Why Does Everyone Hate Windows 8? Should I Upgrade?
Windows 8 is getting a bad rap from a lot of people, but it really does have a lot of good stuff going for it. After all, people hated XP when it came out, too. Here are some of the things people are complaining about, and why they probably don't matter.
Complaint #1: "The Tiled Interface Sucks (and My Start Menu Is Gone!)"
Why People Are Upset: This is the biggest thing people are complaining about. The Start menu is gone, and it's been replaced by a new, full screen, tablet-friendly tiled interface that isn't really that great on a desktop computer. It seems inefficient to go to a full screen interface just to launch an app, especially if you could do the same thing from a small menu on the desktop.
Why It Isn't a Problem: I disagree with Microsoft's choice to get rid of the Start menu. I think it's going to confuse a lot of novice users. However, it's also really, really easy to bring back. In fact, if you download a Start menu replacement, you have a lot more control over what you see in that Start menu, which is actually kind of awesome.
Furthermore, the tiled Start screen—while imperfect—isn't really as bad as everyone's saying it is. Once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy to get around. You can still launch an app by pressing the Windows key and typing the name of the app you want. In fact, it's faster than browsing through the old Start menu, and if you weren't doing it before, you should be. Learn this shortcut. It will become your one true love. Alternatively, you can use an app launcher likeLaunchy, which pretty much negates the need for a Start menu anyway. All that other stuff in the Start menu, like the Control Panel, PC Info, and Shut Down buttons, can be found in the Charms bar just by pressing Win+C. Easy peasy.
Complaint #2: "There Aren't Any New Desktop Features"
Why People Are Upset: I'm not really sure. There are a lot of new desktop features.
Why It Isn't a Problem: Sure, the tiled interface is the biggest change in the new OS, but there are a lot of other changes too, particularly those that pertain to the desktop—in fact, we've talked about them numerous times. Highlights include:
Even if you bypass the Start screen entirely, there are a lot new features to get excited about in Windows 8. They may not have been as well marketed as the touch features—again, which I think was a mistake—but they are there, and they're worth upgrading for.
Complaint #3: "It's Bad for Gaming"
Why People Are Upset: Gabe Newell, head of Valve (the company that makes video game app store Steam), recently called Windows 8 a "catastrophe", and other game developers joined in synchronized chorus about how Windows 8 is going to destroy our firstborn children and gamers should just stick with Windows 7. Somehow this has led people to believe that gaming is horrible on Windows 8, Steam won't be supported, and that Microsoft is going to close off its system so you can only buy games in the App Store. None of these are true.
Why It Isn't a Problem: In short: people are reading way too much into a few tiny comments. Gaming on Windows 8 is, well, the exact same as gaming on Windows 7. Performance is pretty much the same. Steam works just fine. Valve has made no claims that they won't support Windows 8, and Microsoft has made no claims that they're going to shut Valve out. Valve's anger is understandable—after all, the built-in Windows 8 Store will be a big competitor—but there's no evidence to support that gaming on Windows 8 will be any less than gaming on Windows 7.
Windows 8 is getting a bad rap from a lot of people, but it really does have a lot of good stuff going for it. After all, people hated XP when it came out, too. Here are some of the things people are complaining about, and why they probably don't matter.
Complaint #1: "The Tiled Interface Sucks (and My Start Menu Is Gone!)"
Why People Are Upset: This is the biggest thing people are complaining about. The Start menu is gone, and it's been replaced by a new, full screen, tablet-friendly tiled interface that isn't really that great on a desktop computer. It seems inefficient to go to a full screen interface just to launch an app, especially if you could do the same thing from a small menu on the desktop.
Why It Isn't a Problem: I disagree with Microsoft's choice to get rid of the Start menu. I think it's going to confuse a lot of novice users. However, it's also really, really easy to bring back. In fact, if you download a Start menu replacement, you have a lot more control over what you see in that Start menu, which is actually kind of awesome.
Furthermore, the tiled Start screen—while imperfect—isn't really as bad as everyone's saying it is. Once you get the hang of it, it's pretty easy to get around. You can still launch an app by pressing the Windows key and typing the name of the app you want. In fact, it's faster than browsing through the old Start menu, and if you weren't doing it before, you should be. Learn this shortcut. It will become your one true love. Alternatively, you can use an app launcher likeLaunchy, which pretty much negates the need for a Start menu anyway. All that other stuff in the Start menu, like the Control Panel, PC Info, and Shut Down buttons, can be found in the Charms bar just by pressing Win+C. Easy peasy.
Complaint #2: "There Aren't Any New Desktop Features"
Why People Are Upset: I'm not really sure. There are a lot of new desktop features.
Why It Isn't a Problem: Sure, the tiled interface is the biggest change in the new OS, but there are a lot of other changes too, particularly those that pertain to the desktop—in fact, we've talked about them numerous times. Highlights include:
- Better performance. We tested both versions of Windows and found that Windows 8 was faster at pretty much everything. Boot times are a lot faster, which is really nice.
- The new Windows Explorer, which has some handy context-sensitive menus that are really nice, not to mention a much better file copy dialog than Windows 7.
- The new Task Manager, which gives you tons more information about how your computer's resources are being used.
- Better Security. Not only does it have built-in antivirus software, but there are a lot of other things going on under the hood that make it more secure than Windows 7.
- Full size
- Reset & Refresh, the really cool new features that let you do a clean installation of Windows with just the click of a button.
- The Windows 8 Store. It may be a full screen app, but it has desktop apps in it too—making it easier to discover new and awesome apps, not to mention read reviews all in one unified place.
- File History, a new backup tool that keeps incremental backups of all the files in your libraries. It's not unlike OS X's Time Machine, letting you restore back to any version of a file at any point in time. File History also has a lot of advanced settings, which is awesome.
Even if you bypass the Start screen entirely, there are a lot new features to get excited about in Windows 8. They may not have been as well marketed as the touch features—again, which I think was a mistake—but they are there, and they're worth upgrading for.
Complaint #3: "It's Bad for Gaming"
Why People Are Upset: Gabe Newell, head of Valve (the company that makes video game app store Steam), recently called Windows 8 a "catastrophe", and other game developers joined in synchronized chorus about how Windows 8 is going to destroy our firstborn children and gamers should just stick with Windows 7. Somehow this has led people to believe that gaming is horrible on Windows 8, Steam won't be supported, and that Microsoft is going to close off its system so you can only buy games in the App Store. None of these are true.
Why It Isn't a Problem: In short: people are reading way too much into a few tiny comments. Gaming on Windows 8 is, well, the exact same as gaming on Windows 7. Performance is pretty much the same. Steam works just fine. Valve has made no claims that they won't support Windows 8, and Microsoft has made no claims that they're going to shut Valve out. Valve's anger is understandable—after all, the built-in Windows 8 Store will be a big competitor—but there's no evidence to support that gaming on Windows 8 will be any less than gaming on Windows 7.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment