Charlotte Foust
charlotte.foust at gmail.com
Wed Feb 26 23:38:09 CST 2014
I didn't get exactly what you meant by taskbar, John. I was thinking of the quick launch bar. I don't like the start menu add-ins because they disable some of the functionality of Win 8.x. I tried them and decided to adapt instead. The 8.1 "start menu" is improved from the right click menu available in 8.0, but I don't mind jumping back to the modern view to start an Office application that's going to run in desktop anyhow. I have a control panel shortcut on my desktop, along with a few other icons. Charlotte On Tue, Feb 25, 2014 at 11:22 AM, John W Colby <jwcolby at gmail.com> wrote: > To be honest Charlotte, I don't understand. I played and worked and > played and worked and never found a (native) start menu and task bar. I > did download third party "kinda sorta" start menu / task bars but they did > not contain the functionality of the Windows start menu and task bar. And > every time I did "expected to work" things I would get rudely pushed back > into the "modern" display. Maybe had I been able to just permanently > disable that "modern" display things would have been better, but alas. > > I don't (or rarely) use the Windows 7 desktop. To me it looks strikingly > like the Metro thing, a ton of icons (at least they are separated) which > is just confusing. My son's desktop is FILLED with stuff and I get > overwhelmed looking at it. Likewise I get overwhelmed looking at Metro. > Psychologists have figured out that different people had different > learning styles. Some can learn from visual stuff, others learn best from > audio stuff others learn best from ... Windows impressed me as "Everybody > has to use this one style because we say so". I tried for two months. > I've come from "Boot zapple basic from a cassette" through CPM., DOS, > through all the versions of Windows. I am not a technophobe. Windows 8 was > a jarring, frustrating and damned irritating experience. > > So in the end, I guess I just never stumbled across whatever I had to > stumble across to get back to a real Windows 7 like experience. And you > can believe me I googled till my eyes were blue trying to get back my > Windows 7 experience. I kinda sorta, 1/2 the time, made it look something > like (not really) Windows 7. Never enough to be able to just get on and get > my work done. I ended up using my 4 year old Dell laptop when I had to > work, and my brand new 10 times as powerful (and pretty expensive) laptop > as a glorified tablet. > > Another part of my issue I think is that I just have no interest in > "Social", nor do I need or want a weather app sitting in my face constantly > updating. If you don't use Facebook, or twitter or any of the rest of that > stuff, then... > > I will say that my daughter LOVED it though. She is intellectually > disabled but she knows her touch screen. > > John W. Colby > > Reality is what refuses to go away > > when you do not believe in it > > On 2/25/2014 1:49 PM, Charlotte Foust wrote: > >> 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 >>> >>> > -- > AccessD mailing list > AccessD at databaseadvisors.com > http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd > Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com >