fett on 30/4/2013 at 14:43
I tried really hard to stick with Win7, but I needed a new laptop with a lot of power so I gave in and got a Samsung with Win8. I was cautiously optimistic about the whole Metro screen thing, and the specs are great for gaming, recording, and editing video, which is mainly what I needed.
Here's the thing, and maybe someone can suggest a solution. The whole Outlook/Metro thing is actually a good idea in theory. It's handy and fast but unfortunately the attempt to integrate applications was very half-hearted.
I really dig opening my "microsoft mail" and seeing not only my mail, but being able to quickly access my calendar, see blogroll updates and chat messages all in one window. And the design is streamlined. But there are very few configuration options which makes it a bit restrictive, but I'll easily trade that for the integration possibilities since the layout and design are so clean to begin with.
But the major problem is this: MS mail intergrates easily with gmail and facebook. But google has no support for calendar, and of course are ditching Reader in a few months. I've tried a few other readers but they won't integrate either. So I can't really use the cool metro mail/calendar/blog/chat stuff because only half of it integrates properly. I said "fuck it" and tried setting up Thunderbird email and using Firefox since there are tons of blog/calendar plug-ins, but gmail is a bitch to integrate with TB. It seems like I'm missing a simple solution here - there's got to be a way to use gmail, a blog reader, get chat messages, and use google calendar (which I'm kind of stuck with because it integrates with my phone like a charm). Any ideas?
demagogue on 30/4/2013 at 14:49
My students were all using Windows 8 now at school and could probably answer this.
I just think it's funny someone in a backwoods village of Burma that only got electricity and running water less than 10 years ago is up on current technology better than I am.
Queue on 30/4/2013 at 14:53
Not a clue, and I would that assume you're probably screwed in finding an easy work-around.
But this might be promising--I read recently that MS is working toward a release of Windows Blue (or somethig like that...but a great pun on their part!) that will function a little bit more like a classic form of Windows, because so many people are either confused or put off by Windows 8.
I've tried Windows 8 on someone elses computer, and spent most of my time being utterly annoyed.
Queue on 30/4/2013 at 14:53
.... don't forget "soap", demagogue.
Oh wait, you weren't talking about fett.
CCCToad on 1/5/2013 at 01:35
Quote Posted by Queue
I've tried Windows 8 on someone elses computer, and spent most of my time being utterly annoyed.
Tried installing it on my new computer, and the interface was such a disaster that I ended up buying a new copy of Windows 7 instead. I felt even better about when I learned a bit more about how Windows 8 works:
Quote:
I broke down and bought two new laptops with Windows 8. I turned one on and left it on my desk and took the other home. The default was the computer is automatically in “sync” with your other devices without requesting that. I changed the background and started to set it up over the weekend. When I came into the office, the background on the other computer now matched the one I worked on at home. After diving into the security problem, the layers of default to all sorts of cloud activity is alarming. Yes you can sync all your devices so you do not have to type it in again. This didn’t even ask me if I wanted to do that. This also means third parties and governments can access your computer. The question is, why the hell do they have to know everything everyone is doing?
I'm not keen with an OS that is largely cloud based. I keep shit on my desktop that is fairly personal information, including PII for myself and others so if that is uploaded to a cloud without my knowledge I've just been party to a breach of privacy.
Renzatic on 1/5/2013 at 02:11
Windows 8 is really quite simple. Uninstall all Metro apps, remember the bottom left corner is for your start menu (which will from this point forth be a glorified program launcher), and use your desktop the exact same way you did. By this point, you're probably asking yourself "why not use Win7 if I'm gonna do that", and you'd be half right. Thing is, Win8 adds so many nice features to the desktop, and it's so streamlined, it's just about worth putting up with the initial headache.
See, most of the confusion comes when you start mixing Metro apps with your normal desktop stuff. It makes the OS feel exactly like what it is, a tablet OS laid on top of regular Windows. You've basically got two different classes of applications running side by side that you interact with differently. Regular Windows applications all get shunted down to the taskbar as per the usual, while you switch between Metro apps by using a swipe gesture to pull up it's taskbar from the left side of the screen. Since you can't run Metro apps in a window and access them from the taskbar like anything else ((
http://www.stardock.com/products/modernmix/) at least not without paying an extra $5 and installing a program that lets you do just that), you feel like you're juggling between the two interfaces. Want to have the Netflix app running in a window while you browse the internet? TOO FUCKING BAD (at least by default).
I give props to MS for trying something new, and the whole Metro thing does have a lot of potential, but right now it feels too haphazard for everyday use. For the smoothest experience, you'll have to use one or the other. Trying to run both the desktop and Metro at once feels clumsy as hell.
...though I hear having a touchscreen enabled laptop changes things quite a bit.
Queue on 1/5/2013 at 03:55
Quote Posted by CCCToad
This also means third parties and governments can access your computer. The question is, why the hell do they have to know everything everyone is doing?
Well, people willingly give out their personal information, what they are doing, when they are going to be on vacation (great for casing someone's home in case you want to rob them), what their kids look like (a pedo's dream!), and such on Facebook all the time, so maybe they're just cutting out the middleman?
heywood on 1/5/2013 at 10:30
Renzatic made some good points, but I'd go further. Rather than trying to integrate two dissimilar interfaces, Microsoft should offer a tablet edition with the Metro interface only and a separate notebook/desktop edition with a Windows 7 derived interface only.
Metro is really nice on a tablet. The design is better than iOS I think. But it's rubbish with a mouse and not much better with a touchpad. And even if you don't use any Metro apps, the desktop interface is still poisoned by bits of Metro integration.
I also agree with CCCToad that any cloud, social media, or other online service integration should be off by default. Any features or services which upload user data should be opt-in.
jay pettitt on 1/5/2013 at 13:28
Quote:
gmail is a bitch to integrate with TB
How so? Click on 'Create a new accout' tell it your gmail address and password and you're done.
Yakoob on 1/5/2013 at 17:18
Renz tells it like it is. Basically echoing what's being said. Metro is great... for a tablet. Traditional PC is not tablet. Ergo, fail. Either limit it to fully touchscreen operated laptops/tablets like surface, or just make the metro less invasive on PCs, and everyone is happy!
