[jorgemt]

1. Touchscreen interface: sure in an upright screen across desktop space, really ergonomical, never mind the bursitis- and carpal tunnel symdrome-leaves.

2. Networking: unless your whole workforce is on the streets, you'll have 90 to 100% machines connecting onsite, so net access is old news.

3. Flexible hardware options: Hardware. Another thing having nothing to do with OS, and they have to type and read on/from Office, send mail and browse Internet. What flexibility does a company need?

4. Faster boot time: at the office PCs are turned off in the morning and turned off in the evening. Of course is W8 keeps the tradition of instability as previous just-born versions of Windows, fast REboot time is really important.

5. Dual-monitor support: good for engineering/architecture, design, games and browsing while skyping - oh wait, probable the last bunch not at the office. The run of the mill office goes great with just the one monitor. And I've set up dual since W98 so... what's new?

6. Better security: really? Better than, say WinXP? You mean I can drop my firewall, antivirus and antiroot-kit? Unless you turned into Linux - and I hate its gut - those are just promises, and won't turn all computers at a company for a promise.

7. Storage Spaces: Unless W8 can make a 1Tb drive into, say, a 2Tb one, this has not much of a point. A typical office PC can't possibly fill an 80Gb drive, unless they are downloading movies - which is a no-no, specially at work. And about the mirroring, I'm using RAID in lots of WinXP machines, so, again, what's new?

8. SkyDrive integration: And, once more, on the go is not the setup of the usual office. Will it work with Google or others? Should I tell my clients to drop those for SkyDrive? Good one, tell another!

9. New Task Manager: Users don't use Task Manager. Period. No, there's more: Users are FORBIDDES to use Task Manager. And msconfig, regedit, and the like. Such Users break things. BAD Users, bad!

10. Windows to Go: For the last time, USERS MOSTLY DON'T GO ANYWHERE. And I'm a Windows tech - have I said I HATE Linux? - and yet I carry a bootable Ubuntu Linux pendrive in my pocket, and have for about three years, with a handful of small tools to recover unbootable Windows machines, or get (lawful) access to Win PCs with unknown passwords, and so on. Techies like me love Win for users and even at home, but bow before hateful Linux tech might.

Bottom line
It will be a cold day in Hell, or more, there will be a user friendly Linux, before I recommend a client to move to Win8, dumping all his WinXP and 7 licenses, throwing away his monitors for touchscreens, retraining all his staff to get carpal tunnel syndrome, all of which will end up with him getting a better systems specialist.

[jannelee]

I'm really baffled by this. I never had a problem running 2 apps at once, and in fact I run many more than that! Hard drive space is not a problem, security is up to date and fine. I don't really use a mobile device to work, and I've never worked at a company who uses mobile devices as a workhorse. Mostly to communicate - but for work, it is computer, whether notebook or desktop.

The touchscreen is something completely useless to me for real work because it's an ergonomic nightmare! But even if not, 7 has the ability to use touchscreen.

What I don't understand is why we are forced to use something that doesn't make working any better or easier. To simply say - you'll get used to it, sure it'll be a pain at first is ridiculous. Why doesn't MS care about their consumers. Yeah, I know, some think any change at all is progress, but this isn't. I've been thru many OS (I skipped Vista thankfully), but they all added something. This one is just hype and change for no reason.

I hope I spelled everything right! JL

[jannelee]

BTW - dual monitors is the hype? I've had dual monitors for years!

[jannelee]

Quote

To the commenters who say that touching a desktop screen is a bad idea or a health issue... You guys need to think beyond your own personal use and actually consider how touch screens COULD be used on the desktop if the monitors were designed for this purpose. Take a CAD engineer, graphics designer, or architect. If the touch screen monitor was able to adjust so that it could be used like an easel (at 45 deg or nearly horizontal, right in front of you), then you could comfortably use it without stretching your arms in front of you. You could also use it with a digitiser pen and draw directly on the screen. Guess what - Dell and Lenovo (and others) already make such a high end PC with fully adjustable monitors for precisely this purpose. Using Windows 8 on these computers is actually very nice because you can bring the monitor close to you for touch usage, and move it away for when you want to use it like a classic desktop with mouse and keyboard. Just because you can't see yourself using Windows 8 on a desktop, doesn't mean the same applies to everyone. The whole point of Windows 8 is that there IS (or WILL BE) a touch-screen device available for everyone's requirements, whether it's a tablet, laptop, hybrid, or desktop.

[jannelee]

Wacom anyone? Great for that, using them for years!

[upsdrvr]

Quote

1. Touchscreen interface: sure in an upright screen across desktop space, really ergonomical, never mind the bursitis- and carpal tunnel symdrome-leaves. 2. Networking: unless your whole workforce is on the streets, you'll have 90 to 100% machines connecting onsite, so net access is old news. 3. Flexible hardware options: Hardware. Another thing having nothing to do with OS, and they have to type and read on/from Office, send mail and browse Internet. What flexibility does a company need? 4. Faster boot time: at the office PCs are turned off in the morning and turned off in the evening. Of course is W8 keeps the tradition of instability as previous just-born versions of Windows, fast REboot time is really important. 5. Dual-monitor support: good for engineering/architecture, design, games and browsing while skyping - oh wait, probable the last bunch not at the office. The run of the mill office goes great with just the one monitor. And I've set up dual since W98 so... what's new? 6. Better security: really? Better than, say WinXP? You mean I can drop my firewall, antivirus and antiroot-kit? Unless you turned into Linux - and I hate its gut - those are just promises, and won't turn all computers at a company for a promise. 7. Storage Spaces: Unless W8 can make a 1Tb drive into, say, a 2Tb one, this has not much of a point. A typical office PC can't possibly fill an 80Gb drive, unless they are downloading movies - which is a no-no, specially at work. And about the mirroring, I'm using RAID in lots of WinXP machines, so, again, what's new? 8. SkyDrive integration: And, once more, on the go is not the setup of the usual office. Will it work with Google or others? Should I tell my clients to drop those for SkyDrive? Good one, tell another! 9. New Task Manager: Users don't use Task Manager. Period. No, there's more: Users are FORBIDDES to use Task Manager. And msconfig, regedit, and the like. Such Users break things. BAD Users, bad! 10. Windows to Go: For the last time, USERS MOSTLY DON'T GO ANYWHERE. And I'm a Windows tech - have I said I HATE Linux? - and yet I carry a bootable Ubuntu Linux pendrive in my pocket, and have for about three years, with a handful of small tools to recover unbootable Windows machines, or get (lawful) access to Win PCs with unknown passwords, and so on. Techies like me love Win for users and even at home, but bow before hateful Linux tech might. Bottom line It will be a cold day in Hell, or more, there will be a user friendly Linux, before I recommend a client to move to Win8, dumping all his WinXP and 7 licenses, throwing away his monitors for touchscreens, retraining all his staff to get carpal tunnel syndrome, all of which will end up with him getting a better systems specialist.

What you recommend and what your clients do may be 2 different things. For better or worse the old days where IT ruled are dying or gone. Users are more savvy, and they want to use the gadgets they use at home at work.

1) Carpal tunnel is a repetitive motion condition. More repetitive motion w/ a keyboard and mouse than a touch and drag interface
2) Most users are onsite, and drag their laptops along for meetings, conferences, collaboration, where they may need to connect in another part of the building
3) Flexible hardware, the OS is used on anything from a desktop to a tablet, to a phone.
4) totally incoherent- doesn't matter when you turn it on, still boots faster
5) Dual monitors make more sense for business than for home. I don't normally have 15-20 windows open, more deskspace is always a plus.
6) agreed
7) Typical office PC never exceeding 80GB? Hahaha, I have users who keep 30-40GB of archived pst files locally, despite the warnings we give them
8) Agreed, MS is a little late in the game. But not bad having a couple gigs offsite
9) Agreed
10) You must not have many sales people on staff. About 25% of users I deal w/ travel 2-3 weeks/month

I've been using 8 Pro since July or August. Yes, there was a learning curve, but after a couple hours I was in pretty good shape. I loved 7, but do find 8 to be quicker.

[csmith]

The biggest reason not to move to Windows 8 is the inability/restriction on installing Windows 8-based applications. This is a curated store where the app needs to be reviewed by Microsoft as opposed to the current open system we have now.

If we support this style of system the limits for business are huge. Could you imagine if your Line of business system required a critical upgrade but you had to wait for a week or two while this was reviewed and approved? “Sorry we can’t process your order, take your payment, send an invoice for a week or two”

Yes - you can install old-style desktop apps but why even bother supporting the environment that will eventually be closed. I realise the iPad/iOS world is currently like this - the big difference is my iPad/iPhone is not a critical system for my business or that of my clients. Windows 8 targets across all platforms, desktop or otherwise.

It makes absolutely no sense for any business to invest in Windows 8.

[brainout]

jorgemt, on 10 January 2013 - 08:00 PM, said:

10. Windows to Go: For the last time, USERS MOSTLY DON'T GO ANYWHERE. And I'm a Windows tech - have I said I HATE Linux? - and yet I carry a bootable Ubuntu Linux pendrive in my pocket, and have for about three years, with a handful of small tools to recover unbootable Windows machines, or get (lawful) access to Win PCs with unknown passwords, and so on. Techies like me love Win for users and even at home, but bow before hateful Linux tech might.

Bottom line
It will be a cold day in Hell, or more, there will be a user friendly Linux, before I recommend a client to move to Win8, dumping all his WinXP and 7 licenses, throwing away his monitors for touchscreens, retraining all his staff to get carpal tunnel syndrome, all of which will end up with him getting a better systems specialist.

D'accord, on your 10 points; the exceptions are for a mobile workforce like say XFINITY techs; they use company apps, not MS Office, when on the road. Or, call into the network and use stuff remotely.

Do you get persistence on your Ubuntu stick? How much, and how did you create it? Because I've tried pendrivelinux, Unetbootin, and I forget what else, and I can't get persistence for more than a few days. Suddenly the changes are forgotten, or at least some of them. And while the persistence lasted, I only got 4GB of it, no matter what the stick size.

Like you, I use Linux primarily to troubleshoot and rescue my many Windows machines, hence the question.

Thank you for your time!

This post has been edited by brainout: 22 February 2013 - 11:01 PM

[therwol]

I spend all day in front of a computer running 5 or 6 apps simultaneously, all of which run exclusively in the desktop environment. None of the applications on the Windows 8 start screen have any relevance to my work. My work involves inputting thousands of words of text and data every day. As long as there is a real keyboard in the way, a monitor will be too far away to use comfortably as a touchscreen interface. The idea of lifting my arm above desk level hundreds or thousands of times a day to navigate makes my arm hurt already.

[compnovo]

therwol, on 19 March 2013 - 09:30 AM, said:

The idea of lifting my arm above desk level hundreds or thousands of times a day to navigate makes my arm hurt already.

I don't understand why people think they have to do this when the solution is so simple: If your current OS is working for you, don't change, and if you're using Win8 stay in desktop mode where the keyboard and mouse still work like they always have.

[brainout]

compnovo, on 19 March 2013 - 10:31 AM, said:

therwol, on 19 March 2013 - 09:30 AM, said:

The idea of lifting my arm above desk level hundreds or thousands of times a day to navigate makes my arm hurt already.

I don't understand why people think they have to do this when the solution is so simple: If your current OS is working for you, don't change, and if you're using Win8 stay in desktop mode where the keyboard and mouse still work like they always have.

Why did you move to Win8, compnovo? Your posts are always worth reading. I'm thinking of giving my Win8 to my business partner, who might prefer its interface, as anything post-DOS bugs him. I can kit out one of my computers with Win8, configure it for the programs we mutually use and for his email, and just flat give him the computer. Or, I can buy a Win8 computer, tablet, or even Surface Pro, and then change it for him. I would want a touchscreen, for him.

But what made YOU want to move to Win8, if you are willing to share that motive with me? Thank you for your time!

[therwol]

Quote

therwol said
The idea of lifting my arm above desk level hundreds or thousands of times a day to navigate makes my arm hurt already. I don't understand why people think they have to do this when the solution is so simple: If your current OS is working for you, don't change, and if you're using Win8 stay in desktop mode where the keyboard and mouse still work like they always have.

The title of the article is "10 reasons why Windows 8 makes sense for business." The touchscreen interface is listed as the number one reason. This doesn't make any sense for anyone who still relies on a desktop computer to get most of their work done. It's not an ergonomic feasibility. If you must know, I upgraded two of my three home computers to Windows 8...... and I stay in the desktop mode all of the time. Most of what I do at home is the same thing I do at work, only through remote access.

[compnovo]

brainout, on 19 March 2013 - 01:07 PM, said:

compnovo, on 19 March 2013 - 10:31 AM, said:

therwol, on 19 March 2013 - 09:30 AM, said:

The idea of lifting my arm above desk level hundreds or thousands of times a day to navigate makes my arm hurt already.

I don't understand why people think they have to do this when the solution is so simple: If your current OS is working for you, don't change, and if you're using Win8 stay in desktop mode where the keyboard and mouse still work like they always have.

Why did you move to Win8, compnovo? Your posts are always worth reading. I'm thinking of giving my Win8 to my business partner, who might prefer its interface, as anything post-DOS bugs him. I can kit out one of my computers with Win8, configure it for the programs we mutually use and for his email, and just flat give him the computer. Or, I can buy a Win8 computer, tablet, or even Surface Pro, and then change it for him. I would want a touchscreen, for him.

But what made YOU want to move to Win8, if you are willing to share that motive with me? Thank you for your time!

For my desktop computer the answer is simple: because I always upgrade. I'm a computer enthusiast, even went so far as to get Microsoft certified back in the late 90s, and I'm always looking for ways to enhance my skills with my primary hobby (that includes a few Apple computers along the way). When Win9 is released I'll upgrade to it.

My reasoning for the media center PC under our TV was different. Since Win8 has a lighter footprint than Win7 it was a better match for that computer, which is running a Socket 775 motherboard with a Celeron processor, and maxes out at 2GB of DDR2 800 RAM. I put Start8 on that PC because my significant other doesn't share my enthusiasm for learning curves, and that machine never spends any time in the Modern UI. Both her desktop and netbook run Win7 HP and probably will until they die.

[brainout]

compnovo, on 19 March 2013 - 02:34 PM, said:

brainout, on 19 March 2013 - 01:07 PM, said:

Why did you move to Win8, compnovo? Your posts are always worth reading. I'm thinking of giving my Win8 to my business partner, who might prefer its interface, as anything post-DOS bugs him. I can kit out one of my computers with Win8, configure it for the programs we mutually use and for his email, and just flat give him the computer. Or, I can buy a Win8 computer, tablet, or even Surface Pro, and then change it for him. I would want a touchscreen, for him.

But what made YOU want to move to Win8, if you are willing to share that motive with me? Thank you for your time!

For my desktop computer the answer is simple: because I always upgrade. I'm a computer enthusiast, even went so far as to get Microsoft certified back in the late 90s, and I'm always looking for ways to enhance my skills with my primary hobby (that includes a few Apple computers along the way). When Win9 is released I'll upgrade to it.

My reasoning for the media center PC under our TV was different. Since Win8 has a lighter footprint than Win7 it was a better match for that computer, which is running a Socket 775 motherboard with a Celeron processor, and maxes out at 2GB of DDR2 800 RAM. I put Start8 on that PC because my significant other doesn't share my enthusiasm for learning curves, and that machine never spends any time in the Modern UI. Both her desktop and netbook run Win7 HP and probably will until they die.

Thank you!

[compnovo]

brainout, on 19 March 2013 - 05:47 PM, said:

compnovo, on 19 March 2013 - 02:34 PM, said:

brainout, on 19 March 2013 - 01:07 PM, said:

Why did you move to Win8, compnovo? Your posts are always worth reading. I'm thinking of giving my Win8 to my business partner, who might prefer its interface, as anything post-DOS bugs him. I can kit out one of my computers with Win8, configure it for the programs we mutually use and for his email, and just flat give him the computer. Or, I can buy a Win8 computer, tablet, or even Surface Pro, and then change it for him. I would want a touchscreen, for him.

But what made YOU want to move to Win8, if you are willing to share that motive with me? Thank you for your time!

For my desktop computer the answer is simple: because I always upgrade. I'm a computer enthusiast, even went so far as to get Microsoft certified back in the late 90s, and I'm always looking for ways to enhance my skills with my primary hobby (that includes a few Apple computers along the way). When Win9 is released I'll upgrade to it.

My reasoning for the media center PC under our TV was different. Since Win8 has a lighter footprint than Win7 it was a better match for that computer, which is running a Socket 775 motherboard with a Celeron processor, and maxes out at 2GB of DDR2 800 RAM. I put Start8 on that PC because my significant other doesn't share my enthusiasm for learning curves, and that machine never spends any time in the Modern UI. Both her desktop and netbook run Win7 HP and probably will until they die.

Thank you!

I neglected to mention that I'm keeping Win8 on my desktop because of the added features and under-the-hood improvements (that have been covered thoroughly in other threads), and I'm not put off by the new start menu.