[AccessD] Ramblings of a nutcase

Charlotte Foust charlotte.foust at gmail.com
Tue Feb 25 12:49:06 CST 2014


I don't understand the problem, John.  I love Windows 8.  I rarely use the
"modern" screen because all my work is on the desktop, but I have some
charms there for the desktop programs I use the most.  Why kvetch about the
modern screen when all you need do it switch to the desktop?  There
certainly is a taskbar there.

Charlotte


On Tue, Feb 25, 2014 at 9:23 AM, John W Colby <jwcolby at gmail.com> wrote:

> I bought an HP Envy 17" at Sams a few months ago.  It came with Windows 8.
>  Ugh.  I tried to like it.  Then I tried to endure it.  I tried to modify
> it to get back Windows 7 like functionality.  I found myself not using the
> laptop for actual work, though it was OK (barely) for games and internet
> stuff.  I was pissed that I had spent a fair chunk of change on a very
> powerful, very nice laptop that I hated.
>
> Funny stuff here...
>
> http://www.loopinsight.com/2013/01/04/windows-8-review-the-thing-blows/
>
> And it pretty much mirrors my experience.  Even after working with it
> every day for a month I still had issues with things like drag and drop.
>  How can you drag and drop files between two windows when... you can only
> have ONE WINDOW?  And why should I be "allowed" two windows, but one of
> them has to be this scrunched up little slice docked to the left side while
> the other gets the rest of the screen?  I have a 23" monitor, PLENTY of
> room for many different windows when I need them.  But no, I am not
> "allowed" that.
>
> And why can't I minimize open programs to my task bar and click on them to
> reopen.  Oh yea, I remember now, there IS NO TASK BAR. What???  And when I
> want to see the wireless strength I can just look at the wireless icon down
> in the taskbar... oh yea I forgot, THERE IS NO TASKBAR.  In Windows 7 I use
> a handful of programs 99% of the time.  I pin them to the taskbar.  They
> stack.  If I am remoted in to 5 different machines (yes, I do that every
> day) then I hover over the taskbar and up pops a list of the open remote
> desktop sessions.  How do I accomplish that with Windows 8?
>
> How do you hover with a touch screen to begin with?  And why am I
> searching for third party apps to get back functionality that I need and
> was FORBIDDEN to have with Windows 8?  Is Microsoft my mom, telling me that
> I HAVE to do it this way?  Even my mom no longer tells me what to do.
>
> I did discover that all of the old Windows applications look like they
> always did, can be windowed, and have the minimize and close button.  But
> of course all of the "Windows 8 native" apps don't and don't and don't.
>
> And why do I have to rearrange a HUGE screen of HUGE blocks of pictures
> which pretty much have nothing to do with what they represent to get the
> ones I use most all on the screen at the same time.  Menus exist because
> they logically group operations.  In Windows 7 If I need an Office app I
> can go find all of the Microsoft office programs by finding the menu for
> that.  Yes, you have to hunt and figure that out but once you do the menu
> allows you to see groups of programs (or operations).  The "start" screen
> just has a bajillion HUGE blocks scrolling off to the right forever, mere
> and more as you add things to your computer.  Wow.  Try cut and paste
> between two apps.
>
> In the end, I discovered that I use my laptop for real work and Windows 8
> makes real work hard.  Even when you know how to use it, it is still hard.
>  I often use a tablet for the internet and "social" stuff, but even that is
> not as easy to accomplish (I.e. that is also "real work" as on a Windows 7
> computer.  If I want to sit in my car or in my easy chair I will use my
> tablet but if I have serious research, opening a couple of instances of
> Chrome, with tabs, dragging tabs down to create new instances to research
> something... I go to my computer.  My Windows 7 computer.
>
> I finally just broke down and bought Windows 7 pro and installed it.  It
> was a MAJOR PITA to find all of the drivers for the chipset, touch screen
> etc.  But I ended up with a fully functioning Windows 7.  Given that all
> laptops come with 5400 rpm drives, and I was going to replace mine, I
> decided to buy a Samsung EVO 500 gb drive. WHOA!!! Smokin'  The difference
> in everything I do is flat out incredible.
>
> The Windows experience is 7.8-7.9 in everything except the graphics which
> is a 6.7 due to Intel's sucky graphics chips.  Oh to have a quad core I7
> and AMD's graphics.  Oh well.
>
> I now LOVE my laptop.
>
> My son has a Windows XP system, very old.  He downloads a ton of crap and
> managed to get it so infected that I had major problems getting it
> sanitized.  So I am building a new system.   Given that XP loses the last
> vestiges of support in two months I decided to use Windows 7 for that as
> well.  Which leaves me in a quandary.  Do I buy a handful of copies for
> future proofing?  Windows 7 sales (from third parties like new egg) will go
> away in about 6 months.
>
> On a final note to Metro bashing... Has anyone been to MSNBC lately?  OMG.
>  I no longer use that as my goto news source since I cannot find anything
> without paging down through page after page of pictures about crap I am not
> interested in.  Someone bought into Metro big time.
>
> --
> John W. Colby
>
> Windows 8 is what refuses to go away
> when you do not believe in it
>
> --
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> AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
>


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