Just Sharing from Another Forum

[Drew]

I have a lot of empathy & understanding for my colleagues in the Forum. However, I realise as new folks keep coming to the forum, we must persevere. The point of a forum, as we see it, the aim, is to help people, guide, instruct, offer some insight & enlightenment & maybe, even fix something... or promote keeping things from breaking. One of the most important, take-aways in computing is to be proactive rather than & more than reactive.

Certainly, civil, healthy, mature, respectful discussion is good & welcomed, also.

There may be some variation on defining "debate". And this is were my peers find things "get old"... and I can see their rational. I was on the Debate Club many, many moons ago. Debate, by definition, meant stating a supported idea that, therefore, had credit & merit. Therefore, the other party would pay heed & give due, thoughtful, consideration and evaluation, compared to their own take on things, up to that point. From there could be sound & decent conversation, arriving at a conclusion or understanding or new understanding.

That said, when we grow accustom to 'debate' where there is no open ear, no open-mindedness, there's been heaps of that, already. 'Debate' & prejudice don't play well together. To define prejudice... not that it isn't ok to dislike something or criticise it but, that the mind is, already, absolutely, decided... that's not debate. That's banging your head against a brick wall. That's frustrating.

I'll say this just as an objective, observation. My colleagues, know, as a Beta Tester, I can and must be objective. It would do the development of a product no good, @ all, if testers & builders did not, equally look @ all aspects, be they felt to be good or bad.

It did not take long, @ all, to discover & learn Windows8
In some cases numbers in Win8 are better than prior, in some not. To most folks the differential in specs won't matter or be noticed, consciously. The are huge technical changes, additions & enhancements in Windows8. Most people won't notice or care... or maybe not. Point is, it will vary, both in magnitude & in what ways. But, no matter, fact is, there is, indeed & in fact some amazing & impressive technology in Win8. However, there is no obligation to adopt it October 2012. But, remember, life is a continuum. IF, not October, for someone, for some reason, @ some point, the time may come.

A big par of things is human nature... many humans don't take well to change, period, it's just a reality. It's a truism, that , actually, that's what rears its ugly head every time an OS is released. Yet, I liked XP better than Win 98; there were likable (new) things, approaches to things in Vista... I beta tested Vista for a year and both praise it an razed it. Windows7 which, I beta tested for a year was much better. Nothing is perfect and perfect is subjective. People get perfect & ideal twisted. A person thinks something isn't perfect because it doesn't meet their ideal. When Microsoft builds an OS, people forget, it is w/ a global view, it is for billions, not for you in the sense that you cannot please everyone all the time or all @ the same time. This concept gets severely forgotten. Not it is not perfect & no, everybody is not going to like everything about it all the time. To expect otherwise is 100% silly. To accept something, to discover it, learn it is not a bad thing. It may be different, to whatever degree, it may be new but, it IS.

All my colleagues (& I) feel is has little value to bash things or whine & complain. it is better to add a "yeah but". Yeah but, what could I enjoy or smile about, what could I use or do, even, if, it's instead of something that was? Yeah but, can I talk about alternatives, workarounds, how tos... yeah but, how do I do things, where are they, what is there to learn, know & discover. It comes down to attitude & not having a predetermined chip on ones shoulder. There's better time spent than sticking pins in a Bill Gates doll. It won't help anything. And we here are glad to be helpful. That is not possible & is nothing but, frustrating, if, it falls on deaf ears.

I had been studying Win8 since before BUILD on Sept. 14, 2011. I sat through, attentively all the Presentation @ BUILD. I worked w/ the DP; reported to the Windows8 Build Team. I worked w/ the CP. I started Beta Testing when the CP was released and have continued w/ the RP. I have been running Win8 non-stop since 29/2/12. I have gained a lot of respect, awareness & appreciation for it. There have been many things I have praised to the Win8 Build Team AND many things I have faulted, many things I have requested & suggested. Everything backed up w/ details, data & examples so, it's believable, accurate & clear.

As for debate... some, many who are not in IT or Enterprise, say business will hate Windows8. Corporate sources are saying the opposite. Some say youth will love it... nobody questions that one. Some say the elderly & or XP Users will hate it... the irony is most of those in the forums, who are keen on Win8 & took to it easily & quickly are older folks.

But, the irony does not stop there. We hear people say it is hard to navigate... it is easier & more efficient than Windows7. We feel, ask, instead of grumble. It, can't be all that, otherwise so many people would not like it so much AND THEY DO! We do get tired of people fussing about the Start screen because that is so very silly & groundless. Many of us never, even, use of visit it. People say things like you have to contend w/ a million tiles & scroll for days... none of which, is true.

Just listen & be willing to take from others & re-evaluate & adjust & forget comparing... why? Of course it's different... and in 3 more years there will be another different OS.

I don't often or usually write this much, my fingers are tiring. We'd love to help, (debate, not, too, sure why, makes people nervous what is meant by that), discuss, have people willing to listen & think about what others might know or perceive (differently from them). Be willing to revisited certain notions.

A mountainous amount of investigative research, surveys, feedback, testing & questionnaires came before Windows8. The idea that it was blindly & stubbornly shoved @ the world is rubbish! The efforts to know what people both in & out of business want & need, will like, understand & use OR NOT has been & is & will continue to be huge.

Yep, Microsoft want to be successful. That doesn't make it a terrible company. It is the fundament raison d'etre of any business or entrepreneur. Yep, they need to bother w/ the changing landscape in IT. no question that means mobility... phones, tablets, et al. The workplace, the workforce is getting more mobile all the time. Computers are everywhere, classrooms, homes, offices, in the stands @ an event, in your hand on the bus. Things keep changing... Microsoft are not idiots or weird for trying & wanting to stay in pace w/ that. There will, still, be a huge place taken up by conventional, non-Touch DESKTOP PCs & laptops. It is a huge thing that Microsoft has made an OS that will work on ALL devices... harmony & syncing & consistency. It is a huge thing that Windows8 does not need super-robust or new gear. Those are not bad things. We are going to adapt, like it or not, to OUR changing times... the future is not going to wait while, some people cry about what WAS in XP.

Finally, please try to sympathise... we have heard a lot of false things suggested, we tire of being made to feel like we talk but, to uninterested ears. We've been there, done that, have the T-shirt. It was a new read for us, too, excitedly we perused & pursued it Though, @ the end of the day, we know how good & how sensible & easy Windows8 is. So, it is tough when we are, only, told it's horrid & we are missing something because, somehow we've come to know it is not horrid, dumb or difficult... no matter how many times or ways we repeat the actual, reality & facts. It is not a matter of debating who or what is right or wrong. It is a matter of what is in hand, the here & now and having a good, pleasant, productive User Experience w/ Windows8.

Regards,
Drew

[tanzanos]

You may be forgetting that Microsoft is basically a monopoly and as such leaves little room for choice to the consumer. Microsoft is acting in ways that are detrimental simply because it wants to force consumers to adopt whatever MS thinks should be the new trend. Are we forgetting blunders like Bill Gates quote of: "The Internet? We are not interested in it". Also the failed Win ME and Vista. Now they are pushing PCs out of the equation by forcing an OS specifically developed for touch screen (smart phones, tablets, etc.). If MS were not a monopoly then I am sure they would have ended up where IBM ended.

We want choice and choice is a word that MS forgot a long time ago!

[Shane Black]

I dont know about you but I recently tried Win 8 RP again and I thought it was very speedy on my new laptop. My processor scored a 5.8 on win 7, that number went up to a 6.1 with win 8. Which means Win 8 is handling my processor 3 points better then win 7 which probably results in better speed. Everything was nice and vivid I was really happy until looking at the video card driver. It said ATI radeon HD 4200 Engineering sample, I tried installing win 7 drivers but no go, it didn't take them and kept putting the sample driver back in. Which would have been fine but the software used to control graphics did not give me important options for adjusting full screen in 800x600. I would switch to this resolution and I had no full screen stretching option so I got black borders on the sides. Switching resolutions is important to me because pc games run better in lower resolutions on my graphics card.

If it wasn't for that I would definitely stick with Win 8. It has more vivid colors on my laptop, and good performance too. It makes me sad.

[Drew]

IF, we are talking about choice to spend a majority of time & attention devoted to Start OR to Desktop, there is choice.

2nd, the truth is Windows8 (by design) works well on both conventional non-Touch Desktop PCs & laptops as it does on other devices, as well.

Drew

[Shane Black]

IF, we are talking about choice to spend a majority of time & attention devoted to Start OR to Desktop, there is choice.

2nd, the truth is Windows8 (by design) works well on both conventional non-Touch Desktop PCs & laptops as it does on other devices, as well.

Drew

It really does work great, after I fixed my video card driver I've had no problems at all with it. Its very fast, I have a better time on here now then on my old laptop. Gaming works very smoothly and videos are playing without the problems my older laptop had. So I'll be choosing Win 8 from now on for all my needs. Cheers

[Drew]

Very cool, Shane

Cheers,
Drew

[Shane Black]

Yea I'm very impressed with 8 now. Windows 7 was good but there just was some things about it that caused problems. I take back anything bad I might of said about Windows 8 before, it is faster. I think was just fustrated about the driver support. I'm sitting here now enjoying music and videos having a good time. And liking the look I always have with win 8. Its sharper, clearer, and RP has Aero so the desktop is simply looking very colorful and amazing. This is something I've always wanted to have but since my older laptop had problems with win 8 I just kept thinking to myself," man I wish this would work", since my video driver kept making videos and games skip and freeze. But now my new laptop works great and I'm just tickled to death with its performance increase.

[Drew]

Well, now, there's a testimonial, If, there, ever, was one, eh? All I can say is, YEP. Been non-stop since 29/2 and, YEP. It just gets to be a comfort zone (over time & quickly).

Losing AERO after the RP, though. There has been some pleading w/ the Win8 Build Team but, so far have not heard that transparency will be there. Although, it was not expected in the RP.

And, yes, you're, quite right, Shane, it is impressive. (Especially, considering we are, still, actually, looking @ a beta... especially impressive, being that it's a beta)

Cheers,
Drew

[Shane Black]

Just some pictures of my Windows 8 desktop, pretty cool huh.

[Drew]

Shane,

Is that a Libraries folder or an Applications folder on the Taskbar?

The wallpaper is from, what's now, about 1350 photos, mostly from photo.net, on a 10 sec. interval. Folder @ the top of the Taskbar is an Applications folder. (Libraries is on its Jumplist)



Drew