Been an evangelical mac user for 10 years, but need to buy a new laptop and thinking about a Windows 8 machine.

I am tired of the locked in Mac environment (esp the way it manages files. Bugger me it so simple now on windows – good job MS), and I was quite impressed by Win 7 (esp a clean install) and with the wee icloud app things sync nicely.

Need 17″ laptop + run a 24″ external for photo editing (at home and on the move), so really will only use MS office, iTunes, IE9 (or safari), lightroom and photoshop.

Will windows 8 work well? I heard it was very good for dual monitor work (menu available on both screens), fast, stable and such like.

Based on the above, would appreciate opinions.
Yours,
Kev

Just as a matter of interest, what about the file management do you dislike?

I like it.

Yes, the interface works well with a touch screen, but with a bit of thought it’s also easy to get used to with a mouse.

I’d get it simply because it besides the new UI it is also an incremental improvement of the underlying OS. Faster, prettier, less resource intensive etc. The ‘fast boot’ option is great. I installed it on a netbook type cpu and it was really good, I had to roll back though due to lack of driver support in the preview version. Should not be an issue on a modern machine with the full release version.

PS I would avoid itunes though, on past experience.

I see where they are going but I hate it.

You touch a tile on the ‘metro’ screen which drops you into the desktop (changing contexts from tile to windowing) but when you end the program you end up still on the desktop.

It took me a while hunting around to work out how to shut the damned thing down, then the list of open windows etc. Hot spots which were hard to hit with the mouse. It’s a touch-based interface trying to do everything everywhere and failing.

First thing I did was get a start button replacement.

esp the way it manages files.

I bet you hate Finder. I do too.

Well, some apps (like IE) work in the non-desktop mode, ie full screen, but some don’t, so you end up on the desktop. I tend to always use the desktop and treat the main page as a full-screen start menu.

I also like it. Takes a bit of getting used to, but performance-wise it is a big improvement over Windows 7, in fact I am very surprised by how much better certain programs run, as well as how much quicker boot time is.

I am a big keyboard (shortcut) user which helps with the latest version – I think some people will struggle with certain aspects (removal of Start button), but if you take a bit of time to understand the differences then I think it helps a lot.

Double thumbs up, best OS yet would use again.

There are two versions of IE, depending on how you call it. I think the tiled one is the mobile version. Odd that.

The fast boot thing btw is something of a con. Effectively it logs you off then hibernates, but it still works and is convenient. Maybe it is an optimised kind of hibernation I dunno.

can’t avoid itunes, pretty locked in there unfortunately (with i device proliferation in the family).

soundninja – (IMHO, YMMV etc etc) on Win 7, to me the way it has the main folders laid out is simple, and I have really liked the way it works, and I know where everything is. On my mac, it’s mostly a frustration with iphoto, but also just in general how it deals with files (e.g. right click, send to – this only appeared recently).

note – I ma not a power user, I only want IT to get out of the road and let me do stuff.

Kev

It’s good but confusing and you pretty much have to use some keyboard shortcuts in a way you don’t with Windows 7 – e.g. difficult to tell what’s running if you have a fullscreen app open without using Alt+Tab. Difficult to close most apps without Alt+F4

Also it’s not clear to me what the difference between an app and a program is. e.g. There’s 2 different versions of Chrome, an app and the conventional program. Which should I install and why? or should I do both?

also, a big benefit of Macs for me was expose hot corners (can windows do this yet?), and spotlight.

The integrated search on Win 7 i find every bit as good as spotlight, and with a mouse flick to bottom right corner it would at least take you to the desktop (but still not found a good expose comparison).

win-alt key scroll thorugh I also thought well implemented, hence interest in a streamlined Win 8 machine.

On my mac, it’s mostly a frustration with iphoto, but also just in general how it deals with files (e.g. right click, send to – this only appeared recently).

From my experience with iPhoto, it just absorbs all your photos into some hidden folder within the app itself, and doesn’t tell you where they are or how to get at them. I hated it. Lightroom is much better I think. The rest of the file management I find pretty straightforward though (obviously IMHO YMMV etc.)…

I use all Windows, OS X and Linux at work and the thing I miss most about OS X on the other systems is the column finder view.

It took me a while hunting around to work out how to shut the damned thing down

Yeah, we upgraded a machine in the office.

In ‘Settings’.

Of course, that’s obvious.

Not touched it myself, but it looks odd and the guy using it behind me describes it as ‘wrong’ – he bought some third party software to give him the start button back on the desktop!

Molly why not iTunes?

I was in pc world looking at all in ones last weekend (sad but my lappy is soooooo sloooooow) and all my music is iTunes, does it not work on win8

I bet you hate Finder. I do too.

Probably the single most counter-intuitive anti-accomodating piece of sh1tware I’ve experienced. Truly horrible. Still hate it after 3 years.

Like some aspects of W8 but can’t switch to it yet because of s/w incompatibilities. Starting to come round to the Metro thang, but still not to my liking yet.

iTunes for Windows is badly written and chews up loads of your system resources (or at least it did). Might be one reason why your PC runs slow.

It’s easy to accidentally install tons of crap on your PC that tries to run all the time and chew up your resources.. that’s why PCs get slower over time.

The fast boot thing btw is something of a con

Not really. It effectively hibernates the OS on the assumption that the hardware will be the same when you power it up as it was when you shut it down; I find it works really well, my post-POST boot time is about 25s.

I’m finding Win8 rock-solid so far, at least as good as OSX Mountain Lion. The combination of Metro (can we still call it that?) and the desktop is a bit of a kludge but I can work with that. There are some useful security improvements under the hood and the memory usage has been made more efficient (a side effect of the need for it to run on tablets).

Best reason for going for it now if you’re already a Windows user it’s only £25 until January.

Edit:

In ‘Settings’.

Of course, that’s obvious.

Another “tablet” thing – you don’t shut tablets down so you don’t need a shut-down button. Best way to do it is ctl-alt-del to bring up the power button.

Thanks all, great responses.

Aye, finder is cack, and each app’s byzantine file storing a total mare.

Seems like there is a learning curve with Win 8, but it might not be all that bad.

3 very specific questions for a mong non windows person:
1) should I do a wipe and clean install right at the begining (with 7 or 8), or can I just “remove program” for all the shite that seems to come loaded on new PCs?

2) Is there anything remotely as good as garageband for the PC?

3) I never needed antivirus on a mac, and the backup Win 7 machine at home we don’t either. Should I? really?

don’t open dodgy attachements, don’t run files from dodgy websites, don’t be a mong with phishing emails. Am i going to get hacked beyond those three simple rules (and please, don’t any of you IT guys take this as carte blanche to try and niggle my noodle! 😀 )

Kev

got it at work so installed it on my (work) lappy, can’t activate it, can’t do anything significant with it til I do and clock keeps going mental.

Looks very optimised for touch screen so I’d guess you’re missing a lot of the appeal without it

CBA sorting it yet, will give it a proper go soon.

1) Clean install is always best.

2) Not in my experience.

3) I don’t use it on a Mac either. Win8 (and I thought Win 7) will install MSE by default; it does no harm and can do a lot of good so leave it alone!

Best way to do it is ctl-alt-del to bring up the power button.

So very intuitive.

And we ask employees to power down every night to save electrickery and polar bears.

So very intuitive.

Or just press the power button on most modern PCs, they’ll shut themselves down.

On the antivirus note, it’s really not essential, went for years without. Modern virus checkers are fairly tidy though, no more grinding your PC to a halt. Using Avast! at the moment which is free.

So very intuitive

I agree, not very intuitive. But then neither was having shut-down under the start menu!

My rule for MS product is never to install till the 1st service pack. My guess is that SP1 will bring back some desktop elements, and effectively give you the option to run it in touch screen mode, or non-touch screen mode. What they should have done in the 1st place, but panicked to get an early release date.

Also, anyone know if it’ll work on a netbook? The min-req specs a resolution greater than my N110. Not sure I want it on my desktop, but not on my netbook.

bit non-plussed by this idea that you can’t just install something – it all has to go through The Store? is that really the case?
and having thrashed around with a mouse at it for a while it seems VERY optimised for touch screen and not optimised for desktop use at all?

bit non-plussed by this idea that you can’t just install something – it all has to go through The Store? is that really the case?

No. You can install just the same as Windows 7.

yeah, but win 7 stuff only, or windows 8 programs as well?

As I understand it anything built to use the interface formerly known as metro will have to go through the store, but everything else installs as normal, the only difference being that it has a tile on metro instead of a start menu entry. I think there’s a metro version of Chrome, will have to install it and see how that works.

You can only do a clean install if you gave a full windows disk. If you buy a laptop you will probably get a system restore disk which will restore your laptop to the original condition ie with bloatware.

Not all the manufacturer supplied stuff is worthless junk. Some of it is utilities to enable stuff like the Fn buttons or the hardware volume controls. Some of which you may not care for like the stupid ThinkVantage button on my Lenovo.

Some if it will be pointless utilities, you need to look at the installed software list then use Google to see what’s what. There is tons of great info out there on how to slim your laptop down. Useful resources for all users not just new owners.

Anti-virus.. well I wouldn’t go without. I used to, and had no issues, then I followed a link from this website and boom, virus. I only clicked o n one link, nothing to download or run or anything.