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Microsoft Reacts To Feedback But Did They Get Windows 8.1 Right?

Posted by samzenpus on from the trry-it-now dept.

MojoKid writes "Microsoft's Windows "Blue" 8.1 update has been long-awaited. Those who've been using the base OS since launch have no doubt been anticipating some of the enhancements that are coming. At the moment, Windows 8.1 is available only as a preview, and if you are looking to give it a try, there are a couple of things to be aware of. The most important is the fact that once you upgrade, you can't easily downgrade — so you may wish to try the update in a virtual machine or on a test machine if possible. In addition, your current product keys will not work, so you'll effectively be turning your activated OS into an evaluation (it's assumed that once 8.1 goes final, we'll be able to update using our original keys). That said, Microsoft's free update offers a slew of enhancements like a new Start Screen, the return of the Start Button, even quicker shutdown and restart, boot to desktop, quicker integrated search and Skydrive enhancements. All told, Microsoft's new OS release is a more than worthy successor for end users but now Microsoft really needs to work on getting developers on board."

9 of 543 comments (clear)

  1. Start Button in 8.1 is useless. by sconeu · · Score: 5, Informative

    I downloaded the dev preview.

    Yeah, there's a Start button. Big deal. All it does is drop you into Metro -- pardon me. Into The-Interface-Formerly-Known-As-Metro. There's still no Start Menu, which is what the "I want the Start Button" was all about.

    --
    General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
    1. Re:Start Button in 8.1 is useless. by Missing.Matter · · Score: 3, Informative

      What exactly do you want the start menu back for? The start button can be configured to send you to the All Apps window, which takes you to a sortable list of all your apps. Much more useful than an alphabetical list of folders with identical icons, IMO. You can turn off hot corners. You can boot right to desktop. They've brought back unified search. You can even pull up the (not full screen) search pane directly from the desktop, and search for files and applications in a unified view.

      What more exactly do you want? Yes, it's different, but it's getting harder and harder to argue that it's not better. What is so great about the start menu that you refuse nothing less than a line-for-line copy?

    2. Re:Start Button in 8.1 is useless. by Missing.Matter · · Score: 4, Informative

      You press start and type "cmd". Typing on the start screen initiates a search. Alternatively press win+s to open the search panel, and type "cmd". Alternatively right click on the start menu and click run, then type cmd.

    3. Re:Start Button in 8.1 is useless. by TMYates · · Score: 5, Informative

      Start -> Run -> cmd dropped you right into a DOS shell.

      To do this in Win 8.1, you need to: Start -> Metro -> ???

      Easier.

      Windows 8:
      Move mouse to bottom left corner and right click. Pick either command prompt or command prompt in admin mode

      Windows 8.1:
      Right click start logo. Pick either command prompt or command prompt in admin mode

      From that same menu I have quick access to options that took more than a few clicks to get to before. Also in 8.1, you can use this to shutdown or restart.

    4. Re:Start Button in 8.1 is useless. by Missing.Matter · · Score: 3, Informative

      Can do the same thing in Windows 8.1: http://i.imgur.com/eJgwVTC.jpg

      Have you even used the product you're bashing?

  2. Meh by Guspaz · · Score: 5, Informative

    Start8 (boot-to-desktop, Win7 start menu, remove hotspots) slapped on top of Win8 solves most of my complaints about Win8, and ModernMix makes Metro apps (like Metro Netflix, since it can view SuperHD content) helps with Metro-only apps.

    Start8 already has a beta out for Win8.1, to account for the fact that there is now a built-in boot-to-desktop, and that there is a system start button that needs to be removed before the fake one can be added. I'll undoubtedly get Win8.1 to get the improvements, and let Stardock fix the major annoyances for me.

  3. Re:Yes and no by jones_supa · · Score: 4, Informative

    The engine is fully capable of using whatever theme the user wants, but for unknown reasons this is restricted to the one included theme digitally signed by Microsoft. There is no good reason for that.

    There is a very good reason for that. They want to retain a universal look for Windows. Very important for branding.

  4. Re:I tested Windows 8.1 by interval1066 · · Score: 5, Informative
    And here's why we still can't:
    • File links are still strange, anomalous objects that other truly posix-compliant processes don't know what to do with. If you really think file links on Windows are useful you're fooling yourself or don't know any better.
    • The kernel is still a black-box collection of shared objects with a black-box threading model, as opposed to anyone with the time and gumption can look at the linux kernel and directly see why things happen the way they do.
    • Objects can still be one of several distinct classes that require special treatment or approches to processing where as in Linux EVERYTHING is ultimately a file, or at least looks like a file, greatly simplifying interfacing.

    I KNOW there are other archectural issues that stick in my throat about windows but those three I think about and deal with all the time.

    --
    Python: 'And then suddenly you have a language which says "we're all stuck with whatever the whiniest coder wants".'
  5. Re:Still nothing better over Windows 7 by tftp · · Score: 4, Informative

    That's how people were using the old start menu too. That's how its supposed to be used.

    The start menu, from Windows 95 and until Vista, had no integrated search. You cannot say "that's how its supposed to be used." It became an option in Vista and 7, but not too many people (per my personal observations) even know that the built-in search exists. Some users that I know do not touch the keyboard unless they must, like for typing an email - and even that they do with one finger, "hunt and peck" style. You can't expect them to remember names of applications. Hell, I don't remember most of the names of applications on this very box. I have better things to remember than that. For those applications that I do remember about, "quick" does not return Quicken, but "quicken" does - how would MS explain that? BTW, QuickTime is not returned either - except the "About QuickTime." This is garbage. Typing is only a tool for some power users, and it has limited value as you cannot know what applications are installed on a given PC that you just connected to. You use the hierarchical menu to find out.