Over the past few months, we’ve looked at a significant amount of advice regarding Microsoft’s future operating system, Windows 8. However, we haven’t yet mentioned any advice as to whether we’d recommend Windows 8 to our site visitors and subscribers.
The point is that many people will upgrade their operating systems to Windows 8 later this month, and many will not. Windows 8 has been the focus of many tech blogs over the past few months, with many critics calling Windows 8 a flop; following Microsoft’s pattern of inconsistency, releases a quality operating system and then a bad operating system:
- Windows XP (considered a reliable OS)
- Windows Vista (considered a crappy OS)
- Windows 7 (considered a reliable OS)
- Windows 8 (not even officially released yet, but considered a crappy OS)
Since technical critics and many others are making judgments about the new Windows 8 Metro experience and other unconventional features, many consumers might be a little cautious when upgrading to Windows 8. However, I think the main factor behind all this criticism about the new OS is simple is different, so it looks like a complex or difficult operating system to understand. Also, using Windows 8 requires a little training and some changes; most people do not like change and are a product of habit.
With that in mind, the best way to determine if Windows 8 is the operating system you like is to simply download the Release Preview so you can try out the next generation OS for yourself. Still not sure if you should upgrade to Windows 8? Here are some tips that might help.
Windows 8 has an unconventional Start Menu (Metro interface)
– /
In fact, Windows 8 has a start screen Named Metro Interface, tablet-friendly. The new Start Menu in Windows 8 is the most controversial (favorite and hated) feature of the new operating system. Many criticize the new Metro interface for being too tablet-optimized for use on a PC, but I don’t find it as disgusting as many critics. It’s different and takes some getting used to, but after you’ve been using it for a month or so, you might like the Windows 8 Metro feature.
As the Windows 8 Metro user interface replaces the traditional Start menu, you’ll find yourself using Windows Explorer much more often to navigate to file directories and other paths on your PC. This is not a new feature that was not in Windows 7, but I, for example, never used Windows Explorer in Windows 7 because there was a Start menu and I just preferred that. In Windows 8, you will definitely use Windows Explorer.
So, the Start Menu is gone and now you navigate the paths and directories in Windows using Windows Explorer. You use the Metro user interface to launch apps and programs. However, if you just can’t use Windows without the Start Menu, you can add it back! The following add-ons can add the traditional Start menu to Windows 8:
So, if you can add a traditional Start Menu to Windows 8 the switch might be nice considering that Windows 8 has some other new features you might like, which we’ll talk about later!
Windows 8 is great for tablets, but not for business or productivity
When I first started using Windows 8 and was just starting to get used to the new operating system, I would agree with this statement. Without a traditional Start menu, the home screen can be very distracting. In tablet environments, the Metro experience is nice, but in a corporate or production environment, you might care less about the visual appeal of the Metro user interface the traditional Start menu is more productive because it can be used to access apps, folders, files, and virtually any path in Windows
However, after learning and adapting, 8th Metro UI can be quite fast. You just need to get used to it. Need to quickly launch an app from your desktop but don’t want to launch the Start screen to get to the app? Just pin it to your desktop taskbar.
The Windows 8 Metro UI can also be very useful in enterprise environments, but for that, program and app developers will have to deal with updating their apps to be compatible with Windows 8, including support for live tiles, support for full-screen apps, and more.
Here’s an example: If you were considering using Windows 8 in an IT business or enterprise environment with updated and current applications, it might look something like this:
Of course, you will need to update all of your company’s apps to be compatible with Metro UI. If the above screenshot shows live tiles with status updates, it can be very useful in an enterprise IT business environment, even more so than the standard Windows 7 desktop.
Control panel interfaces tend to work great in the enterprise, so when all of your company’s applications are updated to be compatible with Windows 8, you can use the Metro UI as your primary control panel that is easy to customize for each department of your business.
Windows 8 Consumer
While enterprise use is about productivity, consumer use is more for fun and ease. Windows 8 does a great job of this if you can get used to the metro interface. Full-screen apps in Windows 8 are awesome, and new apps in the Microsoft Windows 8 store, along with greater Xbox compatibility, make your PC experience more fun!
Should you upgrade to Windows 8
As mentioned, the best way to update Windows 8 is to try the free Release Preview first and then make a decision. However, I would recommend that you not use the new OS for a few days and then dismiss it as too different. Use Windows 8 for a month or so, then try Windows 7. Which version do you currently prefer? Remember, Windows 8 only costs $ 40 per upgrade.
I believe that Microsoft boldly created an OS like Windows 8. They decided to take the big step and do something different with that OS. I will be updating all my PCs to Windows 8 because I love the new improvements that Windows 8 has to offer, such as the new Windows Explorer ribbon and OS speed.
Even if you’re not porting the new Metro experience, you can simply turn it off with some online tutorials or restore the traditional Start menu. From there, you can use other Windows updates that you may like, such as the new Windows Explorer, Instant Download, and other technologies, without getting distracted from the Metro user interface.
Thank you for visiting the site for today’s posting. Will you be upgrading to Windows 8? Or is Windows 7 still your best bet? Let us know in the comments!
–