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Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions


JorgeA

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But don't worry, they assure the public that the abiity to change the country you're registered in, is coming REAL SOON NOW.

Admittedly a different "branch" of MS, but (as well as a rhetorical question):

How long does it take to re-add a pre-existing feature that was senseless removed?

At least in one case TWO YEARS were not enough to "react" :w00t: :

jaclaz

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Microsoft might get involved in College Textbooks ...

Barnes & Noble, Microsoft May Bring Textbooks to Win 8 ( Tom's Hardware 2012-10-04 )

Frankly I am surprised that Microsoft, Apple and Amazon haven't already exploited this. Here in the States, textbook prices is one of the biggest scams going, and piggybacking on this scam will be simple. It reminds me of the mid-1990's when many companies started to make inroads into schools, getting them all wired and outfitted with computers, naturally with constant upgrades, socking it to those of us already paying insane school district taxes. Why not pile on some more. :realmad:

I think this is hilarious ...

Microsoft, the Windows Phone 8 release is a disaster ( TechSpot 2012-10-04 )

Brad Sams is back. Yes, that would be Brad "The next person who says that Windows 8 is the next Vista deserves to be shot, twice." Sams, one of NeoWin's resident fanboys now fretting over the possible disaster-in-progress that is the Windows 8 launch. I don't know, maybe he read that other recent article at NeoWin: Microsoft's US mobile phone market share has dropped and is getting nervous. So he writes this article, described as an 'open letter' to help Microsoft, he mostly is upset at the lack of pricing information, but if he thinks announcing phones that cost $700 or more will somehow help make the forthcoming rollout smoother, he is in for more shock than awe. The funny part is that there are even more rabid fanboys than himself over there! No, for real! "Wow this article is absolutely stupid. It has not even been released yet and you're calling it a disaster? Also your points are dumb." Lol! And someone thinks that NeoWin, aka Fanboy Central is mean to Microsoft! "Welcome to Neowin. It has been like this for months, possibly years now. I don't remember so much slander towards Microsoft on this site until as of recent.". :lol: Softies in disguise no doubt. Brad, let me help you out. The problem isn't what we don't know, it's what we do know. :yes: Which brings us to ...

Possible prices for a device using Windows 8 have been sighted ...

Acer launching $800 Iconia W700 Windows 8 tablet on October 26 ( TechSpot 2012-10-04 )

Price of Acer Windows 8 Iconia W700 tablet starts at $799 ( NeoWin 2012-10-04 )

Hmmm ... Nice desktop or Laptop with i7 CPUs and gobs of RAM and massive HDD or a child's toy tablet, or maybe a yellow phone. Let me think ... Well, I just whipped up this little infographic to illustrate the big problem Microsoft and its partners are facing ...

21OOX.jpg

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This OS is full of headaches already now that I am active in working with it every day. I can't even imagine what the ODMs are going through! Here's some more "deeper depressions"...

- The first boot experience is a wonder of technicolor. It has some color changing fade thing that I am now certain is the reason why it takes so long to boot. It sits around for 5 minutes "installing apps" even though there is only 1 "app" installed. I honestly have no idea what it is doing here as I wait for my squares to show up.

- .Net Framework 3.5 is not available in the OS, and the only way it seems you can get it is to be connected to the internet. So any programs that require it won't run and a box comes up saying it needs it. Maybe if you are lucky, the developer has made an updated version that does't need it. So far I am 1 for 1 with this scenario, which seems way too rosy to me.

- The Start Menu functionality still technically exists in the OS, which is strange since it isn't supposed to be there anymore right? For example, the OS will still run whatever is in the Startup folder after Explorer.exe launches. Since the ModernUI comes up right away, if that program is supposed to interact with the user, they won't ever see it unless they alt+tab or go to the Desktop "app" from the menu. You'd think with the Start Menu removed, the Startup folder shouldn't work... But also the entire Start Menu folder structure is still in the AppData folder, including shortcuts and everything you'd expect to see. I can see that leaving this behind would probably be helpful for legacy apps that have been adding stuff to the Start Menu for YEARS NOW... Which is not making me look forward to testing more apps!

- The Runonce registry key still works, as you would expect BUT it interferes with the ModernUI opening in some modes. It makes me think that this key is deprecated now... but yet again it still works. A different change is that now the Runonce key does not de-populate itself after executing whatever is in there. So anything you actually have as being "Run Once" will run every time the OS loads.

Update: The RunOnce behaviour is a little different, but it is not a problem the the registry key not being cleared. Partly a problem is due to AutoIT not being able to identify the OS properly, so some commands are not being run, specifically deleting the program that populates that registry key... hence why it appeared to not be deleted.

Edited by Tripredacus
fixed error
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- .Net Framework 3.5 is not available in the OS, and the only way it seems you can get it is to be connected to the internet. So any programs that require it won't run and a box comes up saying it needs it. Maybe if you are lucky, the developer has made an updated version that does't need it. So far I am 1 for 1 with this scenario, which seems way too rosy to me.

Tripredacus,

Can you fill me in on that one? I'm not sure how that's different from the way things are with earlier editions of Windows. The only way to get a different .NET version is via the Internet, no?

I still need to finish waking up, so I'm probably missing something really obvious here. ( @CoffeeFiend, can you e-mail me some of your brew? ;) )

Keep us posted on new impressions and headaches as you keep working with Win8...

--JorgeA

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- .Net Framework 3.5 is not available in the OS, and the only way it seems you can get it is to be connected to the internet. So any programs that require it won't run and a box comes up saying it needs it. Maybe if you are lucky, the developer has made an updated version that does't need it. So far I am 1 for 1 with this scenario, which seems way too rosy to me.

Tripredacus,

Can you fill me in on that one? I'm not sure how that's different from the way things are with earlier editions of Windows. The only way to get a different .NET version is via the Internet, no?

--JorgeA

No you are right. But there doesn't seem to be a stand-alone download for .Net Framework 3.5 for Windows 8 that I can use, instead it goes and get it from Windows Update. This is fine in a normal condition but for my work these computers never hit the internet... I do recall there is something from the ADK about it... Maybe I'll take a look-see.

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- The first boot experience is a wonder of technicolor.

Yes, this is so annoying. An epileptic can't install Windows 8. The box should include a warning about this crap!

- .Net Framework 3.5 is not available in the OS, and the only way it seems you can get it is to be connected to the internet.

You can use DISM.exe to install NetFx3 offline with the help of the ISO.

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I still need to finish waking up, so I'm probably missing something really obvious here. ( @CoffeeFiend, can you e-mail me some of your brew? ;) )

In case of need:

152px-Caf-Pow.jpg

jaclaz

Ahhh -- that was refreshing! I sure needed it, thanks! :)

--JorgeA

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But there doesn't seem to be a stand-alone download for .Net Framework 3.5 for Windows 8 that I can use, instead it goes and get it from Windows Update. This is fine in a normal condition but for my work these computers never hit the internet... I do recall there is something from the ADK about it... Maybe I'll take a look-see.

Oh, now I understand -- it was the standalone version that you had in mind.

Could be an oversight on MS's part, or maybe part of a strategy to push people "forward" to the latest and greatest.

--JorgeA

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This would be the supreme irony:

Microsoft will be saved by open-source

It would be quite something if Classic Shell actually ended up helping to rescue Windows 8 from disaster:

And while advocating its use is the best thing for Windows users, it is also the worst thing that anyone can do, because that means perpetuating trends, putting up with nonsense, giving up, relenting, allowing companies, Microsoft included, to go wild with their contemporary manias

This is an issue that I wrestled with when thinking about starting the "Ways to get back the Start Button/Menu in Win8" thread: anything that makes Windows 8 more bearable to use, decreases its chances of failure. It was a close call, but ultimately I decided to put together the list for the benefit of those who (for whatever reason) get stuck with Win8.

Beyond that issue, the entire article is pretty incisive, for example with the following description of MS bigwigs' thinking process:

What grips your attention is a small semi-rival company somewhere producing software and hardware that is completely out of your league. You also notice the human apes everywhere flock to buy these products as if they cure cancer and increase manhood. You think to yourself, hey, there's another market segment we haven't exploited yet.

The big guys are now enthused. The only problem is, their entire business model so far has been based on everything else BUT this new market segment. So what's the easiest way of quickly adjusting to the new reality? You slap an exhaust muffler on your Honda Civic and you call it a sports car. You slap a would-be smartphone interface on your desktop and you call it Metro.

Read and find yourself nodding through the whole writeup.

--JorgeA

Edited by JorgeA
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With the advent of Windows 8, Microsoft introduces a new advertising canvas. We are kicking the old way of digital advertising to the curb with something fresh, modern, and revolutionary.

I'm embarrassed for the Microsoft employee who wrote this. "Kick it to the curb" was current slang about the time Windows 95 was out. This is the equivalent of someone in 1985 calling something "groovy" in a attempt to appeal to a younger generation. Modern and revolutionary it's not.

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(Nice segue from Sysdll :yes: ). Speaking of Microsoft Advertising, a real barf-fest of a story comes out today. It can now be said that there are not one, but two goals with Windows 8 and Metro. The long term goal is the complete destruction of the wide open x86 universe, but in the shorter term is something akin to Microsoft TV where advertisers have multiple pipelines into your home of course channeled through Microsoft who will be the toll booth collector. This article really makes me want to hurl :puke: I was never surer than I am today that Microsoft should be broken up, the OS devs ripped out of there by the roots and placed far away from the rest of the company lest the Windows operating system evolves into the Windows advertising system. If this plays out without blowback from the customer base, the precedent will be set and the race for the bottom will accelerate with every other company, even Apple, Google and yes, Linux distros ...

Windows 8 in-app advertising shown off by Microsoft ( NeoWin 2012-10-05 )

I am completely ashamed at this article at Popular Mechanics, a magazine I have read since the 1960's. While the product may or may not be worthy of an award when it comes out, at the moment it is the literal definition of vaporware, since no-one has even placed a finger on these things, the specs are unknown, as is the price! I have never seen such a ridiculous thing written in advance of a product launch! Utterly disgraceful. This something I expect from Popular Science, not Popular Mechanics.

The Top 10 Tech Breakthroughs of 2012 :: Microsoft Surface + Windows 8 ( Popular Mechanics 2012-10-05 )

Popular Mechanics gives award to Windows 8 and Surface ( NeoWin 2012-10-05 )

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THE NUMBERS GAME: Part-III ... Recall from earlier:

Windows 8 previews tested on over 16 million PCs ( NeoWin 2012-08-01 )

Windows 8 was the widest and most deeply tested OS in Microsoft's history according to Steven Sinofsky [Official Destroying Windows Blog], which he believes means that the world is ready for Windows 8 and its new workflow. Seeing as Windows 8 was tested so widely when compared to previous iterations of Windows, it should signify that Windows 8 will be another rock solid OS out of Redmond.

Windows 8 has five times less pre-release users than Windows 7 ( NeoWin 2012-10-02 )

"Alright, so Windows 8 isn’t even out yet – it shouldn’t matter how many people are using it, right? Well, that’s true to an extent, but a whopping 1.64% of Windows users felt like installing a pre-release version of Windows 7 a month before it was released. Compared to that, only about 0.33% of users are running Windows 8; five times less. To put that in perspective, Windows 7 already had as many users as Windows 8 six months before release."

Now we have a third installment in the Windows 8 alleged popularity sweepstakes ...

21 days and counting… ( WindowsDestroyersBlog 2012-10-04 )

Microsoft: Windows 8 received a billion hours of feedback ( NeoWin 2012-10-05 )

Across all the milestones we’ve announced for this reimagined version of the world’s best-selling operating system – Windows 8 is the most widely used and tested pre-release product we’ve ever delivered. Across every audience, Windows 8 has been downloaded and used by more people than Windows 7 during the same period. A billion hours of feedback telemetry has been collected from all our pre-releases combined. Since BUILD a year ago, there have been more than 750 Windows developer events held in over 50 countries worldwide – and more than 200,000 developers have attended those events. -- Brandon LeBlanc

Notice the perfectly matching talking points to what Sinofsky said earlier. Considering that they have completely ignored the all feedback as is obvious from the fact that almost nothing has changed since the original demonstrations, then the early leaks, then the DP, the CP, the RP and the RTM, all these numbers demonstrate is monumental arrogance and stubborn tunnel vision. A more accurate title would be ...Microsoft ignored a billion hours of feedback.

EDIT: stray tags

Edited by CharlotteTheHarlot
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