Discussion on:

Infographic: The top 11 features of Windows 8

In the past, the level of animosity toward Windows 8 was a little over the top on many occasions. Now, that it has been out in the wild for a while, have feelings changed? Can you see the strategy Microsoft is using?

Many of the 11 features listed don't apply to the way I use a computer.

Task Manager - There's been a task scheduler in Windows since at least 2K. My cursory glance at the one in W8 didn't reveal any radical new features, just new ways to access the old ones. Besides, I rarely schedule tasks on client systems; just on servers.

IE 10 - I'm a Firefox guy. I've disliked IE since 7; I don't like the lack of customization of the controls and buttons.

Multiple Storage Devices - I don't know what that one means. I've had multiple devices at least since W98 added USB support, but I assume this doesn't refer to a feature that old. I don't use much drive space anyway.

Hyper-V, Metro, Desktop search, SkyDrive, Windows 2 Go - don't care, and weren't HyperV and SkyDrive available in W7?

These top features may well be worth the 'steep learning curve' for many users, but they still have no attraction for me.

I have Win8 Pro 64 on a desktop next to my XP PC and it's fine. However, if you're happy with XP, there is no need to upgrade. Metro is gimmicky at best on a desktop PC, and I am mostly in the desktop UI, occasionally going to Metro to see the weather or the latest news. Note that the Aero effect in Win7 was removed from Win8. All the 32-bit software I write, runs fine in Win8 including the low level sound buffer handling and streaming stuff. Even most registry keys are the same as XP - see jacobsm.com/mjsoft.htm

If "the low level sound buffer handling" you do means making COM based filters, then it is not truly low level. The real low level stuff that accesses devices does not work in 8 way too often. The sound layer has also been considerably modified so that latencies are much better, but the sound from a VMWare virtual XP is often creepy, for example. Of course, COM wrapped stuff does not suffer from that.

Programming the following sound APIs in C++ work fine from XP through to 8, whether they are the 32 or 64-bit OS :-
waveInUnprepareHeader
waveInPrepareHeader
waveInAddBuffer
waveInGetErrorText
waveInOpen
waveInStart
waveInReset
waveInClose
waveOutUnprepareHeader
waveOutReset
waveOutClose
waveOutPrepareHeader
waveOutWrite
waveOutOpen

"However, if you're happy with XP, ..."

FYI, I'm running W7. However, we agree that there's no need to upgrade if you're happy with what you have.

Task Manager and Task Scheduler are completely different things. Scheduler in Win 7 got real interesting as you can schedule tasks on all sorts of event other than timers.

Charlie,

I think you are confused. Task Manager is the thing that shows you all the processes running in your system, how much memory, CPU, disk I/O, etc. each task is using, how busy your CPU is, etc.

Scheduled Tasks is where you set up scheduled tasks. A completely different thing.

Windows 7 had Virtual PC, not Hyper-V. Similar, but not the same.

Rick

Yes, gentlemen, I did swap the terms by mistake. I recall the name of the task scheduling utility had changed, and incorrectly remembered it as 'Task Manager'. I believe the new name is actually 'Scheduled Tasks', but I could be wrong about that too...

Fortunately, I'm not in Task Manager often enough to appreciate the differences, especially on my own system. i would expect (hope?) with a new OS to be in it even less than in W7 or XP.

There is much more detailed information about every process that is running and about what resources are being consumed. Maybe average users don't care but for tech-heads who want insight into thier machines this was a very nice surprise.

My interpretation of their strategy is to make sure no one gets a better experience than a tablet user. If they don't get glass/aero because their hardware won't do it, no one shall have it. If "they" can't have their own images on their interface, then neither can the rest of us.

We buy high-end hardware to get a better result. More screen-estate, better colour re-production, finer resolution, ..... Now it seems the idea is to make sure we can't get a better result!

Is there a script I have to allow to see the graphic?

Which browser are you using. I am looking at it in Chrome at the moment.

.

Lol

W8 has nothing NEW to offer W7 users who have a Laptop or Desktop. What do I mean?

1. Boot time is done or twice a day or week. Win 7 from hibernate or sleep is just as fast as W8 and I can get at it easily.
2. There is no learning curve, W7 just works the way I like and want it to.
3. The multiple Storage options are all available on W7.
4. If you really want IE10 (Why?) Its available on W7.
5. Task Manager. W7 task manager. If I found my users playing with that they would be shown the door. I employ people to USE the machine not fiddle under the hood.
6. Hyper V. Not of any use to mainstream users, just tech/geek stuff. No productivity gain.
7. Search under W7 is much Better. W8 you have to look up, fail, try settings, etc.
8. Skydrive is not as good as many of the free alternatives in the wild.
9. Windows to go. There many better ways and upgrading (!) Is not one of them.
10. Metro. No valid or usable Business or productivity purpose.
11. Windows Store. Just a way to spend money with Microsoft!

I tried W8 and to summarise

Windows 8 FAIL!

Life is too short.

But really you've said everything that needs to be said. I hate the new interface, and got stuck with this (Wind 8) when I bought a new laptop. Seriously wish I could upgrade to Windows 7.

...and all it looks like to me is an attempt to rationalise a huge expense that brought no tangible gain.

But then we know the business world is full of people stroking their own egos and imposing their way in order to "make their mark".

The faster bootup time is also a myth in my point of view. If I compare windows 7 and windows 8 on the same hardware, it is just about the same. Windows 8 might arrive at the desktop slightly sooner, but showing the desktop doesn't mean it has finished booting, it is still loading services etc., and reacts slowly to user input at the beginning. So you still have to wait for about the same time like you do with Windows 7 to actually start to work with it.

IE10 is still IE and insecure. I never use m$'s browsers. So that isn't an argument either.

Search? What for? I usually know at least approximately where my files are. Also the installed software is easier to find via a menu system (like the start button), than having to enter it's name (which I might have forgotten and then a text search is more difficult) in a search bar. For me it is like going backwards in time to the days of DOS where you had no GUI and had to type in everything.

Task Manager? The one you get in Windows 7 is good enough, and if it isn't there are 3rd party tools like Process Manager available...

SkyDrive? I can use that with Windows 7, XP, Linux and probably most other OS's too....

Metro? Totally useless crap if you don't have a touch enabled device, and also then I'd Question it's usefulness. The same applies for the store, there isn't anything there for which there aren't any better real Windows programs.

Support for UEFI? What would anyone need that for???

The only useful stuff that is left is:

1. the Hyper-V Host (and that really can only be used on hardware that has virtualization support and enough RAM). Also, most people don't need that. You can also always use a type 2 hypervisor like Virtualbox, it is good enough for virtualization on a desktop system as that normally only makes sense for testing purposes and then you can live with the lower performance.

2. WindowsToGo, which I haven't come round to testing yet though.

Windows 8 is the first MS OS which, on shutdown, powers off the monitor before disk activity has finished - to give the semblance of it shutting down "faster"! Unbelievable! On booting up, all network drives are only attached when they first get called up "on demand" so it looks like it's booting up faster! Jeez!