Windows 8

[Anyong Bluth]

Fyi, Windows 8.2 is just around the corner, and is supposedly to offer greater UI options to run it a lot more like the Windows 7 / pre Metro setup, and even a bit of a morphed version where you can have the desktop setup like everyone is familiar with and then the ability to place your active tiles on the desktop. So you'll have a fully functional Start button with the old school menus and then I believe you will also be able to just start typing to pull up the meta search that shows choices along the right side of the screen.

[Baby Lee]

8.1 seems pretty smooth with Start8, didn't like that WMC wasn't included, but JRiver more than makes up for it.

[Fish]

FYI... not sure if you've tried it....

You can do light editing of Office files on your iPad using Microsoft's Office web apps. For free. It's missing some of the really advanced editing features. But for simple stuff it works well.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/web-apps/

[Lex Luthor]

Originally Posted by Fish

FYI... not sure if you've tried it....

You can do light editing of Office files on your iPad using Microsoft's Office web apps. For free. It's missing some of the really advanced editing features. But for simple stuff it works well.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/web-apps/

Thanks. I agree it's fine for simple stuff.

[-King-]

1) Click metro button/press Windows button
2) Type in the first 1 or 2 letters of program you want
3) Click program

That's more efficient than looking through any start menu.

[007]

Originally Posted by -King-

1) Click metro button/press Windows button
2) Type in the first 1 or 2 letters of program you want
3) Click program

That's more efficient than looking through any start menu.

Because people don't want to type.

[Lex Luthor]

Originally Posted by -King-

1) Click metro button/press Windows button
2) Type in the first 1 or 2 letters of program you want
3) Click program

That's more efficient than looking through any start menu.

Your method requires you to click on a poor replacement for the old Start button in order to bring up a tiled list of programs where each tile takes up WAY too much screen space and the list is randomly organized. You are forced to either swipe the screen (potentially several times) in order to find what you want, or you are forced to invoke the search function, bring up the virtual keyboard, and begin typing the first couple of letters of the name of the program you want.

The Windows Start menu has all of your apps organized in alphabetical order, gives you the option to pin commonly used apps to a prominent position at the top, provides you with an easy way to find links to things such as the Control Panel, Printers, your documents, pictures, music, and a Help panel. Plus, it's a scrollable list that takes up less than a third of your screen real estate. The Metro interface was simply a lame attempt by Microsoft to make their interface mimic the interface used by the iPhone and iPad.

If you truly believe your method of finding an app is better and more efficient that the Start Menu that was introduced in Windows 95 and has been tweaked and improved in every iteration of Windows prior to Windows 8, then I'm not going to waste my time debating this issue with you. It's utterly hopeless and will just wind up frustrating me and everybody else who reads this thread.

The fact is that the vast majority of Windows users agree with me and disagree with you. That's why Microsoft is going to restore the actual Start menu in Windows 8.2. If you prefer to use your method, more power to you. Just don't continue to plead ignorance.

[-King-]

Originally Posted by Brainiac

Your method requires you to click on a poor replacement for the old Start button in order to bring up a tiled list of programs where each tile takes up WAY too much screen space and the list is randomly organized. You are forced to either swipe the screen (potentially several times) in order to find what you want, or you are forced to invoke the search function, bring up the virtual keyboard, and begin typing the first couple of letters of the name of the program you want.

Click all apps at the bottom and they will be in alphabetical order. Or shit...ARRANGE THE APPS YOURSELF!

The Windows Start menu has all of your apps organized in alphabetical order, gives you the option to pin commonly used apps to a prominent position at the top, provides you with an easy way to find links to things such as the Control Panel, Printers, your documents, pictures, music, and a Help panel. Plus, it's a scrollable list that takes up less than a third of your screen real estate. The Metro interface was simply a lame attempt by Microsoft to make their interface mimic the interface used by the iPhone and iPad.

Everything you said you could do with the start menu, you can also do on metro.

If you truly believe your method of finding an app is better and more efficient that the Start Menu that was introduced in Windows 95 and has been tweaked and improved in every iteration of Windows prior to Windows 8, then I'm not going to waste my time debating this issue with you. It's utterly hopeless and will just wind up frustrating me and everybody else who reads this thread.

Once again, you haven't explained how it's less efficient. It's way faster since you don't have to wade through menus. And if you do want to wade through them, you can put them into alphabetical order or in any order you want.

The fact is that the vast majority of Windows users agree with me and disagree with you. That's why Microsoft is going to restore the actual Start menu in Windows 8.2. If you prefer to use your method, more power to you. Just don't continue to plead ignorance.

That's because people hate drastic change. Do I love Windows 8? No. But the start menu is the least of my concerns concerning it.

If you're too lazy to type the first two letters of an app to find it, that's on you, but don't say it's less efficient when it's not.

[Donger]

Okay, I've ****ing had it with this POS...

Just got a voicemail in .wav format. Clicked on it to play and some program played it, but...

HOW THE **** DO YOU CLOSE WHATEVER PROGRAM THIS IS!!!?

[kaplin42]

Originally Posted by Donger

Okay, I've ****ing had it with this POS...

Just got a voicemail in .wav format. Clicked on it to play and some program played it, but...

HOW THE **** DO YOU CLOSE WHATEVER PROGRAM THIS IS!!!?

The point is, your not supposed to. It works like iOS, you move on to the next program and leave the old one running. If an app is not the focus, then it doesn't take up any processing cycles, it just sits in the background waiting for you to use it again.

If you really want to close it though, then try CTRL+Shift+ESC and end the task/process.

[Donger]

Originally Posted by kaplin42

The point is, your not supposed to. It works like iOS, you move on to the next program and leave the old one running. If an app is not the focus, then it doesn't take up any processing cycles, it just sits in the background waiting for you to use it again.

If you really want to close it though, then try CTRL+Shift+ESC and end the task/process.

I can't even figure out how to get back to the ****ing desktop...

[kaplin42]

Originally Posted by Donger

I can't even figure out how to get back to the ****ing desktop...

Some Ways:

1. Push Windows key to go back to Metro, select Desktop icon if you haven't unpinned it.

2. Windows Key + M

3. Alt + Tab to cycle through open windows and desktop

[Donger]

Originally Posted by kaplin42

Some Ways:

1. Push Windows key to go back to Metro, select Desktop icon if you haven't unpinned it.

2. Windows Key + M

3. Alt + Tab to cycle through open windows and desktop

Wow, thanks. This is really stupid.

[kaplin42]

Something that might help people having issues with Win 8.

Go to the Metro, then the App Store and look for Windows 8 Cheat Keys. It's a free app and might help you navigate/understand the OS a little more.

I think the biggest problem why people don't like Win 8 is that it is new and different from previous versions, not just in look in feel like XP was to 2000 and Vista/7 to XP, but it functions differently under the hood too. Because of this change, and little to no instructions from Microsoft, there is a huge perception that the OS is terrible, when in reality it's really stable, and faster than Win 7, one just has to learn how to use it properly.

[loochy]

Originally Posted by kaplin42

Something that might help people having issues with Win 8.

Go to the Metro, then the App Store and look for Windows 8 Cheat Keys. It's a free app and might help you navigate/understand the OS a little more.

I think the biggest problem why people don't like Win 8 is that it is new and different from previous versions, not just in look in feel like XP was to 2000 and Vista/7 to XP, but it functions differently under the hood too. Because of this change, and little to no instructions from Microsoft, there is a huge perception that the OS is terrible, when in reality it's really stable, and faster than Win 7, one just has to learn how to use it properly.

Dos is fast and stable. One just has to learn how to use it