Windows 8.1 will include boot to desktop option to bypass 'Metro' interface

[mitchellvii]

I hate it when companies have to accomdate to the lazy and weak. MS should stand their ground and keep the OS the way it is and people should learn to embrace something new and different. <Whiny person> "I've been using the Start button for years, it should be kept." WHA WHA WHA. Stop whining and adapt.

So what you are saying is that just because something is new it is necessarily better and anyone who doesn't agree is just a whiner? Maybe the truth is new isn't always better and Modern UI sucks?

You sound like you are the Chief of MS Development. He doesn't get it either.

 

[mitchellvii]

Assuming software is written for the user, the fact the user doesn't want to buy it should tell MS something. If Windows 8 were a sitcom it would have been cancelled at the end of the first season.

 

[Russ]

So what you are saying is that just because something is new it is necessarily better and anyone who doesn't agree is just a whiner?

Mitchell --

I was kinda headed in that direction with my whimsical response. However, I would add that just because it's new and different, doesn't mean it's bad, either. I'm not nearly as negative about things as you seem to be, so am willing to concede that Microsoft is trying to create a new paradigm, and in that process, like making an omelet, a few eggs may be broken.

I frankly don't know how many people preferred a "Start" button. I just know that I was one who was willing to spend five bucks to get it back. Does that make me "lazy and weak?" Well, I dunno; I guess it just makes me a guy who can afford five bucks to sustain long-developed practices.

Take care,
Russ

 

[Ruffles]

Assuming software is written for the user, the fact the user doesn't want to buy it should tell MS something. If Windows 8 were a sitcom it would have been cancelled at the end of the first season.

This is completely wrong. Very few people who NEED a computer walk into Best Buy and see Win 8 on the computers and turn around and leave. It simply doesn't happen. The reason everyone is screaming that everyone hates Win 8 is because fewer people are buying PCs. This has nothing to do with MS and is instead due to the fact that our computers have been more than powerful enough for the average person for several years now. Most machines that are 3-4 years old are running just fine and there is no reason to upgrade. Combine that with the fact that many people only need web/email and can get by with a $200 tablet and you have a lower demand for PC's in general. This trend is affecting all computers - even the mighty Apple.

Come on people, MS is not stupid. They did plenty of market research and focus group testing. Most people, once they get used to the new OS, like it. Remember all the crap that the "tech" people said about Win 95 and the Start button? Who would press the start button to turn off the computer? It's too different etc. All the same FUD has been spread before and no one has been clamoring to return to Win 3.11.

Sure, MS can improve things and create a better First Boot Experience video etc. but overall, I think the start screen and Metro will turn out great. I know I love it.

 

[bosamar]

The idea of centralized seach via Charms is the right thing to do

Me too, I completely agree. Leave well enough alone.

 

[Russ]

All the same FUD has been spread before and no one has been clamoring to return to Win 3.11.

Ruffles --

Well, gee, I dunno. I really miss that big, black screen with the blinking C:\>.

For years, it was a game of leapfrog between the hardware guys and the software guys. Intel would come out with a new chip, and everybody would say, "Ohmigod! We'll never need that much power." -- but, pretty soon they did.

I am running an Intel I7-3820 on an Asus P9X79 M/B, with 16 gigs of RAM. With eight threads running, it does everything but take out the trash. Even with video conversions, it doesn't even pause to take a breath. Yet, I know that there is some guy at Adobe (or elsewhere) who is saying, "Hot damn! Look what I could do with this!" He will catch up to me. I know that, and that is what makes it fun.

For the children among us, I remember when I would hit "Recalc" in a VisiCalc spreadsheet (on an Apple II+), then go take a walk in the factory, because I knew it was gonna be a while. It's called "progress," folks, and has been happening longer than some of you have been alive.

"Lazy and weak?," well, yeah, maybe, but that long climb from AppleDOS to Windows 8 does take a lot of energy. It is, of course, remotely possible that I still have enough energy left for one more climb.

See ya at the finish line.

Regards,
Russ

 

[Uncensored2008]

I hate it when companies have to accomdate to the lazy and weak. MS should stand their ground and keep the OS the way it is and people should learn to embrace something new and different. <Whiny person> "I've been using the Start button for years, it should be kept." WHA WHA WHA. Stop whining and adapt.

Yeah, productivity is over-rated. Change without advantage should be embraced at all cost... /sarcasm

 

[Sin]

How doe either the old Windows 7 Start Menu or boot to desktop improve productivity? Boot to desktop save a couple of seconds at most. The old Start Menu is in no way faster that I have found. Honestly, I'm curious as this seems to be such a hot topic and I really haven't been able to get my head around the opposite side. I understand the learning curve, but that is not a long term effect on productivity.

 

[Russ]

How doe either the old Windows 7 Start Menu or boot to desktop improve productivity? Boot to desktop save a couple of seconds at most. The old Start Menu is in no way faster that I have found. Honestly, I'm curious as this seems to be such a hot topic and I really haven't been able to get my head around the opposite side. I understand the learning curve, but that is not a long term effect on productivity.

Sin --

I am almost reluctant to re-enter this fray, because it's beginning to be like dipping out the septic tank -- one cannot seem to do it without attracting a certain amount of fecal material. But your question is genuine, so will attempt to answer it from my perspective.

I run Win8 Pro on three desktop machines, plus my Surface Pro. Two of the desktops and my Pro boot to the Win8 Start screen. My shop computer boots to the Desktop, simply because that is where I want to be and it cost me only five bucks for the convenience. Quite often, my my mouse and keyboard are pushed aside in deference to something I am working on, and I usually want to know if my DSL is up (often it is not). A quick glance at the lower right corner of the desktop screen tells me that.

Also, I run a variety of programs on that machine, some of them not often to merit their placement on the Start Screen or the taskbar. Sometimes I will choose between one program and a similar but different one. The conventional "Start" button lets me find them and make the choice. When Microsoft omitted the Start button in Win8, I did not complain -- I just spent five bucks to put it back. Fortunately, I do not feel obliged to justify it to anyone -- neither the five bucks nor the Start button. It is simply how I prefer to work on that particular machine. Blue is my favorite color and I like my steaks medium rare. Am I wrong about either of those choices? Why does anybody else care?

One of the supposed benefits of a configurable system is that one can configure it to his or her own liking. I see it as being just that simple. (But I have made some money on my investment in Depends since this thread started.)

Take care,
Russ

 

[kristalsoldier]

@Russ...how do you get your Win 8 Pro machine to boot directly into the Desktop mode?

 

[Russ]

@Russ...how do you get your Win 8 Pro machine to boot directly into the Desktop mode?

KristalSoldier --

A $4.99 utility from Stardock Software called Start8. I tried several of the early entrants in that niche and liked it best.

It gives you the option to boot either way, plus some other configurable options.

Regards,
Russ

 

[kristalsoldier]

KristalSoldier --

A $4.99 utility from Stardock Software called Start8. I tried several of the early entrants in that niche and liked it best.

It gives you the option to boot either way, plus some other configurable options.

Regards,
Russ

Oh...ok. Thanks. I thought you were doing this without any external utility. I guess Blue will bring that capability to the table. Cheers!