More Than 3 Out of 4 Enthusiasts Reject Windows 8

You're both right.

It is possible to make 8 more usable on a desktop - but only by working around MS intention.

The phone interface is to push users into the clouds and promote other MS services - Bing for example.

That is the point of 8.

Wenda said:

mcbeat257 said:

I absolutely hate windows 8 it's only for Tablet PC's and not other pc's.

That's rubbish, I use both Win 7 and Win 8, and Win 8 works fine with a mouse. You don't need a touch screen. The desktop is still there. It plays all my games. Classic Start lets you ignore the Start Screen, and then you wouldn't know whether you were in 7 or 8.

8 is no better or worse than 7. Just different.

I'd be far more concerned about MS' push to the cloud and subscription-based software, than a new interface that any idiot should be able to learn. Or avoid/bypass.

Wenda.

Blue state: Microsoft's tricky strategy to strike back against Apple and Google

...After years of domination, Microsoft is finally facing serious threats at the cores of its business, Office and Windows. Consumers and businesses alike are largely purchasing devices based on their capabilities and form factors rather than the software contained within. Windows is slowly becoming commoditized and Microsoft’s traditional allies are looking at Android and Chrome OS as viable alternatives, a trend that threatens the Windows monopoly. Microsoft faces a tricky balancing act as it faces a future that’s very different from its existing business.


Protecting the two cash cows, Office and Windows, by licensing software to businesses and OEMs has long been the strategy in Redmond — but things are starting to change. Microsoft is moving towards the cloud, and beyond that it sees Blue.


...The other shift with Blue — software as a service — also requires consumer buy-in, moving from a product you own to something you rent and pay for annually or monthly. If Windows and Office are truly becoming commoditized then Microsoft has to convince the average customer that it’s worth paying to access its software and services in a move away from traditional licensing. It’s a big ask, and Office 365 subscriptions are a testbed for moves elsewhere in the company.

Blue state: Microsoft's tricky strategy to strike back against Apple and Google | The Verge

Looks like the author has been following my posts.

Finally .... someone else is starting to catch on

Microsoft is moving towards an era where it may eventually sell access to Windows or its services as part of a subscription, in the same way it has started to do so for its Office 365 service.

May?

I suppose they might have to adjust if they get enough resistance.

Layback Bear said:

If during Microsoft's monitoring they should be a to control Counterfeits much quicker and easier. Which has a value of probably billions.
They will have the ability of selling, renting or leasing many programs and apps. Every time one uses one of these programs or app it could be checked for Authenticity.

I agree with all attempts to stop piracy even though I will confess to it in my early computing 'career'. Software theft be it in the form of programs, music downloads, etc simply stymies future development of the product in addition to depriving folks earning from their efforts which is of course morally wrong and definitely illegal.

What I do not believe are some of the figures that are plucked out of the air by both software companies, music and film distributors, etc to simply justify enforcement. They are best based on a guestimate and then probably exaggerated. It is automatically assumed that if a piece of software, music, video is pirated (stolen) then if that route hadn't been available then the individual would have purchased it - a total nonsensical conclusion. It's rather like suggesting that if someone steals a Mercedes then if they hadn't been able to they would have gone and bought one!!

Whatever efforts MS or indeed anyone else puts into place to make sure that the software they are using is authentic, then you can bet your bottom $ that there will be a hack available to overcome it. MS are loosing overall market share and they see their revenues under attack. So it's off to subscription cloud computing and paid for downloaded apps.

Not for me, I'll stay with Win7. Maybe one day Linux will really get up to speed or who knows there could just be a desktop Android released that will run traditional desktop programs. Now that would be interesting.

Please, Microsoft isn't going anywhere. And, it seems to me, Apple is the one who relented by allowing Windows to run besides it's OS. I'm sure the HUGE Windows market share, and the proliferation of Windows software played a hand in the decision. Without it, I don't think Apple's PC would have the market share they have now. They were simply too walled off.

Now here comes Microsoft, wanting to gain a foothold in the Android and social media market, enter Windows 8. Yeah it's a radical change from anything we know, but I honestly don't see Microsoft abandoning this.

As I've been saying, we live in a mobile world where everything needs to be able to communicate with one another - Windows 8 is just the beginning. The large clunky desktops, while not dead, are being relegated to the specialized or gaming community. Basically computing is getting smaller, lighter, faster, and more mobile. Businesses are on the move, and need this mobility (to include cloud), while at the same time being productive. Sitting behind a desktop is a thing of the past. Thank smartphones!

Yes, 8 has some things to hate, and yes, I fear being advertised to death with the live tiles, but once you start playing with the OS, and getting into the meat of it, it really isn't bad. Aside from the outside being butt ugly, the inside isn't that bad. And I don't even have a touch screen.

Am I ready to replace my Win 7 OS on my desktop? Not yet, but playing around with 8 shows it isn't as bad we make it out to be. And let's be honest here, for the most part, people are complaining about the looks, NOT the performance, which is just as good, if not better, than 7. And this is coming from a former Windows 8 hater (H8ter).

BTW I know laptops are optimized for startup, but still it blows my Win 7 SSD driven desktop. I just turn on the laptop and the OS is loaded - basically insta-on.

And no, I have no hacks or added start menu. Aside from adding the games from 7, which incidentally, I don't use, the OS is being used straight up, on a non-touch screen laptop.

Anyway I guarantee some of you will view it differently once you actually get past the looks and actually play with it for awhile.

Dallas 7 said:

IMO, I believe it's just as bad as we make it out to be, but it's not as bad yet as it's going to be. Microsoft is going to double down with Blue.

Well...

And yeah, Microsoft is going to address issues with the release of Blue. Until it's actually released and installed, everything speculated is just guesswork.

BTW have you used 8? Not just touched it, but actually used it for some time?