6 ms·

I've been running Windows 8 since they release the RTM version to TechNet subscribers on my primary laptop (about a month now). Short version - outside of Metr

by luma 14y ago

I've been running Windows 8 since they release the RTM version to TechNet subscribers on my primary laptop (about a month now). Short version - outside of Metro it's basically Win7SP3 and it works great. Metro is every bit the usability disaster that people have claimed when not running on a touch screen. The good news is that you really don't have to interface much with Metro at all. It replaces the start menu, but it does so in a manner that works with how I'm used to dealing with the start menu already. That is, I already just hit the Win key and then start typing until the thing I want pops up, and that behavior has carried over. So, yeah Metro is awful for all the reasons everybody has already laid out. Despite that, Win 8 has been a solid performer and I won't be loading Win7 back on this system. My primary home system will continue to run Win7 until I am comfortable that my production applications will all run successfully (and by that, I mean "games").

k-mcgrady 14y ago
>> "Short version - outside of Metro it's basically Win7SP3 and it works great. Metro is every bit the usability disaster that people have claimed when not running on a touch screen." I've been using it on a MacBook Pro and with the multi-touch trackpad metro actually works reasonably well. Obviously it would be better with a touchscreen but I am able to tap to click, use two fingers to scroll left/right/up/down and moving the mouse the the screen corners activates charms/open apps/last opened app. Maybe PC mouse makers (including MS) will come up with similar mice to make the experience better for non-touchscreen devices.
- Symmetry 14y ago
  Trackpoints in scroll mode are also omni-directional. But though it Just Works on Linux there are all sorts of hoops you have to jump through to get that working properly on Windows.
- shardling 14y ago
  MS does have the wedge mouse -- perhaps they'll update it to support the correct gestures? http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/24/3265121/microsoft-wedge-touch-mouse-and-mobile-keyboard-review http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/24/3265121/microsoft-wedge-to...
wslh 14y ago
We have an issue with Windows 8 that stopped us to installing it on some personal notebooks until sp1 cames. We installed Virtual CloneDrive from SlySoft knowing that it doesn't support Windows 8. After having a blue screen and being not able to boot the system again we tried with booting it safely and we couldn't! so we reinstalled Windows 7 there. Although it was expectable to fail, it was not expectable to not recover. Beyond that, we were developing interception technologies to hook inside windows 8 metro applications successfully.
- kinghajj 14y ago
  CloneDrive shouldn't be needed anymore, since Windows 8 (finally) has built-in support for mounting ISO images.
  - wslh 14y ago
    The point of my comment was a weakness in Windows 8 beyond mountins ISOs
- e40 14y ago
  I am so glad I read this. I'm about to install win8 pro on my work 'puter and I have Virtual CloneDrive installed there! Thanks!
- jpatte 14y ago
  I've been using Virtual CloneDrive on Win 8 RTM since the first day I upgraded my computers (about 2 months ago), because I had to re-install several softwares from iso's... It worked just fine, and I actually never suspected any incompatibility issues.
hristov 14y ago
"Metro is every bit the usability disaster that people have claimed when not running on a touch screen." It is good to see a total usability disaster in which Linux took the lead and Windows followed. It is usually the other way around. This really bodes well for Linux on the desktop.
- zanny 14y ago
  And just like how many people are running Mate and XFCE now (gtk2 based) many people will be running Windows 7 (me) for the forseeable future!
nonane 14y ago
Plug: If you're running Windows 8 Pro and have an iPad you can try out the Win 8 Metro's multitouch features using my app (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWUEAx4dqP4&hd=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWUEAx4dqP4&hd=1). Send me an email: support at jumpdesktop.com and I'll send you a free coupon.
- moconnor 14y ago
  I've used Jump for the past year; it's an excellent remote desktop client.
  - nonane 14y ago
    Thank you! Appreciate it :-)
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
- joenathan 14y ago
  Does the Android version offer the same functionality?
  - leddt 14y ago
    If it does I'll be sure to buy it for my Nexus 7. Very nice way to get an idea of how well Windows 8 works on tablets! However it seems the android app is still at version 4.0, so I guess we have to wait for an update.
    - nonane 14y ago
      Right. The Android app doesn't have this functionality at the moment, but we're going to port it over soon.
- Smirnoff 14y ago
  I bought jump when it was only $7.99. It worked like magic and I never opened SplashTop since. For anyone reading this, this app is amazing and works both on iPad and iPhone. Since you can get it for free from the developer, then you can't lose. Definitely gonna try it when I upgrade my windows machine. So far it works great to access my mbp
sigzero 14y ago
You do the search->run thing but average joe user is not going to be doing it that way.
- luma 14y ago
  Oh I totally agree. It just so happens that the new start interface works well with my existing workflow, which I think is more of a coincidence then anything else. I can't imagine what the user experience is going to be like for somebody who actually expects to navigate through a tree of folders for their applications.
  - ygra 14y ago
    Navigating through a tree has been deprecated for a bit already, given how prominent Search is placed in the Start Menu and how the tree is confined to a little section instead of eventually (after a dozen levels) covering the whole screen. But there probably are still those that like that way.
joshschreuder 14y ago
I can recommend Start8 which brings the start menu back and boots straight to desktop (one of my annoyances was going straight to the Metro home screen on boot). It's $5, but worth it in my opinion: http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/ http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/
- phreakhead 14y ago
  Surely you could just edit the ol' msconfig startup items for free, right? They still have that, right? It's been a while since I used Windows.
  - freehunter 14y ago
    Msconfig is in, yes, but the startup section is not. It redirects you to the startup section of the task manager, of which Metro is not an option for you to disable. Startup is simply the ability to disable services and programs that run on the desktop. For example, mine has Java, Steam, Thinkpad Tools, Nvidia nView, Digsby, etc. Nothing Metro in there.
crag 14y ago
Ive been running Windows 8 on a Mac inside a VM (Fusion) for about a month. I like Metro (but this is coming from a mec geek - so there you go). BUT I agree it will take time to get used to. But I suspect a hack will be out shortly allowing you to by pass Metro completely. I can't imagine the corporate world being happy about Metro.
quattrofan 14y ago
The question is for those of that dont hit the win key and start typing etc, can the metro dash be completely bypassed? So can I boot to a screen that looks much like Win7?
ExpiredLink 14y ago
> Metro is every bit the usability disaster that people have claimed when not running on a touch screen Is there a way to switch to 'Classic Desktop'?
- gtirloni 14y ago
  The classic destkop is always there a click again in the start screen.
  - PommeDeTerre 14y ago
    That's one click too many.

by luma 14y ago

k-mcgrady 14y ago

>> "Short version - outside of Metro it's basically Win7SP3 and it works great. Metro is every bit the usability disaster that people have claimed when not running on a touch screen." I've been using it on a MacBook Pro and with the multi-touch trackpad metro actually works reasonably well. Obviously it would be better with a touchscreen but I am able to tap to click, use two fingers to scroll left/right/up/down and moving the mouse the the screen corners activates charms/open apps/last opened app. Maybe PC mouse makers (including MS) will come up with similar mice to make the experience better for non-touchscreen devices.

Symmetry 14y ago
Trackpoints in scroll mode are also omni-directional. But though it Just Works on Linux there are all sorts of hoops you have to jump through to get that working properly on Windows.
shardling 14y ago
MS does have the wedge mouse -- perhaps they'll update it to support the correct gestures? http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/24/3265121/microsoft-wedge-touch-mouse-and-mobile-keyboard-review http://www.theverge.com/2012/8/24/3265121/microsoft-wedge-to...

wslh 14y ago

We have an issue with Windows 8 that stopped us to installing it on some personal notebooks until sp1 cames. We installed Virtual CloneDrive from SlySoft knowing that it doesn't support Windows 8. After having a blue screen and being not able to boot the system again we tried with booting it safely and we couldn't! so we reinstalled Windows 7 there. Although it was expectable to fail, it was not expectable to not recover. Beyond that, we were developing interception technologies to hook inside windows 8 metro applications successfully.

kinghajj 14y ago
CloneDrive shouldn't be needed anymore, since Windows 8 (finally) has built-in support for mounting ISO images.
- wslh 14y ago
  The point of my comment was a weakness in Windows 8 beyond mountins ISOs
e40 14y ago
I am so glad I read this. I'm about to install win8 pro on my work 'puter and I have Virtual CloneDrive installed there! Thanks!
jpatte 14y ago
I've been using Virtual CloneDrive on Win 8 RTM since the first day I upgraded my computers (about 2 months ago), because I had to re-install several softwares from iso's... It worked just fine, and I actually never suspected any incompatibility issues.

hristov 14y ago

"Metro is every bit the usability disaster that people have claimed when not running on a touch screen." It is good to see a total usability disaster in which Linux took the lead and Windows followed. It is usually the other way around. This really bodes well for Linux on the desktop.

zanny 14y ago
And just like how many people are running Mate and XFCE now (gtk2 based) many people will be running Windows 7 (me) for the forseeable future!

nonane 14y ago

Plug: If you're running Windows 8 Pro and have an iPad you can try out the Win 8 Metro's multitouch features using my app (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWUEAx4dqP4&hd=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWUEAx4dqP4&hd=1). Send me an email: support at jumpdesktop.com and I'll send you a free coupon.

moconnor 14y ago
I've used Jump for the past year; it's an excellent remote desktop client.
- nonane 14y ago
  Thank you! Appreciate it :-)
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
joenathan 14y ago
Does the Android version offer the same functionality?
- leddt 14y ago
  If it does I'll be sure to buy it for my Nexus 7. Very nice way to get an idea of how well Windows 8 works on tablets! However it seems the android app is still at version 4.0, so I guess we have to wait for an update.
  - nonane 14y ago
    Right. The Android app doesn't have this functionality at the moment, but we're going to port it over soon.
Smirnoff 14y ago
I bought jump when it was only $7.99. It worked like magic and I never opened SplashTop since. For anyone reading this, this app is amazing and works both on iPad and iPhone. Since you can get it for free from the developer, then you can't lose. Definitely gonna try it when I upgrade my windows machine. So far it works great to access my mbp

sigzero 14y ago

You do the search->run thing but average joe user is not going to be doing it that way.

luma 14y ago
Oh I totally agree. It just so happens that the new start interface works well with my existing workflow, which I think is more of a coincidence then anything else. I can't imagine what the user experience is going to be like for somebody who actually expects to navigate through a tree of folders for their applications.
- ygra 14y ago
  Navigating through a tree has been deprecated for a bit already, given how prominent Search is placed in the Start Menu and how the tree is confined to a little section instead of eventually (after a dozen levels) covering the whole screen. But there probably are still those that like that way.

joshschreuder 14y ago

I can recommend Start8 which brings the start menu back and boots straight to desktop (one of my annoyances was going straight to the Metro home screen on boot). It's $5, but worth it in my opinion: http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/ http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/

phreakhead 14y ago
Surely you could just edit the ol' msconfig startup items for free, right? They still have that, right? It's been a while since I used Windows.
- freehunter 14y ago
  Msconfig is in, yes, but the startup section is not. It redirects you to the startup section of the task manager, of which Metro is not an option for you to disable. Startup is simply the ability to disable services and programs that run on the desktop. For example, mine has Java, Steam, Thinkpad Tools, Nvidia nView, Digsby, etc. Nothing Metro in there.

crag 14y ago

Ive been running Windows 8 on a Mac inside a VM (Fusion) for about a month. I like Metro (but this is coming from a mec geek - so there you go). BUT I agree it will take time to get used to. But I suspect a hack will be out shortly allowing you to by pass Metro completely. I can't imagine the corporate world being happy about Metro.

quattrofan 14y ago

The question is for those of that dont hit the win key and start typing etc, can the metro dash be completely bypassed? So can I boot to a screen that looks much like Win7?

ExpiredLink 14y ago

> Metro is every bit the usability disaster that people have claimed when not running on a touch screen Is there a way to switch to 'Classic Desktop'?

gtirloni 14y ago
The classic destkop is always there a click again in the start screen.
- PommeDeTerre 14y ago
  That's one click too many.