[PCWorld]

Post your comments for The Windows 8 ecosystem: 5 best and 5 worst features here

[toothie007]

So what are the 5 worse features of ios and mountain lion? Did you do a story on that? One that had a similar title?

[toothie007]

Quote

So what are the 5 worse features of ios and mountain lion? Did you do a story on that? One that had a similar title?

I meant 5 worst ... as in your tittle above. No edit button?

[mipa]

The worst feature of Windows 8 is simply that it's still Windows. A more confusing and frustrating Windows.

[cwey]

Mipa. Are you actually sung the new OS? I both a Surface last Friday and I am quite impressed, especially by the new Metro UI. As a side note, as am a big Apple fan, but I believe that Microsoft is moving on the right direction. Windows 8 has a lot to like.

[cwey]

Mipa. Are you actually using the new OS? I bought a Surface last Friday and I am quite impressed, especially by the new Metro UI. As a side note, as am a big Apple fan, but I believe that Microsoft is moving on the right direction. Windows 8 has a lot to like.

Reporting due to miss-taping. Too bad there is no editing feature.

[Num2]

OK I've read the artical, what are the Goods. All I saw were 10 Bads.

[LIEBER]

I have not tested Windows 8, but I have played around for 2-3 minutes with an old laptop, upgraded from Win 7 to Win 8 in the office of a colleague. Experience so far?
* I can switch from the start screen to the desktop hitting <Windows> + D. Difficult? Please, this is so simple that any user can learn it in 5 seconds. (Hint: D for desktop).
* I can switch back to the start screen by hitting the <Windows> key. Difficult?
* In desktop view: if I start typing, the search window pops up. I can search for a program name. When I have opened a program the first time, I can pin it to the task bar at the bottom of the screen, just like in Windows 7. Difficult?
* The start button... how much more difficult is it to move the cursor down to the lower right corner instead of the lower left corner?
---
Difference between Windows 8 and Windows 8 RT? Most people understand that you cannot buy electric equipment in USA for 60 Hz/110 V and expect it to work in Europe under 50 Hz/240 V. How much more difficult is it to understand that binary files compiled for Windows 8 doesn't work under Windows 8 RT?
---
Lack of apps... "Windows 8 has no official Facebook app, no official Twitter app, and no Instagram. And those are just three of the most obvious omissions."
* OK -- how long time ago is it since there was a native Facebook Inc. app for the iPad? It became available in October 2011.
* How good is the Facebook iPad app? Answer: useable, but not more. E.g. it is exceedingly slow to upload pictures. A friend who is an Apple "fanboy" refuses to use the Facebook iPad app, and instead use Facebook via the Safari browser on the iPad (he also hates Safari on the iPad...)
* Question: what does this say about the "disaster" of a currently lacking Facebook app?
---
Region migration: now *that* might be a problem. Regional confusion is not something new for Microsoft: in the past, I have tried to install the Solver module in Excel. Although I used English in the menus of Excel, the stupid system installed Solver with menus in my national language, and I needed help from Frontline Systems to resolve the problem (FS = producer of Solver).
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To me, a *key* beauty with Windows 8 is the integration of tablet and PC in a system with a *file system*. Most of the "bad" things addressed for Windows 8... perhaps they are bad for people that are unable to learn? Aren't almost anyone able to learn?

[kjohn034]

I'm a long time Windows user and i just can't stand win8. Even win7 is pissing me off because it's win8's brother. So i dusted off my pre 2009 mac mini and fired it up. I think the key to understanding osx is "where is everything?".
Once you get that down it's smooth sailing. I can do everything that i did on win7...even rip and burn bluray(with a usb bluray burner of course). I can't even hear it run, unlike the beast that is my win7 desktop box. Osx stays out of my way and does what i want. Simple and elegant i'd say. Let's not even talk about win7 and sleep mode. It's as if sleep was designed right into the core of osx because it never seems to fail...sweet.
I'll watch Microsoft from the sidelines on this one and we shall see how it all turns out.

[Colper]

Apples to Oranges. I for one, really enjoy Windows 8. Its something new! Instead of the stagnant world of the same thing over and over. Linux has been going through something very similar with gnome 3, some people love it, and others hate it.

There are a few minor things that need some tweaking, but that's the same with any new OS, whether it's OS X, iOS, Windows 7, Ubuntu, any of them. But I see a great deal of potential with Windows 8, and there are applications that bring back a Start menu should you really need it.

But once you play around with Windows 8, I dont think you'll miss it. And the Start Screen is great! Smooth, and articles are presented in a layout which resembles a News paper or Magazine. Great for reading!!!! And the Apps will come! They have too, or these start-up's will crumble.

All I'm saying is dont knock it until you try it. I personally think that OS X is frustrating, I feel like I have less control, so I guess It goes back to that saying, Different strokes for diff folks.

[jwnoord]

Quote

Mipa. Are you actually using the new OS? I bought a Surface last Friday and I am quite impressed, especially by the new Metro UI. As a side note, as am a big Apple fan, but I believe that Microsoft is moving on the right direction. Windows 8 has a lot to like. Reporting due to miss-taping. Too bad there is no editing feature.

Ummmm, you mean the interface "formerly known as Metro" right?

[Vernono]

My first impression of Windows 8 was that it was easy, fast and smooth to run. Using the app store I noticed that you will purchase most of the early apps for a tablet because desktop apps are free or don't exist or of little use on the desktop and you will not have a lot of apps across all three platforms because what works on one platform will not work well with another (screen sizes,etc...). I think that Microsoft will gauge their customers over the next few months and make the appropriate changes, it is only good business to do this.

[jwnoord]

This whole thing re: Windows 8 (aka "Windows on Ice") is looking more like the original coke / new coke thing a few years ago...a solution looking for a problem that no one has. TOO many choices, and not enough meat on it's bones.

Remember above all else, Microsoft is a marketing company that happens to sell software. If you keep that in mind, this all makes sense. Not good, not bad, it just is. 1990's problem solving in the 21st century....doesn't work.

Biggest mistake I can see is Microsoft's rush to be "like Apple".......trouble is that "ain't gonna happen" for two reasons.....Apple built it's brand loyalty over time. People now treat iPhones, IPads, and anything Apple related as status symbols. almost as a fashion accessory. Design over function some may say, but has and continues to works for Apple.

That is MASSIVE....combined with the entrenched Apple infrastructure in schools, mobile phone market, iTunes, etc, and massive bankroll of cash and users Apple serves, builds a barrier to competition much more formidable than anything ANY tech company has yet faced. Microsoft "conquered" a landscape of computer anarchy by bringing order to chaos on the desktop. Microsoft then parlayed these wins into control of the PC industry, effectively though there were no real competitors.

Now, Apple, Google, Linux, and perhaps others are posing the first real market competition the folks at Redmond have EVER faced. Microsoft is no longer the "big fish" with the most money....far from it. This alone, combined with the fact that Microsoft is attempting to re-architect the computer paradigm (to touch tablets) amid a global recession/depression.

This has the hallmarks of huge disappointment that makes the Vista debacle look like a huge success in comparison.

The Office brand has been diluted by the "ribbon" issues as well as the total user interface makeover....to the degree it is all but unusable to long term users.

All in all, Microsoft is treading on "Terra Incognita" for perhaps the first time in it's corporate lifetime and is not making wise steps towards the future.

Microsoft needs to do one thing...that is "Back to Basics", though it may be too late for even that option now.

[AnnePeltier]

I leave my window 7 computers on. What's so hard about doing the same thing in window 8 and leaving it in desktop if you don't have touch. It works the same as windows 7 with a little more streamlining.
I have the surface RT. It makes a great travel laptop/tablet/reader. Easy switching between apps with logical touch strokes and has the full blown office 2013. Also, great to be able to edit PDFs right from word. With the micro SD, I have 128GB storage of which the OS and Office use about 9GB. The one thing it doesn't have that I could use is the skydrive app that allows syncing with local files so I could use my data off-line. I can see how that would be a problem for those with the smaller SSD and no micro-SD. The draw-on-a-picture login makes for a very quick sign-on for touch and can be done with a mouse, but in that case typing a password would probably be just as easy. Having a guest account already set up makes it easy to allow others to use without compromising all of the data linked to my account.
I'm not sure what this author is thinking about other than he probably hasn't used one yet.

[kdsmith10000]

The only part of this article that I can agree with right now is the in app advertising stuff. I downloaded win8 on a 2 year old netbook (10" screen) and when using certain apps (Ad-o-holic-a craigslist app) the bing advertisement actually covers up part of the add or pics to the point that I cannot use the app. I ended up pinning the actual website to my homescreen as well as the facebook page via IE10 and now I have full version sweetness without the naggy advertising that MS is pushing on me. I paid for the copy of Win8 and should have the ability to turn this crap off.

[TsarNikky]

Quote

This whole thing re: Windows 8 (aka "Windows on Ice") is looking more like the original coke / new coke thing a few years ago...a solution looking for a problem that no one has. TOO many choices, and not enough meat on it's bones. Remember above all else, Microsoft is a marketing company that happens to sell software. If you keep that in mind, this all makes sense. Not good, not bad, it just is. 1990's problem solving in the 21st century....doesn't work. Biggest mistake I can see is Microsoft's rush to be "like Apple".......trouble is that "ain't gonna happen" for two reasons.....Apple built it's brand loyalty over time. People now treat iPhones, IPads, and anything Apple related as status symbols. almost as a fashion accessory. Design over function some may say, but has and continues to works for Apple. That is MASSIVE....combined with the entrenched Apple infrastructure in schools, mobile phone market, iTunes, etc, and massive bankroll of cash and users Apple serves, builds a barrier to competition much more formidable than anything ANY tech company has yet faced. Microsoft "conquered" a landscape of computer anarchy by bringing order to chaos on the desktop. Microsoft then parlayed these wins into control of the PC industry, effectively though there were no real competitors. Now, Apple, Google, Linux, and perhaps others are posing the first real market competition the folks at Redmond have EVER faced. Microsoft is no longer the "big fish" with the most money....far from it. This alone, combined with the fact that Microsoft is attempting to re-architect the computer paradigm (to touch tablets) amid a global recession/depression. This has the hallmarks of huge disappointment that makes the Vista debacle look like a huge success in comparison. The Office brand has been diluted by the "ribbon" issues as well as the total user interface makeover....to the degree it is all but unusable to long term users. All in all, Microsoft is treading on "Terra Incognita" for perhaps the first time in it's corporate lifetime and is not making wise steps towards the future. Microsoft needs to do one thing...that is "Back to Basics", though it may be too late for even that option now.

You are correct in so many ways:
MS coming up with solutions to problems that don't exist.
MS is a marketing company that has now moved into expensive toys.
MS moving away from its original core competencies.
MS alienating a major portion of its customer base, i.e., businesses and serious PC users.

[jlschulz]

At best, it's a weak launcher sitting on a screwed up version of windows 7. What was the point of giving us access to win 7 and not including a start button ? The included IE is so weak it wont run half the internet so I have to revert back to the desktop version. The lack of windowing on the new interface is a major major MAJOR drawback. Did I mention it was a major problem ? Opening email, the internet and word is a daily occuranfe. To have to revert to the desktop for that simole task makes the new interface a total waste of time. I will be going back ro win7 and staying with it for the desktop as long as I can. The current win8 interface is just another thing I have to bypass to get there anyhow, whats its point.

[compnovo]

kjohn034, on 31 October 2012 - 05:06 AM, said:

So i dusted off my pre 2009 mac mini and fired it up. I think the key to understanding osx is "where is everything?".

How is this different from learning Windows 8?

[BulldogXX]

Another commercial for Microsoft masquerading as journalism. How long is this going to continue, PC World?

[samiup]

Quote

Another commercial for Microsoft masquerading as journalism. How long is this going to continue, PC World?

I bet it would have been a journalism masterpiece if it was about Apple...