More Than 3 Out of 4 Enthusiasts Reject Windows 8

[Night Hawk]

One thing you notice right off with the Win 8 tv spots and how they glorify how easy things are is what? Well notice the tablet they are using in the ad spot! MS just simply pushed 8 out in desktop form so they can say they are back on their 2-3yrs. schedule for each newer version while 8 should have been correctly named "Windows RT Desktop Ed." not Windows 8 since it breaks away from the familiar desktop platform.

Why RT Desktop Edition? The answer to that is simple since Windows 8 is not geared for the desktop but Tablet to embedded platforms where touch and swipe screen technology is the norm! "oh gee you still point and click on the LARGE BUTTONS! to run Our new form of "8"(or whatever it actually is) on your desktops and laptops!"

Now gut out half of any OS and naturally it will start up a bit faster ruling that being a plus factor! Windows CE loads up faster then anything else but you won't want it for much! IE is super limited. Almost virtually no options as you would normally see for any preinstall if not custom install OS! Convenience and small screen hand held devices only!

 

[Dallas 7]

"...like combining a toaster and a fridge – something that, while technically possible, was "probably not going to be pleasing to the user".

The fixes being discussed are not even close to what's needed.

They need to put Win7 back on all non-touchscreen PC's in the stores, or they will not sell.

Either that or SP the Start button back in but then you have Win7 SP2.

They need to trap you on that Metro screen to peddle the crApps. That's their 8 business model, code-named New Coke.

Just release 8 on touchscreens and Win7 on PC's where they belong. Slip 8 Explorer improvements into Win7 SP2 and you have a whole lot of happy customers.

The crAPPS! LOL Great description Greg! In fact I think it fits the whole OS.

 

[jimbo45]

"...like combining a toaster and a fridge – something that, while technically possible, was "probably not going to be pleasing to the user".

The fixes being discussed are not even close to what's needed.

They need to put Win7 back on all non-touchscreen PC's in the stores, or they will not sell.

Either that or SP the Start button back in but then you have Win7 SP2.

They need to trap you on that Metro screen to peddle the crApps. That's their 8 business model, code-named New Coke.

Just release 8 on touchscreens and Win7 on PC's where they belong. Slip 8 Explorer improvements into Win7 SP2 and you have a whole lot of happy customers.

The crAPPS! LOL Great description Greg! In fact I think it fits the whole OS.

Hi there
Really great description .
I was trying to find an appropriate expression but you found it !!.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

"crAPPS" Love it! Succinct yet so descriptive!

 

[Indianatone]

Make it a toaster, fridge, microwave and we have a deal.......:haha: As for Windows 8 it is too far broken to be fixed for me. I hope common sense returns for Windows 9 and we see the return of the desktop OS with Aero graphics and the regular conventional start menu. As far as I can tell the juggernaut that is Microsoft is sailing toward the iceberg with Windows 8 and no one has the marbles to say "Hey maybe we should put 7 back on desktops and most laptops and leave 8 to touch screens and some laptops". Windows 7 SP2 would be a good idea too with the under the hood fixes 8 got. If they did that 8 would be a niche product which anyone with a bag of marbles can see it already is. All that BS of 100 million licenses sold. I wonder how many are "downgraded" to 7, Vista or even XP? Or even sitting in the OEM's warehouses.

 

[x BlueRobot]

Make it a toaster, fridge, microwave and we have a deal.......:haha: As for Windows 8 it is too far broken to be fixed for me. I hope common sense returns for Windows 9 and we see the return of the desktop OS with Aero graphics and the regular conventional start menu. As far as I can tell the juggernaut that is Microsoft is sailing toward the iceberg with Windows 8 and no one has the marbles to say "Hey maybe we should put 7 back on desktops and most laptops and leave 8 to touch screens and some laptops". Windows 7 SP2 would be a good idea too with the under the hood fixes 8 got. If they did that 8 would be a niche product which anyone with a bag of marbles can see it already is. All that BS of 100 million licenses sold. I wonder how many are "downgraded" to 7, Vista or even XP? Or even sitting in the OEM's warehouses.

 

[PaulGo]

Microsoft will support Android with Office Web Apps



...Although Microsoft's decision to support its own Windows operating system first with its Office Web Apps is not surprising given the firm's very limited presence in the mobile market, it was only a matter of time before Microsoft was forced to support Apple's iOS and Google's Android.
The firm's decision to widen support is perhaps the most graphic illustration that it can no longer rely on its expensive Microsoft Office suite to shift Windows licenses.

Microsoft will support Android with Office Web Apps- The Inquirer

 

[PaulGo]

Windows 8 transition was a disappointment to entire industry, says Acer


TAIWANESE HARDWARE FIRM Acer has said that "everyone in the industry" was disappointed by Microsoft's transition to the Windows 8 operating system (OS) from Windows 7.


...But it seems that Acer's swift transition to Windows 8 still didn't do the Taiwanese firm any favours, as its disappointment follows its worst quarter ever in PC sales. According to IT industry tracking firm International Data Corporation (IDC), shipments worldwide plunged by 14 percent in the first quarter.
Acer had the largest sales drop among major PC vendors of 31.3 percent year on year in the first quarter, which lead to a two percent decline in its market share year on year to 8.1 percent.

Windows 8 transition was a disappointment to entire industry, says Acer- The Inquirer

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Windows 8 transition was a disappointment to entire industry, says Acer


TAIWANESE HARDWARE FIRM Acer has said that "everyone in the industry" was disappointed by Microsoft's transition to the Windows 8 operating system (OS) from Windows 7.


...But it seems that Acer's swift transition to Windows 8 still didn't do the Taiwanese firm any favours, as its disappointment follows its worst quarter ever in PC sales. According to IT industry tracking firm International Data Corporation (IDC), shipments worldwide plunged by 14 percent in the first quarter.
Acer had the largest sales drop among major PC vendors of 31.3 percent year on year in the first quarter, which lead to a two percent decline in its market share year on year to 8.1 percent.

Windows 8 transition was a disappointment to entire industry, says Acer- The Inquirer

Acer's drop wasn't all due to Win 8.

 

[Dallas 7]

Windows 8 transition was a disappointment to entire industry, says Acer- The Inquirer

One statement in that link just about says it all:


"IDC's report claimed the huge decrease in PC sales was attributable to the increasing demand for tablets and widespread consumer distaste for Microsoft's latest Windows 8 PC operating system."


I believe while the increased demand for tablets is undeniable, the desktop is NOT dead, and M$ should stop trying to push it off the cliff with the flop that is W8.
Put 8 on their touch tablets/phones which is what it was designed for, and W7 back on the desktop which is what it was designed for.

 

[Night Hawk]

Just more and more Bad News for those that switch to the "8" abomination! I think Dell was the one who made the smartest move years back when Vista was the one taking the cRap as a bad OS and Dell then starting offering the choice of OS including Linux on new systems ordered from them directly! I can imagine those same customers are demanding 7 not wanting to be e8ten up by MS crApps!

After SP1 Vista at least saw a shining light while it took some to get used to the larger OS at the time. With 8 however the blog writers just can't seem to stop finding faults at every turn! And Blue to come next will be what? More of the same or a last ditch effort to salvage a flop? by an upgrade into a more appealing but still...? upgrade of what?!

With the economy now starting to pick up the best possible way to see new pc sales increase at the same time is to put something that is an actual "Desktop OS" together and then call that Windows instead of borrowing from the Tablet OSs. MS would have to do some serious rethinking however since RT/8 amount to just about the same thing!

 

[PaulGo]

Windows 8 Users See Red: Is Microsoft Listening?




...In that sense, Microsoft isn't just gambling its own fortunes. It's messing with how many of us get things done every day.



That's why the anger over Windows 8 has been so palpable, and why fixing it has become so important. Forcing us to take longer, more circuitous routes to what we do every day feels like starting breakfast one morning only to find that your roommate has rearranged the kitchen. The more often you reach for a fork in what's become the towel drawer, the angrier you get.


If Microsoft is really listening to customers, then Windows Blue will give users a way to do things the way they're used to. Microsoft understood that wisdom back in the early days of Windows, when it used a two-step process to woo Lotus users over to Excel. For years, Microsoft gave diehard Lotus fans their old menus and keystroke combos. So those users came over to Excel. And eventually, those users got to know Excel and they dropped their demands for Lotus commands.

Windows 8 Users See Red: Is Microsoft Listening? - Software - Windows

 

[PaulGo]

Despite 100 million licenses sold, Windows 8 install base estimated at 59 million

Although Microsoft recently touted having sold 100 million Windows 8 licenses this week, careful observers noted that selling all those licenses doesn’t mean vendors have actually sold 100 million Windows 8 devices over the past half-year. ComputerWorld this week talked with Patrick Moorhead, a principal analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy, who estimates that the actual number of Windows 8 devices being used out in the wild is closer to 59 million, since the most recent data from Net Applications shows that Windows 8 is being used on around 4.2% of all Windows PCs.

Windows 8 installation base estimate: 59 million | BGR

 

[Night Hawk]

"Open Source Here We Come!" is about the size of things if MS continues this pace. Recently some software companies which just happens to include Steam have leaned in the Linux direction apparently realizing the impending flop 8 is proving it to be for many! While some will frown and label that b"8"shing the latest the market tends to speak for itself. And of course the blog writers then have plenty of fodder to toss around as well.

 

[Wenda]

"Open Source Here We Come!" is about the size of things if MS continues this pace. Recently some software companies which just happens to include Steam have leaned in the Linux direction apparently realizing the impending flop 8 is proving it to be for many! While some will frown and label that b"8"shing the latest the market tends to speak for itself. And of course the blog writers then have plenty of fodder to toss around as well.

Since buying my first PC nearly twenty years ago, I've often used open-source
or shareware/freeware products without issues (apart from the inevitable 'bities'
when you try a bad program). Many of them were/are are easily as good as their
'paid' equivalents (Paint-Shop Pro is a good example, I started using it at version
3, on my 386/Win 3.1 combo, and still use PSP version 8 to this day).

Until 2008 I had never had an internet connection, nor did I miss it. I could quite
easily go back to that kind of computing, where MS' increasing contempt for their
traditional users, the disaster-in-waiting that is the cloud, and subscription-based
software would never bother me again. The only thing I'd miss is the contact with
the online friends I've made, on this and other forums.

I said in another thread that I do not share MS' 'vision' about the way computing
is headed, and do not wish to accompany them there. My non-touch-equipped
desktop and laptop will 'die' the day I myself do. Not before. And by then, my
time with MS will probably be no more than a distant memory unless they do an
about-turn on this (tunnel) 'vision' of theirs.


Wenda.

 

[Night Hawk]

Well that's precisely where they are at now having a limited "Tunnel Vision Complex" over what Google is doing with Android as well as the other guy's IPxxx items. Their minds are in their "Cloud"ed hindsight if they think the majority is going to continue following the negative path away from the desktop entirely!

Let's face it! We'll still be needing a "Desktop Interface" as well as independent workstation option in the years to come. Now they want toy with crap to bump heads with the other two monopolies to some extent at the cost of the user trying to make all conform to that same narrow pathway which simply isn't working for most! And the real sad part of all this is whatever improvements are now seen at the core level are all lost in the shuffle od being buried under a tablet OS while those running the desktop platform want a desktop OS to begin with.

And even when looking at Touch & Swipe capabilities know this that those who have touchscreen displays have found they simply ended up disabling that option getting fed up with it fast! They try it for a bit on 7 machines not just the new 8 systems and got frustrated very quickly wanting the more traditional approach of point and click on an OS that takes that into account.

Now for OS selections once 7 becomes too old which will need a lot of productive not negative trends by MS to accomplish now and no Desktop version is to be found then those who generally do not run pc games or accumilate many softwares like Photoshop and others that would only a Windows version not being found in similar form on the other OSs they would simply change which OS they would stay with for the more basics like web browsing, shopping online, banking, social networking, etc. just needing some time to get things sorted out with the new OS.

So what does that equal out to? In the general consumer market MS will now have to revamp everything back to a time when they made a "User Friendly" OS instead of going off on a mobile market venture with little foresight of the end results coming out with "User Disservice" OS instead.

Your average pc users simply expect to see it kept simplified as much as possible not Tabletized with hard to find hidden toolbars and right click menus! This is the actual reality check there. It's not the geek can't easily make and changes he or she wants but what should have been done in the first place by the software giant!

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there

As far as open source is concerned - not an option for businesses who need guaranteed continuity of products. Open source while great for home users has a problem in that the developers can easily get fed up / decide to work on something else etc - or worse - the product itself can become "Forked" so which version do you continue to use. Remember things like the X-server in Linux / desktops such as COMPIZ etc.

Windows 8 in its current form is TOTALLY NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE in a business environment - for so many reasons it would probably overload the entire WEB to write them all down - although for a mobile phone or a SMALLISH tablet without too many apps on it it's OK. I've messed around a bit with it on a desktop too and I don't mind it too much -- but the average joe isn't going to have the time, patience or even the skill set to get the thing to work as a desktop OS - especially when every single .EXE program creates a tile when installing a large complex application.

What is utterly surprising is the amount of work needed to make W8 into a decent OS and sensible upgrade from W7 isn't that huge - so there must be really some serious "EGO POLITICS" going on at ms as it's NOT a technical problem.

For all the good features in W7 it does need some sort of upgrade - for instance W7 with any sort of touch device isn't a pleasant experience and the security that W8 offers over W7's system does appear to be good. Now whether W7 should be upgraded and W8 left purely as a mobile OS or whether W8 should replace W7 but offer both a DECENT PROPER desktop version and a mobile version is up to Ms to sort out PDQ.

On a small touch laptop in certain situations I don't mind the tiles - but when I'm using a PC traditionally as a workstation I don't want to see or have anything to do with the Metro UI.
Open Source isn't the way for businesses --they need guarantee of continuity - and with open source a lot depends on the mood of the developers at the time.

What will IMO kill the use of Ms Software is the headlong rush into "Cloud Cuckoo Land" and subscription software -- my good old versions of Office 2007 and 2010 still work absolutely the way I need to and why should I pay 148 USD a year (plus tax) for the business suite of Office when my old stuff still works fine.

Imagine say there's a new document format in Office 365 -- I'm not sure that there is - but assume Ms creates one. Now can you imagine in the literally MILLIONS of businesses (small and large) around the world who probably have documents going back to the time "Pontius was a Pilot" changing / converting all their documents to the new format --even assuming they all subscribe to Office 365 which they won't do of course. The follow on is then --as they already have decent working versions of office why should they change.

If Ms go down this route then they will sink faster than The Titanic and without even going near a 'berg.

Finally - any decent Lawyer on these Forums -- Windows 8 is still called WINDOWS is it not. Well the FULL SCREEN Metro stuff is a SINGLE WINDOW -- so is Ms selling a product that doesn't comply with the "Trades Description Act" or whatever the equivalent is in your jurisdiction. The product should be renamed WINDOW 8 (SINGULAR) instead of WINDOWS 8 and they should refund money to purchases of the software expecting it to be WINDOWS.



Cheers
jimbo

 

[PaulGo]

Slowly but surely Microsoft is loosing its competitive edge as more institutions and government entities are realizing that their are viable alternatives outside of Microsoft. If Microsoft keeps thumbing its nose at its customers and not providing them with the OS features they need the same could happen with customers finding alternatives.

Microsoft slams Google services as insecure as Boston ditches Exchange for Gmail

THE CITY OF BOSTON has switched its 20,000 employees from Microsoft Exchange to Gmail in a move that will save $280,000 a year.


...However, city of Boston officials have told the newspaper that they have fully tested Google's services and are satisfied with the level of security that comes with Google Apps, as well as the amount of document storage. Boston also said that Google's contract terms are much simpler than Microsoft's, and it praised the fact that the firm's software updates are done over the web.

Microsoft slams Google services as insecure as Boston ditches Exchange for Gmail- The Inquirer

 

[Night Hawk]

Google was already "in the Cloud" as far as their entire service base. There may be a few other things prompting the change there as well such as budget cuts. When looking to "trim the fat" so to speak the first things looked at are what can easily be replaced with equal or close enough while saving on the costs.

Now as far as Linux and the corporate world the various companies running Linux servers and networks are counting so heavily on the open source community there but on paid IT techs either in their employ or have a contract to maintain with. That would be Linux servers regardless of which desktop OS is in use when considering that Mac, SUN's Solaris, and Red Hat distros can all work with the UNIX based server platform. Windows isn't totally ruled out of that either to a certain extent.

Of course for all of that it also depends on the types of businesses as well. In general however there are Linux apps seeing regular updates or updated builds just as well as there are MS and Fruit company and now Googlatoriums. Open Office is a regular open source programs regularly seeing updates as one example. So you can't all open source lacks maintainence on steady basis while any number of side projects are a different matter entirely since it is "open source" to begin with.

Now the free part simply boils down to the home user and download distro for private use scene compared to commercial applications where media and support come from the "Linux Wise" people who have to see the media manufactured for cost as well as even finding out there is a List of Commercial Linux Applications already on the market.

Another one you can look over involves commercial Linux apps developed to replace their MS equivalents musicians would be most likely to be using. 10 Commercial Apps for Linux That I Never Knew Existed

A good Bing around the web reveals a ton of other references as well showing not all Linux apps are free. You have "Free"mium wares as well as subscription and one time license wares to boot along options to request trial wares being made by regular software companies who have expanded outside of the two giants(MS and Fruit Co.) into providing apps for the Linux distros.

 

[mjf]

Here is an idea
Virgin Linux
are you listening Richard Branson. Everything you touch seems to turn to gold. He currently has ~400 operations as I understand. He blasted his way successfully into the Australian aviation market when everyone else failed.