I agree that when I was testing out the Consumer Preview and Release Preview, I was a little nervous about the new OS, but once I tried the RTM version let’s just say I fell in love, even though I was using it on a “traditional” tower. I will buy the Microsoft Surface tablet with Windows 8 Pro, and the next time I build a new machine I will use Windows 8 Pro. I will still use Windows 7 (no doubt about it) on my other machines. So I love the new Windows 8 UI, and hope everyone else will too.

Pro.

Neither of the two introductory questions are formulted such that Yes or No are valid (semantically meaningful) answers.

In Steve Ballmer’s lust for control and profits, he has forgotten that many, many PC are used in a professional capacity. Micro$oft’s crazy, consumer oriented non-desktop GUI makes Win 8 a non-starter for many in technical fields. For that eventual point in time when Win 7 is no longer supported, and for those today who will not accept Micro$oft’s non-desktop GUI dictatorship, we are already considering alternative operating systems such as Linux. Long term this will cause fragmentation in the operating systems market. In effect, Micro$oft is undermining the foundation laid down by IBM and Bill Gates in 1981, that established a stable, clearly identified path for consumers and application developers. prior to that point, it was anybody’s guess which operating system would survive and which one would not. Application development for fragmented and may applications were poorly crafted. Win 7 refined the desktop and made PC’s the most useful and practical ins history, and now Steve Ballmer is reversing that trend.

Hi PhiDeck,

I originally had a questions where Yes or No were valid answers, but they got altered several times to try and make them clearer on what I was trying to get across. I’ve modified that section a bit so Yes and No make sense.

Thanks for the feedback! I hope you enjoyed the rest of the piece.

Hi teagueAMX,

Thanks for the comment.

I clearly don’t agree with you, but I’d like to see if I can better understand your viewpoint and get a dialogue going based on a few different things you’ve said.

You say PCs are used in a professional capacity, and Windows 8 is a non-starter for many in the technical fields. Can you be more specific as to what makes you feel this way other than that you simply don’t like the new Windows UI? Does it prevent you from doing your tasks?

Let’s assume you do consider switching to Linux. Is that really feasible for many who work in a “professional capacity.” Which distro would you choose, personally?

Lastly, and be honest, have you spent any length of time using Windows 8 in a real situation (not just testing)?

Windows 8 hasn’t come to the world like a rocket over terminating and era past some mistakes. It’s more like an “output” kindly and gently proposed to get everybody’s atention. Like, you want an iMac user to get more compatibility with his softwares? You got. You want some livingly and comprehensive OS that’s not all-free like Ubuntu, and Unix-like systems, but instead flexible and recurrent from low level consumers to godlike and hardcore-pro gamers? You got. You want to stream videos, make refined searches and found everyplace around the world? Yeah, in that case you need Google, but, Yes, you got Windows 8 OS to use that!
Personaly, i have used iOS and Windows 8 (Developer Preview) systems from about 12 months ago, and what i came to, a simple conclusion, is: Apple is more safe and “errorless”, and Microsoft is more beautiful, has got more global planned compatible programs and games, and uses more memory than you think, but you got applications to resolve this (longfellow knowledge..).
Yes, it has the meanings to outdone and cluster the “so dreamed” iOS that envy the non-users and the non-geek that do not knows the background of Apple. I have some questions if Apple products will stay on top in the market with Nexus overpowered customisable system, Lenovos’s fine ultrabooks, Motorola’s refined designs and Sony’s technology doesn’t stop it just right now. I think Apple has ended without his great inventor. I can be wrong.

That’s all. Great review!
Cheers,

Victor.

@Matt Whitlock

Here’s my basic premiss: While most people are running headlong to embrace the “cloud”, I’m running in the opposite direction. I resent having to download apps through a “store”. I believe it was Larry Ellison of Oracle who said many years ago, that computers wouldn’t have applications per se, They would be hooked up to a WAN to access and use application - user would not own the application and keep it on a handy little disk somewhere, but need to pay a regular fee for continued use of the application. Quite tidy and certainly beneficial for software companies. I think Steve Ballmer is chasing that dream.

Another concept I reject is the idea of storing my data in the cloud. Mass data storage is very cheap these days.

Lastly, and most important to me is in spite of Win 8’s many improvements, it takes away my control, and loses the versatility and simplicity of a desktop that I use hundreds of times daily for gadgets, files, access to my many applications, sometimes with 5 or 10 windows scattered open and minimized. I don’t like having to 1st boot into Steve Ballmer’s vision of what my computing experience should be like. I don’t want to buy third party applications to provide the same Win 7 versatility I currently have.

Many years ago I bought an Apple Mac Plus. At first I really loved. But the Mac clearly represented Steve Jobs’ vision of a ideal personal computer. I had a keyboard with no built-in numeric keypad and no function keys. The computer itself could not be expanded or customized like an IBM PC. There was no direct access to the operating system for customization unless you bought a 3rd party app. You couldn’t add internal data storage, but had to daisy chain a slew of cable connected SCSI hard disk drives through an external connection. Why: Steve Job decided that’s how a PC should be configured. Like many people, I eventually rejected Steve’s vision as being untruthful - I bought an IBM style PC that I could customize my way. He eventually relented and revised his vision by building Mac’s with expansion slots and a revised keyboard - it looked like a PC.

In like manner I reject Steve Ballmer’s vision. I suppose basic consumers with a PC, smart phone and table may like the simplicity of Win 8. But power users, technical professions, etc. will reject it as it is currently configured. My guess is like Steve Jobs, Steve Ballmer will need to revise his vision as well to give us a choice of desktops to boot into, and one with the same versatility and simplicity of Win 7. Then I may accept his vision. But guess what, like many other personal computer users, I never went back to Mac’s either. Steve Jobs missed an incredible opportunity because his vision was too narrow.

@teagueAMX

Thank you for the follow up. I must say I enjoyed reading this comment far more than your last.

I think I follow what you’re saying on the cloud, but saying you’re against the cloud is different than saying you’re against downloading apps from a store. I’m also not the biggest fan in the world that a section of Windows is currently locked down to a single source of distribution, and applications are subject to their approval. However, I can understand the need to operate at least some part of Windows in that model. I don’t knock Windows 8 for it. Thus far, on any device running an x86 capable processor, I can run any software of my choosing on the desktop regardless of where it came from.

As much as you may not want to accept it, recurring revenue models for software is the future of software. But really, how much software to you actually buy, aside from games? Besides Windows, Office, and Adobe CS, the vast majority of the applications and programs I use are distributed free, open source, or donation ware. The remainder is spent in the browser, utilizing online services.

Frankly, for these major software bundles like Windows, Office, and Adobe CS, I welcome a recurring revenue model. I’m tired of going 3 or more years between upgrades to a new version simply because I don’t want to fork out the ridiculous prices of these software packages. I’d much rather commit to giving MS or Adobe some reasonable yearly or monthly premium and be allowed to use the latest versions as they come over dropping $500-$1000 when I’m either no longer supported or can justify the cost for new features. Software development and releases need to be more fluid. Microsoft especially, cannot survive releasing giant Windows and IE versions every 3 years. They need to be able to evolve and distribute their latest iterations real-time, and a recurring revenue model makes that happen.

I also don’t believe in storing my data in the cloud, at least not exclusively. I currently store a lot of my data on a Windows Home Server, with a subset of my irreplaceable files being stored in the cloud. That said, I absolutely leverage cloud services where it makes sense, and as high-speed data gets more and more pervasive, these cloud services start to make a lot of sense. Windows 8 doesn’t force you to store anything in the cloud, but if you choose to use the cloud in conjunction with Windows 8, your experience will be better.

Your next line of comments, regarding the loss of control and being “forced” to boot into something else goes hand and hand with my article. Windows 8 doesn’t take away your control, not in the slightest, nor does it take away any of the simplicity you ask for or the ability to layer 5 to 10 windows on top of each other. All of that is still there, the desktop, control panel, etc, nor do you have to buy third party apps to restore any functionality. The desktop functionality of Windows 8 is better than 7 by a mile. It’s refined to a point of perfection.

Can you boot to it directly? No. I suppose that is a loss of control, but after using Windows 8 for several months, I would still boot into Metro over the desktop. The start screen is my dashboard, and I’ve found several apps in the Windows store that make my desktop experience better with some great live tile info that I find essential before I begin my work day. I also like how I can arrange the tiles on this dashboard. I can find programs and related apps much easier than before, particularly when I can’t remember the name of a certain tool or app.

I also REALLY like that my desktop no longer has to be filled with app and folder shortcuts. I put these on my start screen, and reserve my desktop for files relating to my current tasks. It’s pretty sweet.

Like I said in my article, I believe Windows 8 is all about enhancing the computing experience across new devices types, and finally leverage multi-touch technology with an alternate UI that makes sense when your finger, merely an input device, is the only tool you have around. However, that tool can now be used to improve your computing workflow in any situation should you choose. Or not, it all works the same as before.

Best of all, should you be unwilling to adapt to the future, you’re free to continue working in the past. Windows 7 will be around for quite a while.

@Matt Whitlock

You know Matt, you shouldn’t take it personal just because someone disagrees with you.

Your comment:

“. . .should you be unwilling to adapt to the future, you’re free to continue working in the past.”

was a very snide comment and completely uncalled for. You basic assumption that a rejection of the “cloud” and Win 8 is an unwillingness to adapt to the future is a false premise.

I look forward to what the future has to offer, but my comments are based on what’s the best trade off of old verses new. You may not be aware of this but many huge corporations and state governments are still using XP Pro and the like - quite successfully, too. They like it because it’s basically very stable. Some are finally moving to Win 7.

Part of my resentment of the app store is not that I don’t buy apps online now, but I resent paying Steve Ballmer a royalty for every app I buy just so I can use Win 8. Years ago Bill Gates used to do that to Norton and few other vendors, when he would force those companies to provide fully functional free copies of their apps to be included in M$ software installs and updates. Finally, when one company almost went bankrupt when King William stole their primary application and was giving it away free, they sued M$ and won a huge award. M$ tried to ruin Netscape as well, and that was because King William arrived very late to the internet party and didn’t bring a suitable browser and had to play catch up by making Internet Explorer the default web browser. Fortunately, a federal judge stopped that as a well. Furthermore, it was a well know fact that M$ refused to provide intimate details of MS-DOS and Windows operating systems. This required companies that developed competitive applications to reverse engineer M$ operating system. In many cases they sued M$ in federal court and won because the Microsoft Corporation is so massive and pervasive that it’s a monopoly.

The other aspect of the app store is that M$ has rules to determine what apps are suited for distribution through the store. Many of the most popular games out there today couldn’t be sold through the M$ app store. They still haven’t addressed how online vendors like Steam (a company that I use to play Fallout New Vegas, Portal, etc.), will be handled through the app store. They are an app store themselves, one that would otherwise compete with the M$ app store. I believe that’s a mixture of censorship, monopolist, and few other bad things that will go unmentioned.

So if I offended you with my barbs about M$, I’m not sorry. Microsoft doesn’t play fair in a free country that prohibits monopolies.

Based on your rather narrow and uninformed comment noted above, I don’t suppose you read other reviews, do you? You should because the likes of PCWorld, InfoWorld, and others, have more street credibility than you do. Here are a few reviews that expressed similar ideas to those I mentioned here. Are these reviews all 100 percent correct – no. Is Windows 8 evil – no. If they would change a few things, it might be acceptable to more people. Frankly, I hope that Windows 8 in its preset form fails miserably because I think the M$ app store sets a bad precedence.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2012830/windows-8-the-official-review.html

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2011728/windows-8-apps-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly.html

http://www.infoworld.com/d/microsoft-windows/windows-8-review-yes-its-bad-200113

http://www.extremetech.com/computing/138816-windows-8-the-desktop-review

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/07/23/gartner_windows_8_review/

You know, your photo makes you look about 16 or 17 years old. And I really wonder how you get to be Online Director and Technical Editor of real organization? The only reason I stumbled on your blog is because I thought I was linking up with motherboard.com, and unfortunately got redirected. I won’t make that mistake again.

Thank you for the Win 8 review I like many others #### change (if it aint broke don’t fix it) however after installing Win 8 yesterday its not as bad as I first thought it would be, frustrating yes, not knowing where to go to find stuff you have known the location of for years is annoying but with perseverance I think we old die hards will come to accept the changes in time, the thing I wont accept is the Apple mentality that Microsoft has adopted with the app store, the reason why millions of Smart phone users have chosen the Android platform over iPhone is “like me” they #### being locked into a system where the only way you can enhance you phone is be forced to buy apps through the app store, that is why I will not own an Apple product and consequently would be reluctant to change from Win 7 to Win 8.

I haven’t had Win 8 installed long enough to explore and understand all the changes yet, however if it is indeed like Apple where its a closed environment and you just cant install programs at will and have to buy everything from the app store well I think I will stick with Win 7 until perhaps Google/Android or a Linux developer brings out an open source OS like Win 8 for all platforms

@teagueAMX

My apologies, I really wasn’t trying to be rude or snide. You took my comment the wrong way, I really meant it in more of a literal sense. Windows 8 and their new UI is Microsoft’s future, for better or worse. If you won’t go that direction, you’ll be sticking with Windows 7 indefinitely (the past, get it?).

Your comment on large business and government exactly falls in line with what I posted earlier. The vast majority were never going to deploy Windows 8 (in whatever form it was in) anyway, which means its a great time for Microsoft to start their “revolution” with this generation. Thinking about it though, is it really a good thing that many large businesses and governments are still running software from 10+ years ago? The reasoning, however, varies on why this is the case. For some it may be stability, others cost, others custom application compatibility.

I don’t disagree that Microsoft’s past has sour notes, but I just don’t see how we can look at the new UI and scream monopoly. In the tablet and mobile devices market, Microsoft is a nothing player compared to Apple and Google. Apple runs a complete walled garden around iOS, and they’re nearly a monopoly in that market. The part where Microsoft does effectively hold a monopoly is in the desktop side, which is just as open as it always has been.

Also, if you resent paying Ballmer for apps, then don’t buy apps in the store. Use the desktop, or just the vast number of free apps (don’t click any ads though!).

For your comments on Steam and distribution, I’m 100% with you (I too take full advantage of Steam sales). It’s also a clear reason I’m personally avoiding anything with Windows RT. Currently, nothing stops you from running Steam on the desktop, but I agree Microsoft needs to detail how they intend to handle these models within the Windows store.

Finally, it’s okay if we don’t agree. In fact, it’s almost better that we don’t agree.  As a tech geek and writer (for the past 10+ years) I love to debate this stuff, and share opinions and viewpoints. I’ll even discuss my youthful appearance if you really want to, but I doubt most would find it very interesting.

As far as credibility is concerned, I try to always remember that good ‘ol phrase about opinions being like… you know. I’ve been doing this a long time, and so have many other reviewers. We all see things things from different viewpoints, and you get the luxury of reading them all and forming your own opinion.

Just be sure to post it on Motherboards.org or Channelpro so you and I can debate it.

@Ric

Thanks for the comment Ric!

I want to specifically call out this line from your post.

“the thing I wont accept is the Apple mentality that Microsoft has adopted with the app store”

I’m with you. This is a difficult pill for me to swallow as well. I even said at the end of the article that one of my concerns is Microsoft’s recent desire to out-Apple Apple. I give Microsoft a pass on Windows 8 largely because it’s Windows 7 enhanced + a mobile UI. The desktop is open, so I don’t lose functionality, I only gain. If the future of Windows is more like an RT model, a walled garden all the way around (no option to have an open desktop), I’d also start looking for alternatives.

The question, however, is how many others will? Nobody seems to care anymore that iOS is a walled garden (shy of jailbreaking it). Or if they care, they still buy it anyway and just deal with it and go on playing the latest iteration of Angry Birds. Maybe we all won’t care if Windows goes that way too by then?

What do you think, Ric? Do you think a closed Windows 3-5 years from now will get others up in arms?

@Matt Whitlock

Yes Matt I believe it will, the public consumer may have the don’t care mentality to a point like iPhone users because Apple are very clever with marketing and have drawn a lot of users in with their marketing strategy with each release (the reason they became so big so fast) so die hard iPhone users will continue to support Apple, however having said that Apple have lost and are still loosing customers to Android and as the Android platform develops and gets better as it has done over the past few years Apple will lose more.

The corporate arena I believe is a different story, a lot of companies are still using Win NT, 2000 and XP probably because of stability and cost, I really cant see any company changing over to a OS like Win 8 it would be a costly nightmare for them and probably couldn’t be tailored to meet their individual requirements, so I think in 3-5 yrs Microsoft might have to rethink their strategy and come up with other options before companies like Google, Android and or Linux get together and develop a better alternative with an open source desktop OS that can also be used with pads and smart phones, lets face it Linux is a much better OS than Windows it just hasn’t developed the user friendly UI that windows has had in the past, just saying lol

it SUCKS.
if microsoft dosen’t want to lose all pc systems they better at least emulate the windows 7 command line options and control or everyone will goto apple or linex

@Ric,

Interesting points. Although I wouldn’t go as far as saying Apple has “lost.” They’re doing just fine, and while their market share in phones has been stagnant lately, they’re making a killing in tablets.

“I really cant see any company changing over to a OS like Win 8 it would be a costly nightmare for them and probably couldn’t be tailored to meet their individual requirements”

Enterprise versions of Windows 8 can be tailored in many unique ways, and they can also deploy software to the the Windows 8 UI and Desktop UI without going through the store via System Center. So there’s some flexibility there.

As far as cost goes, let’s assume a business is not a volume licensee. What if, hypothetically, Microsoft put Windows on a subscription model for a low yearly or monthly cost (which the channel could sell. ... eh, eh…). As a result, Microsoft can update the OS frequently instead of every 3 years, and users can use whatever the latest version is for as long as they’re subscribing. Would businesses complain about cost then?