mykeyb Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Had the misfortune of setting up my mother in laws new laptop today which runs Windows 8 and can honestly say its ruddy awful. As an example to print an email there is no print button, there is nothing in the right-click menu. You have to go into the top Right of the screen bring out the menu scroll down to devices and then choose the printer from devices. Not exactly user friendly is it, and that is symptomatic of the Windows 8 experience..............just awful. I have a right click print option. Have you updated the apps through windows store? I think the mail-program comes from there. They might have added the option Yes had to call in this morning and it is there. Windows 9 needs to improve the desktop experience as there is no way I would allow Win8 on any of my PCs at work in its current guise. Its a bad tablet OS that makes Vista look bloody brilliant 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 I've found Windows 8 is vastly superior to Windows 7 in the time I've had with it so far. 8.1 is out this week with plenty of fixes to the few irritating things like real split screen mode and more settings controls from metro interface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 Though it's key to point out I have a touchscreen. Don't know how useful the OS would be without one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 I bought an acer laptop a few months back with it on. The desktop experience was a bit irritating but once you get familiar with the keyboard shortcuts, it is ok. I guess its better on a touchscreen computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykeyb Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Its so different from what went before which means your accumulated knowledge from using Windows stands for nothing. Why have they changed the address bar to the bottom of the screen rather than the top, and in my brief time using it why have they removed tabbed browsing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smetrov Posted October 14, 2013 Share Posted October 14, 2013 Its so different from what went before which means your accumulated knowledge from using Windows stands for nothing. Why have they changed the address bar to the bottom of the screen rather than the top, and in my brief time using it why have they removed tabbed browsing? They haven't removed tabbed browsing. You just need to run IE (or any other browser) from the desktop - works as before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykeyb Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 Pardon my ignorance but my time spent with Win 8 is probably about 3 hours only. I take it you mean instead of using the IE icon in Metro you have to launch the desktop and then run IE from there? Isnt that a bit half arsed? From my brief time using Win 8 I just think it is a very poorly conceived and executed GUI. I wouldnt be at all surprised that Win 9 goes back to the more traditional layout with an option to run a metro style interface if you choose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwan Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 Most useful things in Win 8 are run from the desktop. Just gives me a laugh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smetrov Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 Pardon my ignorance but my time spent with Win 8 is probably about 3 hours only. I take it you mean instead of using the IE icon in Metro you have to launch the desktop and then run IE from there? Isnt that a bit half arsed? From my brief time using Win 8 I just think it is a very poorly conceived and executed GUI. I wouldnt be at all surprised that Win 9 goes back to the more traditional layout with an option to run a metro style interface if you choose. It isn't really that different In win 7 you can either click start programs etc - or a desktop icon In Win 8 - you can either run from start (Metro) or click a desktop icon I would think that metro or touch is the future - whilst the desktop withers & dies in future release(s) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykeyb Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 but doesnt running it from Metro mean you lose tabbed browsing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smetrov Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 but doesnt running it from Metro mean you lose tabbed browsing? Yes - although 'lose' is perhaps the wrong word - you run a different browser. If you install an. other browser - then this runs from the metro screen normally - or you could create a tile from desktop IE. The default browser tile on the metro screen is that full screen thingy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted October 16, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted October 16, 2013 All our PCs have Win8 on them and we have no touchscreens. Nobody uses the Metro interface. The 'start screen' metro interface bit is just a replacement for the start menu, that's all. Generally, when I hear people complaining about windows 8, after drilling down a bit it's the metro interface that they're complaining about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykeyb Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Its absolutely the Metro interface. Lots of us are tech savvy and can work round the issues that Windows 8 offers but trying to explain to a 75 year old women that she needs to go to the desktop and work from there because you get options you wont get through the start screen highlights for me where Microsoft has gone wrong. For those of us that used Windows 3.1 and up when there has been a change it has been gradual and hasnt changed that much. My mother in-lawa and wife wife who bought a Win 8 laptop yesterday asked me where the Red X has gone, and "there isnt any way to close the program". Now I am sure there will be a keyboard shortcut but they arent going to remember that. Give a 75 year old an Ipad show them how it works and they will get on far better with it than a 75 year old given a Windows 8 Tablet - and I am by no means a Apple or Ipad fan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smetrov Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Its absolutely the Metro interface. Lots of us are tech savvy and can work round the issues that Windows 8 offers but trying to explain to a 75 year old women that she needs to go to the desktop and work from there because you get options you wont get through the start screen highlights for me where Microsoft has gone wrong. For those of us that used Windows 3.1 and up when there has been a change it has been gradual and hasnt changed that much. My mother in-lawa and wife wife who bought a Win 8 laptop yesterday asked me where the Red X has gone, and "there isnt any way to close the program". Now I am sure there will be a keyboard shortcut but they arent going to remember that. Give a 75 year old an Ipad show them how it works and they will get on far better with it than a 75 year old given a Windows 8 Tablet - and I am by no means a Apple or Ipad fan. You will get less issues with an IPAD. - But £300+ seems a lot to pay for basically an internet only device. I brought my kids IPADS - and then they needed laptops as well - for homework / printing etc. Beyond the swish looks I really couldn't make a case for an IPAD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Most useful things in Win 8 are run from the desktop. Just gives me a laugh. They can't suddenly get everything onto metro. Developers need to make the apps to run in it. A touchscreen on a laptop is very useful. To have one you need an os that is made for touch. Hence windows 8 metro. 8.1 fixes so many of the complaint points about the OS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 All our PCs have Win8 on them and we have no touchscreens. Nobody uses the Metro interface. The 'start screen' metro interface bit is just a replacement for the start menu, that's all. Generally, when I hear people complaining about windows 8, after drilling down a bit it's the metro interface that they're complaining about. Windows 8 without a touchscreen is completely daft. It's made for touchscreens so you cannot criticise the metro experience on non touchscreen devices. Makes no sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CVByrne Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 Windows 8.1 update let's your boot to desktop and basically live in the desktop of want. So people who want a classic windows experience can do that. Can't ask for me tbh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted October 18, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted October 18, 2013 All our PCs have Win8 on them and we have no touchscreens. Nobody uses the Metro interface. The 'start screen' metro interface bit is just a replacement for the start menu, that's all. Generally, when I hear people complaining about windows 8, after drilling down a bit it's the metro interface that they're complaining about. Windows 8 without a touchscreen is completely daft. It's made for touchscreens so you cannot criticise the metro experience on non touchscreen devices. Makes no sense. I'm not criticising the metro experience at all, mainly because I don't use it. If they'd launched windows 8.1 as the first version and said, "We've redesigned the start menu to make it touch friendly" people would've responded to it much better I reckon. As it was, all people could see was the metro interface which freaked them out. The reason we have it at work was because we had all kinds of machines with varying versions of vista and xp on them. Microsoft did the offer for an upgrade to win8 pro for £25 a pop. No brainer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Rev Posted October 18, 2013 Share Posted October 18, 2013 But if 8.1 was a reaction to customer feedback, how could Microsoft have released it first? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smetrov Posted October 19, 2013 Share Posted October 19, 2013 Im happy with Metro and the Desktop is pretty much proven. It is perhaps the interaction between the two that is the weak bit - but thats always going to be the case - if you want apps\touch & a full functional computer....its a small price to pay IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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