It’s great and all that Microsoft has made an attempt to integrate third-party services directly into Windows 8 – in fact, the feature (found in both the People and Messaging apps, to name a few) made our list of “8 Things We Love About Windows 8.”
What we don’t love, however, is the fact that Microsoft’s the one dictating which services get invited to the Windows 8 party and which are left sad and alone at home. We envision a future where we can only use Windows 8 to manage a handful of social networks and instead have to use Internet Explorer – or, more likely, a browser that isn’t horrible – to catch our friends elsewhere. Or perhaps some other third-party apps: You’re not going to find your Steam contacts within Windows 8’s contact list, nor your AIM, Yahoo, or Google Chat friends within Messaging (as of right now within the Consumer Preview), et cetera.
We would have much preferred Microsoft to make a handshake instead of a closed fist. Why not offer an easy method for giving third-party apps and services the ability to organize a data stream that could then be pulled into Windows 8’s big apps? And then, if users wanted, they can go about setting up their Windows apps almost like an RSS reader, adding the services they care about instead of integrating third-party services Microsoft thinks they should care about.
And heaven help the person who runs more than one Twitter account or checks more than one Gmail account– you can currently only tie your Windows apps to a single account per Windows user account.
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists to adapt the world to himself.” – George Bernard Shaw
Or, to say it another way, there’s no need to fix that which wasn’t broken. Worse, that which Windows users were familiar with (and fond of) based on their experiences with operating system’s many versions over the last many years.
Here’s a “brief” list of things we miss, having made the (temporary) switch to Windows 8:
Now that Microsoft is playing in the cloud – giving users the ability to transfer their files and settings across any Windows 8 systems they log into with their Microsoft Account – it’s time for Microsoft to up the ante when it comes to the security options it offers its accountholders.
We’d love to see at least some information on the Microsoft Account website to indicate which systems a person has logged in on using his or her Microsoft Account – better still, some way to block that login from being accepted on a particular PC if you don’t want that system or its user to have access to you any longer. Cooler still would be some kind of two-way authentication factored into Microsoft’s login process (we know, we know; more security steps) to ensure that even an attacker with physical access to your system and all your credentials will still have a heck of a time breaking into your Window 8 account.
In a perfect world, Microsoft would even give Windows 8 users a nuclear option: The ability to set a previously registered computer for a complete and full format the next time Windows 8 boots. While an Internet-based kill switch might be a little drastic, it’s a pretty big deal that Windows 8 is tying so much of one’s life into the cloud. If we live in a day an age where we can safely eliminate all of the information on our missing smartphones via a website, surely it’s time to build a little more peace-of-mind into Windows 8’s cloud security.
We touched on it in the intro, but we’ll etch it in stone in our final point: Windows 8 presents no compelling reason for a user to upgrade, period. If it seems as though we spent a lot of time critiquing the look and feel of Windows’ new interface, and for good reason: At the end of a day of Windows 8, that’s all you’re left with. Minus a few fun features here and there (Storage Space, File History, Shutdown Hibernation, et cetera), there’s little more than window dressing to inspire users to flock to their local Microsoft stores upon Window 8’s final release. Windows 8 is, for lack of a better word, a new makeup kit for Windows 7.
Touchscreen systems aside – you’re really going to want Windows 8, given that Metro was made for you – the quote unquote improvements built into Windows 8’s Metro apps definitely appear pretty. And there’s no question that the future, full-screen Metro treatment of third-party apps like Facebook, or Twitter, or Angry Birds will surely be something to see. But we don’t think that cosmetic trumps functionality in every occurrence: A huge-font Twitter app with one user profile per screen swipe pales in comparison to what you get from the best Twitter apps already available on Windows 7 today, for example.
In other words, Windows 8 is going to give a lot of pretty people plenty of new methods for interacting with their information in a prettier way. It’s also going to confuse the bejesus out of them if they’ve used Windows at any point over the last, say, ten years, and we don’t think that Microsoft’s latest OS is going to deliver best overall user experience. Prettier, yes. Better, no.
Coming tomorrow: 8 Must-Have Apps for Your New Windows 8 Installation!
For more from David, former Maximum PC editor and Windows enthusiast, follow him onFacebook or Twitter (@thedavidmurphy).
Comments are closed on this article
dschultznet
March 20, 2012 at 12:30pm
If the Metro interface is full screen, why is the OS called Windows? Where are the Windows? What a joke! Hello BOB!
SongEmu
March 18, 2012 at 8:53am
For all the hatred I have towards OS X 10.7's "iOS-ification", at least Apple's melding their disparate OSes slowly, and clearly. The learning curve's not very high. Windows 8 sounds like Microsoft decided to have a threesome between Windows, XBox, and Android. Un-unified user experience and dumbing things down. Meh.
livebriand
March 17, 2012 at 7:04pm
Windows 8 is a complete piece of shit in my opinion. It's unintuitive, it's hard to find things, yuck... I'll be sticking with Windows 7 for quite a while. If I had a choice between Windows 8 and OS X, I would pick OS X. Seriously. And I'm a Windows fan!
tony487
March 16, 2012 at 11:44am
Vista almost drove me to OS X. If I were forced to switch to Win8, I may make a complete switch. What really keeps me away is a particular piece of software, but...
winterlude
March 15, 2012 at 6:03am
I get the impression the MS really thinks that we are living in a post PC world. I suspect the developers of Win8 are using tablets (only?) instead of PCs and think that they are "innovating" when they ignore customer criticism.
Right now, MS has the corporate and PC world and Apple has an escalating market share of the light consumption world (via the Ipad product line). It seems like MS is in such a hurry to make a play for Apple's market share (plus I'm sure they have pressure from Intel because Intel wants to push the Atom tablets and touch screen Ultrabooks in 2H 2012) that MS doesn't realize that it will piss off it's existing customer base. One would think the lessons of 95, ME and Vista would teach them, but it seems MS is well on it's way to repeating history.
I've heard whispers of how good OSX is compared to Windows, but when I try to use OSX, I feel so lost and frustrated. I hate it! And I don't want to have to learn a new OS if I don't have to. Each version of Windows since 95 has basically had the same GUI. But this move to Win8 seems as visually radical as the move from 3.1 to 95 and will have countless users lost and frustrated. Ultimately, MS was moving in the right direction, but the execution seems to be a step back and sideways before a step forward with even vs odd OS versions.
If Metro is basically a cosmetic change, then why not give users the option to use a "traditional" PC GUI or the new Metro touch GUI and be able to switch that option in the control panel anytime? That way, everybody wins, right?
siramic
March 14, 2012 at 9:44am
"Unless you’re one of those stalwarts still clinging to Windows XP as if it was a stuffed animal from your childhood that you need to squeeze just to sleep at night." :-)
That's me with 7, even before I read this article of 8s hate list. Thanks David, you just confirmed why I won't be camping out in front of the store the night before 8s public release.
Athlonite
March 13, 2012 at 7:51am
A friend installed this preview the other day albeit ten minutes later he was the phone to me saying what a horrid piece of sh@t this is and how somebody at Redmond should be committing harikari and the body pushed into a sty full of hungry pigs failing that just throw the WIN8 code into the sty and start again.... Ofcourse I was by this time LOLing so hard I dropped the Ph
Wareagle
March 11, 2012 at 1:21pm
I'm getting sick of UIs that like to hide things from the user. Gnome3 is an excellent example of this. Why should I have to dig through gnome-conf (or the registry on Windows) to re-enable basic things like minimize and maximize buttons, or the address bar in the file browser?
Developers, please quit treating users like we're stupid.
Penterax
March 10, 2012 at 7:26pm
I'd REALLY like to see Microsoft add a "Transition Tutorial" to Win 8, so that it is easier for people to learn how to use Metro.
One thing I've had pounded into my consciousness as a long time World of Warcraft player is how much some people can resist change. Some people will insist that something is broken when it's not because what they used to do doesn't work anymore. They just keep trying the same thing over and over, getting madder and madder because what used to work doesn't give them the results they want.
It would be great if Microsoft did everything they could to help people through the changes. Educate them. Hold their (our) hands a little bit.
;)
jonnyohio
March 09, 2012 at 5:26am
I don't know what to make of it yet...I don't care much for metro's style but I guess if they make it so you don't have to use it ever and let you switch to it if you install the os on something with a touch screen I would probably upgrade after its been out for awhile. I won't be jumping on it as soon as it comes out though.
ResidentArse
March 08, 2012 at 7:38pm
The 8 reasons you listed are 8 of the most significant changes in the OS since....well Windows 95. I think this is a great new look for Microsoft that will successfully connect their mobile devices with desktops and PCs.
Morete
March 08, 2012 at 4:14pm
Circa 2014.
It's been a year or so now and Microsoft Windows has since been retired. One spring day while out walking on a solitary road, WebOS and MS Tiles 8 happened to meet. WebOS stops a second to greet the newcomer.
WebOS: Welcome to my world.
Microsoft Tiles 8: Thanks. By the way...where does this wilderness road lead me to?
WebOS: The road leads to oblivion.
With haste MS Tiles 8 continues ahead, alas, the road appeared to be very long.
UrbanSmooth
March 08, 2012 at 3:51pm
This is merely proof of more companies playing to the hands of the mobile market. DOH!!
Windows 7 will be my operating system until DirectX 12 is released.
Kinetic
March 08, 2012 at 3:24pm
Looks like I'll be sticking with seven for a while. No hard feelings though, since I really like what it offers anyway.
mini6090
March 08, 2012 at 3:23pm
I was waiting for this article. I apologize for my comment yesterday, these are most of the issues i have with Windows 8 and i'm glad you expressed them. The only problem i have with this article is the lack of vulgar language and profanity. Every single time i tried to find something, i'd say what the f$#%!!! Because it makes no sense why they would change something that worked perfectly. Love the point about the 2 control panels, way to go Microsoft, just confuse power-users the best you can. Now all we can do is hope for some change.
pastorbob
March 08, 2012 at 3:02pm
Really? You only came up with 8 things? This OS was a bust from the get-go for me. After jumping through hoops to figure out how to do a dual boot install guess what - It didn't work!! I said a few naughty words directed at Microsoft and crossed my fingers in hope that I could get back to my original system setup under Windows 7. Fortunately by downloading EasyBCD 2.1.2 and installing it under Windows 8 I was able to point to my original Windows 7 system, set it as the default and boot into it. I then went ahead and rebooted into Windows 8 thinking I would give it a spin. Give it a spin I did - right off of my system completely. Maybe I'm one of those old dogs that you can't teach new tricks but I think the entire look and feel sucks. Not to mention a UI that is about as intuitive as building a time machine. Even shutting down or restarting is a joke.
I could continue to rant ad nauseam but suffice it to say this version of Windows is going to get the same treatment I gave Vista. I am going to pass on it. I removed the option from the boot menu, wiped out the Windows 8 partition, and gave the space back to Windows 7. And I suspect I will use Windows 7 for seven years before a worthy replacement comes along like I had to do with Windows XP.
Sorry Microsoft. I don't mind changing or evolving but with limits. My time is way too precious to throw away all of what I know and learn a completely new way to do my work (and entertainment). If I wanted to do that I would buy an iMac.Or an iPad. Now there's a thought since the iPad 3 is now out. :-)
jonnyohio
March 09, 2012 at 5:34am
I own an iPad 2 and an iPhone and they are neat gadgets, but to pay 3-4 times the amount for last years hardware just because apple slapped their logo on it and installed their OS (which isn't a bad OS) is just something I can not bring myself to do lol...I'm with you though; think I will just stick with win7 for awhile. I too skipped vista.
jonnyohio
March 09, 2012 at 5:36am
Duplicate post .... Maxpc please stop showing a full screen ad during comment posting IT IS FRUSTRATING WHEN MY COMMENT GETS WIPED OUT FROM A STUPID AD I HAVE SEEN 5 TIMES ALREADY!
livebriand
March 17, 2012 at 7:07pm
When websites piss me off like that, I use ad and script blockers (Adblock Plus and Ghostery). I mentioned that on pcworld.com and they kept deleting my posts. OK, it's now guaranteed that I will NOT be disabling those blockers on your site.
Taqueed
March 08, 2012 at 12:46pm
I installed Windows 8 on a separate drive. Before doing that I changed the Boot order for my drive to boot from the empty drive. I do this all the time with Linux this is so I don't touch anything on the drive where I have Windows 7, but unlike all my Linux installs Windows 8 put the boot loader on my Windows 7 drive. Not what I wanted but no big deal. I have tested it for a few hours and think there is a huge learning curve to it. I work as a computer support specialist and I can't wait 'till the group I support migrates to Win8 we will have job security for years to come.
All I can say is What are you thinking??? The ribbon in Office is a minor change compared to this.
Maybe they are taking a tip from Star Trek the Odd numbers are good the even suck.
livebriand
March 17, 2012 at 7:08pm
The ribbon in office was a good change. Windows 8's metro UI is NOT.
chop_slap
March 08, 2012 at 10:36am
I've been using Linux for years now. Since then, my productivity increased by an unmeasurable amount. No AntiVirus, no AntiMalware, no Defrag to use/install/deal with. Windows is good to play games, MAC OS/X is good for social media & graphics for dummies. I just want to get things done quickly, without fuss. Yeah, Linux has bugs, but guess what, so do Windows and MAC. Also Linux is free. The best thing about MAC is that its really a girlified Linux box. Too bad it costs at least 50% more than its competitors' products.
nightkiller
March 08, 2012 at 10:45pm
Just because you've just graduated from the Linux seminary does not mean that you simply fork the article to your own ends.
serper
March 08, 2012 at 10:19am
Bill Gates had nothing to do with this release of Windows 8. Microsoft did this all by themselves and excluded Bill from the concept process. It shows, in many ways, how the teams made conceived, developed, and released this horrible upgrade.
I wish MS the best of luck in their future endeavors but I for one, am not upgrading to this platform. I am happy with Windows 7, for the most part.
-serper
Neufeldt2002
March 08, 2012 at 10:01am
One of the things I really hate is the social integration. I know a lot of people really like that sort of thing, but with all the data mining going on, I really don't want that sort of thing happening on my desktop. And Metro is not "Pretty" it is FUGLY. F-ing UGLY.
chop_slap
March 08, 2012 at 11:34am
Its crazy how many people are sharing their entire lives to 400 people at once, as well as letting strangers (Facebook themselves and their friends) see a lot of this information and then use it for whatever reason they deem fit. And then, like you say, integrating all that, AND THEN add that to the OS (with adverts). LOL, go MS.
Lindino08
March 08, 2012 at 8:36am
Lets Just hope that Microsoft will make some drastic changes before the final release. I still feel like there is plenty of time to make a lot of changes that people are complaining about. If they can simply just give the option to enable or disable the metro UI and bring back the normal start menu would be a huge step in the right direction. If they know whats good for them they would be scouring the web and listen to their future users. PC's have and will be for business and productivity first. Stay with an OS that gives priority to that, then worry about apps and entertainment.
DoctorX
March 08, 2012 at 8:50am
I for one will recommend to my mgmt not to deploy win8. We are a multinational company. I am going to recommend they stick with win7 and skip win8 unless Microsoft decides to listen to its customers.
Sad really, the excitement of Win7 is just not here with win8. The sad thing is, I would probably run it if it was free, but definately not if i shell out a couple of hundred bucks.
pinson101
March 08, 2012 at 7:50am
I would go for a win7+ over win8.
Metro UI gets in the way.
Great boot time, I wish they could just make the win7 kernel hibernate.
I would go for it if they were using ReFS. Maybe I will just buy win8 server.
Driver extender FTW!!!
Love the new desktop look (all the little tweaks are spot on).
IE is horrid, to be expected.
Does anyone else feel this is a more Ubuntu 11.10 experience? Complete with bugs and workarounds :)
I don't see why any of this could not just be ported to win7 in a SP.
It will be great on my phone, not on my work/gaming computer.
PawBear
March 08, 2012 at 5:13am
A chrome OS is starting to make much more sense to me. If Ubuntu could get it's Windows gaming together I'd go with it.
I've deliberately installed every Windows OS just to assist others and to enjoy them myself but this is one I will definitely skip.
This is the best billions of dollars can do?
DoctorX
March 08, 2012 at 7:02am
Wine 1.4 just released with some impressive support and serious bug fixing... I may have to try that,
h e x e n
March 08, 2012 at 5:02am
Yeah, Windows 8 is a pass for me. Only reason I upgraded to 7 was to take advantage of the newer DirectX.
Games are what sell me on Windows, everything else is secondary.
Belboz99
March 08, 2012 at 2:02am
So, in essence, Windows 8 is simply Windows 7 with a bolted on tablet UI, while Windows 7 is primarily a patched up and polished version of Windows Vista, which itself is primarily Windows XP with a shinier UI???
WTF MS???
I may never have been a fan of Bill Gates, but Goddamnit, at least Microsoft made half-way decent OSes while the man was at the helm of development!!
XP was the last OS that Bill really had a hand on, before he got himself caught in a whole lot of legal hoopla with Mozilla and handing over the proverbial reigns to Steve Ballmer, who quite frankly was never a hacker or a coder, and simply has a masters in Business.
Dan O.
jonnyohio
March 09, 2012 at 5:42am
No windows vista Is not xp with a shiny ui. Vista was a complete overhaul and windows 7 is a more polished vista. Win8 is a more polished win7 with a tablet interface bolted on which will not be a big deal to most people I don't think.
warptek2010
March 08, 2012 at 12:11am
You can expect the usual MS practice of pricing the full versions of this fugly 'awesomeness' somewhere in the $200 range for the professional version and add another hundred for the "Ultimate" in Fugly. This is Windows 7 in drag, not just a makeup kit.
DoctorX
March 07, 2012 at 11:37pm
I decided to dust off a spare hdd and unplug my current ones to load it up on my bada$$ box. Using some of the MaxPC's tips, it can be made a little better. One thing I have to say... damn it is fast! I tried some hacking and i believe metro can be tamed a little. Stardock has start8 program that gives back the start menu and when it comes up, by default, it takes just part of the screen. Win8 will be a kick ass upgrade, providing some enterprising person kicks metro in the gnads. I had this on a old 500G sata drive and I was impressed in how quick it was.
I had a couple of glaring issues... on a two monitor system, the charm bar is on the right of the main monitor, hard to hit it. If it was say on the far right of the total screens, then possible. Right off the bat, my wrist started hurting because of the amoutn of mousing you have to do, but after adjusting the mouse settings, got it a little better. I wonder if this could be ergonomic issue i am seeing. BTW, win7 doesnt do that to me. One last one... and this would make it quite a bit better, why the fuck can I not click and drag? duh??!? I think this article nailed it there.
m$ looks like it took great pains to hide the guts of the OS from us, but I found a lot of it tonight. What I didnt try and should have is to see if the god mode link worked.
I still will probably not buy it, but if i can figure how to hack it like i did 7, then I could be talked into it.
One last thing, who came up with the fugly tiles?
Newk Yuler
March 07, 2012 at 11:31pm
Every time Windows 8 gets mentioned with "Metro UI" I immediately think of the term "metro sexual" then I get the impulse to bitch slap some faceless unknown person until they're unconscious.
Danthrax66
March 07, 2012 at 9:56pm
Pretty sure the worst thing about 8 is the ability to "start fresh" and go back to the day 1 config. TERRIBLE idea. There are going to be so many people that do that and then go "where did my programs go". That feature won't be in 9 and will hopefully be removed in a SP.
pinson101
March 08, 2012 at 8:03am
IDK, I've had to do fresh installs for various reasons and having a button take care of it seems much easier. As long as it is hidden from the idiots then it should be fine.
But, given Microsoft's track record this should tank. Waiting for win9 is a safer bet. The have great new ideas, it just seems to take them 2 OSs to get the execution right. (Vista --> win7 for instance) I just wish the bad ones weren't the same price as the good ones.
Supall
March 08, 2012 at 7:34am
I like the whole idea of resetting the OS. Maybe there ought to be extra layers to prevent accidental wipes, but its a pretty damn good feature, imo.
biggiebob12345
March 08, 2012 at 2:45pm
It's as useless as System Restore IMO. No one will use it because it always fucks up.
Rift2
March 07, 2012 at 9:44pm
Wait for Windows 9 =) I just read 50% people wouldn't recommend windows 8 on another PC site. My parents just barly know how to use a computer this would really confuse the heck out of them.
I haven't tried it though =)
Dartht33bagger
March 07, 2012 at 9:22pm
No reason to upgrade at all in my mind. Windows 7 is already an amazing OS. I would be fine using Windows 7 for another 5-10 years at least.
Penterax
March 07, 2012 at 9:58pm
I had read that there would be some kernel optimization, making the overall OS a bit more efficient. There is also the new way of handling storage, which sounds like a sweet way to build a system and add to it later, something we all could be looking at if we buy/build in a few months and then want to add more SSD when the prices drop (not to mention just being easier to configure from the start). The word there seems to me to be mixed, though, and I'm not sure what will actually be better for everyone, and what will be better only if you will use Metro.
I have a system that's using Vista that I want to upgrade to Win 7 or 8 because I want to add an SSD and be able to have TRIM support - other than that though, Vista works fine and I won't upgrade the OS on that system, or replace it until after Haswell. I have another computer that will likely get upgraded (replaced) earlier - but it's already using Win 7. I was a later Vista adopter (because of personal build timing more than anything else) and it looks like I'll be a later Win 8 adopter - or skip it altogether.
All that to say I'm not sure whether I agree with you or not, it looks like things still need to shake out and solidify a bit before I'll decide. I do agree though that Win 7 is a sweet OS ride.
;)
Dartht33bagger
March 08, 2012 at 12:47am
I like Windows 7 because its fast, lightweight, and it allows me to have the desktop I want. I like having the Vista and older style of desktop. The ONLY way I would buy Windows 8 is if I could turn off Metro and the explorer ribbon.
Chise
March 07, 2012 at 9:13pm
Finally some sanity, I have been reading a few other sites mentioning all of these great things about Windows 8 and wondering what I missed.
If they had just pushed this as their tablet/phone O/s rather than trying to push it as some advance for desktops it would maybe make sense. Do they really expect their business clients to touch this crap, if you had to train your staff how to use a new O/s why would it be this and why would you pay for it?
As for home and power users I really hope this bombs and bombs hard so they come to their senses and have Windows 9 be suited to desktops and use you know "windows".
pinson101
March 08, 2012 at 8:05am
Exactly! This would be great for my windows phone, not as my work/gaming desktop.
JohnP
March 07, 2012 at 9:01pm
So I have this bitchin' PC, Quad core processor o/c to 4.4GHz, a top of the line video card, and a 27 inch IPS high def monitor. What do I get with all this awesomeness? A flat green screen with fugly boxes on them. Way to go, Microsoft!
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