Hacker News Reader

Comment by reefoctopus | Hacker News Reader

Windows 8 is terrible. Free is still too expensive. It's Windows 7 with reduced functionality and an app store. I've been using Windows on my work laptops for the last 4 years because I use the adobe suite, and it's been easier. I've been stuck with Windows 8 on my most recent laptop, and yesterday I finally decided to switch to Ubuntu. Good riddance.

View on HN

So how is the Adobe suite on Ubuntu?

If you don't like Windows that is fine, but with a few check boxes Windows 8 isn't very different that Windows 7. Enable boot-to-desktop, disable hot-corners, set the Start button to take you to apps, change file associations to non-metro apps. Just last week I setup a Windows 8 computer for a co-worker that was using Windows 7 and he hasn't had a single question about it.

Only on the Internet do I see people have these caustic reactions to Windows 8, in the real world but are just slightly annoyed that something changed or they aren't and then they just move on.

I begrudgingly upgraded WinXP to Win8 because I figured I couldn't really hold out any more for work purposes (I usually run Windows VMs on my Macbook in the cases where my customers are Windows shops).

At first, Win8 was a huge shock to my system. I didn't get it, and I also fixated on the loss of the Start Menu.

But things changed once I found a decent video that explained Win8 on YouTube. Things weren't nearly as different or as bad as I had thought.

I give Ubuntu desktop a run every year to see if I could use it full time, and every time, I uninstall it, thinking "maybe next year". One of the main reasons is that it never feels as well put together as OSX or Windows <-- this is purely subjective for my use case, ymmv. For all of Windows inconsistencies, I still feel more at home using Windows than Ubuntu.

Second - I really hope this doesn't happen, as every time I have to use a non-touch Windows 8 machine I end up wanting to throw it at a wall.

More windows 8 machines sounds like my nightmare. The worst part is Windows 7 is actually good, and will run IE 9 and 10 - both decent browsers by MS standards.

what functionality is lost in Windows 8.1 that 7 had?

List of features removed in Windows 8 and 8.1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_features_removed_in_Win...

List of features removed in Windows Vista & 7: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_features_removed_in_Win...

Thanks for that list. In effect, windows 8.1 has lost very little functionality from windows 7. It puzzles me why there is so much hate for the windows 8.1 operating system about the modern UI when it can effectively be disabled and ignored. It's as it people are specifically looking for a reason, validity be damned, to hate windows.

I wonder if I will be accused of astroturfing just because this is my first HN comment.

Windows 8x is a mess (in comparison to Windows XP or even 7). For example, Win 8x now has 3 control panels (classic, metro/modern, charmbar). And (of course subjective) a lot of people seem to dislike the new art-style and color choices.

A cohesive interface.

The traditional start menu. A proper desktop instead of a tablet-optimized interface.

If you're a keyboard centric user, the start menu's not a huge loss as one would think.

I used to think it was a big deal until I realized I stopped using the Dock on OSX in favor of Spotlight to launch stuff. When I started using Win8 and learned that I basically could keep the same habits by hitting the Windows key and typing the first few characters of what I wanted to launch, I stopped caring about the start menu.

I used to think the idea of a touchscreen laptop was stupid, but Win8 works for me, and my main machine is still a Macbook Pro. I have a Surface Pro that I use in place of my original iPad, and I think Win8 is quite good in tile mode or desktop mode. It's still hurting in the area of power management though.

While you can use the same keyboard habits, I find it much worse. The whole screen gets taken over by a rainbow colored mess of an interface, instead of a concise list in the corner.

Oh come on, the desktop is IDENTICAL to Windows 7.

Yes the crappy start menu was removed and replaced with the start screen. The desktop hasn't changed at all.

Indeed. I'm upgrading my parents from XP to Debian wheezy vs. $$$ for Windows 7 or, now, this possibility of free Windows 8. They're eyes are old enough they need big screens with lots of pixels, which they already own, without touch features (are there even any affordable 24 inch or greater touch screens out there?)

Thirded. Before I refit my main gaming rig (built in 2010, running Windows 7), I'll see what Windows 9 looks like. If it isn't a major improvement over Windows 8, I'll probably get a Mac Pro instead.

Hm how does that make sense? For gaming you would still need to run Windows on that Mac Pro and the workstation grade CPU/GPUs are a waste of money if the primary usecase is games.

After doing a bit more research...you're sadly right. The dual GPUs on the Mac Pro aren't worth much for high-end gaming.

grumblesigh

Well they aren't bad, actually the Dual D700 perform very well in games under Windows as they are used in CrossfireX mode. However, the D700s are the top of the line cards and cost a hefty extra. In general you can get the same or even better gaming performance for a lot less.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com