Windows 8 for the Business User
Last week I shared my initial thoughts about Windows 8 and the Metro look and feel. While it appears to be an advancement in performance over previous versions, and even has a smaller footprint, it comes at a cost for the user wanting more than a touch screen OS.
Here are some thoughts from some of our readers:
Jason writes:
That’s how I feel. I’m to the point where I’m looking for a new laptop. Mine will be 3 yrs in Nov/Dec. I’m torn on whether to get something or wait. I hate reinstalling my OS, and you get windows 8 for $15 if you buy a computer now. I also don’t want to get windows 8 when its been out for a few weeks.
On top of that, everything I’m reading about new hardware is that laptops in the first half of 2013 will be moving to a touch screen. Again, I don’t even know that I’ll really like that. I sit at my desk, I’m going to use a mouse and keyboard, not sit and touch my screen. Plus, how does that work with a second monitor that is not touch enabled.
Like you I have more questions than answers. I think I’m to the point where I want to get a laptop before Oct so I know what I’m going to have. But I also don’t want to shoot myself in the foot and get something and have it be outdated instantly.
Eric writes:
I’m conflicted myself. I think Windows 8 will be great on tablets and phones, but the corporate desktop experience doesn’t really make sense.
I’ve been running it on my dual monitor desktop for the past month and my experience has been one mostly of ambivalence. I find that I have just pinned the programs that I use to the desktop Taskbar and rarely use the Metro-ized parts of the UI, including the Start screen.
The big win for me is the Hyper-V support on the desktop. I’m currently running four 64bit virtual machines pretty much flawlessly.
The big meh for me ends up being the thing that everyone is supposed to be excited about – Metro!
The thing is, it’s not like I’m anti technology or change – I use all sorts of products, from Chrome OS, to Mac OS X, to Windows 7 and 8, to the iPad, iPhone, a Lumia 900 recently and a Kindle Fire. Of all of those, Windows 8 Metro on the desktop is the least exciting.
Just my $.02!
Margret Writes:
While smart phones and tablets are very handy gadgets for a large percentage of the population on a this-is-the-only-computing-device-I-need basis, for those of us who make our living with computers, we can’t operate on those limited machines. I could not type code all day long on a tablet! There is just something about having the tactile feel of a keyboard under my fingers that enhances coding at least for myself. I have a smart phone, but one with the slide out keyboard. I have TRIED using the virtual keyboard, but make so many errors that it is counter-productive. I’m sure there is a generation coming that will be totally comfortable with these keyboards, however for some visually handicapped people, virtual keyboards won’t be a viable choice.
I could not even begin to administer my databases and network using a smartphone (although I know there are people who say they do — but it’s usually on an emergency basis, not day-in-day-out). My smartphone does not begin to have the computing power I need to manage a server or a network. Technology will have to come a bit further I think for them to be able to have it.
For those of us who need "real" computers, the laptops and desktops are here for awhile longer.
I can maybe see tablets coming more into play when voice-activated software is more reliable than it is now (then I won’t have to type).
Windows 8 is shipping now. How are you going to take advantage of the new OS, or work around things that make your work more difficult? Wny not drop me a note with your ideas at btaylor@sswug.org.
Cheers,
Ben
$$SWYNK$$
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