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Comment by 727374 | Hacker News Reader

I'm not by any means a MS Hater but here's my vent:

Windows 8 is represents the worst of Microsoft - new products/features for the sake of "new". Every tech enthusiast relative I have has been very excited to get a win 8 computer and then has had the exact same reaction to the new OS - "how do I use this"? Why does MS feel the need to re-do a UI, which wasn't broken and force all it's users (many of whom aren't tech enthusiasts to learn something new). Please, just stick with Win 7 and improve it's actual components. E.g. the builtin search isn't as good as spotlight on my Mac. So fix search, but please leave the start button unchanged because it's not bad.

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You're half right -- it does represent the worst of Microsoft, but not because of new-for-the-sake-of-new. It represents the worst of Microsoft because it's entirely designed around what Microsoft needs rather than what the user needs.

Windows 8 is the way it is because of two things Microsoft needs:

- Microsoft needs to be relevant in the world of tablets; and

- Microsoft needs the market for traditional PCs to not evaporate.

So they built a product that is focused entirely on reconciling these two needs -- a product that tries, awkwardly, to serve the needs of both kinds of devices. A product that tries to make Windows relevant to tablets while at the same time not making tablets so awesome that people stop buying traditional PCs for them.

The result leaves users cold, because it wasn't designed for them. It was designed to meet Microsoft's corporate strategy imperatives rather than to solve a problem actual users have.

It's the worst of Microsoft because of this classic BigCo thinking -- the thinking that the problems products need to solve are the ones that are worried about in the BigCo's executive suite, rather than those the customers are worrying about out there in the world. It's inward-looking product design, which rarely works.

Your point is well taken. But, from a user perspective, it's simply unsolicited change with non-obvious benefit.

From a user perspective, it's exactly what people have been asking for when they started buying iPads to replace their desktops.

Yesterday I was doing something and got a popup in Windows 8, which told me to "tap" to choose some option. I was a little amused but mostly annoyed. It just shows how deep they went to force me to use a tablet UI on a desktop computer, where I have a mouse and a screen that is not touch sensitive.

I installed Classic Shell pretty soon after upgrading from Windows 7. It was either that or destroy my computer in frustration.

I still get the odd "ooops, what key combo did I press that activated tablet mode!?!?!" It usually takes me a minute or two to get back to a "normal" situation (where I can see the windows on my desktop).

I do have this very annoying bug, though: about once a month, the Z order gets completely messed up. Alt-tab doesn't go to the previous window and goes to "show the desktop". The only fix: logout and login again. Very frustrating.

I've had the opposite experience. I bought an MS Surface Pro and I absolutely love Windows 8 and Metro. It's the best tablet experience going. I like it so much I bought a Windows Phone too.

The Surface presents new interesting dynamics in that my tablet can become a full fledged PC whenever needed. I do dev work in Visual Studio on it. So I find Windows 8 to be very successful for this particular device. Admittedly, the desktop experience is a tad awkward and in that mode some of the Metro stuff could be toned down. But I am very happy with this "hybrid" machine overall, and think MS is on to something.

I'm sure win8 is great on a tablet, when you're expecting a tablet experience. But for people who instinctively upgrade their PC every few years, a new UI is just annoying.

I agree. When Win8 was first announced my hunch said they needed separate versions for tablets and desktops. Now that I have a hybrid desktop/tablet device, I understand their intention.

With that said, it's completely true the desktop side of Win8 needs a bit of work.

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