Windows 7 vs 8 poll

HAVOC · 17 Sep 2013

Vegas said:

Ran it on my desktop for 4 months, couldn't take it anymore.
1. Needs a start menu. I have 3 monitors, NOTHING gets a full screen.
2. It's UGLY. Reminds me of a 5 year old with a box of crayons (8 color box)
3. Needs an option to turn aero back on.

Yes, 8 should have been the tablet OS.

What he said ^^^
1. Was the removal of the Start menu for people that have trouble using computers?
2. Seen screenshots, look like they're going backwards.
3. What, no Aero?!

I have not used W8. I've read reviews and did not "upgrade".

Lady Fitzgerald · 17 Sep 2013

I didn't vote because a poll like this on a Win 7 forum is going to biased toward Win 7 and against Win 8.

lehnerus2000 · 17 Sep 2013

I tried:

W8DP
W8CP
W8RP
W8Ent

IMO, W8DP and W8Ent were the best preview versions.

Kari said:

Two simple questions:

Please could you give me some examples of Windows 8 features which cannot be used or are more difficult to use with mouse and keyboard?

I'm not sure that "difficult" is the right word, I'd say "annoying".

For example:

Two separate Control Panels
Two separate customisation windows
The Personalise options themselves have been randomly shuffled.
The Charms bar often pops out and blocks the "Close window" button
Having to swap to the Metro screen to start things
I can't make the new "Ribbon" based File Explorer simultaneously preview a file and show its details.

Kari said:

Two simple questions:

...
In which way should the "desktop" version of Windows 8 be different?

MS could have left the Start Menu Registry hack option, or they should have included the options to disable most of the Phone/Tablet OS functions (like the ones in W8.1).
Most users would be too scared to implement the Registry hack, so they would be trapped on the Metro screen (just like MS intended).

Kari said:

I have used windows 8 as my main OS since the first pre-release test versions. I have not nor will I get a touchscreen in a foreseeable future (not counting mobile devices), one of the reasons I like Windows 8 being how easy it is to use with a roll mouse, how fast and flexible everything can be found and used.

I don't find that things are any easier to find.
W8 search isn't any better, or worse, than W7 search (I usually know where I have put my stuff).

"Classic Shell" eliminates many of the annoyances though.
Other people find that different Start Menu programs suit them better (e.g. Start8, etc.).

I recently installed the W8.1 Enterprise RTM version.
I found it less annoying as you can:

Boot to the desktop
Replace the Metro screen with "All Apps" (minor improvement)
Eliminate the "Charms" bar and "Thumbnail" bar (you could hack the Registry in W8)

sgage · 21 Sep 2013

I used the DP, CP, RP, and bought the cheap upgrade. It took me a long time to warm up to it - I must have gone back to Win7 a dozen times

After learning how it really works, and how to avoid Metro as much as possible, I didn't have any problem with the functionality, but still just didn't like the look of the desktop.

I tried all the start menu replacements, and finally settled on StartIsBack, which does as good a job as I think is possible (boot directly to desktop, excellent start menu, disable hot corners, and a couple of other useful features).

In any case, I'm using Win8 full time now, and hardly notice that it's anything really different from Win7. But I, too, wouldn't mind seeing the desktop UI theme looking more like Win7, with Aero put back.

Windows 7 vs 8 poll

View Poll Results: Windows 7 vs 8 ?

Annoying