Any business that ignores the consumers needs is looking for disaster. Why do you need to look for a work around to something you don't need in the OS, shouldn't there be an option to remove what you don't want at installation or after? Almost every piece of software works on this principle. It seems clear to me that if more than 40% of the user base disapprove of metro then Microsoft is doing something very wrong by sticking it down people's throats.
Metro. NTFS. Aero Glass. Close button in the upper right (where a Maximise button was for 8 years) Requiring a 386. Removing DOS. Having a GUI at all. Internet Explorer. Windows Media Player. Driver signing enforcement. Windows Genuine Advantage. Well over 40% of people disagreed with these things at one point or another. All these things came (and very few have gone), and the world didn't end. Bonus profanity: And what is this <CENSORED> that Microsoft is somehow forcing you to do anything? I haven't gotten any demand that I drop $200 on Windows 8 Pro, or I'll be evicted/the lights will go out/my computers will be repossessed?
You are absolutely right (about the previously controversial items), but you have to take "then Microsoft is doing something very wrong by sticking it down people's throats" into context. Are they making people upgrade to Windows 8? No. But at some point (I would bet a lot quicker than took place for XP) that they will not allow PCs to be sold with Windows 7 any more, and I wouldn't expect them to provide ANY downgrade rights like they did for Vista PCs to downgrade to XP. So the normal mass of average users will be forced to use Windows 8 in the reasonable assumption that the average user isn't going to want to use Linux, or even Android or MacOS, on a desktop or laptop. Not if they want to be able to run programs or games that they've gotten used to, most of which is not multi-platform, not counting game consoles. Keep in mind that I am not (so far) an opponent of Windows 8, and am actually a proponent of it. This old dog doesn't plan on learning any new tricks anytime soon, but I may be surprised at myself in a few years. Edit: The Ribbon UI is another good example. While maybe it is still entrenching itself into use by power users, for three to four years after Office 2007 came out, I used Classic Menus for Office 2007, then 2010. But I don't bother any more. I still search for things sometimes, but it's growing on me and it actually makes a lot more sense to me organizationally and logically than the previous menu system, which could be confusing and redundant in parts.
@SuperBubble: You're right only half of it. Metro IS ENFORCED on users. The other "features" are optional, not imposed. NTFS. -> still can use FAT32/FAT16 if you want Aero Glass. -> can be disabled Close button in the upper right (where a Maximise button was for 8 years) -> just switched MAXIMIZED with CLOSE, not a big learn curve, is it? Requiring a 386. ->They are too good palls with Intel. Removing DOS. -> you're wrong on this one. People was afraid MS would remove the command line, not DOS. Having a GUI at all. -> C'mon, this was WELCOMED, not hated. Internet Explorer. -> Netscape, Opera now Firefox, Chrome and a gazillion other browsers out there (look ma' there's Choice, remeber her?) Windows Media Player. -> RealPlayer, VLC, BSPlayer...again you have other options Driver signing enforcement. -> this is boring...can be disabled Windows Genuine Advantage. -> this is comedy now, isn't it? If I have been allowed to disable METRO, I would have been grateful and welcome Windows 8, but otherwise...I'll stick with Win7 as long as I can.
And what will you use Linux or god forbid a Mac. SOCRATE_MMXII answered your question. If it hasn't occurred to you, Microsoft have an obligation to the user base. Rule #1 of business, the customer is always right.
It didn't end but... You find that situation OK??? It's like how much crap the world can bear until it has to end! There is something major wrong with it (the world) that everytime when 40% of the mature customers have a demand and get ignored. 40% disagreed but had to shut up due to monopoly. 40% wanted freedom of choice but don't have it. Yes YOU are right the world can bear M$ and will not end! I myself cannot watch this without being active. I never would support a monopolist! If there are signs of the world's end, would you even be able to notice them??? No you would say there were 40% before and the world survived, why should it be different this time???
Talking about end of the world for a Microsoft mistake called Windows 8 is really immature. As Yen said, freedom to choose is the bigger that customer has, customer has always right because brings money(you customer has to buy a Hinda (just example car) that has every single accessories you want, but.... you can choose only purple, brown red yellow not metalized... ups they remove stearing wheel and give you a joystick to drive your car.... Are you going to buy it, and get used to that kind of drive, just 4 forced colors.... Or: You keep your marvellous Chovrolet(another sample) with steering wheel(you know perfectly how to drive, faster and secure) with your preferred color? You buy Furd that allow you to have every accessories you want, you can choose full palette of colors even metalized, of course with steering wheel?? Getting used to something does not mean is better, reliable, fast and productive you will follow the flood, the market monopoly, being a monkey, or a customer with your needings? If MS will not listen to that 40%, i call monopoly, pushing down your throat something you do not demand, but that 40% don't give money to Microsoft, maybe to someone else.... End of monopoly, Microsoft will loose 40% of the market, Google or Apple will gather it Just for clarifing: is function that make a OS being called Windows, where exactly windows are moveable, resizable, overlapping... Metro has not that function, nor 8 neither RT has the rights to be called WINDOWS!!!!!! 8 a mix of two oses, badly and ugly designed RT btw has something to do with windows???? no desktop apps, no windows World will not end for Metro, neither Microsoft, they will just loose my prediction 35% nearly of the Market, and this is not good for them!
I don't know why every one is bad mouthing windows 8 I have been using it since the first leak and every time after that it got better, it runs most of my application lightning fast the startup less than 10 seconds shutdown as well it recognized all my drivers without a problem I keep my computer on for days and never had a crash if you are really stuck on the start menu you can download vistart or any other start menu replacement you want but the new start menu is great, you should really give windows 8 a chance
you can download vistart for the start menu but that shouldn't stop you from using windows 8 it's great
huh you did not read well the forum did you? I'm already using 8 with classic shell from the first day available, creating my own all glass start menu, with a trick skip start screen at start up..... So no Metro, never.... my installation went fine, all drivers ok, no issues even with nVidia gpu..... I have written(nor only I, read all the forums) why the Metro is not usable with mouse and keyboard.... Windows 8 a chance? no way to Metro, 7 SP2 as i call my 8 installation without Metro is the best OS i ever tried in 20 years computer experience!!!!
m$ are feckin' barstewards and that's the beginning and end of it! This morning, without my approval, Live Messenger just informed me that a new version has already been downloaded and that it MUST be installed, if I want to proceed. Fook them!!! That is the ISSUE with such monopolistic corporations, ran by sociopaths, playing power games, all the time, with impunity, forcing themselves onto everybody they can. I hope their corp rots in hell ASAP, thanx to some new Linux, with complete driver package, thanx to some ingenious programmer, who will use the Windows drivers somehow, easily installable for all, during an installation/setup, from the web... somehow.... GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If I had a magic wand...
Yen, do you (now) believe that these items of the things SuperBubble mentioned were bad: NTFS. Aero Glass. Close button in the upper right (where a Maximise button was for 8 years) Requiring a 386. Removing DOS. Having a GUI at all. Driver signing enforcement. I'll add to the list my suggestion of the Ribbon UI. Constant change isn't good. Change just for the sake of change isn't good either. But at least *sometimes* when things are changed, it's for the better. MS might be a monopoly, but Apple is even more so. What MS isn't is a democracy, at least to us, the consumers. No company is. They take chances, they try to figure out a balancing point between what people think they want, and what MS thinks will be better, especially as more people get used to it. Here in the US, we use the Standard measurement system, and I hate it. Ever since I took electronics engineering and was forced to get used to metric, it drives me nuts that back in the late 70s when the US was enforcing kids in school to use metric, they didn't stick by their plan. Yet, if they had, measurements and converting from one to another would be so much more natural than the completely arbitrary Standard. The base unit of Metric might be arbitrary, but ever other measurement is a multiple or division of that unit. Even if MS were a democracy, 40% would mean nothing. It's not a majority. If 40% disagreed with a feature, should MS ignore the greater 60% who agree??? What kind of sense does that make?
You have no clue about anything, roirra... My example shows clearly that this bullying, patriarchal BS that m$ is "bestowing" upon us is infuriating for a reason. I want a certain version of Live Messenger but... On the other hand, democracy is NOT a simple rule of majority. Everyone with a basic education in Humanities ought to know that from Ancient Greek times, already... In Modernity it was "Can majority - shorter than 6 feet - "democratically" decide to "shorten" (by a head, presumably) those over 6 feet?" 'argument'. In other words, "democracy" without the institution(s) of minorty(-ies) protection is NOT a democracy! All parts of a community have to be taken care of, their interests considered and preserved, not simply trampled on. If a system you mention hasn't improved a single jot, in your mind, over a couple of hundred years (and it has!), could you still hold the idea that it is possible for an organisation to learn and improve, in this case m$ - but all other organisations, including your own (political) state or even a community as a whole can not? In conclusion: all of your arguments can not find a semblance of a leg to stand on!
In that case there are "patches for various apps" to be had. Moreover, I can decide for myself if I am going to "take a risk" behind a HW firewall, security suite, with all the bells and whistles, additional malware protection, anti-root kits and whatnot. I do NOT need this patronising m$ BS - and I suspect neither do you! - I need full information and then it's up to me! But, oh no, m$ knows best what's best for me... Sieg Heil!
R I G H T. Only you resort to personal insults. Pot calling the kettle black? Now who's trying to bully? And you presume to know all sorts of things about things I think which you could not? Hmmmm...a psychic bully who must have his own way, because only he can be right and anyone who goes against him must be smitten through any means necessary. Must be a republican. Maybe you've heard of the presidential elections, one of the major exercises of our democracy? Remind me again. Who gets elected? Oh, yeah, the person with more votes than any of the other candidates (this is a simplification since we still use the archaic and confusing to some "Electoral College", but is close enough to the truth for argument's sake). Of course, you wanting to beat opposition into submission will likely take up that argument just for argument's sake. Come back to reality. We're talking about two things. Metro versus non-metro. If non-metro is 40%, that leaves Metro with 60%. Don't make it any more complicated than it is, and stay focused on the point. Don't ever presume to lecture me or to think you know me, for any coward backed into a corner can do that just as I have made another example of in this, my reply to you.