Recently got a laptop loaded with Windows 7. I can get Windows 8 for a big discount. When I had Windows XP, I was very glad not to update to Vista. Therefore, what are the pro and cons of Windows 8 vs Windows 7?
Windows 8 is mostly directed at the tablet market. I'm not saying it's just meant for tablets, but the operation is suited for tablet type functionality (like finger slide instead of mousing). At least so I've been told. Personally, I will continue to use Windows 7 until such time as I get a tablet/PC (something like the Microsoft Surface Pro)
If you have seen Microsoft's Zune software it reminds me completely of 8. I don't like it because it is meant more for a retail market than a business need. In a PRO environment it's just not worthy.
When I'm stroking my PC or laptop screen with an anxious finger, I'll look into W8. Otherwise. . . my anxious finger has other duties. 8)
I'm still reviewing Win 8 myself. What a bells & whistle extravaganza! It's not a computer OS, it's an entertainment software. I'm more interested in what 'price' a great deal is for the upgrade?
I was in Orlando for TechEd, Microsoft's annual technical conference back in June with 15000 other geeks when they announced Windows 8. They are very excited about it and really believe that it's the future. I make the comparison to a smart phone. It has a similar Metro style. It is a totally unfamiliar style for a laptop or desktop, but fits in pretty nicely with a tablet. For my dollar on a laptop, I'd stick with Windows 7 for now. It's mature and stable. (If your new laptop has a soft touch screen I would consider 8 a little harder). If 8 takes off, more hardware manufacturers will develop PC's with soft touch screens. Thats what really sets W8 apart.
Windows 8 does have an option to revert back to a more traditional Windows 7 look and feel. That being said I'm sticking with 7 and was offered a free upgrade on my work laptop to 8 when the final version was released and I said nope. Too many variables and too new of an OS to trust my work programs to be compatable.
In my opinion, so far, stock win 8 is a user unfriendly interface on a laptop or desktop. Even with touch, it's a pain to navigate. Been using the free 'Classic Shell' ap on a desktop and it gives the OS a better and more recognizable interface. It looks like a mix of what XP & 7 would look like. Gives you the easy drill down search capabilities of XP with a 7 interface. It makes Win 8 semi palatable. "I forgot to add" ... it's added so many 'auto' features catering to software for idiots that it will never become a regular OS on my PC's. Who designed Win 8, the ME crew?
I've been using Windows 8 in a business environment for awhile now, and it is absolutely fine. There are a few quirky things to get used to, but for the most part, it is Windows 7 with some tablet extras added on. As a disclaimer, I'm an IT guy and use a lot of keyboard shortcuts anyway, but my experience has been awesome. The biggest pain I've had is that mapped drives occasionally unmap after a reboot. I tested the developers preview, and after that I would say the same things as everyone else, but the pro version of 8 is actually pretty great...if you like Windows 7 already. If anyone wants a more detailed review, PM me and I will let you know. I can run through a quick demo with someone if they are really interested.
Not really interested. Until I see how it handles set policies, Powershell, endpoint security etc we wont entertain.
I'm not in IT but I have always been pretty good at learning and navigating on computers. I had a laptop with Windows 7 and I really prefer it over the Windows 8 on my new laptop. I find it very hard to use and I have no idea how to figure out what I'm doing wrong. Maybe I would like it if I knew how to properly use it. I hate it! Is there a way to get Windows 7 instead?
Judging by some of your other posts I've read, I think you're a bit closed minded to some things. I think the fact that you won't even entertain the idea is a perfect example of that. Although, to be fair, you still have 6 years or so before Microsoft stops supporting Windows 7. Either way, doesn't matter to me, I just want to give people an honest and open minded review. I want them to make informed, smart decisions and to be happy with their decision. Windows 8 isn't for everyone, just like any other OS, but if you love Windows 7, there is no reason not to love 8. By set policies, I'm assuming you mean group policies. We use them here, like everywhere else, and there have been no issues, except for the mapped drive one. The drive mapped in AD is fine, but drives mapped with the net command do disappear from time-to-time. Powershell...I'm not sure what you're looking for here. It comes with Powershell 3.0. It doesn't come with some of the management tools, but they can be installed. Some scripts may need to be modified some if the commands changed from versions 2 to 3 or something, but I haven't really ran into any problems yet. For AV, we are using Trend, unfortunately. Performance is the same as on Windows 7. Trend it what it is.
The biggest tip to using Windows 8 on a laptop is the use of shortcuts. The start tile window, or whatever they call it can be customized with commonly used programs. You can pin items to the task bar. Hitting the Windows key on the keyboard will bring up the tile window where you can just start typing the name of the program you want to find it. Of course there is still windows+r for the run line. The tablet features look nice, but I never actually use them...since I'm not on a tablet. Except for the store, because I can find decent games to play when I'm bored. If you really don't like it though, you should be able to just reload the laptop with Windows 7.
