For me the lack of jump lists is surprising,given how convenient they were in 7 (IE - point over WMC and select LiveTV or a recent recording instead of opening the app and navigating in it), the current search implementation - I just prefer to write for example 'partitions' and see the result immediately instead of having to select 'settings' and then finding what I'm looking for. Additionally,the Start menu allows a bigger range of actions with a given file than the StartScreen - for example you can enqueue a track you just searched directly into your media player(or copy it,delete it,etc),whereas in the Start Screen you can only open it or open its location so it adds an additional step if I just want to add it to a playlist.. Additionally, the multi-screen implementation is appalling in 8(but if someone builds a multi-touchscreen rig it ought to be a better solution,though changing your hardware just for one 'feature' is kinda silly ). There are other problems as well,but those are the bigger issues I have with it (if I see a fix for Metro to allow more options for file manipulation and an optional omni-search-box as 7's Start Menu one,I'll probably give in and start using it on a daily basis)
The Jumplists were scrapped because there were hardly used by most users in the Startmenu, so there it's unlikly for them to come into Metro, but they are still there on the Taskbar Search has shortcuts, Settings = Winkey+W, Files = Winkey+F, Search bar = Winkey+Q, on W7 it's simply unified but if you aren't sure what you are looking for the Search region in the old Startmenu is to small, so you need to click to get the bigger view which is worse than the small one. So instead of winkey > type, you do winkey+w > type, not much of a difference
I know the shortcuts,but I was just illustrating a point Either way,for now I'm happy with Start8 so I can happily use the parts of Win8 I like without having to deal with the stuff I dislike. I sincerely hope you're wrong about jumplists being gone forever from the Start Screen,but even if they're gone forever 'officially',there'll still be third-party tweaks and replacements for the missing functionality-perhaps some industrious person will even manage to get them into the official StartScreen(I wonder if we'll see customized/third party ones down the line kinda akin to the various launchers in android) itself instead of as part of just the start menus
I agree, LEAP TO WHERE? If their goal was to emulate Apple’s iPad OS by designing a hybrid of Win7 (or Win2K, XP or Vista, since underneath it always appears the same) with a terrible interface for notebooks, they’ve succeeded. Win8 might be great….if you’re running it on a “Surface” or a Desktop with a large touch screen monitor, but I really don’t see the point in upgrading otherwise. When I finally broke down the other day and decided to take up MS on their $14.99 upgrade offer for my new Toshiba ultrabook, I figured how could I go wrong for that price? Now, after going through the upgrade process, I feel that, for me, it isn’t worth even $14.99+tax I paid for it. I didn’t (and not going to) activate it and I’m now in the process of restoring Win7 (which I feel has been the best version to date.) Another thing that makes me uneasy about Win8 is that it seems that with each new incarnation of Windows, they’ve become more and more invasive of people’s privacy. While “most” of these things can be turned off, many average people are unaware that they even exist, let alone how to turn them off. It reminds me of when people first found out that their an accurate position of where a photo was taken was being sent along with the pixel info. While “App Stores” might be fine for a tablet, as a “standard” for desktop and notebook PC’s, it makes it appear that Microsoft wants to be in on and control EVERY aspect of the computer industry. The incorporating of mandatory “signed drivers”, beginning with Vista, and which could not be disabled if desired, makes me wonder, “Whose computer is this”? If I’m missing something, I’d like someone to explain it to me.
It looks like MS wants to own everything even though THE CONSUMER paid for the gizmo. I agree is hard to keep the leadership in the software business and they have to come with something new all the time (is this a golden rule of marketing, somehow?), but there must be also the FREEDOM OF CHOICE. I know I might speak about the wolf among the sheep, but none the less - we should have that "freedom". I like Windows 8 WITHOUT MetroUI, but I dislike the absence of the start menu. I know about the alternatives, but if I want alternatives I go and buy a mac or install Linux or BSD. But no - I want WINDOWS. I wanted to install Win2012 Server, but when I've seen I have no classic start menu there either, I passed. So, I'll stick to Windows 7 SP1 for as long as I can. There are people out there working on Win98SE and if they can cope with a 15 year-old OS, surely I can manage 15 years with Windows 7 SP1.
About user's privacy:I saw in Mountain Lion somethining the same with Windows live account:When I boot-up my Mac fro the first time an Apple account was created,exactly the same proceed with Windows 8... P.S:Excuses for the off-topic this just a pint of view
I am too busy with other things, w8 is no suitable desktop OS successor to me. It might get its place on tablets, though. And it's embarrassing to notice over and over again that M$ is always too late and misses the latest trends. (Internet and now the apps and tablet market). So they only copy from others. They can keep their restricted stuff while I modify my Android.
I've installed Classic Shell, WITH the Start Screen activated, and apart from the blatant push to the cloud (NOT going there) I love Win 8. I've been using Windows since before many of you were even born, and with a few caveats, Win 8 is the best ever. *Dons asbeastos suit*
I wont tell much about your comments, because it's up to any single person to chose what he/she is thinking would be the best. Just on thing: It were Microsoft who invented the first Tablet computer back in the beginning of the 2000 year time. Back than, MS were really "just" a Software Developer! If Bill Gates would have longer active in the company, I believe many thing were running different! And I think that Apple is copying much more than Microsoft ever did! Just take a close look at the running Patent Cases and, what's more important to get the right picture, WHAT kind of Patents are in question. There some revoked alredy and other which will be revoked in the not so far future. Also how someone could be register a case design based on a rectangle?! Just my 2 Stangs!
The term 'Tablet computer' is not protected by trademark law. And it was not M$ who was first. To me a tablet PC is a thin device with a CPU and touch display and touch OS. It had been used in the pharma industry (manufacturing) in the late 80s already. Hewlett-Packard had the HP-150 (first home computer with touch capabilities), Apple the Newton PDA, IBM had 'Simon', actually the first touch smart phone. And what's about Palm Pilot? These were all before M$. Small touch devices. I do agree with Bill Gates. Today he's a good guy. But I also would say if Bill would be still CEO of M$ we would have the same imperialistic manner like Ballmer. It's the company (greed for money) that creates sick behavior. I don't hate M$. I do not like monopoly. Monopoly is contrary to innovation. And sure Apple copies as well. But the mentioned cases where M$ had been too late are simply a fact.
Regarding those Patent Cases, Apple for sure has "good" cards in the US, nobody could deny that. That Apple has registered Patent's which normally are just a joke for to get registered, is also know, just think about those Rectangle Patent! Also Touch Screen much older than Apple even thinked about to produce Phones, iPods and iPads! And your right about those PDA's, doesn't matter the name id Plam, Casio, Psion or whatsoever. That were not what I was talking about. A Tablet Computer is a bit more than a Phone, a PDA or so with small screen size. For me a Tablet computer starts by min. 7" screen size (which is for my own still to small!! I use an 9.7" which is acceptable). Below 7" it's just something like Samsung call it Notes. No Microsoft had an Tablet Computer with 7.6" Screen (if I remember right?!) which were able to work with the early Beta of Windows XP. That was the one I talked about. That the Name Tablet Computer isn't registered as Trademark subject is just good!
Btw,another positive feature I forgot to mention that endears Windows 8 to me and which I find really useful is the ability to create custom refresh images,which makes it rather easy to maintain in the dreaded 'Home/Family IT'role XD - I've did one with all the basic settings and applications on most new family/friend deployments already and it's cut my 'Ohnoes,my PC is not working good' to the bare minimum of telling how to activate the refresh function(and to point out that some applications might be missing,so not to call me later to tell me that)
It isn't so much that MS is late to the table with ideas or projects, it is that their corporate culture (internally) has not been wise to execute on them. One example is the eReader that was proposed to Gates years and years ago, but he shot it down because he insisted it would need to run full Windows OS. Since it couldn't at the time and it would need a specific modified OS, he did not want to go through with the project offered by a MS development team. This was many, many years before Amazon. MS had the technology, the internal innovation, and the resources, but the internal culture (read: the execs) in the end shot it down. Years and years of this is why now MS is struggling to keep up, because other companies like Apple have already realized these concepts and now MS is in the strained position to take back (rather than create) the market. If you'll remember, back in 2007 when Gates and Jobs were in that joined interview, Gates already said the tablet-form is of specific interest to him -- and look, it's 2013 and the Surface Pro isn't even out yet. Because MS had been OS-centric for so long, they missed the big picture. Apple instead just made iOS to fit the bill for mobile devices and so they beat MS to the punch. Granted, it is a HUGE task to unify/expand the OS to fit all devices and be somewhat seamless (even if using RT vs full), but now time is not on MS' side. But they have a lot of things still going for them (market penetration, enterprise, etc.) so hopefully they can still get their act together. As for my Win8 experience, I must say I like the core OS (even though it kind of looks like crap) but Modern UI remains a royal pain. I've done everything I can to disable and skip Modern UI, uninstalled all 'Metro' apps, and even then I just hate the flicker when starting the system and it going into desktop. I know this point has been mulled over a million times, but using Win8 I keep bumping into the same idea and that is they just need to provide the ability to disable Modern UI/Metro altogether. Just look at the enterprise, there is no good excuse for MS to not allow at least this even if only in deployment situations (as in building an image that way via the deployment tools). I really do wonder what is going on internally at MS right now, and what their ideas are now about Modern UI and how they want to go forward based on all the feedback. The hardware partners of MS (Acer, Lenovo, Dell, etc.) are also giving MS feedback from their customers so given the lackluster reception of Win8 so far some things are bound to change. Since they are doing the 'Windows Blue' thing now I wonder if they are going to implement any changes before Win9 proper arrives.