 8 or will push people towards Mac or Linux. It certainly won't sell to businesses who are only now upgrading to Windows 7.
 
Mattus said:
Yeah, I really don't get why they've removed the Start button. They've saved about 40x40 pixels at the expense of making one of the core UI elements completely non-discoverable. It WILL confuse people. I can only assume that it'll be changed back.



A UI which needs a tutorial to understand is not a good UI.

These tablets are gonna be competing with the iPad, and nobody needs a tutorial to figure out how to use an iPad.
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To be fair, most peoples beef is with the desktop version.

I'm betting very few people have actually tried it on a tablet, which in future will obviously have their own hardware windows button. There are only a few actual gestures to learn to get cracking - swipe in from the left/right and swipe in from the top/bottom. It's no more difficult to learn than iOS.

And to broadly say that any UI that needs a tutorial is not a good UI is too simplistic. Apple include tutorial videos at the beginning of their OSX installs to get users familiar with new features, and have animations in settings menus illustrating gestures etc. It doesn't mean it's a bad UI, it's just the reality of learning a new system. I didn't know you could pinch to return to home screen or four finger swipe to flip between apps on the iPad until I read about it buried in the settings menu. I was say its equally bad to not have some sort of tutorial in some instances.

iOS is fantastic, and Win8 is very good on tablets as it stands. Above all they are comparible - which is pretty amazing considering you can take the same code and install it on a desktop computer. Hopefully Microsoft will make some big improvements to the desktop experience because its not quite there yet IMO.

One of the biggest selling points of Windows is compatibility. Let's hope Microsoft considers compatibility with its existing end users as part of that.
 
prescott28 said:
Yes, but the point is why make these changes that require more learning? Apple have been updating their OS but haven't found the need to put their iPad OS on their desktops and laptops. Their Os ofr deskops has evolved alongside a separate iPad OS. Windows 8 is, essentially, pushing the the tablet OS onto the desktop when the Windows 7 interface has worked fine for years and really doesn't need upgrading.

I'd say that this sort of a new interface is going to either stop people buying Windows 8 or will push people towards Mac or Linux. It certainly won't sell to businesses who are only now upgrading to Windows 7.
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New features/changes require more learning. I remember back to Vista and 7 and seeing lots of people looking for ways to get the 95/98/XP Start Menu back. Not the same amount of noise, but there was plenty just the same, purely because it was laid out different.

I've said it before, but if you'd transitioned yourself away from Start Menu to pinned applications and jump lists in Windows 7 it's much easier. And after a bit of familiarity the new setup, asthetics aside - which is more of a personal thing, really isn't that much different to actual work with.

So Apple are developing two code bases, if MS pull this off, then they will develop one - will cost them less - ok no user benefit there - but it might also make them faster and more flexible with new features. And who's to say Apple won't follow that route in the future?

I'm not so sure about your thoughts on business either. I'd say that for large enterprises being able to run legacy in-house applications will be primary, but they also like to lock their machines down to staff. What better way than only giving them a multiple choice menu (i.e. Metro) and no access to desktop at all. Will be much simpler in the long term, couple that with roaming profiles that can work on desktops, tablets and phones - it could be a big win in the longer term.
 
DanF said:
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Yea funny video and he is correct but it takes like 10 seconds to say whack the mouse against the screen edge for lots of menus


Thats not hard to explain, they can put a sticker on the box nevermind about needing a tutorial.

I dont love the interface but he could have given a single hint, yes its new and windows didnt used to do that.
At one point everything was new and I can remember people :confused: at the idea of menus or even using a mouse

In dos everything was a keystrike or an ALT+letter and to be honest I still prefer that as touchtype is much faster then mouse


It doesnt even matter that much if people get win8 straight away, just use win7. Be happy, they supported win1 for over 10 years, win7 will be there for ages yet.

I would prefer the option of choosing between all previous windows interfaces as an option for win8, surely it would just take a little interpreter for any program no biggy

With the way win8 seems to install all drivers for you, I think it qualifies as the easiest version of windows to get working ever so its a success


You don't like Metro? Go to classiv view. Problem solved.
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First thing Ive always done on windows is turn off all the graphic grubbins. Previously because I had no memory but I just prefer simple. Wheres the plug to yank on for this version ?
 
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I just gave this a quick test on my laptop that I haven't used in months. Felt rather simple if you ask me. Think a tablet or netbook would benefit more than a desktop or laptop. I won't be in a hurry to buy this. I will stick with Windows 7 for a while yet.

Should I decide to get a tablet, we'll see how it goes for Windows 8. Otherwise, Android it is lol.

I will say this about Windows 8, during initial installation, it was uber quick. Starting up as well was very quick. So looks like they did something right there. But again, this will probably slow down due to how many external devices you have connected. It was nice to see it had found my devices (webcam, etc) and drivers were installed no problem.

Anyway, nice GUI. They made IE look like an online newspaper as to an actual web browser. I do like the Xbox integration and I am sure that will come in handy in the full version for the gamers out there. The app store certainly looks good. Lots of potential there if they do it properly.

Like said, it still felt simple. But then I have been using Windows since whenever lol.
 
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