The Gang of Five
Beyond the Mysterious Beyond => Hobbies and Recreation => Computer and Electronics => Topic started by: landbeforetimelover on February 25, 2012, 10:51:30 PM
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I've recently been trying the most recent Windows 8 Developer Preview software and I must say, this is probably going to be a dud. The whole focus of the new OS is "ooh, look! Buy this app!" It's just ridiculous. So far this "Metro" interface doesn't even allow you to manipulate files. The purpose of a computer isn't to post shit on Facebook and play Cut the Rope. The whole reason to have a computer is to store and be able to manipulate your files. Metro is what you see when you first log in. The start menu is replaced by an app store. Pathetic! Things as simple as checking your computer's specs have become unnecessarily complicated.
Technology has made quantum leaps forward these last 20 years but for the past 5 years or so it's been taking BIG steps back. Computing used to be about having a device that was compatible with everything and could do everything and getting more work done in less time. Now it's all about keeping you glued to the thing doing stupid shit that doesn't even matter all the while giving big corporations endless streams of money through ridiculous little apps. If I can't store movies, pictures, and other files on the computer for my use and enjoyment, it's a useless device as far as I'm concerned. The Metro interface that Microsoft expects everyone to spend so much time in can't even view pictures or play a video. Maybe this will change in the public beta. All we can do is wait and see and pray to God they don't turn the computer into a giant phone that can't make a call or store any information.
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At worst there are various versions of Linux and one can stick with an earlier version of Windows, or do both, using windows just for gaming and Linux for day to day computing.
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I have no desire to move onto Windows 8. I'm not very fond of the new interface, from what I've seen. I have plans to eventually move onto a Linux distro at some point in the future. I know there will be some work involved, but I'd rather go through the work then pay hundreds of dollars on a new Windows OS that I wouldn't even like.
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I've heard good things about Linux mint. Though there are many types out there. And as for gaming there are some games that do have linux versions, and there is wine. Though I've not used wine before so I've no idea how to really use it.
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Linux Mint, currently, is the most downloaded Linux distro, at least according to Distrowatch.com. Ubuntu used to be the most downloaded Linux until they came out with that Unity interface. My brother currently uses Linux Mint (an old version, 10) and he hasn't had many problems with it. The only issues, minor ones, is that Firefox sometimes freezes on loading pictures and he can't play Minecraft.
Wine is pretty easy to use. Once you have it installed, all you have to do is download the Windows program you want to use, rightclick and check the option to run it as an executable and save it. Then right click the same file again and go to Open With, and select the Wine Program Loader. This should install it as if it's on Windows.
There's also PlayOnLinux, a companion of Wine, which you can also use to install Windows stuff, though you can only pick from a list. It has a ton of games with it.
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Thanks. I didn't know most of that. Never heard of PlayOnLinux. I guess with Wine I'd have to fiddle with it for a bit.
Eventually I plan on putting together a gaming pc, that'll be th eonly one with windows and my day to day pc I'll use linux on it. Linux mint likely, unless I hear another is better.
Though sometime this year I plan on getting another hdd to use to put linux mint on so I can try that, wine and maybe that PlayOnLinux you mentioned.
I'm not sure about windows 8. Though I guess once it comes out we'll get some information of the good and bad things about it. I'll likely not get it though.
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If you'd like to try out Linux Mint, you can install Virtualbox and install an iso through that, as a virtual machine. I've done it a few times. I currently have a virtual Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and Zeven on it.
Installing it as a virtual machine allows you to test a new operating system without needing to overwrite anything on the computer. Here's Linux Mint 12 (with a KDE interface instead of the default one) running in Virtualbox: http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u72/Inf...ux12virtual.png (http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u72/Inferdramon/linux12virtual.png)
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Nice looking. Is that the default wallpaper?
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No. With KDE platform, you go into Desktop Settings and you can download high quality wallpaper through that, and that was one of them I got. Another one was a wolf howling at the moon.
I used to use a simpler-looking interface called MATE (I think), and while I like it, I tried out KDE and decided I liked it better. I like how pretty it looks.
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I'll just stick with Vista until a proper windows OS comes along.
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From what I've been seeing, I think I'll skip this upgrade and stick with Windows 7 for now. If I have the desire to upgrade, I might try to pull off a Linux hybrid of sorts. For now though, no upgrade for me. :)
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Linux hybrid?
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I'd rather have Windows 95 than this crap. No, seriously. I would. I've been checking out new Linux distros and I must say things have gotten worse with Linux, not better. There's a reason I'm not a Linux user. I'm currently running Linux Mint through a virtual machine as well as the latest version of Ubuntu and I just can't work in a Linux environment. I do more than click on Firefox and go to Facebook. I need programs like Photoshop, Filezilla, and many different browsers. The lack of program compatibility is what turns me off to Linux. Nothing more, nothing less. What turns me off to Windows 8 is that they've turned my quad core 16GB ram desktop to a freaking cell phone. I will NEVER buy an app, even for $0.01. I shouldn't have to.
There were some BIG changes in Mac OS 10.7 Lion, but they weren't so big as to affect the entire usability of the OS. I use the start menu 100 times a day. It's small, clean, and efficient. Ideally MS should keep the original start menu and add Metro as a Media Center of sorts. Maybe put it right next to the start menu as an option for people that want to screw around with apps. Or put it IN the start menu. But that wouldn't maximize their profits from the apps now would it? No. All they care about is forcing this Metro shit onto their users so they can try to scam them into buying these useless apps.
Let me put it this way. If I as a computer technician that spends 10+ hours a day on a computer found Windows 8 confusing, its going to be absolute hell for the average user. I really don't know what the purpose of the Metro UI is other than to peddle worthless apps. It really doesn't do anything else. Hopefully the Metro UI will gain features in the public beta and in the RTM release. Features like, I don't know, the ability to look at and store files like pictures and videos? It's literally just a freaking app store. And THAT is supposed to REPLACE the start menu? Not gonna happen. At least not for most users.
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So it's dropping the long running "Desktop with a start menu on it" configuration it had for almost 2 decades? Well in that case, it ain't WINDOWS anymore, as that was what Windows was for when it first came out. It was called that becuase there was a desktop, and everything ran in different windows, so you could multitask. \
If this Metro thing is really like you're describing, they shouldn't call it Windows anymore, as that's false advertising!
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Multitasking is IMPOSSIBLE with the Metro interface. You have to slide from the left and right side of the screen to go from one app to another. So let's say you have 10 things open. To go from app 5 to app 10, you have to slide 5 times rather that just clicking on the open program to get to it. You can multitask with the original desktop mode, but Metro is shoved in your face at EVERY startup, and since there's no start menu you have to use the Metro UI to try to do what you used to do in the start menu. The problem is, Metro can't even do 5% of what the start menu used to do. I'm hoping this will change in later releases but with how terrible Vista was, I wouldn't be surprised if they shipped it with all these problems. Ugh! And I thought Vista was bad.
Windows 7 is the closest I've seen to a perfect OS. It's fast, stable, and its easy to multitask. They should have just built on that and added an app store to the start menu. In reality, the app store is all they've added to Windows 8.
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Linux hybrid?
This is where you combine Linux with another OS. In this case, I'd be combining it with Windows 7. It's always been an idea I've had of doing in the back of my head.
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You mean dual booting? That's what it sounds like.
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Here's a video about the latest Windows 8 release, the consumer one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJp12-glr8...702FUAAAAAAAAAA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJp12-glr8&feature=g-u-u&context=G2b04702FUAAAAAAAAAA)
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I've watched most of it. I don't like the looks of it so far. Though it's not the release version. It looks like they are going with the type that is on cellphones with a touch screen I'd guess, or those ipod or ipad things.
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Well the consumer preview is better. But it's only about 20% complete. They added the ability to view files on your computer in the Metro interface and even delete photos, but it just isn't anywhere near where it needs to be if they truly want to start phasing out the "old" desktop. But here's the thing. The "old" desktop works about 500x more efficiently than Metro. If I had to use Metro for everything, it would take me 3 hours to do something I could usually get done in 20 minutes. That's not an "innovation" to me. And I still don't understand what happens to an app when you open it then have to go back to the start screen in order to do something else. Does it just keep running in the background? Talk about a resource hog. Even with my 16GB of ram I'd be forced to restart at least 20 times a day just to close all the garbage. And if you have 10 apps open at once, you STILL have to go through every single one to find the one you're looking for. Let's see, do I want to just click the icon on the taskbar or go through every program I have open in order to multitask? Wow, that's a tough one.
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To bad they can't do both, and let folks pick which they want to use.