Biz & IT —

Windows 8 is here, and the OpenForum has something to say about it

Ars Readers tell us whether the OS is all hype or worth your time.

Now how do I get to that bookmark for the Ars Openforum under this new UI?
Now how do I get to that bookmark for the Ars Openforum under this new UI?

Windows 8 has arrived, and with it, we released a comprehensive set of stories covering all angles of its elements in our Deep Dive. Peter Bright found that the OS compromises quite a bit, and Andrew Cunningham clocked it for performance. Here in the OpenFourm, Ars Readers are also tackling Windows 8 in the thread, "Windows 8 Discussion (And it’s here!)". This thread contains more than 2,000 posts, and you’ll find it’s a comprehensive read that dates back to mid-September of 2011, when users were still speculating about Windows 8.

The change in UI is an issue that is central to the discussion of Windows 8. Users like XX55XX find that despite flaws, it works for them: "As for the "new interface", Microsoft needs to make it easier to close applications for us mice and keyboard users (come on, wouldn't an "x" in the corner hurt so much?). Furthermore, the OS has so much left to right scrolling that it is sometimes disorienting to look at after a while—you just don't know where you are. An easy way to rectify this would be to encourage developers to include tabs at the top that lead to different menus or pages. On the Start screen, it would also help to create "buffers" between groups of tiles so that it's like you are moving from page to page… I like the new interface, it just needs some further refinement so that it works well on both touch screens and with a mouse and keyboard."

Even earlier in the month, as the release date grew closer, DarkReality’s hopes were not set high, "Windows 8 doesn't seem, to me at least, to be intended to appeal to any group whose members are traditionally older than third graders. I mean, Metro/Modern looks like something that would be great in a classroom, in the 1980s, when computer literacy was not a given. I can't imagine a lot of professionals, artists, gamers, or computer hobbyists are eagerly anticipating the 26th of October."

Mark Havel calls Windows 8 "Windows 7 with a touch-friendly interface," while Wundan Master replies "and Windows 7 is Vista with a better display model." However, other users in the thread have found the user experience more original.

How is the Windows Store Experience? Bob Servo weighs in. "As far as the Windows Store goes, there's quite a bunch of pretty decent apps, and they're already available for free. I hope this is a side effect of the pre-GA period, where everyone tries to get a bunch of reviews. Because otherwise, people would be undercutting themselves already before Windows 8 is officially on the market. What's really mean for instance is that Microsoft themselves have a pretty nice painting app on the store, and it's free. That's pretty much a bummer for anyone writing their own, because the bar's already high. Also, you appear to be able to make more than one app name reservation. From what I remember, only one reservation was advertised running up to opening the store for everyone, I already have two. Not sure what the limit is, but I wouldn't be surprised if some people start holding cool names at ransom. Luckily, I managed to pick a nice one for one of my apps, which was surprisingly not reserved, considering it's simplicity and meaning (at least I'd figure calling an image effects application "pixels" would be nice)."

As you read through the thread, you’ll find very useful technical questions answered as users share their experiences installing on various setups. You can also find out what subtle changes in keystrokes have changed in the new UI. If your issue is not addressed in the thread, you can also post a question to get help from other users.

And what about the controversy over the missing start menu from Windows 8? Fuzzmz takes precautions: "Went ahead an finally moved my main machine over to Windows 8 Professional. The only thing I dislike so far is the solid title title bars (no transparency) but I know I'll get used to it. I also went and bought Start8 just in case I find I miss the old start menu too much."

Contextfree adds, "The Start screen is intended to be the main switcher as well as launcher, same as on iOS. alt-tab, the switcher on the left side, etc. are more like shortcuts for advanced users, not the primary way of switching apps. Using the start screen is actually more efficient most of the time because things are in more predictable places—the same principle behind the Windows 7 taskbar or the Mac OS dock—whereas with the left-edge switcher or alt-tab you'll have to scan the list to see if/where the one you want is there."

Genome, who presumably is going to upgrade, says, "Right, see you on the other side, folks."

Have you downloaded Windows 8 and installed it on your hardware? Would you recommend it for other users? Tell us how things are turning out. Join in the conversation with us in the Ars OpenForum. Register for an account to participate in the discussion.

Listing image by Microsoft

Channel Ars Technica