[Ghostavo]

having to actively fight my computer to use it the way i want isn't an invalid argument, even if i get there eventually.  windows 8 does its very best to force you into using the metro interface and its apps in many instances.  that's to say nothing of all the stupid services microsoft is trying to force in alongside the OS.  no, i am not going to create an online account with microsoft to use my own damn computer.  i'm not going to put all my data on your servers, and i'm not going to buy all my software from your web store.

Again, you are not forced to use the Metro interface after the initial setup. Also you do not have to create an online account, you can create a local account like you have in the past. You can use Windows 8 exactly like you could Windows 7. The entire workflow hasn't changed.

Most arguments against Windows 8 I see are basically:

"They allow me to do more stuff in addition to what I could in Windows 7, and even though I profess to like Windows 7, I hate this new OS."

[Mongoose]

Completely eliminating the Start Menu from the entire OS seems like a pretty big "forcing" to me.

[Dragon]

Still, there should be an option of turning the darn thing off via control panel. Everything that was either a handy desktop gadget or a normal program got booted into Metro. I want my little calculator back, I have absolutely no need for it to take the whole screen. Similarly, the weather and currency exchange rate displays are perfectly fine sitting on the side of the desktop.
Oh, and they shouldn't implement it as another, "new" OS, but in a free patch. I'm afraid that they'll pull what they did with Windows 7 again. It should've been a 3rd service pack for Vista, not another OS with a separate license. Make no mistake, Windows 7 is simply a fixed, rebranded Vista.

[Fury]

having to actively fight my computer to use it the way i want isn't an invalid argument, even if i get there eventually.  windows 8 does its very best to force you into using the metro interface and its apps in many instances.  that's to say nothing of all the stupid services microsoft is trying to force in alongside the OS.  no, i am not going to create an online account with microsoft to use my own damn computer.  i'm not going to put all my data on your servers, and i'm not going to buy all my software from your web store.

Making Win8.1 to boot into classic desktop by default takes all 30 seconds. Afterwards you can use all the same applications in classic desktop you used to use in Win7. I have used Win8 and 8.1 for very long time now and I have not seen the Modern UI unless I have explicitly chosen to do so. With one exception. Some system settings new to Win8(.1) can only be found in Modern UI settings menu. But those you can browse through and set however you like in 10 minutes after initial setup and never see them again.

You can still use local accounts in Win8 and Win8.1 just like in Win7. In addition, Win8.1 improves online integration by giving you the option to use a PIN code instead of your Microsoft account's password. This makes it a lot easier to log-in to the computer when your account password is strong.

Completely eliminating the Start Menu from the entire OS seems like a pretty big "forcing" to me.

This is true and unfortunate. But luckily it's nothing that downloading a small free application like Classic Shell can't fix. Of course you shouldn't have to resort to 3rd party applications to get basic, expected functionality. But all it takes is a few minutes at best to download and install and then you have an OS what is basically better Win7.

Still, there should be an option of turning the darn thing off via control panel.

Turn what off? Modern UI? You can turn it off. In 8.1 you don't even need 3rd party app to do so, it's in taskbar settings. Win8.1 introduced this and several other desktop and start-button related settings in taskbar settings.


Basically the only reason to avoid Win8.1 at this point is you don't agree with having to use 3rd party application to get proper Start-menu. That's a valid reason I suppose and even I used to think that. Other than that, all arguments seem to be mostly irrelevant because of FUD or "I hate just because".

[Nuke]

the only thing windows does that i give a rats ass about is its ability run executables and manage my data. driver frameworks and network stacks are nice too. all that stuff needs a fairly simple ui. problem is that the os has become more of a software suite. it needs to come with its own browser, its own media player, its own email program, its own isntant messanger, its own ****ing video editing software. and you have to pay for all that stuff. sure you could go with a lesser version (there is always that one feature that you actually use that doesn't come with the cheap version), but thats not the point. linux has the same kind of issues with its distros (though there are a few distros that get around this problem). id be happy with windows 2000 if it supported modern drivers, and worked with newer cpu architecture improvements and other hardware capabilities. windows at its core is pretty useful but all the tumorous growths that have embedded themselves to the outside of it have really got to go.

of course im not going to give a rats ass, im just going to wait for reactos or just use linux.

[pecenipicek]

I'm glad that you can run your computer the way that you want to

Now if windows would offer similar configuration as kde for the desktop, then people probably wouldn't be complaining about windows 8.

my current rage when i switch to windows occasionally is the lack of "use scroll wheel to switch tabs anywhere" which i've personally seen only in kde

[Phantom Hoover]

really do not understand the determination some people are displaying to defend microsoft's ****ty ui revamps

[S-99]

Windows 8 if it doesn't force you to deal with something, then it brain ****s you with thinking that you had to with other stuff. Such as metro and an account with microsoft. Metro i'm glad to hear can be turned off. And not needing a microsoft account was something i found out last summer. Although, to turn off metro is at least more innocent than a microsoft account. I don't like the microsoft account account creation because they really make it look like that's the only option for you to do to be able to use your windows 8 pc after install or first bootup.

This reminds me of dealing with google. How they're so insistent that i must give my phone number and reset my password when i login from a different location.
The way i've found is just do a password reset, login with new password, phone number gets begged for again, go to youtube (if you wanted youtube) in a different tab, close google asking for phone number tab. Pretty darn sure they removed the "not now", or "not yet" link on the phone number insistence (personally i would prefer a "NEVARRRRR!!!!!" link). Microsoft wasn't as cruel as google, but how exactly do you opt out of the microsoft account insistence? Because i don't have a windows 8 machine to at least mess around with.

[redsniper]

No one can name a piece of software that will run on Windows 7 but not run on Windows 8.

[Phantom Hoover]

what's that even supposed to mean?

[redsniper]

It means people should stop complaining about 8 not running their favorite software ITT because it's not a legitimate argument.

[Phantom Hoover]

I don't see anyone complaining about that in the last page except people talking about corporate IT, whom I would expect to know what they're talking about.

[Fury]

corporate IT, whom I would expect to know what they're talking about.

*snickers* You wish.

[Klaustrophobia]

Windows 8 if it doesn't force you to deal with something, then it brain ****s you with thinking that you had to with other stuff. Such as metro and an account with microsoft. Metro i'm glad to hear can be turned off. And not needing a microsoft account was something i found out last summer. Although, to turn off metro is at least more innocent than a microsoft account. I don't like the microsoft account account creation because they really make it look like that's the only option for you to do to be able to use your windows 8 pc after install or first bootup.

This reminds me of dealing with google. How they're so insistent that i must give my phone number and reset my password when i login from a different location.
The way i've found is just do a password reset, login with new password, phone number gets begged for again, go to youtube (if you wanted youtube) in a different tab, close google asking for phone number tab. Pretty darn sure they removed the "not now", or "not yet" link on the phone number insistence (personally i would prefer a "NEVARRRRR!!!!!" link). Microsoft wasn't as cruel as google, but how exactly do you opt out of the microsoft account insistence? Because i don't have a windows 8 machine to at least mess around with.

it was a tiny, non-descriptive link in 8 on the create account screen, but then they made it WAAAAAAAAY harder than that in 8.1.  i'm the kind of person that ALWAYS looks for the "**** off, i'm not giving you my info" button, and it had me thinking that it was impossible to not sign up for a microsoft account when installing 8.1.  i don't even remember how i finally stumbled into it, but i do remember that at no point along the way was it a "yes, i want to continue with a local account" option.  it was like a third level cancel on the signup for the microsoft account.  obviously designed to trick people into making an account.

[S-99]

That's what i thought. Can't recommend the os that tricks people into signing up for stuff.

[Fury]

Exaggerating much? Again?

[CP5670]

8.1 does try to hide the local user account option. You need to either give it a bogus email address or disconnect your internet connection for it to explicitly give an option of a local account. It's annoying, but easy to do if you know what to expect.

No one can name a piece of software that will run on Windows 7 but not run on Windows 8.

This is almost true, but there are some old games using Directdraw that have new issues in 8. A few have patches or modified dlls to fix this, but others don't. I just keep XP around for those games.

[Ghostavo]

You need to either give it a bogus email address or disconnect your internet connection for it to explicitly give an option of a local account.

No.

[Mika]

Klaustrophobia's latest post and Fury's reply to it actually sum up Windows 8 (and Windows 7 occasionally) user experience pretty nicely.

The UI is not really clear, despite valid attempts to design it so. Based on that screen shot I'd say it is indeed so that they have tried to trick people into thinking that an on-line Microsoft account must be opened in order to use Windows 8. Formerly the "proceed without registration" button tended to be next tot the option of creating the account in the first place. With an equal size emphasis. Now that text looks non-active to me.

It's not the first time Windows 8 does struggle in this sort of stuff. I recall one year ago there was a post of the Metro screen with people asking "how do you find it so complicated, just look how easy it's to go to the Desktop with a single click of a button". Took me about a minute to discover it along those ****ing boxes, and that's just the beginning of not showing things sufficiently to the user.

All this means nothing to me, as Windows 7 will be the last Windows I'll be using and I like quitting at the top. Microsoft can go all Apple if they want for all I care, but don't expect me to follow. Vendor locks are just a big no-no for me. Apparently, I'm not the only one thinking like this as the general approach seems to avoid Windows 8 despite all the core improvements in the OS. Can't say that I'm surprised, though.

[Grizzly]

No one can name a piece of software that will run on Windows 7 but not run on Windows 8.

Older Need for Speed games.
Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends due to GFWL having problems with Windows 8
Heck, anything that uses GFWL will have problems, which are ocasionally fixable, but ocasionally are not.