My Dad got a new Dell with Windows 8. He came from XP. Computer is blazing fast but we had to spend lots of time on it relearning how to do the things he was always used to. The old computer worked... it was just really slow.
Windows 8 is just so different, everyone has to relearn it... computer savvy or not.
In the enterprise we are in business to do business... not to spend gobs of money and time on training on a new UI. We still rolling out Windows 7 / Office 2010 and should be done next year with that. Domains JUST been taken to 2008 R2.
A lot of it is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Our Win7 rollout is just computers reaching EOL or dying and being replaced.
One thing in win8 that will have to be disabled is the ability to turn the laptop/computer into an access point, I can see that as being a huge threat to security.
On workstations we went from Office XP/2002 to 2010 1.5+ year ago. Have been deploying Windows 7 instead of XP for more than half a year now, as computers are replaced. For a month plus now SSD are standard (120gb Intel 520) versus the included hard drives. Probably would be another 3+ years before we will consider upgrading the workstation OS. I was mostly curious to see if any organizations were truly embracing Windows 8.
I installed win8 on a VM and a few people looked at it and no one wanted to use it.
I felt the same way when I ran the preview in VM. Without a touch screen, the new UI is just a bad joke. But once you put a normal start menu on it, it turns into what you would expect from Win7 SP2. The new "refresh" recovery option is rather nice, and so far my attempts to intentionally break it have failed. That feature alone might be worth the current upgrade price for consumers, though I'm not sure it would justify the full price in February.
I can't see any benefits in a business environment. I can see a crap load of retraining ($$$). The lack of a Start menu, and that stupid interface is just plain nuts.
Don't even start with 3rd party 'Start Menu' apps. Whay should I pay extra for a feature I used to have? And I don't want to put all my apps through anoher round of compatibility tests with my LOB applications.
Only issue I have had so far Apps wise is an older Access database that I have to run with Admin rights for it to work right with MAPI. Any of the other old apps run fine with XP SP3 Compatibility turned on.
I have a pile of windows 7 boxen sitting here ready for install, what is this windows 8 you speak of? Ohh that tablet software, nope not putting that on the desktops.
I finally upgraded my HP ProBook 4730s to Windows 8 last week. Figured I would need a good week or two to get use to this new OS. And to my surprise, this OS is really awesome! Only has taken me two maybe three days to really get us to it. After you get use to switching back and forth just a little from the new start screen to your desktop, its a breeze and is faster to work with. Do not use a Start add-on program. No need for it. I am cruising with this new OS. First, it boots up in seriously only 10 to 15 seconds to the login screen and then bingo, youre on your start screen even with Symantec End Point Protection running! And we all know how End Point Protection will slow everything down But it doesnt. I was extremely nervous about doing this and like I said, come to find out it is the future and I do want a freaken touch screen notebook now. I see how the Surface tablet now can beat the iPad for sure. And trust me, I am not the big MS fan either. But we are all crazy not to switch to this OS. Windows 9 early rumors are already saying there wont be a desktop anymore. There is no need for it. And you will see and learn why with Windows 8.
Now, the only things I just need to finish figuring out is do we allow end users to download apps from Marketplace Store and if so, how do we manage these updates? They are not updated via WSUS, yet. Otherwise again, with Windows 8, you will not need any other type of portable tablet/iPad if you run Windows 8. Unless the app isnt there yet for Windows
Only other thing I can add to this is that I am even running Office 2013 Pro on Windows 8. Downloaded it from my TechNet account and this is the one thing I dont care for yet The white transition colors are horrible. But this has to do with Office, not Windows 8.
Do you know which version of Endpoint Protection you are running? All of my clients are still on 11, and while it installs, it doesn't run. My testing so far with 12 has been worse, the tray app loads, but the protection services fail to start.
It is actually the only program I've had trouble with so far.
I upgraded my Symantec End Point Protection to 12.1.2015.2015 which is the latest and which is the only version of course supported for Windows 8. I haven't had any issues with version 12. I did with 11 and to our surprise, they where all worked out in version 12.
I love how people keep insisting they need a "desktop". No you don't! That's what the "start screen" is now. It's your desktop and Start menu all built in to one place. And of course helpful if you have a touchscreen notebook. You don't have a "desktop" in iOS for your iPhone! Why in Windows 8 when everything is right there? Trust me, I didn't believe it either at first until I finally upgraded last week. I actually do not mind taking my notebook out of my bag when I get home to quickly check an email, website, etc now because the computer boots in record time and just moves much faster. I would hate to have to power up my notebook because it would take a good minute or two to get to CTRL,ALT,DEL and then another few minutes to load everything. Now, I'm up and running in a minute flat.
I have clients that I do consulting for at night and weekends and a lot of them want Windows 8. I'm the one that keeps pushing them to wait to upgrade... Just like we all have in the past. But with this OS, you do not have to wait. There are any pros to it that it out weighs the cons in my own opinion.
I am actually thinking of taking a couple of old notebooks and tossing Windows 8 on them just to give to my own kids so that they can download the apps with all the games just to prove that this OS can match and beat the iOS phones and iPads... Of course we need the apps which there isn't a lot of yet, but that because we as techs, aren't pushing the developers by installing Windows 8 as we should be.
You can get part of the way there. You can force it to boot to the desktop instead of the Start UI, but actually putting a start menu on it requires 3rd party software.
MS should really just include the Start8 software with each license. I am convinced it would increase sales of Win8.
Most of the organizations I do jobs for are still on XP around here. That is one reason I am glad I got into networking. I can use my creativity and design in coming up with a means to an end that such network will serve. If I am building it, it's an area where I have latitude in determining what parts they order for building it. As opposed to being creative in how to keep the same old crap software struggling to plug along because many don't want to upgrade a mass corporate license until they have to. Leaving you crossing your fingers that you spotted every security issue introduced by their cheapness and plugged the hole with some putty and tape. I personally hate working on such old software as I appreciate the progress since then. I would rather build a secure fast network that meets ones needs and leave the clunkers that connect to it up to some other poor gal/bloke.
All the businesses I do work for don't want win8 most of the owners of these businesses have tried 8 and said no. Only one business owner was interested, untill I let him try it and then he said no.
Windows 8 = Bad joke.
If MS continues down this path, Linux will be the new course for business. I am testing out mint desktop with a few owners on a separate box to see how they like it. No complaints so far, they also like the idea of saving money. I am trying to learn everything Linux so my customers can save some dough.
Linux active directory server Linux file server One time fee for a Linux exchange Linux Desktop x 30
price for software = $1500(for the exchange license)
Price for windows on the same setup = up words of $14k
The big problem with the Metro interface is that they killed multitasking. I have a 2 monitor setup at work and often have 3 or 4 windows open side by side. Can't do that in Metro. Sure you can use desktop mode, but unless you patch it with 3rd party softwares (Start8/Classic shell) you always have to go back to Metro.
What they should have done is give us the choice. "Tablet mode" or "Desktop mode". Pretty much like some Linux distros that let us choose which interface to use.
If Microsoft try to push Metro even more and end up removing desktop mode, I think Linux will start gaining much more popularity.
The big problem with the Metro interface is that they killed multitasking. I have a 2 monitor setup at work and often have 3 or 4 windows open side by side. Can't do that in Metro. Sure you can use desktop mode, but unless you patch it with 3rd party softwares (Start8/Classic shell) you always have to go back to Metro.
What they should have done is give us the choice. "Tablet mode" or "Desktop mode". Pretty much like some Linux distros that let us choose which interface to use.
If Microsoft try to push Metro even more and end up removing desktop mode, I think Linux will start gaining much more popularity.
I wish I thought what you say would come true because there is much more freedom in Linux. However, I see us going back to a Windows xp type situation where people clung to a 10 year old OS because they didn't like Vista(many didn't even like 7, at first). That is horrible for innovation and progress, so I really wish it would go the way you said! Of course, a middle ground might be third party desktop shell software. Not too much wrong with using that, but MS needs to give people an environment they want to use.
Yeah you're right. Actually Windows 7 seems good enough to stay for years.
Edit : I'm quite impressed. I installed Ubuntu 12 a few days ago on my personnal laptop to try to find why it was freezing randomly. (Just wanted to see if it would still freeze under Linux because I couldn't find anything wrong) I got used to Ubuntu in 2 or 3 days and I must say I like it. After 3 months, I couldn't get used to Windows 8...
I thought that this thread was a joke Realistically, I had to pick up 7 licenses for all of the new workstations because nobody could get any work done on 8. Fortunately I was dealing with a small group of savvy, self-sufficient users, so I didn't go crazy. We migrated all the workstations we could get away with to Mint (Ubuntu's Unity suffers from many of the same issues as 8), but some are running a rare single platform package, so we couldn't do them all.