[-X-]

Classic Shell 3.5 adds support for Windows 8

Download here: http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/

This post has been edited by -X-: 01 April 2012 - 03:20 AM

[CoffeeFiend]

I saw it mentioned before. I thought it was yet another sucky, half-baked start button replacement (people never seem to write much about it).

If you tweak the a couple settings (right click on the orb -> settings):
-click show recent programs
-click show search box -> access normally

you essentially got Win7's menu (same look and feel), but it's actually better in some ways:
-the recent programs are numbered by default -- you can just press the windows key to see the list, then hit alt + the number displayed besides the app to start it (sort of like Win+number for apps to the taskbar). I like it.
-you can even reverse (upside-down) the list of recent apps which might be quite nice if you use the mouse a lot (less mouse travel for the apps used the most)
-it has FAR more settings to make it work the way you like (click the "all settings" radio button at the very bottom) which is very nice.
-if you enabled "search box -> access normally" then you can disable showing the "search menu" (and other junk you don't want, like the useless "help and support")
-"Windows Update" is pinned at the top which is a lot more convenient than anything MS currently has to offer (besides manually pinning it there yourself)
-you can disable the animations (which makes it seem faster -- it already feels faster than Win7's start menu before that! Search function included)
-it has several skins (and being able to select if you want one or two columns), so it can look almost identical to the start menu of any version of Windows you'd like
etc.

There's just so much stuff you can tweak. It's exactly what Windows' own start menu should be like: do whatever you want. Definitely NOT this "let's cram a dumb smartphone touch UI down your throat". Classic Shell's start menu is so good I just might install it on Win7 too.

You still get the occasional metro crap here and there (like network connections ) but it's like 98% gone. In fact, it seems to make Win8 mostly usable. There's still some small issues to fix (e.g. can't pin stuff in the start menu easily) but it's still a light-year ahead of Win8's metro garbage. An open source app just might be what saves MS from themselves.

[JorgeA]

@ -X- :

I just found this thread (happens when you only enter the forum via links to e-mail notifications of new postings in existing threads). Thanks very much for the screenshot -- ClassicShell looks very attractive there!

I have Start Menu X installed in the Win8 CP, but when the RC comes out I may give this a try. I'm already using one feature of ClassicShell to bring back the status bar in Internet Explorer 10.

@CoffeeFiend:

Quote

An open source app just might be what saves MS from themselves.

+1 to that.

--JorgeA

[Aloha]

I installed this Classic Shell, but just a few minutes of going through the settings I uninstalled it! IMO, the best skin of this is Windows 7 Aero, it looks nicer in comparison to the others.

It seems that I am already used to the lack of the old Start Menu.

[MagicAndre1981]

Vishal Gupta released a config file and theme file to imitate the Win7 Look:



http://vishal-gupta....-Menu-297783610

This post has been edited by MagicAndre1981: 22 April 2012 - 11:39 AM

[tain]

Here's a guide for it.
http://www.howtogeek...r-in-windows-8/

[JorgeA]

MagicAndre1981, on 22 April 2012 - 09:25 AM, said:

Vishal Gupta released a config file and theme file to imitate the Win7 Look:

Great find, Andre -- thanks! The Win8 Start Menu replacements are looking better and better. I'll give this a try.

A couple of other ideas: here and here.

--JorgeA

This post has been edited by JorgeA: 23 April 2012 - 12:01 AM

[Aloha]

I don't understand sometimes. If people want to have exactly the same appearance and features of W7, such as old Start Menu, Explorer without the ribbon, then why bother installing W8? Why not simply stick to W7 for it's a better choice?

[CoffeeFiend]

Aloha, on 09 May 2012 - 11:55 PM, said:

If people want to have exactly the same appearance and features of W7

That's NOT what we're after. We're perfectly happy with anything that's an actual improvement, or that is at least no worse than what it replaces. It's not that it's different, it's that the new version is horrendous (everything Metro, specifically) and that it can't be disabled. Just make this Metro garbage optional and the problem is solved! If you see people who try to get back what was there before, it's because that's a vast improvement over what Win8 has.

Aloha, on 09 May 2012 - 11:55 PM, said:

Why not simply stick to W7 for it's a better choice?

That's what we'll do, for sure. It's still sad to see Win8 is so ridiculously awful, and a step back in *so* many ways.

[MagicAndre1981]

CoffeeFiend, on 10 May 2012 - 12:26 AM, said:

That's NOT what we're after. We're perfectly happy with anything that's an actual improvement, or that is at least no worse than what it replaces. It's not that it's different, it's that the new version is horrendous (everything Metro, specifically)

yes, I'm open for new things, that's why I'm also using Ubuntu, but Metro is HORRIBLE on a desktop. Fullscreen sucks on larger monitors!

[Aloha]

OK, then perhaps I am the only one here who is agreeable to this new OS! It comes to my sense that when I choose to use W8 with new nice features, I'll accept both the advantages and disadvantages. I mean, I'll enjoy all the good features, as for small and unimportant problems, I'll leave them alone!

[MagicAndre1981]

accepting broken things is the wrong way. With this way MS never listens to feedback because they know that they can make nonsense all the time and the users accept everything.

Do you eat your soup with a teaspoon? This is what Metro is on a desktop PC with a large monitor: NONSENSE which slows down everything. It works a but, but it is not optimal (like eating a soup with a teaspoon). We have different types of spoons, knifes for some specific tasks. And Metro is a UI specialized for touch and nothing else.

[CoffeeFiend]

Aloha, on 10 May 2012 - 08:15 AM, said:

all the good features

Such as? There's barely anything new feature-wise (slightly improved explorer, somewhat nicer task manager, and that's it really), and it basically fixes none of the things I'd like to see it address.

Aloha, on 10 May 2012 - 08:15 AM, said:

small and unimportant problems

It seems to me like so chuck full of serious problems that it might as well be closer to "just a large collection of problems" than "an operating system" (some parts copy/pasted from a previous post) :

Win8 is making everything useful about Windows "legacy", only to force an ill-suited touchscreen interface on mouse/keyboard users which is a gigantic setback in usability and which will just confuse everybody. It'll take some time for most users to adjust to this tacky interface and its gaudy icons, gestures, hot corners and screen edges (which are a real pain with VMs and multi monitor setups, while also taking away familiar elements like the start button to do so), hidden elements (less visual cues), reduced discoverability, scrolling up/down with the mouse that actually scrolls sideways, everything running maximized (and with no chrome), the desktop being just another application, multitasking being very much neutered, the disjointed combo of metro and desktop environments, etc. The new start menu replacement is a gigantic step back over what we had, WMC is now a paid-for extra that even requires you to purchase a more expensive version of Windows (yet it had zero updates), DVD playback and the MPEG2 codec are gone (no Blu-Ray support either), WMP lost the ability to play DVDs even if you buy the WMC pack which makes it a even worse media player than it already was. Also, customizability has been thrown out of the window, they're forcing crappy MS cloud services on users, ARM devices throw 20 years of backwards compatibility out the window (and they also introduce locked bootloaders), the app store that can remotely deactivate apps you paid for, the existing Metro apps are of incredibly bad quality and are very much feature-light (most are also useless without an internet connection), Metro apps in general are rather dumbed-down, etc. At best it just gets in your way, it's an obstacle to getting work done and it slows you down.

They've reinvented the wheel by making it square. It creates countless major problems rather than solving any, just so they have a laughable chance at selling a few mediocre tablets (I'm sure it'll sell as good as the Zune or Windows Phone). But hey, explorer now has a ribbon, and task manager has heat maps!

Aloha, on 10 May 2012 - 08:15 AM, said:

I'll accept both the advantages and disadvantages

That'd be a whole lot easier to do if the ratio of advantages to serious problems wasn't so darn close to zero (barely any improvements, but an unfathomable amount of serious problems)

[Aloha]

OK, this post is a reply to the two above.

I don't know if what I called the features is exactly the same features you guys called. What I really like from W8 are:

- Automatic in Window Color and Appeareance is awesome. I don't have to go to the Personalize to change color theme everytime I change the wallpaper.
- Windows Defender works perfect. I don't need to install any other anti-malware or anti-virus programes on my computer. I find it working better than Avira and Avast.
- Task Manager looks nice.The ribbon on the Explorer works good enough so I needn't install Classic Shell as I did on W7.
- I don't have to install Daemon Tools as I did on W7.

Maybe there are more but I don't remember now. And maybe the above the features are only nice to me. They might be a disaster or just a fiddle-faddle to the others, I'm not sure.

About WMC (= Windows Media Classic?), I never use it! I've always got VLC and the KMPlayer on Windows since I used XP and W7 so I installed them on W8 too. If I watch something on my own on the desktop, I'll run VLC. If I watch something on TV screen with my family or friends, then I'll use the KMPlayer. Both of them can play nearly every media files. And as I said before, I only use my computer for simple needs. W8 seems to meet those needs very well.

In conlusion, in my previous post on this thread, I said perhaps I was the only one here agreeable to this OS. It also means that I agree that everyone has their own opinions about W8. Most people find it full of problems and don't like it. I myself, on the contrary, feel very pleasant to use it all the time. Is this completely clear to you two now?

Andre,
I understand that "we have different types of spoons, knifes for some specific tasks". But we also have different types of Windows users with different IT levels and different needs. That's why we have different thoughts about this issue too. I don't like the Metro screen then I ignore it, just working on the desktop only and it doesn't bother me at all. That's why I consider it just a small problem.

[bphlpt]

Yes, you are absolutely correct that "to each his own" is the approach we all should take. After all, you didn't ask us if we thought you should use Win8, you had already decided that on your own. You did however seem surprised that we don't like it. At this point though, I think that both sides have very clearly stated their opinions so we should let it rest. If you won't try to convince us we should use it, then we won't try and convince you to use something else. (At least I won't.) I'm sure that opinions about Win8 will continue to be posted, because it has definitely irritated a lot of people, but the opinions are not meant as any kind of affront toward you. People are just expressing their dissatisfaction with the decisions that MS seems to be making, and describing how those decisions would effect how they currently use their PC in their daily lives. The hope is that if enough people complain loudly enough in enough places and with the purchases they make, or the lack of them, that MS might listen. If it doesn't effect Win8, then perhaps Win9.

Cheers and Regards

[Aloha]

Well, if there was someone I wanted to convince to use W8, then this person would be Andre only!

I don't know how to sound your nick (just all the consonants together!) but I feel like your post. It helpfully prevents me from this headachy talk.

Hope you have a nice weekend. Regards.

[Kelsenellenelvian]

I see 3 things that will always stop me from Win8:

Metro

NO optical drive support

Win8 will not support DVD\Blue ray out of the box (Rumor has it you will be able to buy a "package" to get these)

Screw Win 8

[MagicAndre1981]

Aloha, on 11 May 2012 - 10:55 PM, said:

What I really like from W8 are:

- Automatic in Window Color and Appeareance is awesome. I don't have to go to the Personalize to change color theme everytime I change the wallpaper.
- Windows Defender works perfect. I don't need to install any other anti-malware or anti-virus programes on my computer. I find it working better than Avira and Avast.
- Task Manager looks nice.The ribbon on the Explorer works good enough so I needn't install Classic Shell as I did on W7.
- I don't have to install Daemon Tools as I did on W7.

My Window Color is always the same, ProcessHacker is free and works or all Windows version, Defender/MSE sucks and is a huge performance issue causer and the ISO mounting is buggy (no remount at boot, drive number changes which causes issues when installing software which requires reboot).

And for this 4 things you pay over 150 bucks? I don't get it, sorry.

Aloha, on 11 May 2012 - 10:55 PM, said:

I don't like the Metro screen then I ignore it, just working on the desktop only and it doesn't bother me at all. That's why I consider it just a small problem.

but Metro is the future according to MS. The old desktop and all technology is dead for MS. And you are bothered all the time with metro (Metro/Aero Mix of dialogs all other the OS).

This post has been edited by MagicAndre1981: 13 May 2012 - 02:37 PM

[UltimateSilence]

Aloha, on 11 May 2012 - 10:55 PM, said:

I don't know if what I called the features is exactly the same features you guys called. What I really like from W8 are:

- Automatic in Window Color and Appeareance is awesome. I don't have to go to the Personalize to change color theme everytime I change the wallpaper.
- Windows Defender works perfect. I don't need to install any other anti-malware or anti-virus programes on my computer. I find it working better than Avira and Avast.
- Task Manager looks nice.The ribbon on the Explorer works good enough so I needn't install Classic Shell as I did on W7.
- I don't have to install Daemon Tools as I did on W7.

Aloha,
If I may, I agree with your points. Of all the improvements, I think the Ribbon in Explorer is my favorite. I love the Ribbon.
That's why it makes me upset that Microsoft has to mingle the rest of the operating system with its Metro nonsense. I wouldn't have a problem (I don't think anyone would) if it was an optional feature (Start Screen and all).
Strangely enough, for the longest time, I thought Windows 7 already had the new "Automatic" aero theme...

Just my two cents!

[CoffeeFiend]

bphlpt, on 12 May 2012 - 12:34 AM, said:

I'm sure that opinions about Win8 will continue to be posted, because it has definitely irritated a lot of people, but the opinions are not meant as any kind of affront toward you. People are just expressing their dissatisfaction with the decisions that MS seems to be making, and describing how those decisions would effect how they currently use their PC in their daily lives.

You said it better than I could. I couldn't care less what OS others want or don't want to use. And there's nothing one could say that will make me want to use Win8 in its current state, ever.

Kelsenellenelvian, on 13 May 2012 - 03:38 AM, said:

Win8 will not support DVD\Blue ray out of the box (Rumor has it you will be able to buy a "package" to get these)

It's not a rumor, MS said so on their site several times. No WMC, no DVD playback. You get to pay extra for Win8 Pro, then extra for the WMC pack (and even then, WMP still doesn't play DVDs, only WMC does, and still no Blu-Ray support either)

Aloha, on 11 May 2012 - 10:55 PM, said:

- Automatic in Window Color and Appeareance is awesome. I don't have to go to the Personalize to change color theme everytime I change the wallpaper.

Much like MagicAndre1981 said, I never change it (that'd be a real pain too, considering my wallpaper changes every 15 minutes). In fact, I've never seen anyone change it manually. That's hardly a feature worth paying $150 for, let alone suffering Metro hell for.

Aloha, on 11 May 2012 - 10:55 PM, said:

- Windows Defender works perfect. I don't need to install any other anti-malware or anti-virus programes on my computer. I find it working better than Avira and Avast.

I always disable Defender in the first place, and I'd rather MSE be optional too. Either ways, you already had defender, and the exact same AV (MSE) was free. It just took a couple clicks to install. All you gained is saving those 2 clicks.

Aloha, on 11 May 2012 - 10:55 PM, said:

- Task Manager looks nice.

That's one of the couple features that are somewhat nice. But like MagicAndre1981 said, ProcessExplorer and ProcessHacker are both free, and arguably better in several ways.

Aloha, on 11 May 2012 - 10:55 PM, said:

The ribbon on the Explorer works good enough

I have nothing against it, but I'm going to use the keyboard regardless. If anything the best part of it (and arguably the best part of Win8) is explorer's new file copying dialogs, but even then something like TeraCopy already does basically the same thing for free on other versions of Windows.

Aloha, on 11 May 2012 - 10:55 PM, said:

- I don't have to install Daemon Tools as I did on W7.

Like MagicAndre1981 said, it has its fair share of issues, and it's very much feature-light, even compared to a version of Daemon Tools that's a decade old (or a number of other free tools). Like most utilities they add to the OS (e.g. zip file handling) it's very much half-as*ed and barely manages to replace the minimal feature set of similar utilities.

Aloha, on 11 May 2012 - 10:55 PM, said:

I don't like the Metro screen then I ignore it, just working on the desktop only

So you just pretend it doesn't exist anymore (except for when you're forced to use it against your will). You basically lost the start menu and are willing to just accept it. As MagicAndre1981 said, Windows is heading in that direction regardless. Even other parts of Windows are going to be that way by the time the next "beta" (RC) is released. Various dialogs and seemingly also some really ugly super-wide mouse cursors (see the pic below). Oh, and seemingly they're going to make activating it more of a pain. Forget about just reusing the OEM's key like you could on Vista and Win7, that option is now gone. Seemingly they're taking lessons from Hollywood execs, and making their paying customers (and IT folks) suffer, because extreme DRM will kill piracy, like, for sure this time.

Yet another reason not to buy Win8: