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Geek Culture / Windows 8 Consumer Preview: My Thoughts

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Yodaman Jer
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Posted: 1st Mar 2012 14:55
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Last night I decided to install the Windows 8 Consumer Preview. I must say that so far, Windows 8 does not seem that much different from Windows 7, except for very key differences such as...

- No more typical Start Menu. Instead, hitting the Windows key on your keyboard or hitting the "start hotspots" on your screen take you to the newly implemented Metro Start Screen. Very, very different and honestly this is my biggest complaint so far. I want the normal Start menu back!

- A program's title now sits in the middle of the window instead of the left (this I like because after a few minutes you realize that when you're looking at a screen your eyes naturally fall to that position),

- Lock Screen. Kinda cool and also kinda gimmicky.

- Metro UI. This is pretty much what Windows 8 is all about; Metro, Metro Metro. Some of it is really freakin' cool, and would be even cooler on a device like a tablet. Other parts of it seem to be only useable as intended by Microsoft on a tablet, or at least a touchscreen monitor. In fact, while you can use the mouse with Metro's everything, the majority of it would be faster with touch.

Something I'm absolutely shocked that I like is Internet Explorer.

I know that most of you are all "" and probably like "" while I just sit here and am like "". I've had no issues with it whatsoever. It sounds crazy, but I think Microsoft may have fixed it. We'll see, I guess.

So yeah. To sum up:

Things I like:
- Metro (to a certain extent)
- IE 10
- New and improved task manager (basically it's a rip off of what Ubuntu's had for ages now)
- I also kind of like the new window buttons and overall look, it's not nearly as "reflective" as Windows 7 was and I hated that look, so +1 for me.

Thins I don't like so much:
- No Start menu
- Minecraft doesn't work anymore (can't find the drivers for accelerated openGL even though it should be on my system)
- Metro (would love it with touch!)
- How apps are organized
- How programs are now referred to as "apps"


Overall feeling:
Meh. Like I said, there's not too much different from Windows 7. Maybe there is and I just haven't found it all yet.

Has anyone else installed it yet, or did you install any of the developer previews a while back? What do you all think about it so far?

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bitJericho
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Posted: 1st Mar 2012 15:15
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Quote: "No Start menu "


I'm long over that.

Quote: "Minecraft doesn't work anymore (can't find the drivers for accelerated openGL even though it should be on my system)"


Did you install java? Minecraft works in the developer preview. You might need to install the proper graphics drivers (not the ms ones)?

I'll be migrating to the consumer preview in the next week or two, can't wait to try it out. I'm working on setting up a backup solution that pretty much runs itself (likely active directory on a dedicated w2k8 server) and once that's ironed out I'll be migrating over.

darkBIT TGC Torrent Tracker / File Server - AGK Chat: #agk : irc.devhat.net
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Yodaman Jer
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Posted: 1st Mar 2012 15:20 Edited at: 1st Mar 2012 15:21
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Yup, I've got Java installed and everything, it's just that it can't load the graphics because it can't find the suitable driver for accelerated openGL. I even tried installing new drivers but they failed, so... I dunno. I'm gonna look into it more later today after I get off work.

I don't have a proper GPU, just the stupid Intel Integrated Graphics mumbo-jumbo.

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Quik
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Posted: 1st Mar 2012 15:26
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Quote: "- No more typical Start Menu. Instead, hitting the Windows key on your keyboard or hitting the "start hotspots" on your screen take you to the newly implemented Metro Start Screen. Very, very different and honestly this is my biggest complaint so far. I want the normal Start menu back!"



this is pretty much why i will be staying away from it... Well, my teacher has a copy installed, might be able to get a look at it inrealtime, but it doesnt look and sound tempting to me


The result of origin.. Oh and ponies
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bitJericho
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Posted: 1st Mar 2012 15:30 Edited at: 1st Mar 2012 15:30
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I prefer the metro start menu, after using it for months, it's definately better.

darkBIT TGC Torrent Tracker / File Server - AGK Chat: #agk : irc.devhat.net
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Indicium
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Posted: 1st Mar 2012 15:44
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I'm downloading it right now. I must say though, I don't like it already. It told me to "feel free to continue using your computer". I feel like I'm being looked down upon by an installer.

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bitJericho
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Posted: 1st Mar 2012 15:52
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Quote: "I'm downloading it right now. I must say though, I don't like it already. It told me to "feel free to continue using your computer". I feel like I'm being looked down upon by an installer."


That's what you get for downloading an installer (as opposed to the iso) for an operating system

darkBIT TGC Torrent Tracker / File Server - AGK Chat: #agk : irc.devhat.net
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Indicium
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Posted: 1st Mar 2012 16:02
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Whoops, I assumed it was just microsoft trying to overdo it by having a seperate program download the iso.

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bitJericho
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Posted: 1st Mar 2012 16:08 Edited at: 1st Mar 2012 16:10
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I wouldn't put it past em. MS does that with dreamspark now.. and their disc images aren't iso anymore, they are img files, which are useless in virtualbox. So I've got to convert those, but a regular converter didn't work for some reason, and weren't mountable in windows 8's built in mounter. So I had to mount it with daemon tools, and rip the cd to iso with ISO Recorder, big pita.

darkBIT TGC Torrent Tracker / File Server - AGK Chat: #agk : irc.devhat.net
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Indicium
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Posted: 1st Mar 2012 17:53
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I've had to go with the upgrade route anyway, as my bios doesn't seem to notice that there's a bootable usb stick plugged in. So, it worked out well in the end.

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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 1st Mar 2012 18:03
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Question, on the upgrade option, can I revert back to Windows 7 later? Naturally I'd back anything up and save some new restore disks, but I am curious, because it'd save hassle.


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bitJericho
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Posted: 1st Mar 2012 18:08 Edited at: 1st Mar 2012 18:08
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I haven't heard of that being possible. Windows 8 offers a restore option in the control panel, but that just reinstalls Windows 8.

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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 1st Mar 2012 18:14
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Figured they might offer it as part of the preview, but then my computer has restore to factory settings on a separate partition, so I should be able to restore my Windows 7 install afterwards (as I've done before, not out of necessity, I was just curious).


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Indicium
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Posted: 1st Mar 2012 19:59
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My installation failed halfway through and reverted back to Win7, I don't have the heart to try and do it again. :p

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DeadTomGC
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2012 04:50
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One thing which always makes a system better is more buttons in one place. In windows 8 many options and buttons are hidden behind a series of not so obvious menus that make it difficult to use efficiently or even figure out how to use in the first place. I know tons of people will disagree with me but I believe that the more functioning buttons you can put on each screen without making things hard to see, the better.
I love graphing calculators with all the buttons which have 90% of the functions you use regularly (While doing complex things like calculus and programming). So if complex tasks can be made simple with more buttons, why do so many developers make simple things like adding system variables and managing your disks hard to reach and complex? (or hard to find out how to reach?)


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Indicium
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Posted: 2nd Mar 2012 18:43 Edited at: 3rd Mar 2012 02:20
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I love the new task manager, I don't think the old one showed disk access, but I managed to find a few processes which were hogging disk access which explained why it was so slow. xD

I quite like the new start system, the search seems to be faster. I like how I can have Music open in a metro tab and browse the internet. Kind of in love with it at the minute.

I got a BSOD earlier today but they've redesigned that too! So the classic start menu is gone, and they've changed the BSOD beyond recognition, the two things that make windows no longer exist. xD

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Blobby 101
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2012 15:30
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Kill it. Kill it with fire.
This is honestly the single most terrible piece of software I have ever had the misfortune to use in my life. The operating system is basically split in 2, you have the metro half and the classic half - you can use the computer as normal for a while before hitting some block where you need to step into the metro half and tear your hair out for 10 minutes trying to work out where to go. It feels like eating an otherwise really nice chocolate bar, where the producers have inserted chunks of raw faeces in at random places.

Just a few things:
I don't have "Apps" Microsoft, I'm not using a phone...

The metro interface is not only horrible to use, but it's ugly to look at - every tile is a different bright colour, looks like a fisher-price toy.

I want a close button, or at least some obvious way to close a program - I don't want to have to use some awkward dragging system, I don't know what's closed and what's just multitasking.

What's wrong with the taskbar? I can have programs open on my desktop that show up on the taskbar, but not in the metro sidebar, and metro "apps" open that don't show up on my taskbar. HAVE SOME CONSISTENCY! I want to be able to see this stuff in one place!

I really think they've gone about this completely the wrong way, I'm not averse to change, but I don't see any point in completely changing the most important parts of your OS in favour of some phone interface. Touch screens are NOT the future for desktop computers, stop trying to force this crap on us!

/rant

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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2012 16:16 Edited at: 3rd Mar 2012 16:34
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Guess you could send that as your feedback.

Still early days, so never know, if people aren't liking the current methods they can perhaps have classic mode that's similar to 7 and leave metro to those who wish to get used to it or like it as an approach or those using touch devices, I'm sure Metro isn't the only new thing they've added, so I'm sure it won't be exactly like running Windows 7 of they did that.

I've still yet to try it. I need to recover and merge the partitions I made for Ubuntu, seems when I did recovery for my main partition I lost my Ubuntu boot and Windows 8 doesn't like the partitions and I can't seem to format them either. Although I can recover Windows 7, but I don't fancy risking it on my main partition.

[Edit]

I'm fairly clueless about partitions, I know how to make them and that's it. Looking at the settings I assume I couldn't select the Ubuntu partition because they lack a file system, though they had one when Ubuntu was installed. The only action I am allowed to on the 4 partitions is delete them, stupid question, if I hit 'delete' what would happen to those partitions? And what could I do with the storage that's free, would it be add to a new partition or would I be able to create a new one but with a NTFS file system?

Anyway, here is a screenshot of my disk manager. Selected is the partition I would like to use for Windows 8 (and around it are the partitions I would like to merge)




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Quik
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2012 16:25
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Quote: "Still early days, so never know, if people aren't liking the current methods they can perhaps have classic mode that's similar to 7 and leave metro to those who wish to get used to it or like it as an approach or those using touch devices,"


thats what they SHOULD have done IMO... Metro should be an option to include or disclude


The result of origin.. Oh and ponies
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Indicium
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2012 16:34
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Quote: "disclude"


Should be exclude.

If metro wasn't included in Windows 8... Well there's not all that much different from Win7, except the new task manager, and the new windows explorer. I guess also ARM support, but it doesn't make a great deal of difference to me, especially if you need specially compiled apps, why didn't they make an emulator or something?

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Seppuku Arts
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2012 16:39
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Heck, if you want Metro on Windows 7 you can just download Newgen. Though it probably doesn't perform well as it does on Windows 8.


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NIlooc223
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Posted: 3rd Mar 2012 17:14
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So I installed windows 8 and it didnt carry over my wireless adapter driver when I try to install it it all goes well till the program tells me to plug in the adapter I plug it in but it dosnt get recognized I'm using a net gear wn111 v2

Your signature has been erased by a mod - no affiliate links thanks
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Yodaman Jer
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Posted: 4th Mar 2012 18:42
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I have henceforth adapted my original perspective and stance upon the 8th version of Windows; 'tis not dissimilar to the bubonic plague!

In other modern words, like Blobbly101, I feel like it's split in to two separate systems, and they're definitely going to be trying to force us to Metro. A terrible, terrible idea!

They need to strip Metro out and sell it as a different version of Windows altogether. Better yet keep on the damn phone and not a desktop!

This could very well be another ME all over again, but for entirely different reasons. I predict this to be a commercial failure. Anyone else think that's likely?

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bitJericho
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Posted: 5th Mar 2012 11:56 Edited at: 5th Mar 2012 12:00
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Alright, I got it loaded up yesterday and the desktop is miles better than the developer preview.

I think the thing that'll get most people are the special screen areas that one can utilize. I find it really a pleasure though, once you figure out it's there. I like the fact that it doesn't actually take up any screen real estate. While annoying that it's not completely obvious that it's there, once you see it, you wonder why they never did it sooner. Ok, so a quick rundown...

In the bottom left corner, if you move the mouse there, you've got your start button, it's just hidden in the bottom left corner. Top left corner, you've got the most recent app you had running. If you move the mouse to the top left corner and then start moving it down, *all* the open apps that are running are listed, and if you right click any of them, you can *close* them, so it's like a second start menu for the apps running.

I agree it's kind of wierd having two seperate desktops, but really, this is great for us as users. It means our fullscreen apps have a place to live from our regular, not fullscreen applications. You gotta agree the way fullscreen applications worked in previous windows versions was not great. I think in Windows 8 it works better. Who wants to manage multiple fullscreen apps with alt-tabbing?

Top right corner you've got a start button and other general config buttons, I don't see much of a use for it during general use.

In other areas, there's a lot of nice cloud options for people into that kind of stuff. I could see that being really useful for most people, but I try and stay away from working in the "cloud" as in general I see too many people burned by it. In the control panel you've got "drive stacks", looks interesting, haven't played with it yet, but it looks like you can setup software raid with a few clicks. Very useful power user feature that's being migrated to general use status. Could be great if you can share drive space across multiple machines, dunno if it can do that.

The start menu itself, for the few minutes that I got to play with it, is pretty much the same as it was. The app store is, as I predicted, super amazing and I hope AppGameKit supports the MS app store very soon!!

darkBIT TGC Torrent Tracker / File Server - AGK Chat: #agk : irc.devhat.net
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TheComet
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Posted: 5th Mar 2012 13:46 Edited at: 5th Mar 2012 13:47
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Windows 8 is fine for people that only want to watch youtube videos, send e-mails, and "socialise" on Facebook (I still don't believe this works. Going around to someone's house and hanging out is the way to do it, but that's beside the point).

However it's a huge stinking pile of unusable camel's diarrhea for developers and business men. I don't see Windows 8 being used in companies or anything commercial. I think it's good they're trying to connect to the "newer generation", but it just won't work for people that actually want to use to for work.

TheComet


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Fuzz
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Posted: 5th Mar 2012 13:54
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I just watched a video and I really don't like the look of it. I'll stick with Windows 7.

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TheComet
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Posted: 5th Mar 2012 15:51
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Here's a quote from someone:

Quote: "1) First off, no monitor is touch-screen enabled, no matter how big and expensive it is. And it's not worth buying a touchpad just cause Microsoft says so. And yeah, I know it's not mandatory to have it work using touch-screen, but it's based on that.

2) It's a TABLET OS. Or so it looks. Seriously, Microsoft, at the very least, change the freaking name. Namit, TabletOS, PotatOS, hell, even GladOS, but now Windows! Why? Simple enough, it has no windows. It's simply a App-based OS, like those you find on your iPhone, just at a larger scale.

3) Right, XBox Live... paying 400$ to get the license is not enough for you, is it Microsoft, now you want us to pay for XBox live too? Genius idea, seriously. Too bad it sucks.

4) I'm lost here, to tell you the truth... does the mouse even work on this thing? How about the keyboard? Those are questions normal customers would ask, and you, Microsoft, failed to provide a simple and perfect explanation.

5) Games... Why do I have the feeling that, in the next 4 years, PC games would turn from pure awesomeness to pure boredom just cause Windows 8 is a tablet os? I so hope I'm wrong, but...

6) And Apps... Why do I have the feeling that MicroSoft actually wants to control what you install (read that Emulators don't work already). I wouldn't be surprised if there would be a hidden feature that would automatically record waht you do during the day and sent it to M$. So, no more privacy allowed, not even on your own pc..."

TheComet


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Yodaman Jer
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Posted: 5th Mar 2012 23:05
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I feel that quote sums Windows 8 up pretty nicely.

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