Windows 9 in 2015

I personally have never understood the hate for Windows 8. It's a solid OS and one of the most stable I've ever used. It's fast and it works well. It boots up faster than any version of Windows I've ever used (after I press my power button, I'm working on my desktop in less than 20 seconds).

Since the release of Windows 8.1 (which Windows 8 users get for free anyway), you have the ability to boot straight to the desktop and the Start button was returned with a lot of features (pressing it still takes you to the Metro screen, but they've redone that as well).

I just don't get the hate and never will. I think people just don't like change, no matter how minor.

ProphetSword said:

I just don't get the hate and never will. I think people just don't like change, no matter how minor.

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Change is not always a good thing, but the real problem was how they tried to force it on people. People didn't like it, and Microsoft finally realized it.

I'll tell you what my girlfriend told me after we got together first impressions do matter. It applies to any product sold also. Negative responses from your buyers will damage your image, and sales.

Anyway Win 8 barely has 15-20% of the OS market. The rest still use WIN7 or some other OS program. Just look at the Steam facts from the end of the year.

I hated Windows 8, then the company updated my computer and it came with Windows 8.1, which I hated until I installed "Classic Shell', now my computer feels just like Windows 7 (except I lost the Weather gadget on the desktop corner).

Couchpotato said:

Change is not always a good thing, but the real problem was how they tried to force it on people. People didn't like it, and Microsoft finally realized it.

I'll tell you what my girlfriend told me after we got together first impressions do matter. It applies to any product sold also. Negative responses from your buyers will damage your image, and sales.

Anyway Win 8 barely has 15-20% of the OS market. The rest still use WIN7 or some other OS program. Just look at the Steam facts from the end of the year.

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Yeah but that's still more than Mac (7.61%) and Linux ( 1.73%) combined.

The question is where will all the win 7 users go when they finally switch? My guess would be win 9.

I'll switch to Win9 if they give me a reason. They'll need a good one, too, as in-place upgrades are always a bit dicey.

Something else that's a factor: there's less reason to do a major PC upgrade these days. The big reason I would get a new system (and hence a new OS) would be to upgrade the motherboard and CPU. The thing is, CPUs don't seem to be going anywhere for gamers. They aren't really much faster and they don't have more cores. They've got nicer on-board graphics but they aren't even close to replacing a real graphics card. Oh, and they use less electricity - again, irrelevant to desktops.

sakichop said:

Yeah but that's still more than Mac (7.61%) and Linux ( 1.73%) combined.

The question is where will all the win 7 users go when they finally switch? My guess would be win 9.

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For the time being I'd have to agree. However, if Linux support was universal for games, I'd ditch Windows in a heartbeat at this point.

Zloth said:

Oh, and they [new cpus] use less electricity - again, irrelevant to desktops.

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... I kind of like the underclocking current-gen cpus perform. My rig went from using 250W to 100W at idle with my recent upgrade from an AMD Phenom II to an Intel i7. That's a sizeable difference, both in electricity costs and heat output.

I think MS main problem is that windows 7 is too good, there is no reason to change.

IMO Win 8.1 isn't that bad, all I do is use it like win 7 anyway. I installed the old start menu back and it feels exactly the same. So no point to complain.

But I do understand that there is no need to upgrade ...
If you're buying a new machine however, I do not see much point in staying with win 7.

Well, I guess I'm not alone in my dislike for the "new" Metro interface. If you don't have a touchscreen it's unwieldy and just a pain to work with, and if you take the people into account who don't know how to use a third-party software to get the classic view back, then it becomes pretty clear where the hate comes from.

I understand the reasons why Microsoft did what they did, but I still think they should have focused first and primarily on their core customers, who mostly do not like Windows 8 and just wanted an improved Win7 . Alienating desktop users and gamers just doesn't sound like a good idea to me.

I think like anything there are multiple aspects here. One is about the Win8 OS in specific, and in this regard it is pretty much standard MS stuff - it is another crap version. Win 8 suffered by not offering a compelling reason to exist over WIn7, along with a 'worst in class' touch screen UI experience. Using Win8 in an iOS/Android world when it was first out was laughable - it was like going back to a Palm Treo or Blackberry. Win 8.1 at this point offers the performance, that when stripped of all of the loudy UI elements makes it a solid mainstream OS.

Everything else - slowing adoption, plummeting sales, declining impact, technical irrelevance, etc - is separate. I am not saying MS is 'going away' or dying ... any more than IBM and mainframes were going away in the 80s and 90s - they were just getting to the point where they were a required commodity. Microsoft and PCs are quickly going in that direction - for business and certain users they are a requirement, but for most people they are not needed, and provide no compelling reason to buy for about 75% of the reasons people use computers at this point.

Since when has it been about need?

Are you seriously suggesting tablets are "needed"?

They are a luxury - and even if 25% is what's left - that's still a luxury people will want to have.

Once you start buying keyboards, mice and other accessories for your tablet - the advantages go away. It's true that they're excellent for surfing and reading books - but for anything serious or even something as simple as participating on a forum like this - you need what constitutes a laptop, whether in tablet form or not.

I'm willing to bet you're on a computer most of the time you write here - and considering what a major tablet fan you are, that should be all the argument I need.

Sure, tablets have a place and they're doing very well - but they're nowhere near replacing desktops/laptops now or in the near future.

Anything else - we'll have to wait and see.

What I find interesting is that all the negativity is directed toward the Metro interface and not the desktop. In Windows 8.1, I never see the Metro interface unless I make a choice to do so. So, a lot of the complaining just seems like people making noise when they haven't really worked in the OS at all. 99% of people who complain about Windows 8 either haven't used it or only used it for a short time.

Thing is, unlike Vista, Windows 8 is a solid OS that's really stable and fast (I see improved frame rates in everything over Windows 7). It's really sad that because people didn't like one aspect of the OS, the entire thing is considered garbage, when that's not even close to true...because the desktop environment in 8 is top-notch.

Agreed. To me the one thing I disliked (intensely) is the Metro interface, but the OS without Metro works very well.

But thanks to … oh, I already told you that.

pibbur

The problem with Metro was that it's the default interface - and they tried forcing it upon users in that way. It should have been completely optional - with a choice during installation or upon starting it up for the first time.

We shouldn't have to fiddle around with hidden options or download third party crap to get a desktop with the functionality we prefer.

After removing it, we're basically staring at Windows 7 with limited improvements.

Some people think that's worth the price of admission, but I don't.

DArtagnan said:

The problem with Metro was that it's the default interface - and they tried forcing it upon users in that way. It should have been completely optional - with a choice during installation or upon starting it up for the first time.

We shouldn't have to fiddle around with hidden options or download third party crap to get a desktop with the functionality we prefer.

After removing it, we're basically staring at Windows 7 with limited improvements.

Some people think that's worth the price of admission, but I don't.

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I agree.
I think an option when loading it up for the first time would be good.

Other than that, like I said before, it probably isn't worth upgrading to it, but having it on a new machine isn't a problem for me.

DArtagnan said:

but for anything serious or even something as simple as participating on a forum like this - you need what constitutes a laptop, whether in tablet form or not.

I'm willing to bet you're on a computer most of the time you write here - and considering what a major tablet fan you are, that should be all the argument I need.

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I'm on here about 50% of the time on a 5" phone and it doesn't bother me at all. I don;t intend to write any long winded posts from it but have in the past. My biggest issue is that copy/paste doesn't work as easy as I would prefer but thats about it.

The other 50% is at work on a normal computer and of course its easier but the being able to take the phone anywhere and get on the web from anywhere is just so damn awesome!

Toff said:

I'm on here about 50% of the time on a 5" phone and it doesn't bother me at all. I don;t intend to write any long winded posts from it but have in the past. My biggest issue is that copy/paste doesn't work as easy as I would prefer but thats about it.

The other 50% is at work on a normal computer and of course its easier but the being able to take the phone anywhere and get on the web from anywhere is just so damn awesome!

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Of course it's awesome, but it still doesn't replace anything. That's my point.

Most people aren't comfortable writing forum posts on a phone, though. Unless they're really short.

You can do lots of stuff on phones and tablets - and then there's some stuff that you can't do or don't want to do.

That's all I'm saying.

I change my OS once maybe every 4-5 years. Windows 7 hopefully will last me a few more years, I've seen windows eight and I totally detest the look. I wouldn't inflict such a nasty thing on my computer, which I actually like.

OK, here is the reality:
- Nearly 25% of laptops sold in 2013 were Chromebooks (i.e. a web browser)
- Tablets are on equal sales stand with laptops and higher than desktops (but not the combined 'PC' category)
- PC sales continue their >10% per year decline.

In other words, millions of people ARE replacing their PC with a tablet of Chromebook, because for the vast majority of people - it is enough.

For myself, I have a Mac & PC because of stuff I do for work and for hobbies that cannot be done on a tablet. (My wife and kids live on the Chromebook). My kids also have a PC for music production and video editing.

And there are legitimate reasons for having a full computer, mostly in business. At home it is more often than not overkill.

Oh - and guess what ... the most popular and profitable games on the planet ARE on mobile. They might not be what WE prefer - but more people play Candy Crush than touched a PC RPG in the last decade ... and it (as a freemium game) generates more profit than the entire RPG industry. Which is, of course ... REALLY sad. But perhaps more sad is that PC gamers are the anachronism.

DArtagnan said:

I'm willing to bet you're on a computer most of the time you write here - and considering what a major tablet fan you are, that should be all the argument I need.

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You would lose that bet. When I call my iPad my '95% computer' I am not lying. I use it for my Gear Diary and personal blogging, all day long at work, forums and other web stuff, social media, email, games, and on and on. This reply? iPad.