So I downloaded Windows 8 Beta 2 yesterday

[Poop Master Flex]

I gotta say so far I'm not a fan of it at all. Maybe its because I live on computers or maybe I'm stuck in the past but I think it sucks.

First off the tile menu (basically the Windows phone main screen) looks fucking stupid. The icons look like they were designed by a Kindergartener in art class. Look at iOS how to do the tile screen right, its nice to look at, elegant and simple, the way an OS should be. They don't have 2 separate views (1 is the Windows phone tile screen and the other is your basic desktop screen from windows 7).

Although I know what they were going for as of right now its unnecessary, especially for a desktop or laptop. Its nice to have your weather, email, music, video's, ect. right in front of you I'll admit, also the customization on it's pretty good but there is no need for it. Everything they are doing you can easily accomplish by widgets on a Windows 7 machine. To search for apps all you just type on the tile screen and it does a search, or you can just right click and view all apps. This is all fine and well but 90% of the apps have to run on the Windows 7 desktop screen, so basically you start your app in one screen only for it to switch to desktop mode. If you can't run most of the apps on the new tile screen what's the use of it (especially when you can just download a few free widgets to accomplish everything on the tile screen).

Now you maybe thinking "well just use it in desktop mode and be done with it". That's all fine and good but then that leaves me to 4 points:

1) There is NO start menu in desktop mode so the tile screen is a necessity. Why have 2 different views? If you are gonna do a tile screen do the tile screen. If you are gonna do the regular Windows desktop screen do that but make a decision and not have some shitty hybrid that they are going for. Keep it simple.

2) The few apps that do run in tile mode are used completely different than in desktop mode. For example, instead of simply clicking the X in the top right corner you now go to the top left corner and drag the app down to exit. I'm not against the new way of doing it but keep it consistent.

3) If all my apps run in desktop mode why even get windows 8, why not stick with Windows 7?

4) WHERE IS THE FUCKING START MENU IN DESKTOP MODE? Why change what people have been used to for almost 20 years. If you are gonna have a desktop mode like Windows 7 just keep the start menu so people have a choice. Better yet, have them use the tile screen only and remove desktop altogether! If you can't do it wait a while, work out a way to do it all in one view THEN release it.

Apparently they are hoping to make every new computer a touch screen in a year which is the route they are going. There is nothing wrong with their direction, not at all but if that's the route you are going completely commit 100%, not half and half. I would rather wait a few years for them to commit to one view instead of coming out with this half ass abomination of an OS.

Luckily this is just a beta version so there is still some work to be done but from my understanding release is in June, 2 months away. They have a lot of work to do on this before they release it.

I'm all for change but only when its done right. Take iOS for example, that's change done right. Everything's in one place, its easy to use and easy to learn. I know people who didn't even know how to find all apps who were using it for 2 months and these are expert programmers who live and breath technology.

So a note to Microsoft. When you make a change make it simpler and easier to use than ever before, if you can't accomplish that stick to what works until you figure it out. Stick with 1 view. Like I said 2 views wouldn't be too bad, but only if you choose which one you like. You got to get used to using both together to get what your average person needs out of a computer. If I want to use Firefox I shouldn't have 2 constantly switch between 2 views to make it work.

In closing KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID!

NOTE: I thought there was another Windows 8 thread but couldn't find it. Maybe I overlooked it and if I did I apologize. If so just merge them together.

 

[Davi323]

I created the other one...and a lot of your complaints matched mine. I eventually came to the conclusion that while I liked the concept of one OS for all of the different devices, I thought Microsoft got it backwards. It's easier to adapt a PC operating system to run on tablets than it would be to adapt a tablet operating system for a PC. Basically, make a tablet OS that is based on Windows, not a PC OS that is based on the mobile platform.

Did they fix the issue on the tile screen with installing 3rd party programs? With the initial consumer preview version, it would create tiles for EVERY shortcut added, unlike Windows, which would create a single folder in the start menu and then add the shortcuts there. My tile screen got very cluttered, very quickly. Like, if every single shortcut you have in your Windows XP, Vista or 7 start menu were suddenly added to your desktop. It was a deal breaker, and what caused me to uninstall it.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

I created the other one...and a lot of your complaints matched mine. I eventually came to the conclusion that while I liked the concept of one OS for all of the different devices, I thought Microsoft got it backwards. It's easier to adapt a PC operating system to run on tablets than it would be to adapt a tablet operating system for a PC. Basically, make a tablet OS that is based on Windows, not a PC OS that is based on the mobile platform.

Nice to know I'm not the only one who thinks that. I agree it would be nice if they just make Windows 7 on a tablet and be done with it. I'm all for the concept, I even don't mind the tile screen and could learn to love it but not this weird hybrid they got going on right now. There is zero consistency.

Did they fix the issue on the tile screen with installing 3rd party programs? With the initial consumer preview version, it would create tiles for EVERY shortcut added, unlike Windows, which would create a single folder in the start menu and then add the shortcuts there. My tile screen got very cluttered, very quickly. Like, if every single shortcut you have in your Windows XP, Vista or 7 start menu were suddenly added to your desktop. It was a deal breaker, and what caused me to uninstall it.

The issue still exists. For example I work at SMART Technologies and our software you download on the internet was all in one file, very easy on Windows 7. Since there is quite a few programs (like 15-20) every icon shows up on the main screen. So basically in 1 software install my screen became very messy very quickly. They really need to put it all in one folder.

Also where is your thread located? I can't find it anywhere but I'm probably just looking in the wrong spot.

 

[Davi323]

Also where is your thread located? I can't find it anywhere but I'm probably just looking in the wrong spot.

It was in the GSD, created on Feb 29...(you even posted in it, lol)

http://forums.wrestlezone.com/showthread.php?t=207294

How hard would it be to fix the stupid tile issue? Tiles should be treated as folders for 3rd party apps, not as shortcuts, imho. Basically, I look at the Metro Desktop, and I see it as a GUI representing the first level of the start menu, that should have sub-levels, similar to accessories, system tools, startup, etc, just like previous versions do.

Can you change the background to Metro yet? That's something I remember not liking too, that at least for the Consumer Preview version, you couldn't change the Metro background, like you would a standard desktop wallpaper. Not the lock screen, but the main Metro tiled one. I know that there are some 3rd party themes to do it, but dammit, it should be native.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

It was in the GSD, created on Feb 29...(you even posted in it, lol)

http://forums.wrestlezone.com/showthread.php?t=207294

How hard would it be to fix the stupid tile issue? Tiles should be treated as folders for 3rd party apps, not as shortcuts, imho. Basically, I look at the Metro Desktop, and I see it as a GUI representing the first level of the start menu, that should have sub-levels, similar to accessories, system tools, startup, etc, just like previous versions do.

Can you change the background to Metro yet? That's something I remember not liking too, that at least for the Consumer Preview version, you couldn't change the Metro background, like you would a standard desktop wallpaper. Not the lock screen, but the main Metro tiled one. I know that there are some 3rd party themes to do it, but dammit, it should be native.

Lol, that's what I thought. You read my post there it sounds good, unfortunately after using it for more than 5 minutes you really start to see the big flaws in it. First 5-10 I didn't mind it after that I hated it more and more.

You can't really change the background to metro yet. All you can really do is choose between a few generic backgrounds and change the color, so there isn't much customization to the metro screen, all the themes are very generic and uninspiring. The Metro Desktop needs a complete overhaul in my opinion. Even if you want to put a million tiles on in to begin with that's fine but at least let the user create folders so they can group all their stuff together like they do with iOS.