To 8 or not to 8

Takaharu · Oct 20, 2012, 10:36 AM

Are you buying it or have you bought it?
Would you recommend it to others, whether new build or upgrade?
General opinion thus far?

Virtual machines count. Also, if you plan to use it long-term without paying or you get it free for some reason, that counts.

-----

I'll be buying it as I bought a laptop within the promo period, so I'm entitled to the stupidly low price (£14, was it?). I'll run it on a virtual machine to get to grips with it so that I'll still be able to help people struggling. I'll also try the unofficial Start menu.

Would I recommend it? Heck no. Far too complicated for the average Joe.

Overall, it's the Metro interface that kills the appeal. It looks like it could've been an advancement from 7 if it had kept the Start menu, particularly with the lesser amount of versions.

steves6403 · Oct 20, 2012, 10:49 AM

I think only time will tell but so far its not looking good ....Well for me anyways.

The only good thing about win8 is that the win7 laptops are going cheap to make way for win8.

IvanV · Oct 20, 2012, 11:02 AM

I picked up my license key from my college yesterday and, now that you mention, I might do something with it.

The previews haven't impressed me, but the finished product could be another matter.

malmental · Oct 20, 2012, 11:12 AM

honestly I'm going to wait until it's fully out and might even have a service pack before I mess with it.
then it depends on how much I can get it for.
I know the pirating of Windows 8 is going to be hard to non-existent, at least that's what I heard.
but I would like to play with a copy just for techie-ness..

thunderclap · Oct 20, 2012, 03:51 PM

I've installed the RTM version while I wait for my OEM to show up next week. Then all i need to do is enter my license and I'm good to go.

So far I've encountered a few minor hiccups but nothing that is a show stopper. I love how fast it boots and shuts down, and even Metro I've learned to like (minus the fact everything you install gets added to it).

Overall I'm very pleased with it and can see it only getting better.

Tyrsonswood · Oct 20, 2012, 04:22 PM

I'm going to stick with what I have, I bought into Win7 not that long ago (on 5 of my systems) and XP is still working great on the other systems I have, so I'm not going to be shelling out any more cash to Microsoft for quite some time...

(Unless I find some great closeout deals on Win7... That I could go for)

Judas · Oct 20, 2012, 04:40 PM

since i've had it for over a year .....

RoyBatty · Oct 20, 2012, 07:09 PM

No way. Windows 7 works great, I see no reason to get W8. I have tested the beta version for a few minutes and that was enough.

thunderclap · Oct 20, 2012, 09:30 PM

Personally, I think too many people are rejecting it before really giving it a chance. People hated Windows 1.0 when it originally came out because it was so different from DOS. Same with Windows 95 when it came out. Then XP. I think people will warm to 8 once they give it a proper chance.

***Veridian3*** · Oct 20, 2012, 09:55 PM

Win8 + Start8... skip metro direct to the desktop checked and the start menu added all in the same little program. Done. One of the best $5 I ever spent.

With those 2 tweaks it runs perfect for me, no complaints really.

Matth · Oct 20, 2012, 10:52 PM

Not impress by Win8 - still might succumb to a cheap launch offer, but even that's more than this curate's egg is worth!

Judas · Oct 21, 2012, 06:29 AM

while some people don't like the overall appearance of the cars interior and steering wheel.. the body and mechanics under the hood are pretty phenominal... it is afterall the final interation of the vista/7 NT6.x kernal

Dyre Straits · Oct 21, 2012, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

while some people don't like the overall appearance of the cars interior and steering wheel.. the body and mechanics under the hood are pretty phenominal... it is afterall the final interation of the vista/7 NT6.x kernal

But, if I'm buying a car I really DO want to like the interior and be comfortable with the steering wheel.

blibbax · Oct 21, 2012, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Judas

while some people don't like the overall appearance of the cars interior and steering wheel.. the body and mechanics under the hood are pretty phenominal... it is afterall the final interation of the vista/7 NT6.x kernal

If you offered to take my car, remove the seat cushions and upgrade it to the latest engine tech, I'd decline. (Unless of course I could then sell the engine and buy a better car than I had in the first place

)

mkk · Oct 21, 2012, 12:22 PM

Getting into motorised things, Windows 8 reminds me of early WW2 heavy KV-1 tank that could only change its gear after having been brought to a halt. That's Metro on a desktop, and the interface is only the most immediately apparent problem. Then there's stuff like some settings that affect the whole system can only be found inside the Metro UI and not in any centralised control panel. But maybe they'll bring about some sort of solution to that kind of system design issues around service pack 1 or so. If they would also allow a user to turn off UAC through some advanced setting then I'll move over. Metro isn't the main roadblock, just the most obvious.

IvanV · Oct 21, 2012, 02:04 PM

There's been a lot of comments around the web along the lines of "It's dumb that people don't want to use a system that's great under the hood just because they don't like the UI." This is what that instantly reminds me of:

That said, I downloaded Win 8 Pro from DreamSpark yesterday and I'll probably install it later this afternoon to see what's the retail version really like.

**CDsDontBurn** · Oct 21, 2012, 02:28 PM

I have yet to use it. However, I will need to get a copy or two for some systems at work since I will be doing testing to reproduce customer issues or find new issues entirely.

IvanV · Oct 21, 2012, 04:02 PM

The setup "stalled" for a few minutes during two early stages (no visible HDD or DVD activity, but mouse still responsive), but even with that and all the reboots, I don't thing that it took more than half an hour to install. Graphics working, sound working, net working, flash working... Not bad.

No Windows Media Center!

malmental · Oct 21, 2012, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDsDontBurn

I have yet to use it. However, I will need to get a copy or two for some systems at work since I will be doing testing to reproduce customer issues or find new issues entirely.

+1 to that..

Judas · Oct 22, 2012, 09:37 PM

oh just because the mechanics of the machine is great... the ui terrible.. doesn't mean it should be praised... no no..

i was just saying that underneath all that metro shit... windows is actually pretty damn good...

Liqourice · Oct 22, 2012, 10:25 PM

When MS realises their mistake and release and update that fixes the start button back into it then I might.. I see no reason to go with 8 though, 7 works perfectly fine.

IvanV · Oct 23, 2012, 03:06 AM

The Start "surface" is pretty good on its own, it's a combination of desktop with widgets, fences and instant search. If they could make it the only desktop and combine it with the old task bar and Start button, that would probably be a really good combination.

thunderclap · Oct 23, 2012, 05:26 AM

After a week of playing with Windows 8 as my main OS I can say I've really begun to latch onto what MS is trying to do. I can actually get behind the Start menu and the removal of the Start button since it's so easy to actually access applications you want (just start typing its name and it appears). The only thing I can't get behind is the full screen "apps" of Metro. While good for phones and tablets, on a desktop system it's useless.

With that said, you're not forced into using Metro apps so it's not really a big deal for me. I use the Start Menu as a launch pad to easily sort my most used applications and desktop for everything else.

I think people will start to appreciate Windows 8 as they begin to use it, play with it, and learn the ins and outs. The biggest travesty is that MS didn't provide an introduction to the new features and changes right when Windows 8 launches for the first time. I think that would have lessened the backlash they've been dealing with.

**CDsDontBurn** · Oct 23, 2012, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thunderclap

I think people will start to appreciate Windows 8 as they begin to use it, play with it, and learn the ins and outs. The biggest travesty is that MS didn't provide an introduction to the new features and changes right when Windows 8 launches for the first time. I think that would have lessened the backlash they've been dealing with.

If you have a Windows Phone, Tablet, or 360, this transition shouldn't be *that* difficult as they have been easing users into this interface, IMO.

Callandor · Oct 24, 2012, 01:09 AM

I'm going to keep using Windows 7 for at least another year, Windows 8? Maybe on my next system.

mkk · Oct 24, 2012, 01:33 PM

It will be interesting to find out what the "end of sales" date will be for Windows 7. Probably not sooner than about two years from now, but you never know.

IvanV · Oct 24, 2012, 04:05 PM

I think that, as a rule, MS stops official sales of a product as a new version comes out. That said, you have downgrade rights and they can go on for ages. A couple of days ago, I Googled Windows downgrade rights and it turned out that with a Win 8 license, you get Win 7 downgrade rights as well as Vista downgrade rights. Considering that Vista will continue to be an option even though Seven launched 3 years ago, you'll probably be able to get Seven for some time as well.

Judas · Oct 24, 2012, 04:44 PM

I like how almost every single new motherboards clearly states that Windows 7 is required for proper opperation of the product, vista is unsupported and windows XP most definitely.

Mostly just due to USB3.0 support really.

~~Sliver Victor~~ · Oct 26, 2012, 02:12 PM

I recently bought three copies of Windows 7 so Windows 8 was definitely on my list. I got two copies of 7 for myself and one for my other computer. I bought Windows 8 on ebay - the 64bit version. it should be here by halloween. I don't think the new start menu is bad at all. Somehow this new OS is better than anything else.

**MIG-31** · Oct 26, 2012, 04:08 PM

Ok problems....

A) Even though Cyborg has drivers on line for the V 7 Keyboard.. Downloaded and installed... All \lights up ok but it will not register a single Key press.

B) I know I there are major differences, so far going well. How do you shut down your pc....

View Poll Results: Will you buy?
I'll buy it or I have bought it	18	46.15%
No	20	51.28%
Undecided	1	2.56%
Voters: 39. This poll is closed

Oct 20, 2012, 10:36 AM	#1
Takaharu Unus offa, unus iuguolo Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: England, UK Posts: 2,422 Rep Power: 168 System Specs	To 8 or not to 8 Are you buying it or have you bought it? Would you recommend it to others, whether new build or upgrade? General opinion thus far? Virtual machines count. Also, if you plan to use it long-term without paying or you get it free for some reason, that counts. ----- I'll be buying it as I bought a laptop within the promo period, so I'm entitled to the stupidly low price (£14, was it?). I'll run it on a virtual machine to get to grips with it so that I'll still be able to help people struggling. I'll also try the unofficial Start menu. Would I recommend it? Heck no. Far too complicated for the average Joe. Overall, it's the Metro interface that kills the appeal. It looks like it could've been an advancement from 7 if it had kept the Start menu, particularly with the lesser amount of versions. __________________ I don't get paid to know the answer, therefore I'm far more likely to give you a straight and honest answer.

Oct 20, 2012, 10:49 AM	#2
steves6403 HardwareHeaven Addict Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: lilydale australia Posts: 381 Rep Power: 51 System Specs	Re: To 8 or not to 8 I think only time will tell but so far its not looking good ....Well for me anyways. The only good thing about win8 is that the win7 laptops are going cheap to make way for win8.

Oct 20, 2012, 11:02 AM	#3
IvanV HH Assassin Guild Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 6,994 Rep Power: 535 System Specs	Re: To 8 or not to 8 I picked up my license key from my college yesterday and, now that you mention, I might do something with it. The previews haven't impressed me, but the finished product could be another matter.

Oct 20, 2012, 11:12 AM	#4
malmental I Speak for Enthusiast... Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Southeast - US Posts: 1,508 Rep Power: 134 System Specs	Re: To 8 or not to 8 honestly I'm going to wait until it's fully out and might even have a service pack before I mess with it. then it depends on how much I can get it for. I know the pirating of Windows 8 is going to be hard to non-existent, at least that's what I heard. but I would like to play with a copy just for techie-ness.. __________________ (A.S.) - IT \| CompTIA (A+, Net+) \| MCDST \| PMP \| DSCE (Dell) i5-3570K \| (i5)^3 SB \| i3-3220 \| (nVidia)^5 - SLi US Navy Retired - GS-E (PO3) daily driver \| night rider

Oct 20, 2012, 03:51 PM	#5
thunderclap HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 402 Rep Power: 47 System Specs	I've installed the RTM version while I wait for my OEM to show up next week. Then all i need to do is enter my license and I'm good to go. So far I've encountered a few minor hiccups but nothing that is a show stopper. I love how fast it boots and shuts down, and even Metro I've learned to like (minus the fact everything you install gets added to it). Overall I'm very pleased with it and can see it only getting better. __________________ Marc B.

Oct 20, 2012, 07:09 PM	#8
RoyBatty HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Czech Republic Posts: 1,980 Rep Power: 131 System Specs	Re: To 8 or not to 8 No way. Windows 7 works great, I see no reason to get W8. I have tested the beta version for a few minutes and that was enough.

Oct 20, 2012, 09:30 PM	#9
thunderclap HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 402 Rep Power: 47 System Specs	Re: To 8 or not to 8 Personally, I think too many people are rejecting it before really giving it a chance. People hated Windows 1.0 when it originally came out because it was so different from DOS. Same with Windows 95 when it came out. Then XP. I think people will warm to 8 once they give it a proper chance. __________________ Marc B.

Oct 20, 2012, 09:55 PM	#10
*Veridian3* Administrator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Cloaked Posts: 5,312 Rep Power: 220	Re: To 8 or not to 8 Win8 + Start8... skip metro direct to the desktop checked and the start menu added all in the same little program. Done. One of the best $5 I ever spent. With those 2 tweaks it runs perfect for me, no complaints really.

Oct 20, 2012, 10:52 PM	#11
Matth Flash Banner Hater Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: UK Posts: 3,485 Rep Power: 99 System Specs	Re: To 8 or not to 8 Not impress by Win8 - still might succumb to a cheap launch offer, but even that's more than this curate's egg is worth! __________________ Mary had a little lamb, Her father shot it dead Now Mary takes her lamb to school, Between two crusts of bread

Oct 21, 2012, 12:22 PM	#15
mkk HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Sweden Posts: 4,948 Rep Power: 244 System Specs	Re: To 8 or not to 8 Getting into motorised things, Windows 8 reminds me of early WW2 heavy KV-1 tank that could only change its gear after having been brought to a halt. That's Metro on a desktop, and the interface is only the most immediately apparent problem. Then there's stuff like some settings that affect the whole system can only be found inside the Metro UI and not in any centralised control panel. But maybe they'll bring about some sort of solution to that kind of system design issues around service pack 1 or so. If they would also allow a user to turn off UAC through some advanced setting then I'll move over. Metro isn't the main roadblock, just the most obvious.

Oct 21, 2012, 02:04 PM	#16
IvanV HH Assassin Guild Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 6,994 Rep Power: 535 System Specs	Re: To 8 or not to 8 There's been a lot of comments around the web along the lines of "It's dumb that people don't want to use a system that's great under the hood just because they don't like the UI." This is what that instantly reminds me of: That said, I downloaded Win 8 Pro from DreamSpark yesterday and I'll probably install it later this afternoon to see what's the retail version really like.

Oct 21, 2012, 04:02 PM	#18
IvanV HH Assassin Guild Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 6,994 Rep Power: 535 System Specs	Re: To 8 or not to 8 The setup "stalled" for a few minutes during two early stages (no visible HDD or DVD activity, but mouse still responsive), but even with that and all the reboots, I don't thing that it took more than half an hour to install. Graphics working, sound working, net working, flash working... Not bad. No Windows Media Center!

Oct 22, 2012, 10:25 PM	#21
Liqourice HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Stockholm Posts: 2,508 Rep Power: 164 System Specs	Re: To 8 or not to 8 When MS realises their mistake and release and update that fixes the start button back into it then I might.. I see no reason to go with 8 though, 7 works perfectly fine.

Oct 23, 2012, 03:06 AM	#22
IvanV HH Assassin Guild Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 6,994 Rep Power: 535 System Specs	Re: To 8 or not to 8 The Start "surface" is pretty good on its own, it's a combination of desktop with widgets, fences and instant search. If they could make it the only desktop and combine it with the old task bar and Start button, that would probably be a really good combination.

Oct 23, 2012, 05:26 AM	#23
thunderclap HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 402 Rep Power: 47 System Specs	Re: To 8 or not to 8 After a week of playing with Windows 8 as my main OS I can say I've really begun to latch onto what MS is trying to do. I can actually get behind the Start menu and the removal of the Start button since it's so easy to actually access applications you want (just start typing its name and it appears). The only thing I can't get behind is the full screen "apps" of Metro. While good for phones and tablets, on a desktop system it's useless. With that said, you're not forced into using Metro apps so it's not really a big deal for me. I use the Start Menu as a launch pad to easily sort my most used applications and desktop for everything else. I think people will start to appreciate Windows 8 as they begin to use it, play with it, and learn the ins and outs. The biggest travesty is that MS didn't provide an introduction to the new features and changes right when Windows 8 launches for the first time. I think that would have lessened the backlash they've been dealing with. __________________ Marc B.

Oct 24, 2012, 01:09 AM	#25
Callandor Newfound Audiophile Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Posts: 11,509 Rep Power: 607 System Specs	Re: To 8 or not to 8 I'm going to keep using Windows 7 for at least another year, Windows 8? Maybe on my next system.

Oct 24, 2012, 01:33 PM	#26
mkk HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Sweden Posts: 4,948 Rep Power: 244 System Specs	Re: To 8 or not to 8 It will be interesting to find out what the "end of sales" date will be for Windows 7. Probably not sooner than about two years from now, but you never know.

Oct 24, 2012, 04:05 PM	#27
IvanV HH Assassin Guild Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 6,994 Rep Power: 535 System Specs	Re: To 8 or not to 8 I think that, as a rule, MS stops official sales of a product as a new version comes out. That said, you have downgrade rights and they can go on for ages. A couple of days ago, I Googled Windows downgrade rights and it turned out that with a Win 8 license, you get Win 7 downgrade rights as well as Vista downgrade rights. Considering that Vista will continue to be an option even though Seven launched 3 years ago, you'll probably be able to get Seven for some time as well.

Oct 26, 2012, 02:12 PM	#29
~~Sliver Victor~~ Banned Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 8 Rep Power: 0 System Specs	Re: To 8 or not to 8 I recently bought three copies of Windows 7 so Windows 8 was definitely on my list. I got two copies of 7 for myself and one for my other computer. I bought Windows 8 on ebay - the 64bit version. it should be here by halloween. I don't think the new start menu is bad at all. Somehow this new OS is better than anything else.

Oct 26, 2012, 04:08 PM	#30
MIG-31 HardwareHeaven News Mod Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Nottingham,UK Posts: 60,039 Rep Power: 627 System Specs	Re: To 8 or not to 8 Ok problems.... A) Even though Cyborg has drivers on line for the V 7 Keyboard.. Downloaded and installed... All \lights up ok but it will not register a single Key press. B) I know I there are major differences, so far going well. How do you shut down your pc.... __________________ Please Post Your News Submissions Here