dslreports logo
 
    All Forums Hot Topics Gallery
spc
Search similar:


uniqs
5621
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

Mele20 to chachazz

Premium Member

to chachazz

Re: [WIN8] Windows 'Blue' to be Windows 8.1

There is nothing in Win 8.1 that improves it if you are a desktop user with a mouse, keyboard and normal monitor.

I uninstalled all the apps on Metro side that would let me uninstall them the day I got this computer. Then I disabled UAC in the registry. So, I can't download this junk even if I wanted to as I cannot use Metro apps, or the Microsoft Store, after disabling UAC. I'd have to restore UAC registry key temporarily which wrecks havoc with HostsMan. Plus, I assume this update will screwup HostsMan until I can fix it in Windows firewall.

I have Start8 and use the Metro side only if I have to enter bios or start in safe mode. I see Microsoft is doing nothing to fix the hideous, garish colors allowed on Metro side. Does NO ONE at Microsoft have a SHRED of taste?

My only real concern here is will Microsoft support Win 8 (not 8.1) for the next five years for security patches? If so, then I will probably just continue with Win 8.0 that I have. If Microsoft is planning to abandon security patching for Win 8.0 in a year or two and force folks to upgrade every year to whatever irrelevant (to desktop users) "new" version of Win 8 Metro they come out with, then I would like to know this NOW as I will downgrade to Win 7 as it is supported for security patches for the expected life of this computer.

mintyfresh
@frontiernet.net

mintyfresh

Anon

UAC should no longer be an issue with properly written software, Vista, and Win 7 have been out for years now unless somebody is trying to force legacy software to do a job. Even then it's easy enough to setup a scheduled task to run a program on the account startup to run the program fully elevated on that account. Seems you just don't know how to use windows well enough, and disabling uac just makes everything run with full permissions which is just dangerous to begin with. You should never have to depend on 3rd party software to protect you from yourself.

Sure 8.1 is all about the new ui, and how they are trying to fix what wasn't working with their previous attempt. Being able to run multiple programs at a time seemed to escape the common sense of the special ed idiots at Microsoft, and now they are finally putting it into the new gui. Things like not being able to change the background, and colors other than some presets for the new ui was obviously somebodies artistic ego thinking they were better than what the user might actually want.

I cannot see them forcing those with 8.1 to abandon their eol of 2023 for win 8 if it's not considered a service pack in the end, and I'm sure most of the improvements will never benefit all the legacy desktop users who are still the majority of it's users.

I'm not sure what true improvement IE 11 will bring, but this is one of the quickest major number updates I've seen to IE in a long time. With how long it took to bring IE 10 to Win 7 I'm not so sure IE 11 will make it to Win 7, and with Microsoft having a history of not updating IE for previous currently supported operating systems webmasters will ignore making pages for IE 11 specifically as they still are forced to support half a dozen other versions of IE.
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

Mele20

Premium Member

I've always run as Admin from XP on. (Of all OSes, I still prefer 98SE because it did not assume that I let everyone in the world use my personal computer and it gave ME full control which is how it should be). No infections. I am not an ignorant "my computer is a toaster" user. I practice safe hex at all times. HostsMan runs at boot and it was extremely difficult to get it elevated when UAC was running. It would show up in the systray as disabled and it was not a simple one, two click through UAC (which was already disabled in Windows software) to get to the elevation level needed to get HostsMan running. Besides, I should not have to hassle with elevation every time I reboot! (I have rebooted probably 15 times in the past few days as my RealTek network controller keeps disconnecting. Even if I was just rebooting once in a while, I should not have to hassle with UAC each time to get HostsMan working. It wasn't just HostsMan either.

I quickly learned that disabling UAC doesn't really disable it in Win 8. My mistake was that while I did unhide the hidden full, one and only true admin account on Win 7 and Win 8, I chose to use my Admin account instead. That was my main mistake. In XP there are no differences between a user Admin account and the hidden default Admin account. But that changed and in Vista Ultimate I finally had to switch to the hidden default Admin account to get full control. I thought Microsoft would have fixed that in Win 8 but they didn't. So, the next best solution in Win 8 was to go into the registry and remove the UAC keys.

This is a NEW computer. I resent Microsoft, or anyone, calling me a "legacy" user. I CHOSE to buy a new, higher end desktop. I don't waste money on things I don't need (if I was wealthy maybe I would waste money). I have no need for an inferior laptop and certainly not an extremely inferior tablet! Nor do I, at least at this time, need a cellphone with or without internet. I don't understand Microsoft's assumption that everyone prefers laptops, tablets and smartphones to very powerful desktops.

In all that reading, I guess I missed there will be a new IE with this update. It doesn't really matter to me. IE10 is ok but certainly not my choice in a browser so a newer version doesn't excite me. I wanted a way to NEVER have to see Metro screen...it should not be there at all for desktop users. I want a NORMAL OS on a desktop. I'm fine with Microsoft making an OS for those forced to use inferior laptops and tablets and who have to carry computers with them (thank god I don't have to do that) but they should have made two separate OSes....one for the highly mobile crowd and another, more traditional, OS for desktop users who don't want to use the internet when away from their desk (at home or work).
Happydude32
Premium Member
join:2005-07-16

2 recommendations

Happydude32

Premium Member

Maybe you haven’t noticed, or just refuse to notice since you’re so stuck in your ways, but we are an ever increasing mobile society. Smartphones and tablets remain the hottest selling consumer electronic items, they have been for a while and show no indication of slowing down anytime soon. Weather you care to use them or not, your feelings on them are irrelevant as you are becoming part of the vast minority. Latest numbers have VZW and AT&T with upwards of 50 million smartphone subscribers each, adding 5-7 million users per quarter. By the end of next year, between the big four carriers there will probably be well over 200 million smartphone users in America. Save me the privacy crap and not being able to get cell phone reception in your building. You’ve parroted yourself a million times on the subject. Fact, you do not represent the majority of the population. Tablets are selling at an insane rate. And no, the vast majority of people do not care about desktops. Laptops have been outselling desktops since 2008, maybe that accounts for Microsoft’s assumption that everyone wants a laptop, because everyone actually does!

Not that I would personally buy a computer from Best Buy or recommend anyone buy anything from them, but during my time working their part time for some extra cash, at our store, the flagship BB in the area and the one with the highest amount of foot traffic, we moved maybe 2-3 desktops a week, and maybe 1 or 2 all in ones on average. There’s were times we sold more laptops or tablets in an hour then desktops in an entire week. The average consumer does not want a desktop, they want something more mobile and portable.

Desktops will always have a place with gamers, and in places of business that need very high end graphics capabilities. But aside from the latest first person shooter, I challenge you to name a program that would choke my second gen Core i7 2.3/3.2 Ghz laptop, running 16GB of RAM and 1GB dedicated ATI graphics card. I have absolutely no problem using any of the Abobe CS6 programs, or 3D rendering applications from Autodesk like Inventor or 3DS Max. While todays desktops are insanely spec’d, laptops are becoming more powerful and the difference between a high end desktop and a high end laptop is not as great as it used to be, unless you get into custom work with overclocking, liquid cooling and whatnot. I will never buy a desktop computer again.

And who are you to say the metro interface should not be there for desktop users? Just because you don’t like it, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have a choice. I just installed Windows 8 Pro on my desktop a few weeks ago, and absolutely love it! While I don’t use the Metro UI all the time, I enjoy using the dedicated apps from time to time. I’ve been using the metro apps exclusively for Amazon, eBay and ESPN and absolutely love them and will never use their respective traditional websites again on my desktop. And hopefully, the developers will improve on some of the other apps I have downloaded, so I won’t have to go to those websites any more either. And the Bing apps from Microsoft aren’t too bad either, better than I thought they’d be, especially the Weather and Sports apps.
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

67845017 (banned)

Member

Thank you!

Finally a response where a person isn't bemoaning the demise of the horse and buggy. When I hear someone extolling the virtues of an over 15 year old operating system, it's impossible to not just tune it out.

Freddy
Premium Member
join:2005-05-17
Arlington, VA

Freddy

Premium Member

An article in this month's Maximum PC opined that adoption of Windows 8 involves five stages:

First comes denial
Second comes confusion
Third comes Anger
Forth comes Depression
Fifth comes acceptance.

The author concluded by saying, "There are enough improvements to Windows 8 that at this point in my life, I've decided to accept it, and maybe even prefer it."

Ha, Freddy

Octavean
MVM
join:2001-03-31
New York, NY

Octavean

MVM

Thats funny,...

Mimicking the five stages of loss and grief:

1. Denial
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

67845017 (banned)

Member

It seems to be the same thing over and over, each time MS comes out with a new operating system that isn't identical to its previous one. People are silly.

aurgathor
join:2002-12-01
Lynnwood, WA

aurgathor

Member

Windows 95 was very 1different from 3.1 and 3.11, and it was much better received than Windows 8.
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

1 recommendation

67845017 (banned)

Member

I think the population is just older and less able to tolerate change. I look at how my 10, 14 and 16 year old kids have adapted to Windows 8 and I can see that it's really those that consider themselves "experts" in the old ways that are having issues. That being said, I consider myself an expert, having spent a few years designing PCs and microprocessors, and I don't have any issues with it. Most people are or will move along with little to no problem.

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

JohnInSJ to aurgathor

Premium Member

to aurgathor
said by aurgathor:

Windows 95 was very 1different from 3.1 and 3.11, and it was much better received than Windows 8.

That's because Windows 3.x was utter crap. Win8 isn't a massive learning curve, but it's not identical to Win7. And it is a massive improvement when used with modern touch enabled hardware.
robman50
join:2010-12-14

robman50

Member

Plus Windows 3.1 and 3.11 required MS-DOS to run.

plencnerb
Premium Member
join:2000-09-25
53403-1242

plencnerb to 67845017

Premium Member

to 67845017
said by 67845017:

It seems to be the same thing over and over, each time MS comes out with a new operating system that isn't identical to its previous one. People are silly.

Not to mention, if the OS is going to be a carbon copy of the version before it, why have a new version? Isn't that the point of a new version of the OS, to be somewhat different and improved?

--Brian
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

67845017 (banned)

Member

You would think, right?!

Octavean
MVM
join:2001-03-31
New York, NY

Octavean to plencnerb

MVM

to plencnerb
Indeed its a fine line on a slippery slope to mix metaphors,....

Microsoft must bring something compelling, new and different with each new version of their OS(es) but not change things too much. So in other words "different" but the "same".

No tall order apparently,....and not at all contradictory,...... right,...!?!

gzt7d8
Aliens live amongst us
Premium Member
join:2001-07-13
Traverse City, MI

gzt7d8 to chachazz

Premium Member

to chachazz
It sounds like I'm going to be disappointed on MS idea of a Start Button. Oh WOW, let's create a short cut to the Start Menu...no thanks....looks like MS isn't listening to their customers again.

I'll stay with my 3rd party addon.

Sorry MS, but you missed the MARK again.
Expand your moderator at work

chachazz
Premium Member
join:2003-12-14

chachazz to gzt7d8

Premium Member

to gzt7d8

Re: [WIN8] Windows 'Blue' to be Windows 8.1

New ecosystem opportunities, Windows 8.1 updates shared at Computex
Jun 05, 2013 by Brandon LeBlanc

First public demo of Win 8.1 shown at Computex Taiwan 2013...
»blogs.windows.com/window ··· tex.aspx
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

Mele20 to chachazz

Premium Member

to chachazz
Here's what Windows 8 should have been. I'd be perfectly happy with this:

»www.infoworld.com/t/micr ··· 8-219825

GlennLouEarl
3 brothers, 1 gone
Premium Member
join:2002-11-17
Richmond, VA

GlennLouEarl

Premium Member

What?! Retaining re-sizable windows in Windows even for "modern" apps instead of forcing them to full-screen?! ...the Devil you say! (made me do it)

Yep, can't touch this.

67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

1 recommendation

67845017 (banned) to Mele20

Member

to Mele20
Armchair quarterbacking at it's finest. The cretin doesn't even understand the entire reasoning behind the choices MS made. It's one thing for a journalist to throw crap out there, it's an entirely different thing to make strategic corporate decisions that impact present and future business models. That's the problem. People like who wrote the article have no clue about business. And MS is a business.
Mele20
Premium Member
join:2001-06-05
Hilo, HI

1 recommendation

Mele20

Premium Member

Yep. It is a business that can fail.

Stop blowing hot air and say something insightful and useful.

Exactly what is wrong with Infoworld's suggestions? Is the problem because you are such a rigid personality that you cannot fathom having an OS that pleases the vast majority of those who use it, but want one that only pleases some?
BlitzenZeus
Burnt Out Cynic
Premium Member
join:2000-01-13

BlitzenZeus

Premium Member

Desktop and server operating systems were reported to be only 20% of the devices browsing the web recently. The home pc is no longer necessary for what most people use it for, and they find their smartphone and tablets fill the need. They want to focus on gaining market share with these devices even if their WinRT, and Win 8 Pro devices were not a marketing success.

There's many things they could have, and should have done. Some of that they are trying to fix with 8.1

Simple stuff like the wallpaper on the start menu, somebody really didn't use common sense with Win 8.
67845017 (banned)
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL

1 edit

2 recommendations

67845017 (banned) to Mele20

Member

to Mele20
I've worked in businesses that range in size from $3B to $20B. We make all kinds of business decisions based on many different criteria--not everyone understands why things are done the way they are.

You are like IW. You don't have any insight (and neither do I or anyone else) as to what business reasons MS may have in designing Win 8 the way they did.

Unfortunately, you've said little useful other than just whining that everything other than XP sucks.

JohnInSJ
Premium Member
join:2003-09-22
Aptos, CA

JohnInSJ to Mele20

Premium Member

to Mele20
said by Mele20:

Is the problem because you are such a rigid personality that you cannot fathom having an OS that pleases the vast majority of those who use it, but want one that only pleases some?

There is more that a little irony in that statement on rigidity, after all not accepting change could be viewed as being rigid.
Kerodo
join:2004-05-08

Kerodo

Member

said by JohnInSJ:

said by Mele20:

Is the problem because you are such a rigid personality that you cannot fathom having an OS that pleases the vast majority of those who use it, but want one that only pleases some?

There is more that a little irony in that statement on rigidity, after all not accepting change could be viewed as being rigid.

There's good change and there's bad change. None of this was or is good change...