| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Win7 -> Win8: to upgrade or not to upgrade? Thread poster: Michael Beijer
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Michael Beijer 
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:12
Member
Dutch to English
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Just wondering what other people are planning to do once Windows 8 becomes available...
I myself am extremely happy with Windows 7, and probably won't upgrade until I really think it is worth it. Needless to say, I use my computer for actual work, and do not own a tablet PC.
Michael
| | | | Diana Coada (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:12
Portuguese to English
+ ...
XP between 2006-2011. In 2011 I bought my new machine with Windows7. This is just to show you how fast I run to the shops every time these corporations release a new product. Duh.
I think that Windows 8 was designed for tablets, I struggle to envision its usefulness on a PC.
[Edited at 2012-09-27 10:03 GMT]
[Edited at 2012-09-27 10:03 GMT]
| | | | wotswot
France
Local time: 19:12
Member (2011)
French to English
| Don't bother | Sep 27, 2012 |
As a translator and erstwhile sowftare developer, I still have 2 machines with XP (which I loved; remember, support - security updates, etc. - runs out in 2014) and 2 with Windows 7, which I'm also very happy with (except for the annoying change in Windows Explorer's search function; it's now very difficult to search for text IN files without a lot of tweaking). By all accounts, Windows 8 is indeed primarily targeted at tablets.
| | | | | Win 8 is a downgrade, if you ask me | Sep 27, 2012 |
Windows 8 actually represents a downgrade! Take the Start button, for example. While even Windows 7 took away the functionality of the Start button and the customizable Start menu, third-party providers such as Classic Shell stepped in to provide this functionality.
I hear Windows 8 makes it impossible for third-party programs such as Classic Shell to run, so you have to spend precious minutes of your time looking for the programs you want to run.
All in all, seems li... See more Windows 8 actually represents a downgrade! Take the Start button, for example. While even Windows 7 took away the functionality of the Start button and the customizable Start menu, third-party providers such as Classic Shell stepped in to provide this functionality.
I hear Windows 8 makes it impossible for third-party programs such as Classic Shell to run, so you have to spend precious minutes of your time looking for the programs you want to run.
All in all, seems like Microsoft is hell-bent on making the user experience as convoluted and difficult as possible under the guise of adding touch capability.
I'd stay away from Windows 8 machines. I hear Windows 7 will be supported way into the 2020s. ▲ Collapse
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Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 19:12
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
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| I see no difference... | Sep 27, 2012 |
Michael Beijer wrote:
Just wondering what other people are planning to do once Windows 8 becomes available...
I'll resist for as long as possible. The only reason I'm not using Windows XP on my current computer (instead of Windows 7) is because Windows XP doesn't support the hardware.
When I installed and used the prerelease version of Windows 8, I saw very little difference between that and the other Windows versions, except that Windows 8 has an interactive start screen that you can disable to get back to the familiar desktop display with icons, taskbar, start menu and stuff. I suspect the main differences between Windows 8 and previous versions will be the difference between Windows 7 and previous versions -- some features will no longer work and some features will work slightly differently.
I haven't seen a review yet that tells us what the real, crucial, important differences between Windows 8 and previous versions are, except for that touchpad-like cover that hides the desktop, oh and the fact that you can download apps from an app store like you would on your tablet.
| | | | | Intel's boss opinion | Sep 27, 2012 |
is that Win8 is buggy and unfinished (http://news.yahoo.com/intel-windows-8-half-baked-launch-updated-223556341.html).
But Microsoft had to launch it anyway because of some competition with Apple and Christmas.
I upgraded from XP/Office 2003 to Win7/Office 2010 this year, so I am definitely not upgrading any time soon.
Philip... See more is that Win8 is buggy and unfinished (http://news.yahoo.com/intel-windows-8-half-baked-launch-updated-223556341.html).
But Microsoft had to launch it anyway because of some competition with Apple and Christmas.
I upgraded from XP/Office 2003 to Win7/Office 2010 this year, so I am definitely not upgrading any time soon.
Philippe
UPDATE: I read about this one or two days ago, and I see from my link that he denied saying such things. But I am not changing my mind about not upgrading anyway...
[Edited at 2012-09-27 11:01 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Upgrade, but not right away. | Sep 27, 2012 |
The usual drill with all new versions of Windows - wait until the first service pack comes out, then upgrade. In fact, as I'm told by a friend who's an Apple user, it's exactly the same with MacOSX.
I am neither a detractor nor a fan of Windows, but Windows 8 makes a very important step ahead in terms of interface ergonomics. UI designers finally understood that flat buttons and text are easier on the eye and better recognised than gradient colours and fancy icons. This is indirectly confi... See more The usual drill with all new versions of Windows - wait until the first service pack comes out, then upgrade. In fact, as I'm told by a friend who's an Apple user, it's exactly the same with MacOSX.
I am neither a detractor nor a fan of Windows, but Windows 8 makes a very important step ahead in terms of interface ergonomics. UI designers finally understood that flat buttons and text are easier on the eye and better recognised than gradient colours and fancy icons. This is indirectly confirmed by the similarity of the new interface to e.g. control panels in aircraft, where poor ergonomics means poor safety, and therefore a lot of effort was invested into bringing the interfaces to perfection. Unfortunately, the new interface may take long to get adopted across the board in application software. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 19:12
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| No problem installing Classic Shell here | Sep 27, 2012 |
Anil Gidwani wrote:
Take the Start button, for example. While even Windows 7 took away the functionality of the Start button and the customizable Start menu, third-party providers such as Classic Shell stepped in to provide this functionality.
Yes. The familiar, powerful UI elements of Windows XP have been reduced to shadows of their former glory in Windows Vista and Windows 7.
I hear Windows 8 makes it impossible for third-party programs such as Classic Shell to run, so you have to spend precious minutes of your time looking for the programs you want to run.
Well, I have the prerelease as a virtual machine, so I can test it for you. To get to the desktop, click the "Desktop" button on the start screen (bottom left), and there it is: the desktop.
I installed Classic Shell into Windows 8 and it worked like a dream -- I now have a Classic start menu in Windows 8. The amazing thing is that even though Windows 8 has no start menu itself, all of the items that you'd expect to be on the start menu is there when you install Classic Shell -- including things that I don't think Classic Shell is responsible for.
What's missing is the "Classic Theme". The simplest theme is the "Basic Theme", which is not as basic as the Classic Theme. But I suppose one would be able to download other themes.
Added: It would seem that if you install Classic Shell, the start screen is skipped when you turn on the computer the next time, and it goes directly to the desktop view. However, you can get back to the start screen by moving your mouse to the top of the desktop until it becomes a hand, and then "grab" the desktop and drag it to the bottom of the screen. Pressing the Win key also works.
[Edited at 2012-09-27 13:18 GMT]
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Michael Beijer
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:12
Member
Dutch to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Thanks for the feedback everyone! | Sep 27, 2012 |
Thanks for the screenshot Samuel! If anyone has any more screenshots, feel free to post them here too. I will indeed be wanting to run Classic Shell, so it's good to hear that it works on Win8.
Has anyone tried Directory Opus yet? That's another one I'd be needing/wanting, as I don't see how anyone can live without a dual-pane file browser of some kind.
I'm usually the first in line with new OSs, but I think I might wait a while with this one as I actually really like ... See more Thanks for the screenshot Samuel! If anyone has any more screenshots, feel free to post them here too. I will indeed be wanting to run Classic Shell, so it's good to hear that it works on Win8.
Has anyone tried Directory Opus yet? That's another one I'd be needing/wanting, as I don't see how anyone can live without a dual-pane file browser of some kind.
I'm usually the first in line with new OSs, but I think I might wait a while with this one as I actually really like my Win7 desktop at the moment and have put a hell of a lot (read: way too much) work into customising it until it was juuuuust right.
Michael ▲ Collapse
| | | | | On dual-pane file browsers | Sep 27, 2012 |
Michael Beijer wrote:
Has anyone tried Directory Opus yet? That's another one I'd be needing/wanting, as I don't see how anyone can live without a dual-pane file browser of some kind.
I have used PowerDesk for years on XP and had obliterated Windows Explorer, but funnily enough, after upgrading to Win7, I hardly use it. Somehow, my way of working with files has changed on Win7 and I find the native file browser in Win7 has greatly improved.
However, I do a lot of my file-shuffling (inc. FTP down/uploading) in TO3000.
| | | | esperantisto
Local time: 21:12
Member (2006)
English to Russian
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SITE LOCALIZER | Don’t fix what ain’t broken | Sep 27, 2012 |
Michael Beijer wrote:
I myself am extremely happy with Windows 7
Then why the question? Upgrading generally should be done when you believe that it fixes some problem, then see my posting header.
| | | | Nikita Kobrin
Lithuania
Local time: 20:12
Member (2010)
English to Russian
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| Nothing personal... | Sep 27, 2012 |
...just a bit of history:
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lidija68
Italy
Local time: 19:12
Italian to Serbian
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@Nikita – I think you’re right. I’ve just bought a new pc win7 in order not to be obligated to do downgrade:)
| | | | Diana Coada (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:12
Portuguese to English
+ ...
Thanks for the history lesson, Nikita!
| | | | Jaroslaw Michalak
Poland
Local time: 19:12
Member (2004)
English to Polish
SITE LOCALIZER
Michael Beijer wrote:
Has anyone tried Directory Opus yet? That's another one I'd be needing/wanting, as I don't see how anyone can live without a dual-pane file browser of some kind.
I have it... It is an extremely powerful piece of software, going much beyond a file explorer. It takes over many system functions with great success, it also performs functions of several other apps (file searching, batch renaming, moving, viewing, archiving, favorite folders, history of operations, filtering, etc.)
Also, you can customize it to a great extent - e.g. you can have a button bar, or a scroll-down menu with favorite folders, operations, programs, file filters, etc. For example, I have one button which copies a full file path, just a folder path or a filename for a selected file on left, middle and right mouse button press - very useful for opening files in another program, so I don't have to use its limited browsing window. Sending files is as easy - I have a set folder in Thunderbird from which I load attachments and I control the content of the folder completely from Directory Opus.
I have another extremely useful tool - FARR (Find and Run Robot). It allows me to run any program just by typing its name, without using Start menu or desktop icons. It also has many other shortcuts (aliases) for useful tools.
Between the two apps I barely even notice the system itself...
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