Windows 8 - Why is it disliked ?

[alchresearch 215]

More rumours about the return of the start menu:

 

http://regmedia.co.uk/2014/04/03/new_windows_8_start_menu.jpg

 

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/04/03/windows_desktop_updates/

[John Hope 10]

I moved from Windows xp to 8.1, apart from it loading faster I don't see how it is better, just cosmetic changes.

[alchresearch 215]

The comments in that Reg article are very fair. Under the hood the OS is much better, I've certainly seen a big boost in performance on older kit.

 

This is a good statement:

 

But some of the changes are just stupid - why (for example) did the Wifi management get removed in 8.1? It makes life difficult and there's no obvious reason for it! Needing to drop back to the command line or drilling into the adapter settings just to change a password is a real backwards step and completely illogical. And there must be twenty similar things I hit daily.

 

I'm not anti Windows 8 - I'm using it right now to type this and even have a touchscreen for the full Metro experience - but it does feel that design got in the way of the engineering and that the design side went for shiny over usability.

 

Underneath, the OS seems to be one of the best MS have built. It runs fast and behaves well, even on lower-spec hardware. Even the low-end x86 tablets we have at work run pretty damn well.

 

I cannot stomach the interface though. Whereas Vista was rubbish underneath and I was happy to give it a miss, I feel cheated that I can't use 8 purely because of MS's appalling UI decisions.

[cra1g 10]

Windows 8 can very easily be made to work and act identical to Windows 7 all you need is Stardock Start8 and that will do the trick..

 

This is the link

 

http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/download.asp

 

Hope this helps...

[lookleft 10]

Windows 8 can very easily be made to work and act identical to Windows 7 all you need is Stardock Start8 and that will do the trick..

 

This is the link

 

http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/download.asp

 

Hope this helps...

 

Classic Shell is free and better, so why pay?

[anywebsite 10]

The comments in that Reg article are very fair. Under the hood the OS is much better, I've certainly seen a big boost in performance on older kit.

 

This is a good statement:

 

Most of the complaints are over the unfinished, inconsistent & confusing new user interface. Doesn't matter how good it is 'under the hood' if it takes ages to find anything & the UI constantly annoys.

 

'Under the hood', it's more of a 'least-bad' Windows, rather than 'best'. Most non-microsoft operating systems work better.

 

Stretching your car analogy further it doesn't matter how good your engine is if your steering wheel & pedals change into a touchscreen at certain junctions just for the fun of it. Sure you could hack the steering column to stop it being so annoying, or you could just learn where all those junctions are and drive around, but the guy down the road is giving away free cars that are safer, faster & not so annoying, and if you ever want to change how these free cars are controlled, you can, there's plenty of options.

Edited April 3, 2014 by anywebsite

[AlexAtkin 10]

I have asked myself the same question about Windows 8, and every single time I start to think "its not so bad, its just the same as 7 really" it throws me kicking and screaming into WinRT, the touch-screen interface and I spend the next hour trying to find out how to do something that was SO simple on 7.

 

Take Bluetooth for example. If you click on the system tray icon on the desktop and click Add a Bluetooth Device or Show Bluetooth Devices, you get thrown into WinRT, the touch screen interface. However Send a File, Receive a File, Join a Personal Area Network and Open Settings, are still part of the desktop application. Its extremely confusing.

 

Also, I have actually been using a touch screen on Windows 7 for years and its actually WORSE on Windows 8. Because when you are scrolling left or right, or even scrolling up and down but happen to be near the edge of the screen - out pops the charms bar. So the next 30 seconds are spent trying to get the thing to close again.

 

They were basically so desperate to avoid copying Android or iOS that they made their touch screen interface completely user unfriendly. Yet they constantly force you into it, causing simple tasks to take ten times longer than they used to.