Microsoft Confirms Rumors; Officially Announces that Windows 8 Will Launch in October

[SquireSCA]

I played with one of the more recent preview releases of Windows 8, and it was horrible. I hate the Tile interface. It makes sense on a smartphone or tab, but not on a desktop. You use the devices differently, so having a unified UI is a bad idea. I took it off and went back to Windows 7. I have enjoyed every version of Windows since Win95, and I even liked Vista. I had zero issues with that despite "everyone" complaining about it.

But Windows 8, I won't be using unless they let you disable the Metro theme and go back to a Windows 7 type interface. It just makes it cumbersome and slow to work with.

 

[SquireSCA]

While I'm glad that you had a better experience than most, it wasn't all jumping the bandwagon or fear of change, nor was it just the drivers. By now, the drivers issues should be gone, but i find nothing but problems when i have to use it even now. It was revolutionary, but unfinished, and the quirks were just a bit too much. I used it up until 7, and i hated it. I expected to hate 7, too, but i love it. I didn't expect to hate vista so much...i actually looked forward to it.

Sorry, but Vista was a bad OS, and a commercial failure. There was some fault with the hardware makers, but a lot of it is Microsoft's fault.

I have never had driver issues. I went months on end of the PC up and running 24/7 without a single reboot. It was fast, stable, looked nice.

I have found that most people complained about Vista because they heard other people complaining. It became "general knowledge", even though there was not much basis for it and not many people could list actual valid problems with it. Go watch the videos of the "Mohave Project", where they interviewed general users about Vista, and you heard how they all hated it, listing how bad it was, all sorts of really negative stuff. Then those same users were given access to a PC to sample "Microsoft's new OS"...

Everyone loved it, they said how fast it was, so easy to use, everything just worked well and looked great. Then they were told that those pc's were running bone stock Vista, running general out of the box configurations... The look on people's faces were priceless. They just got done raving about how awesome the OS that half an hour before were trashing as a piece of crap.

It really showed how perception becomes reality for most people. Someone says it sucks, someone repeats it, others hear it and repeat it and suddenly everyone is quoting general knowledge, based solely on the fact that everyone else said it, and hardly any of them could tell you why, or even prove it.

The Mohave Experiment was a real eye opener. hehe

 

[MissionImprobable]

Vista is garbage. It has been the least stable MS interface that I've ever had the displeasure of using. I don't even want to get started on the problems that UAC presented on a PC with multiple users, a system that amazingly caused even more problems once it was turned off. The "simplifications" of Vista are horrid. A lot of the small UI tweaks are horrid. Windows XP and 7 outshine it in so many ways that I could write essays on it. It is easily on par with Millenium Edition.

That said, it looks like MS is keeping up its track record of screwing up every other release or so. Losing the features that longtime Windows users are familiar with is foolish beyond belief. I just don't understand what is going on in their collective heads. As many others have noted, a Smartphone/Tablet is not a PC, nor is the reverse true. While Apple--may their company and lawyers forever reside in hell--might see the use of "simplicity" existing both on their desktop and mobile platforms even they have the sense not to try and make them into one horrid "seamless" experience. If Microsoft weren't raking in licensing fees from other companies left and right from residual designs I would fear for the companies future.

 

[SquireSCA]

Vista is garbage. It has been the least stable MS interface that I've ever had the displeasure of using. I don't even want to get started on the problems that UAC presented on a PC with multiple users, a system that amazingly caused even more problems once it was turned off. The "simplifications" of Vista are horrid. A lot of the small UI tweaks are horrid. Windows XP and 7 outshine it in so many ways that I could write essays on it. It is easily on par with Millenium Edition.

That said, it looks like MS is keeping up its track record of screwing up every other release or so. Losing the features that longtime Windows users are familiar with is foolish beyond belief. I just don't understand what is going on in their collective heads. As many others have noted, a Smartphone/Tablet is not a PC, nor is the reverse true. While Apple--may their company and lawyers forever reside in hell--might see the use of "simplicity" existing both on their desktop and mobile platforms even they have the sense not to try and make them into one horrid "seamless" experience. If Microsoft weren't raking in licensing fees from other companies left and right from residual designs I would fear for the companies future.

Yeah, disabling UAC was difficult. Two clicks. LOL

As far as stability, I am not sure what you mean. Maybe you have it set up wrong, or your PC itself was unstable. I had 2 BSOD's in 2 years. Seems pretty stable to me.

Like I said, most of the "Vista is garbage" crap is just that, crap. It's anecdotal with very little basis in fact. If you had problems with it, then you were probably doing something wrong. I used it on several PC's and never had an issue. None. I don't think that makes me special.

[video=youtube;bsStHxtVr_w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsStHxtVr_w[/video]

 

[LaurelRaven]

As far as stability, I am not sure what you mean. Maybe you have it set up wrong, or your PC itself was unstable. I had 2 BSOD's in 2 years. Seems pretty stable to me.

Like I said, most of the "Vista is garbage" crap is just that, crap. It's anecdotal with very little basis in fact. If you had problems with it, then you were probably doing something wrong. I used it on several PC's and never had an issue. None. I don't think that makes me special.

Nice. Sorry, but i do know what I'm doing with a PC, and I'm open mined about new tech. I've yet to see a system that was as stable on Vista as it was on XP or 7. Bad UI design, stability issues that took three service packs to (almost) iron out, and a UAC that caused more harm than good are not just anecdotal, and I'm far from the only one saying it. Lots of people gave Vista a fair shake, and found they hated it.

If you had a great experience with Vista, that's great, I'm happy for you (truly, i am, I'm not being sarcastic here), but that does not devalue anyone else's experience just because yours was different. On the whole, Vista was reviled, and for good reason.

Please stop telling people it's their own fault that Vista sucked for them.

Sent from my ICS Bionic

 

[SquireSCA]

Nice. Sorry, but i do know what I'm doing with a PC, and I'm open mined about new tech. I've yet to see a system that was as stable on Vista as it was on XP or 7. Bad UI design, stability issues that took three service packs to (almost) iron out, and a UAC that caused more harm than good are not just anecdotal, and I'm far from the only one saying it. Lots of people gave Vista a fair shake, and found they hated it.

If you had a great experience with Vista, that's great, I'm happy for you (truly, i am, I'm not being sarcastic here), but that does not devalue anyone else's experience just because yours was different. On the whole, Vista was reviled, and for good reason.

Please stop telling people it's their own fault that Vista sucked for them.

Sent from my ICS Bionic

I daresay that 90% of the people that hated VIsta, hated it because they heard that they were supposed to, just like the people in the video.

If enough people say it, then it "must be true", even if the people are saying it because other people said it.

UAC took 2 seconds to disable. Done.

The UI was barely different than XP except for more polish, and you could use a more "classic theme" for the people that just don't like change...

Anyway, my experience was good, very good in fact, but I know how to build and maintain a PC, and I don't listen to what other people say without trying it for myself. ;-)

 

[MissionImprobable]

Yeah, disabling UAC was difficult. Two clicks. LOL

As far as stability, I am not sure what you mean. Maybe you have it set up wrong, or your PC itself was unstable. I had 2 BSOD's in 2 years. Seems pretty stable to me.

Like I said, most of the "Vista is garbage" crap is just that, crap. It's anecdotal with very little basis in fact. If you had problems with it, then you were probably doing something wrong. I used it on several PC's and never had an issue. None. I don't think that makes me special.

I guess when I disabled UAC and gave other specific users Admin abilities the fact that installations that they started simply froze because they wanted to, not because Vista was waiting for the UAC prompt to start despite it being disabled.

I guess Microsoft finally disabled the Hibernate option on Vista because it worked so well, not because it caused the computer to freeze in low power mode, necessitating a reset in order to use it again. I have no doubt that little quirk made many users happy.

I'm sure that I'm the only user who hates the bass ackwards steps necessary to alter standard settings like brightness that now fall under "Windows Mobility Center." By steps, I mean having to search MS's help page because there's nothing intuitive about "Windows Mobility Center" being the place to adjust things like brightness and volume.

 

[MissionImprobable]

Security flaws signal early death of Windows Gadgets | ZDNet

Interesting to say the least.

 

[SquireSCA]

I guess when I disabled UAC and gave other specific users Admin abilities the fact that installations that they started simply froze because they wanted to, not because Vista was waiting for the UAC prompt to start despite it being disabled.

I guess Microsoft finally disabled the Hibernate option on Vista because it worked so well, not because it caused the computer to freeze in low power mode, necessitating a reset in order to use it again. I have no doubt that little quirk made many users happy.

I'm sure that I'm the only user who hates the bass ackwards steps necessary to alter standard settings like brightness that now fall under "Windows Mobility Center." By steps, I mean having to search MS's help page because there's nothing intuitive about "Windows Mobility Center" being the place to adjust things like brightness and volume.

I never let my PC go to sleep, because it is almost always doing something, even just downloading... So if there was a problem with hibernation, I guess I never saw that.

As for adjusting brightness, I am not sure what you are talking about. If I want to adjust brightness, I right clicked on either of the desktops and selected the "Catalyst Control Center" which is the first item listed. I go in, adjust brightness, color, 3D settings, overclock the video card, whatever... Easy as pie.

Volume, that's a tricky one... Luckily after months of intense research I found the little speaker icon in the system tray next to the clock. Just like it has been on every version of Windows since 95. ;-)

 

[metalspring]

I never let my PC go to sleep, because it is almost always doing something, even just downloading... So if there was a problem with hibernation, I guess I never saw that.

As for adjusting brightness, I am not sure what you are talking about. If I want to adjust brightness, I right clicked on either of the desktops and selected the "Catalyst Control Center" which is the first item listed. I go in, adjust brightness, color, 3D settings, overclock the video card, whatever... Easy as pie.

Volume, that's a tricky one... Luckily after months of intense research I found the little speaker icon in the system tray next to the clock. Just like it has been on every version of Windows since 95. ;-)

...btw, catalyst control center is not a part of windows vista...it goes with AMD graphics drivers...there is a whole different built in brightness setting hidden away somewhere that is build into vista though
and i think he meant the advanced sound panel no the regular one

 

[SquireSCA]

...btw, catalyst control center is not a part of windows vista...it goes with AMD graphics drivers...there is a whole different built in brightness setting hidden away somewhere that is build into vista though
and i think he meant the advanced sound panel no the regular one

So the fact that his video card and sound card maker doesn't provide any control panels is Vista's fault?

I have a control panel for my volume in the system tray like everyone else. If I click on it, I set the basic volume. If I right click on it, I have options to get to the more advanced settings. Just like it was in XP, just like it is in Win7.

I guess I just don't see what was so "hard" about it. Maybe slightly different, but not hard at all...

 

[metalspring]

So the fact that his video card and sound card maker doesn't provide any control panels is Vista's fault?

I have a control panel for my volume in the system tray like everyone else. If I click on it, I set the basic volume. If I right click on it, I have options to get to the more advanced settings. Just like it was in XP, just like it is in Win7.

I guess I just don't see what was so "hard" about it. Maybe slightly different, but not hard at all...

The sound one isnt hard to find i know but the brightness is a different story
computers usually have 2 sets of display settings (as far as i know), one is the monitor/screen settings (on desktops it can usually be controlled by buttons on the monitor, laptops rely on the operating system's built in controls), the second set of display settings are the graphics card settings which tend to be much more detailed.

I personally use both for different things, the built in control for regular use and a profile in my graphics card settings for movies, vidoes and games and the built in settings are hard to find unless you know where to look, which most people wouldnt

 

[SquireSCA]

The sound one isnt hard to find i know but the brightness is a different story
computers usually have 2 sets of display settings (as far as i know), one is the monitor/screen settings (on desktops it can usually be controlled by buttons on the monitor, laptops rely on the operating system's built in controls), the second set of display settings are the graphics card settings which tend to be much more detailed.

I personally use both for different things, the built in control for regular use and a profile in my graphics card settings for movies, vidoes and games and the built in settings are hard to find unless you know where to look, which most people wouldnt

Even my laptops have controls on the keyboard, as do most. Hit the blue function key, and there are volume up and down keys, and brightness up and down keys. I have not seen a laptop that doesn't have those buttons.

I am not saying that the Windows settings couldn't have been in a more convenient place, but his argument as to why "Vista sucks" is a bit... weak sauce...

I talk to a lot of people, and most that said that Vista sucks, never even used it, and they just said it because that was what they heard. And that was the purpose of the Mohave Experiment, to take the people that were dead set on saying that Vista sucks, and then removing the bias by telling them what they were using was something else, and suddenly they loved it and raved about it. Perception=Reality

 

[LaurelRaven]

I talk to a lot of people, and most that said that Vista sucks, never even used it, and they just said it because that was what they heard.

Funny, most of the people i talk to who think it sucks are in IT like me and have actually used it. I used it from shortly after it released until 7 came out, and i regretted upgrading to it every day. I never once regretted upgrading away from it.

My complaints were lack of stability and poor UI decisions. No, it is not just like XP and 7 in UI, there are a lot of things they changed in Vista that i still have trouble finding after using it as my daily OS for two years, which i never had trouble with in XP or 7.

The stability is finally better after all this time, but there is no reason it should have been that unstable for that long. It was too much to just say it was drivers, and the rare times i have to use it now, it still doesn't act as stable as 7. It should be rock sold by now, and it isn't.

Again, nice to hear that you liked it, but that does not invalidate how others feel and our experiences with it.

Also, trying to say how easy getting to those settings by referring to a control panel made by a third party is missing the point. The OS has those settings, and they are a pain to get to. Just because ATI compensated for that does not make it all okay.

I believe, though, that this thread is about windows 8. We seem to have gotten lost.

Sent from my ICS Bionic

 

[SquireSCA]

Funny, most of the people i talk to who think it sucks are in IT like me and have actually used it. I used it from shortly after it released until 7 came out, and i regretted upgrading to it every day. I never once regretted upgrading away from it.

My complaints were lack of stability and poor UI decisions. No, it is not just like XP and 7 in UI, there are a lot of things they changed in Vista that i still have trouble finding after using it as my daily OS for two years, which i never had trouble with in XP or 7.

The stability is finally better after all this time, but there is no reason it should have been that unstable for that long. It was too much to just say it was drivers, and the rare times i have to use it now, it still doesn't act as stable as 7. It should be rock sold by now, and it isn't.

Again, nice to hear that you liked it, but that does not invalidate how others feel and our experiences with it.

Also, trying to say how easy getting to those settings by referring to a control panel made by a third party is missing the point. The OS has those settings, and they are a pain to get to. Just because ATI compensated for that does not make it all okay.

I believe, though, that this thread is about windows 8. We seem to have gotten lost.

Sent from my ICS Bionic

What stability issues? Mine was rock solid from the beginning. So were any of the ones I set up or worked on...