Reply to: Windows 8 interface

[ThomserveBAS]

Windows 8 interface

You're obviously easily amused.

When you are using what is essentially a full blown PC as a set top box to watch TV, the last thing you want is to wait around while the thing boots or comes out of standby. SSD makes Windows Media Center as close to the set top box experience as you can get.

If I was talking about a desktop PC in the normal sense then I'd agree with you.

Just think what I can do with all those saved seconds...

[kingcook]

The driver for me upgrading was how quickly Windows 8 boots (especially on an SSD).

Comments like this always make me laugh.

I imagine your life has changed dramatically for the better now you have to wait around 20 seconds less for something you probably only do once maybe twice per day

[Cliphead]

Spending more time with win8 just to be sure I'm giving it a really good try out.

I kinda like the powershell, I know it's been around for a while but since I'm a unix / linux guy I've had no reason to spend much time in a win environment. Scripting I like and powershell uses unix aliases which is nice. Can't see me ever having a use for it but it's fun to mess around with and kinda takes me back to old DOS days, it even has the old 16 bit edit app

[cojak]

Well Mr C is quite happy with Win 8 as I gave him woohoo's vid link to go through while it was loading (thanks woohoo! )

You are quite right though - why didn't Microsoft do this in the 1st place??

[ThomserveBAS]

I've just upgraded a couple of my machines (both physical and virtual) to Windows 8; one of them is my Media PC, the other a "server" that provides DVB TV to clients around the house.

The driver for me upgrading was how quickly Windows 8 boots (especially on an SSD).

I've installed the excellent StartIsBack (StartIsBack - real start menu in Windows 8) which gives you a native Windows 7-style Start menu back, allows you to boot straight to the desktop and other lovely tweaks.

My biggest annoyance right now is the fact that they've removed the option from Windows Media Center to boot straight into the MCE interface I've got a logon event set up to launch ehshell.exe once a particular user logs in but (a side effect of the speed of the boot/SSD) the interface launches before the desktop and hangs for a few seconds whilst it fathoms what the crack is

[Sysman]

Took me two mins to learn a couple of things which makes the software more usuable. How does that make me a shareholder?

This is quite helpful so im told... The Missing Windows 8 Instructional Video - Scott Hanselman

I take back my previous comment. Now that the meter isn't running I have taken the time to watch this and I can see ways of using TIFKAM*.

I might switch Classic Shell off for a day or two and see how it goes.

* The Interface Formerly Known As Metro

[minestrone]

First boot up will be asking you want your autoexec.bat file contents should be.

[Cliphead]

CD into the exe dir and command prompting the application to start.

Ah, memories. Path statements and batch files were yer friend.

[minestrone]

From my brief trials and reading online, you need to get in the mindset of hitting windows-key and they simply typing the app name.

That does work.

But at this rate feck knows what windows 9 will be all about.

CD into the exe dir and command prompting the application to start.

[Sysman]

The 25 minutes vid is for the technically challenged, so I stand by my link. Only joking! I much prefer a short link unlike my great big bloody link.

Fair comment.

It's a useful link to lob at our technologically challenged family and friends, and lets not forget users.

And Mr C. of course

But why oh why didn't Microsoft do this?

[woohoo]

25 minutes - life's too short: the shorter version is Learn Windows 8 in 3 minutes (OK, it's really 4:17)

The 25 minutes vid is for the technically challenged, so I stand by my link. Only joking! I much prefer a short link unlike my great big bloody link.

[Support Monkey]

Only used it for a few hours so I am still in the leaning curve but on first impressions it is the devils work. ill report back in a week.

I don't think you should have to google to find out how to do basic stuff though.

Oh, and the guy in the shop ( john Lewis ) said that lots of PCs had been returned due to people not being able to use 8. (the laptop is lovely though, samsung series 9 i7)

My son aquired a new Nokia from 02 and the sales man told him the same thing, people bring them back cos they cannot work windows, having said that my son as no issues and it looks realy good and works well on the phone

[cojak]

From my brief trials and reading online, you need to get in the mindset of hitting windows-key and they simply typing the app name. Lots of people report search actually works (!) properly and is fast... so in fact this is quicker than delving into menus.

I haven't tried enough to confirm if it is better than W7, but refusing to change your old way of doing things is generally a rod for your own back - see AtW and his refusal to learn how to use Ribbon

I like the Ribbon, I'm concerned that the jump to Win 8 may be too great a step for Mr C. We shall have to see.

[Sysman]

It's all about a fckup on MS's part and a complete fail, they even have that crap on their latest server ffs.

Yes, I have tried it. I actually think that they have gone in the right direction here, for after so many years of encouraging point, drool and click, they have finally recognised that proper sysadmins want to do stuff from the CLI.

I have only had a dabble with Powershell, but it is a whole lot better than the hostile DOS interface (yet the twats still don't enable QuickEdit mode by default).

I'll stick to a Linux / Unix CLI for work. For desktop a mix of Win7 and Linux Mint (Win7 only cos I need it for some music software).

Win7 only because I needed it for a course on Windows Server a couple of years ago. Bleed me effing dry Microsoft - the retail price for Win7 Ultimate was about 600 Swiss Francs at the time, which was more than I needed to pay for a reasonably capable tower system.

Needless to say, I found an OEM copy for about 200 Francs, but it was essentially blackmail.

Win8 because I see a Plan B supplement, even if it's only beer money.

P.S. currently running WHS 2011, Win7, Win8 and some other Windows server stuff all in VMs hosted by Scientific Linux, openSUSE and OS X, not necessarily in that order.

[Sysman]

Only used it for a few hours so I am still in the leaning curve but on first impressions it is the devils work. ill report back in a week.

Please do.

I don't think you should have to google to find out how to do basic stuff though.

Winding it back to Win3 or Win95 days when many folks were buying their first computer, Microsoft had some excellent tutorials about using the mouse and keyboard.

Why not for Windows 8? They could have easily averted much of the pain by providing clear instructions about the new interface.

Oh, and the guy in the shop ( john Lewis ) said that lots of PCs had been returned due to people not being able to use 8.

Another Plan B presents itself.

Yes, seriously.