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Comment by hetman | Hacker News Reader

I just don't understand what the fuss is about.

I'm primarily a Windows user (but I run Linux on some of my devices as well). I'm also tend to be quite particular about my UIs getting things right. Saying all that, I've felt next to zero impact in moving from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1. Windows 8.1 feels a bit snappier. Some options have been moved around a bit. That's about it.

I just don't understand all the polemicising. Especially with statements like: "The specifics of what's wrong in Windows 8 don't really matter". They matter to me, because after reading all these articles about how terrible Windows 8 is, I still can't figure out what those specifics are! I would love to be enlightened about what I've been missing (or how I've been using Windows 8 wrong).

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Want one example? Fine. It's Fuck Ugly. There. There's your reason.

You said yourself you are fickle about your UI of choice. And yet you can't see how many people would be just like you but unlike you they can't stand Win8 UI? It's just like a car, the design matters about as much as the performance of the vehicle. Sure, some people look at cars as tools and don't care what they look like as long as they have 4 wheels and can get them from a to b.

But for many people, the car they buy has to have a great design. It is about as much about lifestyle as function. And the same goes for a desktop OS.

And I for one find the Metro Tile fest that is Windows 8 to be just that. Fuck Ugly. No other way to sugar coat it. And that isn't just the Metro side. Nope, also the desktop with its sharp 90 degree corners and flat 8 Bit color pallet window blinds looks horrible. Like a complete step backwards looking at how the desktop used to look under Win7. And on Win7 you could even change the themes if you wanted to something more to your liking. Good luck trying to do that on Win8.

So, add that to the fact that Win7 filled a need the consumers had and Win8 just filled a need that Microsoft had and you have ample reasons why Win8 is where it is today. Even if there are people like you who apparently can't imagine other people might have a different take on what a great UI should look like.

Sounds like you're really fishing for a reason to hate it if that's all you can come up with. Swearing for dramatic effect doesn't sure up an argument as much as you think it does.

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