More Than 3 Out of 4 Enthusiasts Reject Windows 8

[Night Hawk]

No one said anything about shareholders since they do not run things but simply provide the mula for investment. They expect the company to perform in that direction and make them the big $$$$...!!!

There generally are annual general meetings where shareholders do have a say. Then I hold shares in some coys and have never attended an annual general meeting. Of course the solitary investor has no clout at these meetings.
I would think the large financial investment institutions who invest on behalf of multiple shareholders have some clout.
What staggers me is the increase in MS share price and dividends
MSFT Historical Prices | Microsoft Corporation Stock - Yahoo!7 Finance

I think you will find that their input is rather limited towards business concerns and not the end product as far as development. If MS says "we can work out a great tablet OS!" the investors will turn around and say "make it sell!" They won't be telling MS just what goes into the next version of whatever. Plus MS has the excuse "we are simply following the market!" without emphasizing "mobile" apparently.

MS came out with the first 64bit OS which saw little or no support namely XP Pro x64 back in 2005. Yet look how many run the 64bit 7 presently. It still could be to some extent while not going about it quite the right way to still meet the desktop needs MS is working up a new branch for the mobile. Unfortunately they slammed dunked it on the average user without options which has been the main gripe from the get go!

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Beware of upgrading to 8!! I did this after and thankfully cloning my 7 SSD to another to try it only to find that the version was made in the UK and apparently M$ in their infinite wisdom decided not to put WMP on the European and some other regions 8 Pro upgrade so I am now left with either trying to download the WMP - buy it - or use an after market player.

Now those who are thinking about it if you are using Kaspersky it will carry across the licence not the GUI you will have to download that AGAIN and redo the whole configuration so many things I had on the 7 before are just not there now:sarc:

Having said that you can install a 7 type start up screen and the speed is good but the only saving graces as far as I am concerned.

 

[Night Hawk]

You wouldn't want the 8 or 8.1 version of WMP to start with! They removed all the codecs and dvd/vcd playback capabilities in favor of forcing people to go out any buy separate players to begin with! VLC is about the closest to WMP and is a freebie you can grab for either however.

That was one of the initial grievances to note here when first looking at the 8 previews. That and the reconstruct of the OS to suit tablet needs left you hanging in more ways then one! As far as 3rd party wares for things like working from a central point when any clean install of W8 or W8.1 the facts are obvious of how they decided to spread things all over and not just program splatter in tiles but hidden right click menu and phantom Crawler toolbar to get at things.

The right click menu underneath the pop up for the Start screen to get at the Control Panel is another awkward moment so as not to bring up the right click on desktop menu instead. While some boast about not needing the Start menu/All Programs combo you still worked from a central point there able to pin to the taskbar or right click to copy and paste shortcuts onto the desktop to then pin like an extra Windows Explorer icon for other types of toolbars like RocketDock or a Quick Launch addon bar without hitting the Win + E combo to get another file browser window open.

Then you have everytthing appearing in full screen mode or windowed items like apps until the 3rd party ModernMix app came along for 8 to consider. For touch & swipe on a tablet you can move along quite fast. But for the desktop it's a multistep burden over any traditional form of gui a desktop OS should be seeing. The Media Center wasn't any biggie since that was added in following XP MCE back in 2005 while the then upgrade to WMP 9 was 10 seeing support for things now being stripped out since you don't play dvds on tablet! MS said foobar to the desktop this time around!

 

[sygnus21]

Beware of upgrading to 8!! I did this after and thankfully cloning my 7 SSD to another to try it only to find that the version was made in the UK and apparently M$ in their infinite wisdom decided not to put WMP on the European and some other regions 8 Pro upgrade so I am now left with either trying to download the WMP - buy it - or use an after market player.

Now those who are thinking about it if you are using Kaspersky it will carry across the licence not the GUI you will have to download that AGAIN and redo the whole configuration so many things I had on the 7 before are just not there now:sarc:

Windows Media Player (WMP) or Windows Media Center (WMC)? Media Center was free for a time - Windows Media Center free key

As for having to re-download some stuff for Kaspersky and reconfigure it, I'm pretty sure 8 is not the only OS where something like this has happened.

You wouldn't want the 8 or 8.1 version of WMP to start with! They removed all the codecs and dvd/vcd playback capabilities in favor of forcing people to go out any buy separate players to begin with! VLC is about the closest to WMP and is a freebie you can grab for either however.

Haven't tried them myself yet (I have both Win 8 Media Center as and Media Player), but have you looked to Sharky’s codec package? I know they worked on Win 7

Anyway having 8 on my laptop, I'm getting quite use to it considering I use my laptop nearly as much as my main Win 7 desktop machine. And, no, my laptop is not touch.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Yep I eventually found it under the Windows Features window and it was ticked so I guess what started of with me just about to blow a gasket and dump 8 I now have the WNP a it was with my music still attached.

All the same the OS is nice and speedy - my boot time is just 12 secs to start screen and that is wit SanDisk SSD which was not that quick with 7 but overall so so convoluted which is making accepting it so hard.

 

[Solarstarshines]

Gees you guys put a scare in me about the WMP and WMC im like sh*t I use those all the time

I haven't even went 8 yet thought about it but have not wanted to go through the stuff ICIT talks about sounds like a burden to me not something you would say is better then last series for sure

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Gees you guys put a scare in me about the WMP and WMC im like sh*t I use those all the time

I haven't even went 8 yet thought about it but have not wanted to go through the stuff ICIT talks about sounds like a burden to me not something you would say is better then last series for sure

Mate it is ok a long as you clone the 7 drive to a new one and upgrade the clone and the WMP can be found but at some expense of a bit of insanity plus Brinks help.

Once you do what I did the WMP comes back with all the music and you still have the original drive to fall back on. Speeds good (boots in 12 secs with a rough old SanDisk SSD) and it is ok if you get the Stardock8 start up screen so it looks like 7.

 

[mart4494]

All the same the OS is nice and speedy - my boot time is just 12 secs to start screen and that is wit SanDisk SSD which was not that quick with 7 but overall so so convoluted which is making accepting it so hard.

Not sure about the boot time although I didn't bother measuring it. A few seconds here and there in my case is largely an irrelevance although I suppose if you're shutting down and starting your PC/Laptop a few times each day then it adds up. What did become tiresome was after installing a few programs, especially those from Adobe then there were tiles everywhere so those few seconds saved at boot time were more than taken up looking for the required program.

Used Classic Shell then wondered why I was trying to get 8 to look like 7 when I already had a perfectly good rig running Win7 in the first place.

No doubt things would be totally different if either my desktop or laptop had touch screen and I had an interest in cloud computing but this is a no no for me. The cloud probably works fine 90% of the time but it's of zero use where the connection is poor or non-existent.

Adobe have gone down the cloud route and I'm (along with many others I know) going to give it a wide berth. Maybe MS will produce a proper desktop upgrade for 7 but they're funny critters in Redmond living in their bubble. Fortunately 7 (for me) is working just fine so I don't need the latest and 'greatest' from them.

 

[sygnus21]

Yep I eventually found it under the Windows Features window and it was ticked so I guess what started of with me just about to blow a gasket and dump 8 I now have the WNP a it was with my music still attached.

All the same the OS is nice and speedy - my boot time is just 12 secs to start screen and that is wit SanDisk SSD which was not that quick with 7 but overall so so convoluted which is making accepting it so hard.

Yeah, WMP should be standard. WMC (Windows Media Center) is the one you have to pay for now

As for your SanDisk SSD, well I've got one of those in my notebook (256). It's said not to be that great, but that's the one that came with the notebook. Unfortunately it's can't be swapped since it's basically an odd size, plus the connector is proprietary

Anyway it's still better than a mechanical HD so...

Gees you guys put a scare in me about the WMP and WMC im like sh*t I use those all the time

As I stated, Media Player comes with 8 (U.S. not sure about E.U.), Media Center doesn't. You can purchase Media Center on the 8 apps store for like $5 bucks.

 

[jimbo45]

Beware of upgrading to 8!! I did this after and thankfully cloning my 7 SSD to another to try it only to find that the version was made in the UK and apparently M$ in their infinite wisdom decided not to put WMP on the European and some other regions 8 Pro upgrade so I am now left with either trying to download the WMP - buy it - or use an after market player.

Now those who are thinking about it if you are using Kaspersky it will carry across the licence not the GUI you will have to download that AGAIN and redo the whole configuration so many things I had on the 7 before are just not there now:sarc:

Having said that you can install a 7 type start up screen and the speed is good but the only saving graces as far as I am concerned.

Hi there
You really DON'T NEED 3rd party AV software on W8 (and shouldn't use it either)--its security is a totally different ballgame and works totally differently to that implemented in W7.

Again loads of better things out there for multi media -- VLC is free and plays both AUDIO and Video codecs from almost everywhere including those required to play commercial DVD's.

W8 has some problems - but at least complain about the RIGHT things.

Some people prefer having their OS'es mean and lean and then they can choose what to install later.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Jim I am personally quite paranoid especially with money and I couldn't do without my Safe money with KISS hence my still wanting it.

The WMP issue well I don't know apart from that fix by Dave and Brink it is a mystery and must have come over with the original 7 set up because it has only music that I would have put on.

I only tried 8 really out of curiosity and the upgrade because it was cheap and the preview was like some spy story trying to get it.

Mart the speed I think a lot of it is cos I use a fair bit of the optimisation tutorial settings plus that SanDisk is definitely quicker with 8 than 7 with that (7) it was like watching doggy do doos go white in the sun waiting for it to do much at all. Anyway now it beats my Ivy Bridge set up by at least 12 seconds into the boot screen and that old girl is really my main machine the Sandy lags by another 2 seconds to that.
Personally I am not into all that touch screen rubbish I cannot see the point and beside s it is a dirty habit as is I suppose the KB and mouse is but at least I don't have to see through the grot on them.

Siggy I am sorry for you because it seems like you have been caught with a sneaky manufacturing ploy with that SSD that is in my book - wrong and means if it goes bung for example you have to have that drive or nothing. Pretty unethical practice but trouble is - legal

8 to me I think M$ has gone away from the easy to use system that 7 is and tried to haul in the yuppy population with fancy features like touch screen stuff. Thankfully I only have it on my main laptop and my 7 is a drive swap away to get 7 back on - thank heaven for cloning

 

[sygnus21]

Siggy I am sorry for you because it seems like you have been caught with a sneaky manufacturing ploy with that SSD that is in my book - wrong and means if it goes bung for example you have to have that drive or nothing. Pretty unethical practice but trouble is - legal

Well my laptop (Asus Zenbook Prime) comes with either the SanDisk, or Adata SSD. In this instance the one you want is the Adata. Unfortunately there's no way to tell what drive the notebook has until you open the box; once that's done, you can't return it

Anyway I knew of this issue before I bought the notebook but hoped mine would come with the Adata; instead I got the SanDisk. Oh well, at least it's still an SSD drive, and outside of benchmarks, performance is really good for what I do.

BTW 8 gives me a WEI score of 8.1 on the drive which is kind of low considering 8's WEI scores go all the way to 9.9

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Hum my WEI is 6.7 but that is all based on the graphics RAM CPU etc the drive is 7.6 but I am never going to get higher as the machine is now just on 4 years old.

But it suffices for what I need it for as the boot speed and net connection speed are my main concerns.

 

[PaulGo]

That another feature Microsoft decided to delete in Windows 8.1 WEI!

 

[sygnus21]

Hum my WEI is 6.7 but that is all based on the graphics RAM CPU etc the drive is 7.6 but I am never going to get higher as the machine is now just on 4 years old.

But it suffices for what I need it for as the boot speed and net connection speed are my main concerns.

Well the 8.1 I quoted was just the drive. Overall, my score is 5.6 due to the Intel graphics.

That another feature Microsoft decided to delete in Windows 8.1 WEI!

Yeah I notice 8.1 is missing the WEI score. Not sure if this was an oversight or Microsoft plans on getting rid of it permanently.

Really haven't gotten to play too much with 8.1 as it's on my VM machine, while 8 is on my laptop. Didn't want to put 8.1 on my laptop just yet.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Actually I don't really read a lot into the WEI myself the laptop is blazing at twice the speed it was with 7 that is all I know.

Having said that if it were not for the Stardock8 screen I would be back in 7 with the laptop.

 

[sygnus21]

I'm just running Windows 8 Pro straight out of the box. No mods or add-ins. I stay mainly on the desktop though.

Anyway I like 8, and the OS isn't as bad as some make it out to be, especially once you get past the Metro screen.

My two cents.

 

[x BlueRobot]

I'm just running Windows 8 Pro straight out of the box. No mods or add-ins. I stay mainly on the desktop though.

Anyway I like 8, and the OS isn't as bad as some make it out to be, especially once you get past the Metro screen.

My two cents.

There are some good features, but I prefer to stay with Windows 7 until support ends, but it could be extended again if people are stubborn, like they were with Windows XP.

 

[PaulGo]

Microsoft: Is this Steve Ballmer's last throw of the dice?


...Its last great bet was on Windows 8, a radical reinvention of its iconic operating system, designed to allow people to flip easily between tablets and PCs.

It was a disaster, both in the timing and the execution. Microsoft had started courting a tablet audience too late, and simultaneously alienated its longstanding customers who were still wedded to the old Windows style.

...But the question that is still plaguing many analysts was why has Microsoft not done more, and why is Mr Ballmer still in place after its catalogue of recent failures. He famously has Mr Gates’ backing, not to mention a huge tranche of Microsoft shares, But even so, it is hard to think of other technology chiefs that would have ridden out the disasters he has.

“I can’t see any other company in the industry where a chief executive would have been given as much time and as many new chances,” says a source. “He hasn’t made the mobile phone work. He hasn’t made Windows 8 work as well as it was supposed to.”

It might be a surprise that he has remained in position this far, but one thing seems clear: while this is unlikely to be Microsoft’s last rodeo, it is Mr Ballmer’s last big roll of the dice.

Microsoft: Is this Steve Ballmer's last throw of the dice? - Telegraph

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Microsoft: Is this Steve Ballmer's last throw of the dice?


...Its last great bet was on Windows 8, a radical reinvention of its iconic operating system, designed to allow people to flip easily between tablets and PCs.

It was a disaster, both in the timing and the execution. Microsoft had started courting a tablet audience too late, and simultaneously alienated its longstanding customers who were still wedded to the old Windows style.

...But the question that is still plaguing many analysts was why has Microsoft not done more, and why is Mr Ballmer still in place after its catalogue of recent failures. He famously has Mr Gates’ backing, not to mention a huge tranche of Microsoft shares, But even so, it is hard to think of other technology chiefs that would have ridden out the disasters he has.

“I can’t see any other company in the industry where a chief executive would have been given as much time and as many new chances,” says a source. “He hasn’t made the mobile phone work. He hasn’t made Windows 8 work as well as it was supposed to.”

It might be a surprise that he has remained in position this far, but one thing seems clear: while this is unlikely to be Microsoft’s last rodeo, it is Mr Ballmer’s last big roll of the dice.

Microsoft: Is this Steve Ballmer's last throw of the dice? - Telegraph

Hum I liked the mention of the tribute to the incredible people by this fellow they thought up Vista and now this Metro stuff well if that is incredible I'll eat my socks.
I am with sygnus take away those flaming panels and yes the easy to use format as per the 7 and the speed is great. Not overly impressed with those silly free apps and all that but all in all once use to is usable.