Anyone use Windows 8?

[MossRoad]

I bought a new laptop with 8 installed. I had it configured to work like XP. A friend did it for me, so don't ask me how to do it. It took me an hour to figure out how to shut down 8.

Push the power button.

W8 will shut itself and all programs down nicely with one push of the power button. You may have to set the power button options in your control center, but that's what we did on the surface and a PC that we have that has W8. That feature has been around at least since XP.

 

[aczlan]

Installed Windows 8.1 on a Virtual Machine. Once I installed the classic start menu (making it look like 7) and the usual programs (Chrome, Firefox, Acrobat, 7zip, Notepad++, etc) its not too bad. Might switch to 8 when it comes time to reformat my Win 7 laptop (I have licenses for 8 through school).

Aaron Z

 

[aczlan]

Push the power button.
W8 will shut itself and all programs down nicely with one push of the power button. You may have to set the power button options in your control center, but that's what we did on the surface and a PC that we have that has W8. That feature has been around at least since XP.

You can also set it to hibernate the computer when the power button is pushed. Less risky with small kids who like to push buttons...

Aaron Z

 

[Egbert]

Egbert - which phone did you get? Please say a WinPhone8

Samsung Galaxy S4

 

[MossRoad]

A little while back my father asked me to upgrade his systems to Windows 8 - he thought it would be great. After putting it on, he hated it, hard to find things, not intuitive, and lots of little issues with programs/antivirus, etc... Ended up deleting and restoring his laptop to the org. configuration - he is happy again.
Windows 8 reminded me why we have all Mac machines in our house. I NEVER have to fix or deal with issue on my wife's or kids computers anymore. I can't figure out what to do with all my free time anymore.......

We have several dozen Macs at work. They have just as many problems in a production environment as our PCs. . Also, if you really need deep Mac support in a production environment, good luck with that. There aren't many Mac gurus out there compared to Windows gurus.

 

[MossRoad]

OK, now I know many of you will find this amusing, but my cell phone is over 10 years old. It still makes the calls, lets folks leave messages, and lets me retrieve those messages from voicemail. I've seen no need to "upgrade" to a phone that has features that I would not use. I do not text or surf the web, while driving, and spend a lot of my time on the road. For internet, I am more comfortable with a laptop, or even a desktop.

And yes, when TV went digital, and I had to have a converter box, or a new TV, I removed the TV, and honestly, I have not missed it. I know, I am in the minority here, but change for the sake of just getting the "latest", is a bit silly, for some of us. :2cents:

You know, I used to laugh at people that used GPS. The Boy Scout in me just said "Read a map, you idiot". Then I played with a GPS last summer. Guess what? Its a map. Its a whole lotta map in a box. A generally really good map, and a heck of a lot easier than folding up that piece of paper over and over again. And its a talking map. So you don't even have to look at it. And it tells you how fast you're going, how far you have to go, how far you have gone, what time you can expect to be there, etc....

As for cell phone, my employer gave us iPhones. If I'm out in the woods and see a plant, I can look it up in my hand. Or a bird, or a bug. Or a restaurant, cause you might get hungry in the woods.

I generally agree that change for the sake of getting the latest is stupid, but a lot of the new technology is just fascinating AND useful.I feel sorry for folks that are baffled by credit card gas pumps and roundabouts. And having a library at your fingertips is just a huge luxury. My wife hated technology. Last year she won a Kindle at a convention. Can't get her off it now. She downloads books from the library, converses with the kid at college several times a day and generally keeps up with current events much better now.

 

[MossRoad]

Oh come on Egbert, if it was as great as you proclaim and as easy to use this thread would not be so lopsided, some of us may be "old codgers", but that doesn't mean we are new to computing or change, just not change for change sake and change that makes our lives and computing more complicated rather than easier.

Like many others, I started back in the days of DOS and I was actually a bit earlier and my first computer didn't even have a hard drive, all programs were on disks. We are not a bunch of Luddites, we just simply don't find Windows 8 to be a good, user friendly system.

Disks? You had disks? We had cassette tapes! :laughing:



Here's a little clip for all us old dudes.... enjoy!

 

[aczlan]

We have several dozen Macs at work. They have just as many problems in a production environment as our PCs. . Also, if you really need deep Mac support in a production environment, good luck with that. There aren't many Mac gurus out there compared to Windows gurus.

Heresy , how dare you suggest that there are jobs for which a Mac is not the ideal tool for the job or that it can have problems :rotfl:.

Aaron Z

 

[Midniteoyl]

If you have to travel, each additional device you have to carry and maintain becomes a hassle and a liability. I can take an iPad over the cell network to connect to my systems with a VPN and drive the whole plant from my tractor. I can also make and recieve phone calls on an iPad. I can't do that with a Surface. Both are similar in price. And the iPad weighs less.

iPad isnt a full computer either..

 

[Midniteoyl]

Push the power button.

W8 will shut itself and all programs down nicely with one push of the power button. You may have to set the power button options in your control center, but that's what we did on the surface and a PC that we have that has W8. That feature has been around at least since XP.

Default is that power button will put the computer to Sleep with a push, and to power off with a 4 sec hold.