Microsoft on the threshold of deleting ‘appalling’ Windows 8

[heartbone]

I recently read a page on the Microsoft site that informed those who wanted to upgrade from XP that they would need a new computer to run Windows 8.
If that hardware requirement is not true, then I was misled.

Now there is this page: New Windows 8.1 requirements strand some users on Windows 8

"Windows 8.1 fixes many of Windows 8’s most glaring flaws, but not everyone is able to bask in the bountiful new features. Owners of some older PCs have found themselves stranded on Windows 8, trapped by a subtle tweak in Windows 8.1’s hardware requirements. And beyond the irritation factor, the issue could have troubling support implications for affected users, as Microsoft has told Windows 8 users they’ll need to upgrade to Windows 8.1 by 2015 to continue receiving critical system updates. "

[Poshu]

How about the inability to work on perfectly good 2007 era hardware?
Windows 7 can work on it, why not 8???

Well, obviously because 8 is using newer CPU instruction to get a (little) bit faster... Actually, it makes sense to me that you've got to get rid of old hardware at some time, granted 6 years is short indeed (although what kind of 2007 cpu isn't supported?)... Even though, your hardware is not suddenly dead, it just can't be upgraded to the last version of windows. Keep 7 or switch to Linux...
This doesn't concern me anyway : I'm working with computers so my oldest one is from 2011, and I can't blame Microsoft for something that doesn't affect me...

A consumer/business computer OS provides an environment to run application software and hardware.
What can Windows 8 do that is useful for the desktop environment that Windows 7 can't?

Well, I know of the new network management (still not good but much better than window 7), the metro app : completely sandboxed and safe for any user plus cross-platform through windows phone/windows rt/windows 8 and (not sure about this one) Xbox One.Oh, and probably other stuff that I don't know of.

Pretty much a "small" update yeah, but an update nonetheless. Apple is doing that for years and nobody came crying, Ubuntu is going all berserk with Mir while the rest of the Linux distribution will be moving to wayland : how will the users benefits of that? And you are still using it, so I don't feel like you are entitled to spit on other's choice when it comes to their OS.

[Kuron]

maybe one day WikiLeaks will reveal that many of the hyped-up viruses etc are a product of the anti-virus industry........

No need to. This came out back in the 90s.

[Kuron]

the metro app : completely sandboxed and safe for any user plus cross-platform through windows phone/windows rt/windows 8 and (not sure about this one) Xbox One.Oh, and probably other stuff that I don't know of.

They are cross-platform if they are recompiled. Moot point anyway since nobody uses TIFKAM apps.

[Danilo]

Too much beer is not good.

[Kuron]

heartbone is just an old Windows-only guy getting old.
Don't believe anything grandpa is saying, he is just crazy.
He believes in UFO's taking over the world. Unsocial people
saving the whole world, and he seems to be really confused
about just anything that's happening today.

Really sad, people from 'home for the elderly people' have
access to internet.

He just needs more fiber in his diet.

[Fangbeast]

heartbone is just an old Windows-only guy getting old.
Don't believe anything grandpa is saying, he is just crazy.
He believes in UFO's taking over the world. Unsocial people
saving the whole world, and he seems to be really confused
about just anything that's happening today.

Really sad, people from 'home for the elderly people' have
access to internet.

He just needs more fiber in his diet.

He can have some of my MetaMucil!!!

[IdeasVacuum]

New Windows 8.1 requirements strand some users on Windows 8

I have to agree, that was a poor move by Microsoft - but I think overall they are right, not very many PCs are affected because in those days 64bit OS was only just being adopted by the masses, most of the older machines are running a 32bit Windows, as my old PC is, and 32bit Win8.1 should be fine. However, I have no intention of updating it from XP. I have 8.1 running on a laptop.

the metro app : completely sandboxed and safe for any user

You might think so, it sounds good, but I very much doubt it.

[heartbone]

Off Topic: What's really sad is that some members feel the need to post personal comments in tech forums.

heartbone is just an old Windows-only guy getting old.
Don't believe anything grandpa is saying, he is just crazy.
He believes in UFO's taking over the world. Unsocial people
saving the whole world, and he seems to be really confused
about just anything that's happening today.

Really sad, people from 'home for the elderly people' have
access to internet.

Naah.
I was big MULTICS enthusiast, but now I've seen the light.

And let me tell you Danilo that it was good to get old.
It's really too bad most of you whippersnappers won't have that opportunity.☢☢☢

On Topic: The more I learn about Windows 8, the more I think Linux.

UBUNTU user

[Danilo]

And let me tell you Danilo that it was good to get old.
It's really too bad most of you whippersnappers won't have that opportunity.☢☢☢

Just don't worry so much and enjoy every day.

[heartbone]

Off Topic:

Just don't worry so much and enjoy every day.

1) You don't know if I am a worrywart (one who is inclined to worry unduly) or not, so why the unsolicited advice? Nice try, not. I think it is better to think than not to think, as I infer is your suggestion Danilo.
2) The third sense of worry in Merriam-Webster's Compact Dictionary is to feel or express care about a situation. That probably does apply to me as I like to help others avoid bad situations.

Back On Topic:

Computerworld - Complexity may be Windows' downfall, and Microsoft has not only failed to address the problem, but exacerbated it by shipping the dual-threat, two-UI Windows 8, analysts contended.

"Windows 8 is massively more complex [than its predecessors]," Ben Thompson, an independent analyst who covers technology from his Stratechery.com website, said in an interview. "It's mentally taxing to use, and a classic example of something borne of strategic need as opposed to an understanding of user needs."
---
"Windows is suffering from 'second-system syndrome,'" said Wes Miller of the research firm Directions on Microsoft, describing the tendency of successive iterations of any system -- in this case, an operating system -- to grow larger and more feature-laden to appeal to an ever-widening audience.

The term "software bloat" is sometimes used to describe the same phenomenon.

Yes the internet is here to stay, but let's not go hog wild. With the recent loss of net neutrality, web access costs will certainly start escalating. I really don't want to have to depend on the net to effectively use the computer which is where Microsoft is leading their users.

PC WORLD - "More than any other operating system before it, Windows 8.1 wraps itself snugly around a Web-centric core. The vast majority of Windows 8.1’s native apps are inextricably linked to Microsoft services and require a connected Microsoft Account to work. SkyDrive hums along silently in the background, automatically saving your data and photos, and syncing more settings across all your Windows 8.1 devices than ever before. (Now included: apps!) Meanwhile, new default settings automatically update all those apps in the background, keeping you on the cusp of what’s new.

Windows 8.1 embodies the “One Microsoft, all the time” creed in some truly staggering ways. When everything is working smoothly, the operating system creates a deeply personal experience that travels with you across devices. There’s no denying that Microsoft’s new focus on rapid-fire updates—rather than the multiyear development cycles of the past—has helped to whip Windows 8’s originally dreadful native apps into far better shape in comparatively short order.

In fact, Microsoft services are so intertwined with Windows 8.1 and are being updated so briskly that the company has warned developers that the RTM release is only kinda-sorta final code; Windows 8.1 and its apps could see further tweaks by the time the update is released to the public."

If I actually thought that Microsoft would provide what is best for the users, (instead of the NSA) perhaps I'd feel differently. The Microsoft Account requirements make sense for a mobile device, not so much for the desktop.

[c4s]

The Microsoft Account requirements make sense for a mobile device, not so much for the desktop.

I'm a happy user of (legal) Windows 8.1 and don't have a Microsoft account.

[blueznl]

Windows 8(.x) versus Windows 7 IMHO, personal opinion, etc.

Win 8

- seems to be solid and stable
- boots very fast
- needs less memory than windows 7
- has settings all over the place
- inconsistent user interface (sometimes Alt+F4, sometimes Esc)
- the start screen is messy
- doesn't install on low-res devices (this is one I don't understand at all, if it's designed for mobile devices, why require them to have at least 1024x768?, I can't run Windows 8 on a netbook, for example)
- has some color / theme issues (check, for example, the border color of active and non-active windows, and note that many font / color personalization options have disappeared, for no appearant reason.
- doesn't handle some older hardware

Windows 7

- runs on pretty much everything, including some much older kit
- has a start menu (without the use of 3rd party apps)
- desktop GUI elements are a bit easier on the eyes (even with Aero disabled)

I like Windows 8, but I just don't like Metro, nor the low-res install thing. I know I can install a Start tool, but there seems to be little reason to take the Start menu out of Windows 8, except the endless 'need for change'.

Again, I don't really mind 8, I just don't need the Metro stuff.

Frankly, I could never figure out why MicroSoft didn't just put handle Metro stuff as different styled Windows applications, with certain perks when running on a tablet. Why enforce the Metro GUI on desktop users if it's primarily targeted at tablet users? That cramped approach still baffles me.

You know, I would immediately buy Windows 9.x if it would include something like Bluestacks at full speed... Thus giving me Android... euh... mobile apps when on the road, and my good ol' desktop when I'm at the office. And obviously I want my shiny little mobile apps run like small windowed programs when in office mode.

Now that is how I think Metro should be used.