More Than 3 Out of 4 Enthusiasts Reject Windows 8

Hi there
SKYDRIVE is not mandatory at all -- same as people using DROPBOX or other types of "Cloud" type services -- things like DROPBOX are fine if you want to share files with people when the files are sometimes too large to send by email and unlike loading it up to a free torrent site you can restrict access to people you want to have access to the file(s).

Cheers
jimbo

The demise of Microsoft’s monopoly and the PC market, by the numbers

Unless you’ve been hibernating for the last five years, you may have noticed one of the most dramatic shifts in technological history: Microsoft, once the most valuable (and probably the most powerful) company in the world, is now just another tech company. A big tech company, for sure, but one that is being increasingly marginalized by the shift away from the desktop PC and companies such as Apple, Google, and Samsung.




...Eight years ago, 95% of consumer computers were powered by Windows; today, it’s around 20%. As you can see, this shift is almost entirely down to the growth of iOS and Android.....

The demise of Microsoft’s monopoly and the PC market, by the numbers | ExtremeTech

One can argue that a tablet of smartphone cannot functionally do what a desktop can do, but to some degree Microsoft is providing that shovel for its burial buy designing an OS for desktops that is driving consumers to alternative operating systems.

Hi there
MOST of those articles are written by "journalists" who probably just need to fill copy -- hardly any are based on actual BUSINESS experience.

Ms obviously DID make an error with W8 -- however I wonder what people would be saying now if W8 had NEVER appeared -- there would surely have been loads of people clamouring for reasons as to why Ms hadn't seriously entered the Mobile phone / tablet market or provided a passable OS for these smaller devices and touch screens.

W7 isn't really suitable for supporting these types of devices -- OK it's possible to bolt on bits and pieces (I suppose you could even jury rig XP to support modern devices - especially the x-64 version - unfortunately that never became mainstream as it was quite a good OS back in its day) - but doing that type of stuff just isn't worth it. There comes a point when one has to move on as hardware changes as well as USERS choices of what devices they use too.

Now Ms certainly doesn't have a death wish - but all corporations at the very top have certain people where big ego's sometimes get in the way -- especially when after the original founder of the business moves on -- such as Bill Gates in the case of Ms or Steve Jobs in the case of Apple. There then is a HUGE power vacuum to fill and during this period things sometimes go seriously awry.

However W8.1 is a HUGE step in the right direction and I'm sure W9 or whatever will be an OS that will also satisfy the most die hard W7 Fan.

The desktop (or laptop) is actually undergoing a mini revival -- especially as we all want BIGGER and MORE screens at home. People also want OS's fit for tablets / mobile phones etc.

IMO especially as more and more financial transactions are done with mobile phones - the security in the Android system is a huge joke as well as a lot of the QC on the android apps themselves.

Something like Windows with infinitely better security is a much better option when paying for goods and services -- some supermarkets now where I am accept a mobile phone scan instead of a credit card for payment (you know those funny Square pictures that you just scan with your phone).

Had Windows RT been developed for phones and tablets and W8 been developed on the lines of W8.1 for primarily DESKTOP users then I'm sure Ms would have had a winner instead of it having to pick up the pieces with Windows RT (which now will probably go nowhere) and a largely discredited (a la VISTA) OS in W8.

I'm sure all this will be fixed -- I can't really see ANYBODY else replacing Ms in even the medium term --things like enterprises making wholesale switches to Linux are just NOT ON (not speaking about SERVERS BTW), and for BYOD type stuff Joe Bloggs isn't going to bring a Linux PC to work either (unless he's running VMware wit h a windows VM on it).

Finally whoever thought of the REDICULOUS idea of TOUCH SCREENS on PC's or desktop computers. I know NOBODY who uses these and if anybody visits my place and even THINKS of touching a LCD 72 inch screen with their greasy mits then they are liable to get a really hard dose of Baseball bat on their bonce. !!!

Cheers
jimbo

I am seriously considering moving to Windows 8.1. Most of my applications and games are compatible and since a lot of the smaller apps are freeware, I can easily swap for more compatible variations or drop them. I would probably go for 8.1 Pro 64 bit version if I can. I don't have a touch screen monitor or a tablet and I hardly use the start menu anyway (most of icons are on the desktop anyway).

If you can try the 8.1 preview on a virtual machine for several days to see how you like it.