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I've realised that the one "good", one "bad", version of windows is actually quite a smart little marketing ploy by Microsoft. Fair enough the 8.0 was bad and needed 8.1, but I think that
We all know lots of people hate change.
So when MS need to move the tech behind windows on, it's always going to meet with a lot of resistance, be that founded, or as usual totally unfounded. Now what do MS do, the roll out a new version that takes the tech (and UI) changes to the extreme, the vocal change haters jump up and down and declare it the worst move ever. Shortly after, out come the next "all new" version of Windows, which is pretty much the same tech everyone hated, but with the changes reigned in a little, and now everyone loves it.
Voilà, MS gets their tech upgrad out, and most people are happy with it.
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Totally right...The only problem lately is that people have the choice...so if Microsoft pushes too far it can lose a lot...Users may convert to other OS or stay with the still working previous version...In both cases Microsoft lose all the money invested into a product no-one wants...
Skipper: We'll fix it.
Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this?
Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.
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I don't like tiles with a Desktop OS. Hence, I loathe with passion, Windows 8.1. I think Windows 10 gives you the ability to opt out of the Tiles UI - I could be wrong on this.
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I hated the idea of the tiles also when I first saw Windows 8 (pre 8.1) but those things don't bother you at all in Windows 8.1, I promise.
As a matter of fact, the new system of finding programs installed on your computer is better than the Start Menu...All Programs... deal. I didn't think so at first either, but it really is.
Microsoft did not market this portion very well howeve. And the initial Win 8 thing with no desktop was a terrible marketing fiasco.
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Yes, they damn well do!
I have to deal with an old ladies laptop on Win8.1, and she (an XP user) and I (a Win7 user) loathe them with a passion. They take too much space, they intrude, you can't see what you're doing elsewhere while you use them, they make the computer look suitable for a preschooler, etc.
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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You can use 8.1 without going anywhere near the tiles. I've been using it at work for months. No different than Win 7. I don't miss the start menu. Never used it much with Win 7 anyway.
Kevin
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I have learned to work with Windows 8.1 without seeing tiles for most of the time. I am also getting used to searching for apps/programs, which is good, as long as you know the name. I just hate tiles period. I think they are stupid, but that is just me.
I still see tiles when I want to go to the applications list.
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Many say the tiles are good when using Windows as a tablet. There are some who like this while hating them when they rear up in desktop mode, which they can do occasionally.
I have a Windows Phone and I like them in that context but don't much care for them in desktop mode. I'm typing this on a Win 8.1 laptop but pretty much avoid the tiles altogether. I did play with them a bit when I first got it. But I don't really use it in tablet mode. I have a separate (non-Windows) tablet for such things.
Kevin
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I'm with you Kevin. In Win8.1, I boot directly to the desktop and then have the Windows icon show the Apps screen rather than the Start screen. It's Win7 but with better response and more security. What more could you want?
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I like a few of the features of a "classic" menu (ability to send items to the desktop, overall organization, etc.) For 8.1 I just installed an item called "Start8" from Stardock. All of $5 and works flawlessly. I see the "Metro" screen only when I want to which is usually to start up a game of "Words with Friends" or something.... otherwise the thing is Win7 improved and the slightly flattened GUI isn't any problem. Starts at desktop. Solid release. Sticking to it.
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So it sounds like everyone's argument for why Win 8.x is great is because you can ignore all the crappy 8.x features and treat it like Win 7. It's like saying spinach is great because you don't have to eat it.
If you ever do want to use an app built for Win 8.x, you better have a lot of spare time. Since solitaire is basically a time killer anyway, I guess it shouldn't matter that it take 10 tries and 30 minutes just to open the app.
And they should have named it Window, because you can't have more than one. If you toggle away from a Win 8 app and try to go back, that app will crash.
I'm just hoping Win 10 is to Win 8 as Win 7 was to Vista.
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Member 8234661 wrote: So it sounds like everyone's argument for why Win 8.x is great is because you can ignore all the crappy 8.x features and treat it like Win 7. It's like saying spinach is great because you don't have to eat it.
Not quite. It's more like this...
My meal plate has steak, potatoes, mixed vegetables and spinach. I like the first three and not the last, so I just eat the first three. Maybe the spinach should not be there but I can ignore it. But if the spinach was "mixed in" with the other three then it would be a major regression.
Kevin
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No, there are no benefits. Take my advice, do not upgrade until Windows 10 is (at least) 6 months old. There are many drivers missing, many drivers crash and much more.
Just don't.
The sh*t I complain about
It's like there ain't a cloud in the sky and it's raining out - Eminem
~! Firewall !~
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That is exactly what I was curious about. Drivers!!!
I figured it would be like this.
I remember O/S 2.0. It beat Microsoft Win95 to market by at least 8 months maybe a year and did true pre-emptive multitasking and was a nice O/S, but hte problem... no drivers for your CD-Rom, no drivers for your sound card, no drivers.
Sorry had a slight flash-back there for a moment and almost lost my cool.
Thanks for mentioning these woes. I was planning on waiting a while... or forever.
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The big problem with OS/2 wasn't the drivers - that could have been sorted - it was the "lock-in" to IBM PS/2 instead of being usable on "any PC" as DOS / Windows was.
And given the price difference between a clone PC and a Genuine PS/2...people stayed away in droves!
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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OriginalGriff wrote: the "lock-in" to IBM PS/2
I don't remember that. We had it installed on IBM clones here. I'm talking about OS/2 2.0 Warp.
Warp haha, that was supposed to be cool.
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OS/2 ran on any PC. I ran it on a Dell 486DX PC with 16MB of memory and 1GB of disk space (a powerful computer in its day).
The PS/2 computers differed from PC clones in that they had a protected-mode BIOS (the ABIOS) that provided some features that supposedly helped OS/2 run better. As it turned out, drivers for other PCs simply implemented the same functionality in the driver, rather than the BIOS.
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
--Winston Churchill
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No, not a while. Just a few months when Microsoft finds a good patch.
I got my new laptop just 2 months ago, Dell Inspiron 5547 (if you feel yourself being curios about it) and I was notified for it being a Windows 10 ready laptop, I was also shown a reserve window and in the checklist for Windows 10 Requirements, all were checked. There was no problem with any hardware, application or framework.
When I upgraded, my battery timing (that was 6 hours on 90%) fell all way down to 1 hour 45 minutes (average) on 90%. My laptop's brightness buttons do not work and I am not able to alter the brightness level at all! Many other flaws, so wait for a few months.
The sh*t I complain about
It's like there ain't a cloud in the sky and it's raining out - Eminem
~! Firewall !~
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Afzaal Ahmad Zeeshan wrote: (that was 6 hours on 90%) fell all way down to 1 hour 45
Terrible. Terrible. Sorry about the troubles.
My laptop is new(er) too. i7, 8GB ram, etc. and I have recently been very happy and amazed with my battery life of 4 hours or so. I would be so annoyed if it dropped down to 1 hour or something like that.
Just terrible. Thanks for the warning.
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Mine is same, i7 5th gen, 16 GB RAM and the laptop was actually doing great before the upgrade. I was enjoying the system for my developmental purposes, now I have to plug it back after every 2 hours.
Anyways, it still doesn't prevent me from trying new stuff.
The sh*t I complain about
It's like there ain't a cloud in the sky and it's raining out - Eminem
~! Firewall !~
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You are right! I've already installed Windows 10 and rolled back to 8.1 over the weekend.
The problem I encountered was that if you have a Cisco VPN client, it will destroy the networking stack in Windows 10; which means no Internet, no network connectivity.
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Having had the misfortune to use Cisco's VPN crapware; the only part of that that surprises me is that they managed to make it work with 8.x at all.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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AFAIR the Cisco VPN client was late to W8, too. It is as amazing piece of engineering as Nikon Capture NX is - new main version for every new OS release both on Windows and Mac.
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Unless your driver author did something elephanting retarded, and presumably declined to get WHQL certified, your 8.1 drivers should all just work in 10. A number of hardware types also offer enhanced driver models to enable extra features; but the 8.1 binaries all should still be supported.
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/Dn941239%28v=VS.85%29.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396[^]
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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I don't have any third-party hardware and my laptop was bought just 2 months ago. Dell Inspiron 5547, and it was shown Windows 10 ready laptop. There are many flaws, battery timing fell down the curve, brightness can not be handled and many more.
I cannot use touch commands in Google Chrome. Sometimes they work sometimes they don't.
The sh*t I complain about
It's like there ain't a cloud in the sky and it's raining out - Eminem
~! Firewall !~
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