So, I finally got Windows 8 installed. It is the Consumer Preview, but that is all I can get for now. This is just some first impressions.
First, the computer I installed it on. I have a tablet, a Samsung Q1U, but it doesn't support multi-touch, so I didn't install it there. I may try it just to see how it runs Windows 8, but it is a little under powered for Windows 7, so I doubt it is going to be a fun experience.
I installed Windows 8 on my XPS M1530. In my opinion, this is an excellent system to test Windows 8 on, because it is right at the edge of what might be considered for an upgrade. It is unlikely that I will pay to put Windows 8 on this old a machine when the time finally comes to pay for it. But, it is a good test, because it doesn't have a touch screen, and no special hardware (buttons, etc.) intended for Windows 8. The question that Windows 8 must answer is how well it handles backwards compatibility, which has always been a Windows strength.
Windows 8 is very different. It is the first thing you will notice from the moment you install it. The start screen and Metro desktop remind me of Windows Phone 7, and yet it isn't the same. I've been using Windows Phone 7 for nearly 18 months, and this is not quite Windows Phone 7, but using Windows Phone 7 has made this seem more familiar.
It's been a long time since Windows made a change this big. It was probably the release of Windows 95, more than 15 years ago.
The above was written ten days ago. Now, I have lived with Windows 8 for about 3 weeks, and I still like it. I keep reading reviews that Windows 8 is terrible for keyboard and mouse, but I don't think so. It is a change, and a big one, but it still works. It is obvious that touch was the first consideration for Windows 8, and that keyboard and mouse came second, but I do not think that keyboard and mouse were given short shift.
In most of the OS, the right-click context menu is gone, well almost. One click is the new double click, and right-click is how you get other commands, but it is usually only a few, and often one. When you go to the upper left corner you get your list of open apps. Left-clicking switches to that app. Right-clicking opens a one item menu...close. In Internet Explorer the address bar will disappear, but right-clicking will bring back the address bar and open up a list of your open pages across the top.
I do find a few things disconcerting. Windows 8 is a horizontal OS, and the mouse wheel has changed. In most apps, the app extends to the right off the screen, and when you want to go to scroll right, you use the mouse wheel. In Internet Explorer, the wheel still takes you up and down, but in many apps, like the store, up takes you to the right, and down takes you to the left. It can be a little disconcerting at first, but I got used to it really quick.
I don't like that they have made it more difficult to close apps. They keep running and there is no X in the upper right corner. It is a bit to easy to get a lot of apps open. I don't know how well tombstoning is working in Windows 8 and it gives me a little concern.
But, my biggest problem with Windows 8 is more of a question mark, but it isn't the one that most of the tech writers are complaining about. I am not concerned with whether or not Windows 8 offers any important advantages over Windows 7. Windows 7 does not really offer any important usability advantages over Windows XP. It doesn't really help me get things done any faster, or any more efficiently. Windows 8 may not be better, but I don't think it is worse, just different....very different. Most users will be switching to Windows 8 when they buy a new computer. A few will be intimidated by that, but I think most will adapt easily enough.
No, my concern has to do with those of us who shelled out big bucks for big monitors. One of the reasons for doing that is having lots of screen real estate for lots of open windows. I have gotten good at parking lots of apps around my screen where I can just see an edge of each one...or a bit more, and then click, click, click to switch from one app to another or back to the first. The biggest change in Windows 8, is that it really isn't windows. Your apps do not open in Windows, your apps fill the entire screen. Yes, Windows 8 has the snap feature, but it still isn't Windows. That isn't a very efficient way to use the 21 inch monitor on my desktop PC, and a lot of the people I know have even bigger monitors. On my 15" portable it is a lot more reasonable, though even it is a bit big for always running full screen.
A few tech writers have suggested that Microsoft made a mistake calling their new phone OS, Windows Phone 7. As I stated above, it really isn't Windows, though to be honest, nothing based on Windows CE ever was. I doubt they are, but I think Microsoft should be seriously considering dropping the name Windows. Though the vast majority of PCs run Windows, and the name has tremendous brand recognition, I don't think that it has quite the brand loyalty that Microsoft would like to believe. I think that Windows Phone 7 might be doing better if it wasn't called Windows. I like the sound of Microsoft Metro, which they are already using as the name for the interface. It is building brand recognition, and it is associated with the live tiles that are used on Windows 8 and Windows Phone 7.
Just something to think about.
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