Posted on 11/14/2012 9:22:49 AM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
yeah. okay, I guess it does suck. /s
I haven't used Win 8 yet, but from what I understand the Windows 7 desktop is still there for people who want to use it.
I recently picked up a Chromebox to replace my home computer. It’s basically a Linux OS computer that is designed to run the Chrome browser very well, and not much else. It works for my family though. Even before we bought it, 95% of what we did on our home computer was somehow connected to the Web. The Chrome browser has a buttload of great applications and extensions that are all free, everything I’ve needed so far, I’ve found. The clincher for me was the HTML5 remote desktop extension; if I ever find myself needing any Windows-based programs, I just remote into my work network, and everything’s there.
I like that I no longer have a nagging worry in the back of my head about: have I downloaded the right virus protection? have I properly backed up all of my hard drive files? have I messed up my computer by visiting this or that website, or downloading this or that file? am I current on the latest software updates? etc. All of that is handled automatically by people who know far better than me what the hell they’re doing. As far as it being useless without an internet connection, on the rare occasions that internet is out at my house, it’s more productive for me to do almost anything else other than try to work on my computer without internet.
I think Chromeboxes and Chromebooks could be a threat to a Microsoft along the lines presented in this article. Acer recently announced a Chrome laptop for $199, and Samsung has one for $249. Both come with storage and internet access freebies that are worth more than the purchase price. It’s still a bit of work in progress, but soon there will be a 4G LTE version, and if it has a good hardware/price package, that would be pretty compelling. Corporate IT is already moving to cloud computing; Chrome computers fit perfectly into that.
So, for the time being, at home, I’m free of Microsoft and Apple, and it feels good! Of course, now Google knows everything about me . . .
Thank you! I will give that a try tonight and see how I like it. FReepers are the best.
You don’t need a folder up button, the address bar can be used to get back to any folder in your chain, and if you use the arrow any of its subfolders other than the chain you’re in.
The Start Menu is basically the same, except for replacing the run box with the much more powerful search box.
Recent documents can be gotten to via the application in question, hit that arrow next to Word and there’s the recent document list
Libraries are little counter intuitive, but once you get used to them having all your main places to put stuff on the navigation bar is pretty handy
I’ve never had search not find anything that was there for it to find
All my old programs work, and if you actually have one that doesn’t make an XP virtual machine
Bloatware is what happens when people want tons of new features AND aren’t willing to get rid of any old features
There’s a few changes necessary in how you think, but once you get over that hump 7 is a pretty kick ass OS. The big change is stop thinking so linearly, they’ve finally put enough layers between the OS and its DOS root that thinking like DOS inhibits you. Which is where most of your complaints, especially the folder up button, come from. DOS is folder up, 7 is one click access to all folders in your chain, two clicks to get to the subfolders near your chain.
AMD Hires JP Morgan Chase to Explore Options of Company’s Future.
Which is why I shall be hanging on to the laptop I got for FREE via coupons a couple of years ago. I was planning on getting a new laptop about this year if a new OS came out but from what I have heard about the Windows 8 nightmare, I'm hanging on to it.
I bought a ps3 3 years ago when blu ray players were expensive .
My next upgrade will be an Xbox and a $89 blu ray player that does all streaming apps.
>My next computer will not be using Microsoft Office.
>I’ll be using “OpenOffice”.
I don’t like MS Office, never have — the new “giant logo-button” UI garners a special distaste from me.
OpenOffice is ok, but it does rather taste of copying MS office.
I’d much rather use WordPerfect than either of the other two, but I also realize that’s my own preference.
VS is kinda a mixed-bag for me -- I introduced myself to RAD on Delphi 5, and in some ways D5 is nicer than even current Delphi and VS (the help-system springs immediately to mind). There are some things that are nicer in VS (and the new Delphi-suites, but the new Delphi-suites seem to have copied some of the new-style HTML/web-based help for one [ewww]).
The debugger is a work of art (because they use it themselves)
The debugger is pretty nice, definitely on the plus side of the equation.
The dependency-management is rather irksome though (not terrible, like [generic] C/C++/makefiles) -- I don't think I've had any non-trivial program simply work after migrating source from one computer to another with VS.
All your comments were good, but this one is important.
Love or hate Microsoft a good bit of hardware innovation has come about because Microsoft stayed away from hardware design.
Actually no, it isn’t.....and that would have been a very good idea for them to do. No such luck.
Pretty much everything MS has done in the last ten years has been Digital Rights/Presentation management.
It’s not about having a versatile computer anymore. It’s about media.
And I already got a VCR. And a DVD player. And a nice stereo. I need a good, reliable OS that will keep up with hardware innovations.
I already got one.
Good luck with that.
Sorry. Linux is a non-starter. It has zero intuitive feel to it.
It’s great if you want to run it as a server, without much interaction/administration.
But as far as something people can use... FAIL.
Failed? If only more companies could 'fail' this well.
Even the much-maligned Vista sold a couple of hundred million copies. Though the uptake of the new GUI will probably reduce sales from Win7 levels, I expect Win8 to match Vista's numbers. Win9 will 'fix' some shortcomings and push the 'pseudo-metro' GUI to even larger sales. Win7 will be hard to beat - it's the fastest selling OS in history.
I almost didn’t buy a laptop I wanted because it was a newer model running Win8. But after viewing a few Win8 tutorials, I went ahead with the purchase.
A familiar desktop is one key away after start up. I don’t miss the Start menu, but there are free and low-cost utilities to bring it back if desired. Touch gestures like swipe and pinch work fine on the track pad. I don’t use Metro much, but it’s there if I want it. The thing boots from sleep in 3 seconds. All my XP software installed with no problems. So far, I don’t have any complaints. To me it seems like Win7 with Metro grafted onto the side.
One anecdote that tends to support the authors story - the salesman at Best Buy said they’ve had a number of PCs returned due to frustration with Win8. They were offering a free Win8 tutorial, I assume to help prevent these types of returns. I can see how trying to operate the GUI upon first firing up the PC, sans tutorial, could be challenging.
Check out the MSFT stock price since 2000. Little to no change in over 12 years. Then compare it to APPL
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