Windows 8 is so ugly

[DeaconFrost]

We have to stop quoting each other. My mouse scroll wheel is begging for mercy.

People are going to love or hate a Microsoft OS regardless, even if it told you the winning lottery numbers for the next day's drawing. The point is "people" get their opinions from "people" rather than using their own brains and first hand experience to develop their own opinions. Vista's only issue when it was released was that hardware manufacturers weren't ready for it due to their own laziness. If you bought a new Dell, for example, with Vista, and it had no drivers for the Nvidia card and shipped with 512 MB of memory, it is natural to assume the OS was crap. Vista is how you could identify someone who knew tech or just followed other sheeple. When Jay Leno makes tech jokes in his monologues...it's proof that the mainstream society was falling for what "experts" told them.

In truth, once the hardware support was there for Vista, it was actually a decent OS. Windows 7 came along, and partly due to public perception, and partly due to it being a quality product, it took off. Windows 8 is suffering the opposite. When you follow a bad product...it's easy to look good. When you follow a great product, it's easy to look bad.

No where will you catch me saying Windows 7 is a bad product. It's the best Windows OS to date. Windows 8 is still new and users are still getting used to it. It's a little early to be passing final judgement on it, but it's not a step down from Windows 7. It may not be a step up, either, but that's the point. It's different...and that doesn't mean better or worse. As it stands today, there are 2 quality Windows OSes out there. That's good for us, as a tech industry.

For me personally, I am a fan of both. I have the tower in my details that will likely stay with Windows 7 for now. I have an HP Envy 4 Ultrabook, and I'll be upgrading that to Windows 8 shortly, probably over the holidays when I have some time.

 

[DeaconFrost]

I don't see how you can say Win 8 is more customizable then Win 7.

Off the bat, you have your choice between two UIs. That alone is more than the one we've always had. The Metro screen can be made to look anyway you want, and the apps/widgets/gadgets can be customized to show anything you want. I don't consider the title bars and such with customization because I don't really spend time staring at those things or caring about them that much. I'm always doing something with my computer if I'm sitting in front of it. Customization to me, means I can alter the ways I access my data or use the computer to suit my personal preferences. Changing the color of a title bar has no effect on my usability or habits. Theming programs can be used to alter those things if they matter to you.

 

[Maguscreed]

I've read articles that the PC manufactures said that Windows 8 UI was too soon for PC's I know by the middle of next year in time for back to school there will be touch screen Laptops in the $500 range perfect for students, right now they are in the $800 range and all Ultra books, ( have seen a sub $800 not out in stores just yet) its too much for the Christmas season. SHould of released it in April IMHO

In my eyes the whole thing is windows trying to be OSX or Android. Hell there is even a window's store now to download apps from. I may switch to linux at this rate. Everything that made microsoft's product better is slowly being eaten away at.

 

[DeaconFrost]

Linux has had "app stores" for a while now. I actually like the fact that some apps can be loaded through the store, and updated through the store, just like on my Android phone. Yet, I can still swap over to the desktop, and install any other apps I want to run. Again, the best of both worlds (with the exception of Windows RT).

I'll state again, I'm not bashing Windows 7 or suggesting Windows 8 is a superior product. I'm just trying to post factual info to show that these are all subjective "complaints". I know for a fact, many home, non-tech savvy users would benefit from having an all in one app updating spot on their computers.

 

[Howdr]

I don't see how you can say Win 8 is more customizable then Win 7.

Off the bat, you have your choice between two UIs. That alone is more than the one we've always had. The Metro screen can be made to look anyway you want, and the apps/widgets/gadgets can be customized to show anything you want. I don't consider the title bars and such with customization because I don't really spend time staring at those things or caring about them that much. I'm always doing something with my computer if I'm sitting in front of it. Customization to me, means I can alter the ways I access my data or use the computer to suit my personal preferences. Changing the color of a title bar has no effect on my usability or habits. Theming programs can be used to alter those things if they matter to you.

I used classic shell and its free ware, You can turn off the start screen.

One other annoyance for a PC is a lock screen like a phone or tablet........SMH Why? its like Microsoft is making the PC an Ugly step child

 

[Maguscreed]

More power to you, this too me is starting to seem time to change professions again.

 

[DeaconFrost]

The lock screen is customizable, from a background standpoint, and is only one mouse click until you are greeted with the login prompt. I don't see the big deal about the new style...like why it's good or bad. Windows 7's is just a blue screen with a login prompt in the middle...still nothing flashy or fancy. I don't see what there is to complain about. Instead of a blue screen, you get to choose from your own wallpapers.

More power to you, this too me is starting to seem time to change professions again.

That's a defeatist attitude that I see posted every single time a new version of Windows is released, even back to the days of Windows NT's release, when people threatened to change careers since it didn't include plug and play.

 

[edwar]

What I find bad about the Lock screen is that it is there. Why do I have to Mouse Click on it to get to the screen where I type in my password. I turn my systems on and the first screen that comes up is the Log On screen, Welcome screen. With only one account on the system the focus is already on the password entry box. I type in my password. Win 8 I fist have to go the mouse then back to the keyboard, I don't have a touch screen. Even if I did it still a waisted motion and or mouse click. Really who was the Idiot that thought this system up.

And what is wrong with having the log on window come up at startup and when you Locked the system.

 

[DeaconFrost]

One mouse click is hardly a wasted effort, especially when it's something people will do once a day. Again, maybe it would have been nice to have a choice, but on certain devices, having a screen like that would be a nice change. Overall, my only complaint would be the system should ask or detect if you have a touch screen, and alter some processes accordingly. But one mouse click, once a day, isn't considered wasted effort. You'd have a difficult time putting anyone through a usability study to say so.

There's nothing wrong with it at all, but having to click one mouse button once isn't going to kill anyone's productivity for the day.

 

[gregrocker]

I couldn't agree more, Deacon. This would have been fine if it would install automatically with start button/menu for desktops, touch GUI for tablets and touchscreens. Instead it gives me the impression of another Vista, so let's hope once again that Win7 improvements are rushed into SP1!?

Then again, it wouldn't have needed to be more than 7 SP2 for desktops in that case. We shouldn't lose track of the fact as MS did that Win7 was their greatest achievement and likely the finest OS ever.

 

[Maguscreed]

The lock screen is customizable, from a background standpoint, and is only one mouse click until you are greeted with the login prompt. I don't see the big deal about the new style...like why it's good or bad. Windows 7's is just a blue screen with a login prompt in the middle...still nothing flashy or fancy. I don't see what there is to complain about. Instead of a blue screen, you get to choose from your own wallpapers.

More power to you, this too me is starting to seem time to change professions again.

That's a defeatist attitude that I see posted every single time a new version of Windows is released, even back to the days of Windows NT's release, when people threatened to change careers since it didn't include plug and play.

Actually I welcomed both vista and win 7 with open arms when they came along, even though I later did decide I didn't like vista, that was a long time ago when drivers were issue and I had to wait 6 months just to get my sli to work with it.

No this is a departure from what windows has been since well 3.1
I have no doubt it will work wonderfully for a lot of people with touch screen portable devices. I just don't want it anywhere near my desktop or my work machine.

 

[Hopalong X]

We shouldn't lose track of the fact as MS did that Win7 was their greatest achievement and likely the finest OS ever.

... then came Windows 8ME. :shock:

 

[DeaconFrost]

I have no doubt it will work wonderfully for a lot of people with touch screen portable devices. I just don't want it anywhere near my desktop or my work machine.

Maybe a career change is in the cards, because one thing I've learned in my 16 years of I.T. is that closing my mind to something new only hurts me. With one simple 3rd party app (we can debate the fact the Start Menu should have been included, or given as an option), Windows 8 works identically to Windows 7.

 

[RealPetChicken]

I am staying with Windows 7. It doesn't look ugly, but it seems like a pain in the ass to you.

 

[DeaconFrost]

Again, not that I'm trying to promote one or the other...but you say it "seems" to be a pain in the ass. Why not download the 90 day trial and give it a shot? I was almost ready to skip it completely, but decided I'd give it a try on a spare HDD in my work laptop. After the first few days, I was used to it and started to enjoy using it.

 

[LittleJay]

I have no doubt it will work wonderfully for a lot of people with touch screen portable devices. I just don't want it anywhere near my desktop or my work machine.

Maybe a career change is in the cards, because one thing I've learned in my 16 years of I.T. is that closing my mind to something new only hurts me. With one simple 3rd party app (we can debate the fact the Start Menu should have been included, or given as an option), Windows 8 works identically to Windows 7.

Exactly. I used a small app to install the Windows 7 start menu from the installation DVD and now Windows 8 works just like a more secure version of Windows 7.

 

[Katanyavich]

I've been using 8 since the CP was released, and it's all second-nature now.

I use Classic Start, but with Metro enabled, as I use it too.

I have gadgets installed, and overall I'm happy with 8 except for the lack of transparency.

Oh, and it is 100% useable with a normal scroll-mouse.

You do NOT need a touch-screen.

 

[lehnerus2000]

I agree with edwar

To me, after using it for about a month, it gives me everything I love in Windows 7, just a little faster. It's more customizable than Windows 7.

I don't see how you can say Win 8 is more customizable then Win 7.

Off the bat, you have your choice between two UIs. That alone is more than the one we've always had.

A choice between:

• A GUI that a lot of people don't need/want
• The "old" GUI that MS deliberately crippled

You can't change the:

• Font Face
• Font Size (I don't mean dpi)
• Font Style
• Icon Size
• Icon Spacing

Windows 8 is less customisable than W7, unless you use 3rd party utilities.
In W7, I didn't "need" to use 3rd party software to set it up the way I wanted it set up.

Overall, my only complaint would be the system should ask or detect if you have a touch screen, and alter some processes accordingly.

I couldn't agree more, Deacon. This would have been fine if it would install automatically with start button/menu for desktops, touch GUI for tablets and touchscreens.

Most people seem to agree with that idea (except MS of course).

 

[Ztruker]

We have Windows 8 because Microsoft is in the business of making money. Windows 7 was a great money maker for MS but it's peak is gone so they need a new revenue stream.

I think their hope is if it's different enough people will buy it. If it was just Windows 7 Plus people would not buy it.

I don't agree with this, just my thoughts on why we have Windows 8.

 

[LittleJay]

I think their hope is if it's different enough people will buy it. If it was just Windows 7 Plus people would not buy it.

It worked on me.