Microsoft launches Windows 8 OS

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Microsoft launches Windows 8

In one of the most important events in its history, Microsoft on Thursday officially launched the Windows 8 operating system and its Surface tablet computer in a bid to establish a crucial foothold in the booming market for mobile and touch-screen devices.
 
Frikkenator said:
The Verge reckons it's a winner http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/23/3537710/windows-8-review

After having used it for the past 3 months, so do I!
Click to expand...

Agreed.

As mentioned just now in another related thread, I forced myself to use it as intended and dig it now.
Takes getting used to, but once you do there is no going back.

My wife saw me in the Metro UI a little while back and was all oooooh aaaaaah over it.
How do I get that she asked. Never seen her excited over Windows. Says something.
 
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Frikkenator said:
The Verge reckons it's a winner http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/23/3537710/windows-8-review

After having used it for the past 3 months, so do I!
Click to expand...

+1

I'm still on Release Preview. Thinking of taking the Groupon offer and upgrading now. A clean install's good anyways. I upgraded from Windows 7 to the Release Preview, and the process was almost without flaws.

People keep talking about 'how horrible Metro is'. I'm sorry, but as a 23-year old I'm not going to listen to some stuck-up 40 year-old telling me how 'horrible' it is.
 
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SuperNev said:
+1

I'm still on Release Preview. Thinking of taking the Groupon offer and upgrading now. A clean install's good anyways. I upgraded from Windows 7 to the Release Preview, and the process was almost without flaws.

People keep talking about 'how horrible Metro is'. I'm sorry, but as a 23-year old I'm not going to listen to some stuck-up 40 year-old telling me how 'horrible' it is.
Click to expand...

And age has what to do with it?
I am 41 and um... read up!

Youngsters...:rolleyes:
 
Mike Smit said:
Agreed.

As mentioned just now in another related thread, I fired myself to use it as intended and dig it now.
Takes getting used to, but once you do there is no going back.

My wife saw me in the Metro UI a little while back and was all oooooh aaaaaah over it.
How do I get that she asked. Never seen her excited over Windows. Says something.
Click to expand...

So very true!!

The thing is, like you say, you just have to let go and go with it. Once you do that the whole OS opens up!
 
It's great. Nice and fast. I don't really use the start menu that much, but then I didn't use the older start menu either.
 
Pooky said:
It's great. Nice and fast. I don't really use the start menu that much, but then I didn't use the older start menu either.
Click to expand...

I am not really feeling and kind of speed improvement. Primary drive is a Vertex 4 256GB though which I think makes any speed improvements negligible.
Start up and shut down a bit quicker though.
 
Mike Smit said:
I am not really feeling and kind of speed improvement. Primary drive is a Vertex 4 256GB though which I think makes any speed improvements negligible.
Start up and shut down a bit quicker though.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm using a normal hard drive and I seem to notice a difference in things like search times, and navigating through explorer. I'm sure that's pretty instant for you though.
 
Pooky said:
Yeah I'm using a normal hard drive and I seem to notice a difference in things like search times, and navigating through explorer. I'm sure that's pretty instant for you though.
Click to expand...

Ye. All that was quick on both Win 7 and 8. SSD really makes a difference.
Quite a few of the devs at the office on Win8 RTM too and they all say it is quite a bit quicker. Send to be a unanimous opinion which is good.
 
Mike Smit said:
And age has what to do with it?
I am 41 and um... read up!

Youngsters...:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

lol I realised late that I was vague and probably offensive/idiotic :)
I was referring to some writers on the news blogs that I've read. People have been saying that Metro is ugly and what what. The design language is IMO 'more beautiful' than Android post Honeycomb.

The Start Screen (on Release Preview anyways) feels a bit disorganised, partly because everything in the Start folder that an application leaves is exposed to the user (That will likely change as developers see this), making finding some programs a bit of a pain. There's just a steep learning curve, but once you're over it, it'll feel like you never left Windows 7. Took my friend and I the whole night to figure out how to close an app (we didn't RTFM), but my little cousin (12) managed to catch up and know where to find most of the functionality.

Everyone in the house had(has) a profile on the PC. Not all my cousins are good at organising their folders, so I created each a VHD, which I used scripts to load at start-up on Windows 7, which sometimes didn't work well. Now with 8 it's as easy as just opening the VHD file, and we're all set.

Another thing I found to be pleasant was Office 2013. The whole MS ecosystem now just feels all integrated. Exchange on Outlook.com (Hotmail) has also made me not want to get WP8 for the sake of 'being more organised' :)

Maybe I should just shut up and go write a review ...
 
I covered the event for NAG Online and I must say, it was a great presentation. I didn't catch the Surface unveiling because I already know all about it - probably not going for an ARM tablet though, more looking at Clover Trail because I don't want a heavier, more power-hungry device to lug around with me. That said, WART may have some initial trouble overcoming the momentum Apple hopes to build with the iPad Mini.

But once cellphone carriers start those deals where they bundle a WP7.8/WP8 device with an ARM-based/Clover Trail/Intel Core-i touch device, there will be a lot of traction from people who want a simpler way to keep their multiple devices on the same page. The only other company that offers the same kind of services and integration is Apple with iCloud.

Also: Every Surface tablet and WART device comes with Office Home and Student 2013 for free.
 
So probably a stupid question but will all my current win7 software be compatible with win8?
 
Frikkenator said:
The Verge reckons it's a winner http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/23/3537710/windows-8-review

After having used it for the past 3 months, so do I!
Click to expand...

I haven't used it as extensively as you.
I have downloaded it to two older PCs, one of them positively ancient, the other 2 years old.
I was impressed how well it ran on the ancient PC.

I own a business and I won't be rushing but also won't be dragging my feet.
Our back office staff like their predictable w7, office 2010 interface.
My instinct is to roll out the new office and w8 at the same time so we have one pain point rather than 2.
Once we get the staff past the pain point they speak as though the new environment is the best thing ever.
 
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