Windows 8

Previously I have reviewed the Release Preview version of Windows 8 however this review is for the full, actual version of the operating system, and might repeat some stuff stated in the previous review.

To make mention I will not be writing much about the security upgrades to Windows 8 they are present and useful however, they run behind the scenes and have not been visible my last week of using the OS.

To move on first I will mention that similar to early versions of windows there is a duality of Operating systems as Microsoft moves from the common desktop to their new UI there are lots of changes and lots of confusion, similar to how early versions of windows relied on MS-DOS as part of their code and in order to run many programs.

Because of this factor I am separating this review into a review of the desktop and then a review of the new UI. but first I will review some general changes.

CHANGES

If you install Windows 8 from 7 one of the first things that you will notice is how the OS does not want to use all your software that is "system built" on my Samsung laptop this means all the volume and screen brightness control software that came pre-installed had to be uninstalled.  This however, is not a problem because Windows 8 has all of this software built into its system which means better use of hardware resources.

Another noticeable improvement came while I was playing Skyrim on the new OS.  often times while playing this game on Windows 7 my laptop would get extremely hot up towards the fan vent, and while it will get warm using 8 the computer does not seem to run near as hot.

THE DESKTOP

The "Desktop is not a new idea, and has really not changed since windows 95, sure the graphics have gotten better but the overall design has stayed the same.  Windows 8 gets rid of the "Aero" graphics that bogged down windows Vista and 7 and has instead gone to a more basic layout without the 3D effects that the previous operating systems had because of this it runs using less memory.

One important thing missing from the desktop as can be seen from this picture is the presence of a start button.  Instead of using these buttons Windows 8 relies on your putting your mouse in different corners to get different effects.  This can at times be obnoxious as the OS does not seem to sense the corners immediately or if you are trying to exit out of a window and the charms bar comes up.

Other than the aesthetics and lack of start menu it would be very difficult to tell the difference between Windows 7 and 8 by looking at the desktop.

THE NEW UI (METRO OR START MENU)

The most radical change with windows 8 is the introduction of the new start menu and while the desktop and start menu work in conjunction with one another they are also very independent of each other.  In a sense newer applications will run in the start menu while older applications or apps without a new UI interface will run on the desktop.

When you first load windows 8 it will come with lots of smart tiles that will automatically update for things like news, E-mail and Calendar. for anyone who uses Microsoft applications for such things these tiles would be very handy however being that I am more Google oriented using Gmail and Google Calendar the smart tiles seemed to have little use to me so i removed them from the start menu.

Although the new UI is not perfect it does have some nice features.  for example all programs run in the it run full screen.  by moving the mouse to the upper left corner you are able to switch between applications however I see no way to close the apps while you are in them other than switching out of them and then right clicking to close them.

Skype in the new UI

Despite the minor annoyance the applications I have used look really nice and function better or the same as an application would on the desktop.  the main problem is that the Microsoft app store does not have many apps available compared to Google Play or legacy apps that will run on the desktop.

Skype on the Desktop

Just to mention on of the major annoyances to me with the start menu on the release preview was that I could not scroll across the menu using the scroll button on my mouse, however this feature has been fixed in this version. this makes the new OS manageable and sometimes even fun to use.

Another interesting point is that switching between the desktop and the start menu or visa verse is almost instantaneous.  Similar to loading a program I expected the new OS to have problems with lagging while changing the screens.

Overall after getting rid of all the junk that came pre-installed on the computer I was easily able to adapt to the new OS

CHARMS BAR

One other difference that I will mention here is the charms bar.  similar to being able to search for programs using the start bar in windows 7 the charms bar allows you to search for programs on your computer and in the windows store however you do not have to bring it up just in the start menu, by dragging to either of the right hand corners the bar will come up.

Along with allowing you the search the bar also has social media options and settings options.

As can be seen in the picture the Charms bar is simple designed however as stated above will sometimes come up when you go to close a program.

LEARNING CURVE AND IS IT WORTH IT?

Over the past couple months the press has really pointed out that there is a steep learning curve for Windows 8.  While this may be true for those who are not "computer literate" the differences in Windows 8 are easy to adapt to and the learning curve is really not as steep as they make it out to be.  the only real differences which are outlined above make sense and while some of annoying most make sense and will easily have future benefits for customers.

Until January 2013 you can buy Windows 8 pro upgrade for $40 as stated in a previous post I stated that this is a good deal especially for those with Windows Vista and XP and I still hold to this ideal however, I might also add that with the performance and security upgrades included with Windows 8 even if you are not set on the new start menu it is well worth the $40 upgrade price.  This new OS is sleek user friendly and functional and I would highly recommend that those considering it at least take the time to test it out it put it on their computer.  Updating from windows 7 was seamless and all of my settings, saved games and documents were carried over seamlessly.