I have spent nearly four months with Windows 8 and have tried to like it. Honestly, I really tried to like it. But, there are a lot of things that simply grate on my nerves that I simply can’t forgive Microsoft of doing with Windows 8.
First off, I am a traditional Windows desktop/notebook user. I have a keyboard and a mouse. That is the user input hardware that I’ve been using for decades. I’m used to it. I don’t have a touchscreen and I won’t ever have a touchscreen. The mouse is a far more accurate input device than a touch of a finger to a screen. I have a tablet and a smartphone, both of which run Android. There are times when a touchscreen is good but when it comes to the main computer that I use, no… just no.
Second, there are some things that I had to fight Windows 8 with. First off, I’m going to start off by saying that I don’t like the Windows 8 Start Screen, I don’t like it. It doesn’t fit into a desktop setup. Touchscreen, yes, but not a desktop. I installed Start8 by Stardock to get my traditional Windows Start Menu back. So all was good until I wanted to play Solitaire. Where is it? Oh, I have to download it in the Windows Store. OK, that I can deal with. OK, time to play it. Wait. It’s not a desktop app? Great, it’s one of those full screen apps. So I play it. I want to go back to the desktop. How do I do that? There’s no indication of how to do just that. I eventually figured it out, I just tapped the Start Button on my keyboard and went back to the traditional desktop… desktop.
I wanted to preview an image. Double-click it. Great, there’s that full screen app thingy again. *sigh*
I want to change a setting. Even creating new users requires going into the full screen app thingy. *grr*
Windows 8… I am on a desktop with no touchscreen! Quit giving me that full screen app stuff and give me a traditional desktop interface.
Warning, this video does have swearing in it. It’s not advisable for children to watch. No, I did not make the video.
OK, have you watched it? Sadly, I agree with the guy on all of the points that he brought up. I should not have to fight with the OS to do what I want simply because the OS thinks that it has a better way of doing it. I am the user, I control the computer. The OS doesn’t own the computer, the user does. The user should be able to dictate how tasks and jobs are done on the computer, not the OS. If the OS gets into the way of the user, there’s a problem. And that’s exactly what Windows 8 does, gets in the way of the user.
So yes, I tried to like Windows 8. I really did. I even tried to convince myself that I liked it. But honestly, I can’t. I don’t like Windows 8. Plain and simple, I don’t like it. I’m going back to Windows 7 where I am in control of the computer, not the OS. I don’t necessarily hate Windows 8, hate is such a… strong word. I dislike it.
If Microsoft is listening, here’s a tip. If people have a traditional desktop environment, treat it as such. If the user has a mobile device like a tablet with a touchscreen, again… treat it as such. However, don’t shove the mobile computing touchscreen oriented platform down a traditional desktop user’s throat. If you want to know why Windows 8 isn’t selling well… look no further than the idea that people don’t want a touchscreen environment on a traditional desktop.
Also… don’t get in the way of the user. Remember… the OS is the platform upon which everything else is done. This could be anything from checking email, browsing the web, to writing a school paper. Those are tasks. An OS is a platform upon which work gets done. If an OS gets in the way of getting tasks done, there’s a problem.