Windows 8.1

Drew_TNBD

I really like Windows 8. I'm not taking the piss either - it's much quicker than Windows 7, all the shit is in places I expect, and the start menu can (and always has) been easily restored by installing ClassicShell.

Myranda

Windows 8 does have a slightly better written back end... and 8.1 fixes some slightly niggly things. Some little things like keeping your background image when the metro interface pops up for instance...

I still hold that the Metro side to side scrolling thing is only really any good for touch screens when compared to alternatives like the start menu, or whatever the menu in OSx is called or normal linuxy menues... so the deskop version should be easier to re-activate the old style start menu - rather than downloading (and in some cases paying for) a 3rd party program. Desktops with big touch friendly icons mean wasted screen

strumjoughlamps

That is another thing 8.1 has addressed, more resizing options with tiles which I can see helping on a desktop computer table type environment as you can make the tiles icon size.

digitalscream

monquixote said:

Unity is completely broken on my Linux dev PC at work. It's a core 2 duo 2GB RAM so not new, but not a total shitheap and it takes about 2 seconds from pressing the key to the Unity menu to appear. I had to go back to Gnome 2

Are you using an older version (I presume so, since you have the option of Gnome 2)? I had that issue too (which is why I used XFCE). That's one of the performance problems that got fixed in 13.04, and now in 13.10 there's no lag anywhere in the interface.

monquixote said:

To be honest they aren't entirely blameless. They don't contribute a huge amount back to the kernel and Debian considering the size of company. 

From what I understand, they don't do much kernel development at all since their focus is on the user experience. As for contributing back to Debian...

http://udd.debian.org/cgi-bin/ubuntu_usertag.cgi

Looks like Ubuntu are pretty big in the contribution stakes...?

monquixote

digitalscream said:

monquixote said:

Unity is completely broken on my Linux dev PC at work. It's a core 2 duo 2GB RAM so not new, but not a total shitheap and it takes about 2 seconds from pressing the key to the Unity menu to appear. I had to go back to Gnome 2

Are you using an older version (I presume so, since you have the option of Gnome 2)? I had that issue too (which is why I used XFCE). That's one of the performance problems that got fixed in 13.04, and now in 13.10 there's no lag anywhere in the interface.

It's 13.04. IIRC I think I installed gnome 2 to get an IDE working via some backdoor. It has improved a lot but for me it still crashes occasionally or signifies the need to send an error report to Canonical and it's still too laggy compared to the search in OSX or Win7, or even Gnome-Do 

I'll try 13.11 at some point and see what that does. I don't have any ideological dislike of it. I don't use the start menu in 7 or the dock in OSX. I always use search so I'm their ideal user.

As for their contributions it's the argument I've heard neckbeard haters who prefer Gentoo et al that they take, but don't give much back. 

Personally I think things like Upstart and BZR are brilliant contributions to the OSS comunity

monquixote

Also Ars are saying 8.1 is much better. 

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/10/windows-8-1-what-a-difference-a-year-makes/

PolarityMan

monquixote said:

digitalscream said:

monquixote said:

Unity is completely broken on my Linux dev PC at work. It's a core 2 duo 2GB RAM so not new, but not a total shitheap and it takes about 2 seconds from pressing the key to the Unity menu to appear. I had to go back to Gnome 2

Are you using an older version (I presume so, since you have the option of Gnome 2)? I had that issue too (which is why I used XFCE). That's one of the performance problems that got fixed in 13.04, and now in 13.10 there's no lag anywhere in the interface.

It's 13.04. IIRC I think I installed gnome 2 to get an IDE working via some backdoor. It has improved a lot but for me it still crashes occasionally or signifies the need to send an error report to Canonical and it's still too laggy compared to the search in OSX or Win7, or even Gnome-Do 

I'll try 13.11 at some point and see what that does. I don't have any ideological dislike of it. I don't use the start menu in 7 or the dock in OSX. I always use search so I'm their ideal user.

As for their contributions it's the argument I've heard neckbeard haters who prefer Gentoo et al that they take, but don't give much back. 

Personally I think things like Upstart and BZR are brilliant contributions to the OSS comunity

Its not just about launching apps though, my primary use of launcher, or the start "bar" on windows is actually t switch between windows. Launcher does that OK but id prefer smaller icons to fit more stuff on...and it to work properly and not randomly sometimes scroll all the icons off the top or bottom of the launcher from where they cant be recovered.

General integration still feels a bit pants as well. If I right click to copy from the file explorer and paste into the terminal i get file:// prepended onto the path for some reason, doesnt seem to happen anywhere else.

If I want to put an icon on the launcher at first glance it looks like i can just drag and drop, but this only works for some apps, for others i need to write a desktop file.

Im stil on 12.10 so im not cutting edge but the whole desktop experience still feels a bit amateurish. (luckily for ubuntu so does win8 at the moment).

digitalscream

PolarityMan said:

Its not just about launching apps though, my primary use of launcher, or the start "bar" on windows is actually t switch between windows. Launcher does that OK but id prefer smaller icons to fit more stuff on...and it to work properly and not randomly sometimes scroll all the icons off the top or bottom of the launcher from where they cant be recovered.

General integration still feels a bit pants as well. If I right click to copy from the file explorer and paste into the terminal i get file:// prepended onto the path for some reason, doesnt seem to happen anywhere else.

If I want to put an icon on the launcher at first glance it looks like i can just drag and drop, but this only works for some apps, for others i need to write a desktop file.

Im stil on 12.10 so im not cutting edge but the whole desktop experience still feels a bit amateurish. (luckily for ubuntu so does win8 at the moment).

13.04 is better at it - and if you install compizconfig-settingsmanager or the Unity Tweak Tool then you can control the size of the icons in the launcher.

I've never had trouble dragging/dropping into the launcher, but I tend to drag stuff from the Unity dash - does that help?

PolarityMan

digitalscream said:

PolarityMan said:

Its not just about launching apps though, my primary use of launcher, or the start "bar" on windows is actually t switch between windows. Launcher does that OK but id prefer smaller icons to fit more stuff on...and it to work properly and not randomly sometimes scroll all the icons off the top or bottom of the launcher from where they cant be recovered.

General integration still feels a bit pants as well. If I right click to copy from the file explorer and paste into the terminal i get file:// prepended onto the path for some reason, doesnt seem to happen anywhere else.

If I want to put an icon on the launcher at first glance it looks like i can just drag and drop, but this only works for some apps, for others i need to write a desktop file.

Im stil on 12.10 so im not cutting edge but the whole desktop experience still feels a bit amateurish. (luckily for ubuntu so does win8 at the moment).

13.04 is better at it - and if you install compizconfig-settingsmanager or the Unity Tweak Tool then you can control the size of the icons in the launcher.

I've never had trouble dragging/dropping into the launcher, but I tend to drag stuff from the Unity dash - does that help?

Anything eclipse based seems particularly bad.

monquixote

PolarityMan said:

Anything eclipse based seems particularly bad.

That sentence works regardless of if you are talking about Unity.

holnrew

The proper 8.1 is much nicer than the preview. It's very quick and works nicely. I only ever found programmes in Vista and 7 by hitting the Windows key and typing. I don't use Metro apps, but I think I would if the desktop toolbar could be accessed.

PolarityMan

monquixote said:

PolarityMan said:

Anything eclipse based seems particularly bad.

For a java IDE I quite like it. As a platform for building anything else, if the results are anything to go by, it's a bit shit. That sentence works regardless of if you are talking about Unity.

PolarityMan

FFS what is wrong with the shitting quote button on iOS?

luscombe

Windows 8 is the work of the devil. I bought a new laptop 8 months ago with windows 8 installed. i'm finding it so difficult & annoying to use I'm going to spend another £1,500 to buy an apple MacBook Pro. Obviously i'll sell the laptop that I bought 8 months ago once the Mac arrives, but I'm bound to lose money when I sell it. Windows 8 is quite simply not fit for purpose, and if Microsoft don't get their act together I can see them going the way of Betamax video recorders and Nokia 'phones.  

chrispy108

I really don't see how people get so upset about Windows 8. I log-in, hit the desktop button, use my computer the same as I did on Windows 7.

I've got file explorer and my main apps pinned to the taskbar.

The only time I can tell it's not Windows 7 is when I connect to an internet hotspot, or launch another programme.

Zodiac51

LOL.. Guitarists, except the Armish it would be hard to find a group more resistant to change, oh and the Luddites I guess. 

"Leo and Les got it right 1st time back in '54 man" )

bertie

just about to roll out 8.1 to a big customer................. watch this space

mudslide73

^^ Good luck with gpos and (if you use them) scripts. Complete bollocks in every way. Lockups in Win Updates (through WSUS or the web) and problems with basic stuff like printers and IE proxy settings. Random problems with AV software and Office needing to be re-registered if you log on as someone else. Stupid multi layered apps that don't work properly on either Metro or the desktop.

We're being bullied into lumping this by manufacturers withdrawing 7. I know Lenovo were bundling a freeware "start button" in lieu of 8.1..

bertie

we're system  centre through and through for end user device managment     we use GPOs on most customer sites - not my area tho

no problems if you plan/design it properly from the start

dafuzz

I tried to update my Win8 to Win8.1 recently. First I forgot my Win8 password (haven't booted into it in a year) so I had to go online to reset it, which actually seemed to go pretty smoothly. Updated password from phone, tapped new password into Win8 desktop, worked. Woo hoo.

Noticed the email addy was an old one that is now all but abandoned so I changed that to a newer one. So far so good.

Went to the app store and downloaded the update, which took about an hour to download and install. This is going well. Machine restarted a few times as expected. Now I'm asked for my password again. Except the email addy it's showing is the old one not the new one. Wut? Tried the new password but the fucking piece of shit wasn't having it. Tried to remember the old one again but failed a few times. Thought a reset might make it look again at my login details and get them right this time, and the bastard machine rolled back to Win 8 on restart.

I got Win 8 through Dreamspark so I've just gone and downloaded a fresh 8.1 installation disk but I've no desire to install the bollocking cuntface.

Quite happy with 7 thanks. Here's looking forward to Win 9.