Windows 7: Rumor - Microsoft to Release Windows Blue, the First Free Windows Ever

Opinions don't equate to valid points. There is no blunder with Windows 8. When you read the blogs and forums of people who actually are using Windows 8, you'll find that it's been pretty well accepted, especially in the enthusiasts crowd.

The only...and yes, only feature it is missing out of the box is a Start Menu...if we're going after that warm and fuzzy comfortable feeling. That can be added very easily, and for free. Should we have been given that option during the install? Yes, we should have. But it's far from a deal killer. The more I use it, the more I like it...and the more I'm blown away at it's performance.

This sounds to me like a free (but optional) upgrade that restores many features to Windows 8 many have have complained about.
Windows 8 will be required to use it.

Unless I missed something obvious, it sorta looks that way to me.

But then I am left wondering why not just offer it as a optional through Windows Update.

I don't know, but I guess I can't just wrap my head around MS just making a free OS. And if they did, then ad support would be likely. Sorry, Id rather pay than deal with that mess.
Big reason I actually buy most of my software because most (Not all) are free because of ads and it drives me nuts.

Exactly. W8 offers desktop users very little reason to upgrade.

I never talked about ethics, because whoever with enough skill/money/power usually ignores ethics as he sees fit.
I'm just describing a phenomenon, that exists regardless of my (or your or everyone else's) opinion of it, and how that could be useful if MS took the right steps to harness it.

That sentence is the core, since the communities of hackers and programmers are doing it for fun, you just need to create a good challenge, a good "game" to get them to help you out. And Windows is a very big treat. With most kinds of criminals that's unfeasible as they are doing it for money, not unlike more honest professions, so a company would have to pay for their services the same as it pays for normal people, defying the point.

It's the enhancements under the hood that make Windows 8 better than Windows 7.
Faster startup and faster wake-up from standy.
Win8 and IE10 are more secure than their predecessors.
And nothing keeps you from using the Desktop in Windows 8.

As far as Windows Blue, I expect it will more like a service pack for WIN8. Not a new edition a la windows 9.

I think you mean the only feature that you have noticed missing is the start menu...

There are some listed here:

Features and configuration options removed in Windows 8


Yeah, right - and if you don't like the taste of dog crap, simply means you haven't eaten enough of it.

Not me! After Vista, I thought the "NEW" Windows 7 was a Godsend! Not scary at all.
Instead of building on the success of Windows 7, W8 started dismantling it, then took what was left and turned it into a one-size-fits-all compromise with a tablet OS.

If Microsoft wants to change hearts and minds about their ill-advised marketing trick, they need to stop treating the desktop PC like a tablet.
That one-size-fits-all trick was for Microsoft's benefit, not ours.


Like I said, "new" is not automatically better. The term "Better" has to be earned, it's not automatic.

LOL!!! Yeah just give it a chance, tastes great! Totally agree SIW2, I just didn't know how to say it as eloquently as you did!

Yes, that's a perfect analogy to describe a new OS. Many of those "features" in your link are nit-picking, at best. Oh no...no Free Cell! The Mayans were right!!!!
The term different also doesn't automatically mean worse. It's faster and more secure. You can try as much as you want, you aren't going to convince me that Windows 8 isn't a good OS. I'm responding to this on my HP Envy ultrabook running Windows 8, and it's running far better than Windows 7 ever did on it.

The only hate-worth thing of W8 is the GUI or GUI options. The rest is more or less an improved Windows 7 which isn't bad per-se.
Depends from what you do with it. On an ultrabook (that I imagine has a touchscreen) it's ok if you don't mind losing some options, and maybe even better as the touchscreen is close to hands anyway.
W8 does make some modicum of sense on touchscreen laptops and the locked-down tablet-like things where the average user does not really care of most of the dropped features (as long as facebook works anyway).

On a desktop or non-touchscreen it's enraging and murderously annoying even if you have a good mouse, imho.


Also, from that feature list:
"Sound events for 'Exit Windows', 'Windows Logon' and 'Windows Logoff' are removed" No, really? Did anyone care?
And there is a huge amount of stuff with obscure names and unknown function....

There are some stupid choices though, mainly about Explorer.exe and UI cripplage.