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Windows 8.1 Rolls Out Today
The newest iteration of Windows has begun rolling out, and is winning positive reviews. (Here's an in-depth review from Ars, and a more concise one from Wired — both give 8.1 a thumbs-up).
Kelerei wrote with the above-linked TechDirt article on the release, noting that it is a staged rollout rather than global. Starting this morning, though, 8.1 is available to some customers. Kelerei writes: "The upgrade is optional (and free) for existing Windows 8 users, though if one looks at the changes, it's hard to imagine why those already on it wouldn't upgrade."
Also at Slash BI.
Windows 8 was a huge disaster, and windows 8.1 only applies a different color of frosting to the same stale cupcake. As both a personal user and IT decision maker, there's no way I'd put Windows 8.x on anything around here.
Windows 8.x is back, and this time, it's personal.
Or it feels that way. I've been working with the Windows 8.1 RTM. Many more things seem to break on the Windows 8.1 RTM that did on Windows 8. Mayhem ensued. Kiss your SQLE 2005 goodbye if you haven't already. Change your Setup.exe's to Vista compatibility if you don't want them to take an hour to install. Other than that, no worries.
Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
Before everyone starts bashing on Win8 (even though it does, to some extent, deserve it), I feel obligated to state:
The OS:
1. Performs better than Win7 (for me)
2. Has been perhaps the most stable iteration of windows (for me).
The UI:
Is horrible in terms of the default layout. Adding back in a 'normal' start menu (via Classic Shell, etc) and turning off the charm bars are key to making it a usable GUI, IMO.
With the above 'tweaks' the biggest thing I miss comparing 7 to 8 is the loss of being able to search files directly from the search bar. Perhaps that' some option/tweak I missed somewhere along the lines.
Will I try 8.1? If I can do it for free, yes. Will I give them money for it? NO!
Somewhat sadly, after a HD failure, we loaded up Ubuntu on the wife's laptop. While it did everything she needed, she really just didn't like it, and things like Skype just didn't play nice. (Which was sad, as I was working out of town for about a month and wanted to see her and the kid).
That said, once it gave up the ghost, we picked her up a replacement laptop with Win8. She wouldn't let me tweak it, but somehow she can handle the default Win8 with Metro better than Linux with KDE, Gnome, or XFCE. *shrug*
This is sort of what Windows 8 should have been to begin with. What this doesn't do is fix the issue with the missing Start MENU. The result is that every time you need to load an application through the menu you are forced back into the abomination that is the Metro interface. This is a deal breaker for the enterprise and shows Microsoft's continued contempt for their customers and what their customers need.
A tablet interface has no business on a desktop and Microsoft should have made it completely optional. Fixing boot to desktop was a half hearted start to be able to say they were listening to feedback - sort of. However the stunt with the Start Button instead of the Start Menu was a slap in the face to the enterprise and large OEM's that have been begging Microsoft to restore the Start Menu.
Sales will continue their worst downturn in history since the advent of the personal computer. OEM's will continue to lose money hand over fist. Enterprise customers held with contempt are evaluating third party vendors they never would have considered before. If you force people to use a new interface regardless, than it's an opportunity for your customers to pick what that interface is going to be. Sales of Mac's to the Enterprise have hit record highs, Linux is breaking through where it never did before. People are even toying with Chromebooks.
1. No improvement in user interface. Touch sucks on the desktop and Microsoft knows it. A Start button without a Start Menu is useless.
2. Metro style apps are very painful to deploy in the Enterprise; even for those with Subscription (Dis)Advantage.
3. Still not immune from viruses and worms - needs continuous stream of patches; customer remains at the mercy of Microsoft; like the forced ditching of XP which works perfectly fine.
4. Many existing licensed software such as SQLE are not supported in 8 series; so all that money is wasted expenditure.
5. Still no native support in the OS for cameras; SIM cards, etc. even Android is better in that respect despite being minuscule in size compared to 8.1.
The list of drawbacks continue; nothing to write home about; despite these paid shill reviews.
If you keep throwing chairs, one day you'll break windows....
Meh, given my feelings about the direction Ubuntu's desktop environment has taken over the past few years, I was already not paying attention.
I'll be somewhat more interested when the Linux Mint derivative of Ubuntu 13.10 comes out.
"and is winning positive reviews"
This is the biggest lie I have ever heard. Now you search your computer for vacation photos and get bombarded by bullshit Bing links. The start menu still doesn't exist. I'm pretty sure it still takes a computer engineer to find the shut down button. It's absolute garbage.
When Windows 8 came out, I thought about all the effort they put in since Windows 95 to have as few items on the desktop as possible. So, yes, it's like they went back to Windows 3.x Program Manager, having icons scattered all over.
Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
I still have my free copy of Windows 8 Pro that I've yet to install. Some of us were talking in the Elevator about it's over all UI changes and their argument made sense: develop a single consistent UI across all their platforms from Desktop to Notebook, to tablet, to phone to Xbox, oh and we expect that all future PC's will have touch screens.
It was that last part that was the gotcha. If Touch screens on laptops and desktops were really all that great, Apple would have been doing it years ago. The fact that they don't should tell you something. And having previously written point of sale software I can tell you that many of our clients tried touch screen terminals and often times went back to keyboard & Mouse.
The other huge problem on the desktop side are that business people have been trained on windows with their start menu for 15 years. Changing that presents a huge and massive disruption in workflow costing lots of money in retraining time.
Now if the metro UI was available at the touch of a button, much like Launchpad on the mac, but still had the windows 7ish start button underneath, that could of worked.
"The problem with socialism is eventually you run out of other people's money" - Thatcher.