Windows 8 – Follow up

Since our first review of the ‘preview release’ Windows 8 ….?

(See this link for the 1st review)

The full release of Windows 8 has been out for a few months now and is by default the only Windows operating system sold by the large retail outlets (bundled with the laptop or computer) with the exception of a few older laptops and computers still on the market.

If your still interested in having Windows 7, best you visit your local computer shop to purchase this separately. Windows 8 can be fiddled with to make it like a standard Windows 7 desktop/start menu, this is not a simple user setting but might save you some hours installing and $$ buying Windows 7 separately, again please see your computer service team for this task. Click this link for more ideas on bring the normal start menu back to Windows 8

 

What is a gesture?

A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages. (Wikipedia.org)

So user interaction with touch pads and screens is one of these non-verbal methods of communication with your computer (so is a keyboard!), this is where the Windows 8 gesture fails and can be frustrating.  Yes it uses a gestures such as swiping and more combinations using fingers on a touchscreen or touchpad but it is dependant on screen edges….

Why is this an issue?  Look at your screen, does it have a raised bevel (plastic edging)? then you must ensure you put your finger into the corner where screen and bevel meet at 45degree angle. Yes there are perfectly flat screens out there but touching a screen seems pointless for daily activities (unless you like painting as per television ad featuring Windows 8) so to make a fair comparison we purchased a good touch pad in an effort to find a good replacement for those users who don’t yet have a touch screen, the Logitech t650…

This worked also, but rather frustrating, your dependant on the edge so your finger is required to stroke from the outside edge of the pad which is impractical as it often misses the gesture as your not quite on the edge of the pad or you find your finger getting stuck on the edge as you went to far to start your gesture. Having a outer raised curve on a touch pad would help a user feel the edge of the pad, then make the finger gesture required and a similar outcome of this are touchpads on laptops, you can feel the edge of the pad.

Perhaps a better use of gestures would be to use a great Windows technology called ‘Kinect’ and do gestures in the air (not those rude kinds), this would be a break through for computer interaction, and may also provide benefits with many uses. (eg: learning custom gestures for people with disabilities)

 

The Windows 7 start menu layout has far more efficiencies for daily tasks than the new Windows 8 touch/gesture system with metro.

• Multi Tasking in metro is also very un-friendly, Windows 8 desktop multitasking is still functional with ‘Alt+Tab’. Windows Notifications are very similar to Apples OSX Mountain Lion system for apple computers
• The social People App included in Windows 8 is convenient hub of information regarding your social internet services (Facebook, Twitter etc) but is really a separate app… there are many apps on the Windows platform that already do this feature so nothing special, just a clean approach.
• Media Centre add-on for Windows 8 (you need to pay for this after January 2013) is no different than Windows 7 Media Centre which is included at no additional cost.
• Only the touch screen Windows 8 systems have smooth scrolling, touchpads/trackballs and mouse are still visually jerky on-screen when scrolling, this is disappointing
• By only offering newer Direct X Graphic software updates for Windows 8 is an effort to move the Windows centric gamer user base/market to the newer platform, de-valuing Windows 7 and keeping the success of XP occurring with Windows 7 by forcing such software restrictions.
• Windows 8 search is as good as a lost sock, its just not right.
• Windows 8 for mobile/tablet devices is well suited… its better than previous mobile versions - Windows CE, and other attempts of mobile applications (remember using a device like this in the day? Stylus in hand, tap tap tap?)
• But you use a remote desktop environment and Windows 8 mobile will work better? Google Android and Apple iOS devices already have remote desktop apps, bringing your server/desktop environment to your mobile screen.
• Windows 8 does not offer any real benefits over Windows 7,  instead it just looks interesting and fresh.

In Summary, Windows 8 is like a really fast race car with a steering wheel from a 1940′s bus!

Technically there are good changes under the bonnet, unfortunately the user interface is not intuitively easy or efficient. New system alerts ease the pain but its a daily hassle to drive.

I would recommend to look at the Apple OSX systems if your willing to re-learn a computer system as the improvements made by Apple a few years ago are being added in some areas of Windows operating software today (Cant ignore what is good, right?)

 

Supportu uses Windows, Apple and Linux for daily services and tasks, user benefits are everything.