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 > > -- > AccessD mailing list > AccessD at databaseadvisors.com > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com >