Why Windows 8 Sucks And Rules at The Same Time #Windows8
Windows 8 is garnering more attention than any Windows release since perhaps the original OS came out 26 years ago. Critics say Windows 8 is not built for computing, not powerful enough, and not easy to use. Fans love the new metro User interface, redesigned apps, and app store. Me? I agree with the both of them, and here’s why.
As a non-touch operating system, Windows 8 is overcomplicated, poorly designed, and rather annoying. I have a Windows 8 virtual machine running on my mac, and I have the OS fully installed on a netbook of mine as well. The fact is though, Windows is built for tablets, and all of the annoyingly touch focussed points of the OS that suck on a standard PC are fantastic in tablet form.
The hot corners, excessive swiping, and such are all designed for touch screen, and within three years nearly every PC on the market will have at least some form of integrated touch anyhow. We’ve reached the renaissance of the PC. These changes may seem unnecessary now, but Microsoft needed to implement this now so that they can grow.
Unless you have a tablet or touch PC, I’d advise you to stick to Windows 7, but I believe that this OS is a great learning experience for Microsoft. They’re going to take what they learn from this first tablet/PC combo OS to make a fantastic next OS.
The Windows app store is another long overdue change to Windows that is certainly a welcome addition to the OS. The app store is small, but it gives an aspect of reliability to Windows software and consolidates the various marketplaces so that all the best apps are in one place. The concept worked well for OSX and it will work just as well for Windows.
The other features of Windows 8 are well designed as well, such as the new outlook, menus, IE, task manager, etc.
It sounds cheesy, but Windows 8 isn’t an operating system for today, but for tomorrow. It’s built for a future where every PC has a touch screen as well, and for that it will serve its’ purpose very well. As an OS in the current world though, it’s not so great because it is so built off of those touch gestures, that without them it is a challenge to navigate.
Mac OSX has been doing this transition slowly for years which has made the gradual change easier and much more intuitive, but Windows is trying to leap forward instead of jumping. So for now, although the built-in apps are much better, and the app store is awesome, I’ll be sticking to OSX, my new macbook pro, and Windows 7 on that HP I had so much trouble with, and I dislike Windows 8, but in the future I think it has a shot at greatness, and when I test the Microsoft Surface, their first PC, I’ll know for sure.
[polldaddy poll=6640214]
