Why Windows 8 is moving forward for microsoft

The up and downs of Windows 8

Last October which windows first launch its new platform Windows 8, the news around the street is that it was widely dismissed by users as it was difficult to use and the new interface seems like idiotic for the conventional non touch screen. Microsoft also introduces a single app working environment which was what we like to use on our cell phone, also they have given a feature like you can open two programs simultaneously, now why would I need that? I am working on Windows since Windows 95 came out, and since then you can open as many applications(though it used to hang a lot that time, but improved later) on your desktop and for most of the time it works just find and give you the full advantage of multitasking rather than only allow to open two applications at a time.

I upgraded to Windows 8 that time, because it was fairly cheap and I was stuck with Windows Vista, which we all know was a crappy (but brave) dish from Microsoft.

After using the metro UI for the first time, I hated it. My laptop is old, it don't have the touch, I am not use to the single app environment , luckily Microsoft does include a desktop mode without start button but you can use bring your start button back, I have mentioned my detail experience  in this post.

So why Windows 8 is moving forward ?

It seems very unpractical and a desperate attempt to compete with Google, and it seems like Microsoft had lost it direction in OS making, well it turns of the zillion dollar company don't send billion dollars in people salary just for nothing. Soon after the launch of Windows 8 the market got its first major supply of touch screen PC's, the ultra light weight PC which were still not compromising on performance. Well from the most of the domestic users view, you don't have to open 10 applications at once and work on that, hence a single app window mode or multitasking two windows. The battery life increase considerably a regular ultrabook with 4th generation i5 processor an offering 8.5 hours of battery life, saving power on the item are necessary to provide such high battery life with uncompromised performance.

It certainly don't make much difference for the users who were already using Windows 7 or for those whom PC is so old that you can't get drivers for Windows 8. (Windows 7 and Some Windows Vista   

For the users who still have their old laptops and desktop, there is always the option of using the desktop mode, like what I have been doing since Windows 8 launch.

Overall Windows 8 seems like a chaos in the beginning but later emerge as a well though operating system, as the times are changing now and Microsoft certainly don't want to stagnate, like what happen to RIM and its flagship brand blackberry.

The Challenges with windows 8

With the rise of mobile devices the laptop and desktop market saw a restrictive growth where Windows OS was at large, and because Microsoft works on software as a product pattern, the other manufacturers are free to offer substandard products to run Windows 8, which damages its reputation, like what apple don't do.

The market, the Microsoft marketplace is still the least populated market space, people don't simply build application for Microsoft, I think the major reason is that their flagship IDE Visual Studio for dotnet is fairly expensive which led to reduce sale of Windows 8 phone means even lesser opportunity for a windows developer to earn from the application he/she makes, it is a negative feedback loop.

Though Microsoft is seriously supporting its community promise program, but it should really think about making its development platform more accessible to all the developers.    

Upgrading to Windows 8

Well I am writing it pretty late, But just wanted to have the first hand to hand with this new operating system first before writing this.

I just upgraded to this software and after a month of hating it I started liking it. I am using a Sony Sr laptop, which came with Vista Professional and was just a 1 version shortly to get a free upgrade to Windows 7, so let say due to low income or no apparent direct advantage of  windows 7 over windows vista sp2 (and the price) I never upgraded to Windows 7.

But on Oct 26 2012, Microsoft launched Windows 8 with such low price tag (£ 20) that it seemed possible to try out this new OS. I purchased it and installed it and got something like this :

No My computer, not explorer, nothing like my windows use to be and best of all NO SHUTDOWN BUTTON !! Face the HORROR OF METRO UI.

But there was a light, if you press windows key + D, it will show the regular old desktop WITHOUT START MENU, and if you press windows key to open start menu, the pathetic mobile like interface will show up.

Hence it is designed to frustrate the first time user big time, in the beta and RC releases there was a option to bring back old start just by editing a registry key, but that don't work here.

Verdict : Windows 8 is not designed for desktop PC (anything without touch screen), that why Microsoft is giving so cheap upgrades, and all these years you wanted to use the linux or mac but you didn't because you are so comfortable and cozy with the windows classic UI, it is the right time to chase your dream and change your OS.

But wait, so is there is no way to use to Windows 8 on normal desktop PC, though windows 8 UI is pathetic but it comes with some features you want to have :

1. Very cheap upgrade for XP and vista user (Upgrade this is your chance, how ? will tell you in a while).
2. Fast boot, sleep, hibernate and shutdown.
3. Light weight, have a classic desktop but not start menu.
4. It is windows, all your games run here.
5. Pro edition were never so CHEAP.
6. Better firewall and Windows Defender. and many more I haven't checked it out all (I am excluding all the new UI features, because that sucks)

Now if you can get your classic UI back, it is a great deal so how to do that. Well there are 2 classic way and one little over the top way but all of them seems to work fine.

1) CLASSIC SHELL

The classic shell project is there for a while and it provides classic start menu like environment, like windows XP and vista for those who don't want to move away from their roots, but with a Windows 8 Metro UI disaster, this software is nowadays is "talk of the town".

Features

1. It is Free.
2. It windows 8 Ready
3. Disable Metro UI (Windows 8 start menu), but its is still there with key combination like shift + windows.
4. Bring back your classic windows key functionality back.
5. Also provide many other desktop and explorer UI mods to make it look more like the classic feeling in every way.

Some Concerns
It is a great software and it is free, there are few feature loss, like search in start menu is not that fast, instead of windows classic sign you see a SHELL at its place, less glossy, Its UI is more like XP and Vista Hybrid than complete windows 7 clone, but very Stable, I used it for a month, only once my PC hanged because of Classic Shell, it is an actively developed project and promise to deliver more in the future). 

Overall it is a great software to try and use for a long time.

2) Pokki 

This Japanese sounding software are there in the market for a while, it not only comes in windows 8, it also comes for windows XP , Vista and 7, and it provides a parallel type environment for the start menu, and an environment to like metro, but much more integrated with windows Desktop and classic UI rather than sending the user to whole new dimensions.

Features

1. Give start menu like feel.
2. Free.
3. More than a simple start menu, provide games and store like environment

I never used this software but it seems very promising and a free thing to try, people with windows 7 are also using it, because it is not just a start menu, it is a rewritten start menu.

3) Start 8
If you want to bring back the old classic menu with the old classic look and feel of windows 7. This $ 5 product is the way to go.

Features:

1. It brings back the windows 7 experience completely.
2. Nicely integrated with Metro UI, you easily bypass it, but don't really loose it.
3. Fast search, very nicely integrated with windows search. (Not as good as windows 7 or vista, but if you are a regular user, you won't even notice the difference.)  
4. Intelligent pining : like windows 7 it understands that which I item you regularly use and it comes up in front.

Overall  a nice experience for windows 8 "DESKTOP" user and $ 5 is completely worth them self. (Obviously you can sell a $ 20 software for £ 20 OS). I use it, it never crashed or hanged, and I like it.


A Useful advice : Should you upgrade to Windows 8?

1. If your PC is so old that it's drivers for Vista or 7 are not supported.
2. You already having Windows 7 Professional editions on a non touch screen environment. (In this case you can upgrade but won't give you much advantage.
3. Like me if you stuck with Vista and your computer manufacturer provided support for windows 7, because most of Windows 7 Drivers are compatible with Windows 8.

NOTE: Do not trust Microsoft upgrade adviser. Half of the program it say work do not work specially drivers. (I upgraded from Vista and it was a nightmare)