I HATE Windows 8. This is the worst OS ever invented.

If it appears to not work correctly, then no other aspect of it matters enough to keep it, if the problem cannot be solved. That includes looks. Especially.

Not work correctly for you or not work correctly for anyone?  Not look right to you or not look right for anyone?

If it appears to not work correctly, then no other aspect of it matters enough to keep it, if the problem cannot be solved. That includes looks. Especially.

I am a "techie" and it is my career to do that - I try out things at stores or wait until a friend or neighbor have them for me to play with or someone at the place I work gets curious enough where work will drop the money on it so I can learn it and try it without cost to me.  Patience rarely causes issues with such things.  I read all the internet reviews, blogs.  I get opinions from people of all walks of life and after all that - if I want to - I purchase a product to use.

It's great that your comments are here to help.  I don't say you cannot have your opinion, but you state your opinion like it was right and everyone else is wrong.  Just because something is not to your liking or 1000 people's liking or 100,000 people's liking or 1 billion people's liking - the other 6 billion might be perfectly content.  Since this 'issue' is around the look and feel of an operating system - nothing extremely dangerous to life or liberty - the opinions *will* and do vary.

You said, "I can buy any other version.. but Win 8 is what I wanted for its speed."... I didn't know that Windows 8 is any faster than Windows 7 for everything.  Where was that stated?

You stated, "I did not realize that you cannot turn off these gadgets and log on and that I would have to end up starting my new experience by buying a software to remove the visible features of what makes Win 8 into Win 8."; yet here we are and obviously you were not the first to state a dislike with the menu system in Windows 8 in the year+ the pre-releases have been available to the general public or there would not be such utilities out already to modify it before your epiphany - so your ignorance of that would have to be caused by your hurry to get something without understanding it or doing much more than falling for marketing garbage.

Opinions are numerous.  A lot of people will only have opinions about the way things look and that is their only concern.  A lot of people will only have opinion about the way things function and that is their only concern.  A lot of people will want the best combination of look and function.  I cannot tell where you lie - although from this post - you seem to have cared about the combination more than anything else.  You wanted the speed of Windows 8 (although where you got the impression it was faster than other OSes, that is still to be determined) and the look of some other OS (I would call that an assumption - but given you state you didn't know you couldn't turn off all the gadgets - it's obvious you had some plan to make Windows 8 not look like Windows 8.)

Truthfully - I think if Microsoft is getting anything out of these forums - it's less phone calls for assistance.  If they are squeezing ideas out of the mess these forums become on any given day - their algorithms are fantastic *and* the results would be skewed towards the negative on everything they have ever put out (who comes to a help forum to say they need no help because everything they have works great and they just wanted to point out all the positive things in the interface?)

All of this is true Shenan but you are forgetting one huge thing: Microsoft has already lost a lawsuit when it installed IE such that some non-techies could not switch to use Chrome or whatever... I am waiting to see when the first lawyer buys Win 8 without a Windows Live ID and a hotmail account... just wait until that happens and all the dust will kick up into millions of dollars costing Microsoft.... 

Whether you are a techie or not... this is a business and for those who wait to see what others say... well... those are not the ones Microosoft will listen to. Those who jump in head first and try them AND tell their wisdom to others and to Microsoft are the ones that matter (or should matter) to Microsoft!

Not everyone likes the way any "Bentley" model might look - but they may like the way the engines run (may not, as well - also a different need/opinion possibility there) - so there likely are many people who would love to have a Bentley engine in a Hyundai body because they like the look of the Hyundai and don't (possibly) even care about the engine.  As for the other way - same thing.  After all - you get people who modify the external look of vehicles all the time so they *look like* a vehicle they could not afford (often spending way too much money they can't even really afford to do so.)

 

So - while I can appreciate your opinion that you do not like the interface and/or you don't think you should have to change the interface in any way so that you like it... Others will (and do) feel differently.

 

I personally almost set out to not like Windows 8.  It was a dramatic and obvious change from the 'norm' I was surrounded with.  However, on the right system - I find it a wonderful and almost addictive interface.  Having said that, I can see where on an older system - one not built around Windows 8 - it could quickly be annoying and overbearing.  My solution: I don't use it or recommend it on such systems.

I very much like your answer here and let me comment and sorry for the typo-this particular forum window does not underline typos like others do... so I will have typos.

You noted above that some people will like Hyundai body and others the Bentley... true... however, a friend of mine ran an experiment -- for real.. I posted in a previous response that I am a PhD and we run experiments... so this person ran the following experiments: used two cars: a convertible Porsche and an old beat up brown station wagon. He took the blood of the subjects (I am only discussing the outcome of this test here on men) before and after the experiments. Men who received the old beat up station wagon and had to drive it in the city where their friends could see them had a huge drop in their testosterone levels and men who got the Porsche to drive in the city in front of their friends had a huge increase in their testosterone levels. Tstosterone levels mean a lot for men!

Whether you admit it or not, the way things "appear" are extremely important to more people than the way things work.

Use Firefox and you get underlines.  Well, maybe that is a combination of things - not sure, but I get the underlines.

Not all PhD's run experiments.  I work at a college and interface daily with more PhD's than I care to count.  ;-)

Where did you run the experiment?  How many people did you run this experiment on?  Is testosterone levels the only measure you made?  How does your experiment proof or disprove anything that has been said in the complete response of mine you are referring to?

And I did not deny in any way that the way things appear was important to many people - but even the way things appear changes depending on where the subject of said information gathering is done and what the exposure of said appearance is.  In fact, if nothing else, I pointed out (with my car modification example) that appearance is important to many people.  All I said is that not everyone dislikes the appearance of Windows 8 - no more than everyone liking or disliking the appearance of a Hyundai or Bentley (or their performance.)

When you buy a new computer with a new OS AND you have to start by installing a third party start menu.. that's bad.. that's very bad Mike Hall MVP! And if you don't see that, then we must say that THAT is what is wrong with Microsoft! 

Why'd you buy a Windows 8 system without knowing what you were getting?  Windows 7 systems have NOT gone off the market that I know of.  :-)  You can go to a multitude of stores and try out the systems before deciding to buy one.  The internet is FULL of posts in both directions (for and against whatever you may want to research) - so you could look there.

 

It comes down to you either liking or disliking the new Windows OS and what *you* want to do/are willing to do to either run it or not.  All it takes is a little forethought.

That is true Shenan but at the same time you need to consider what is available and where when you purchase. I purchased my laptop (Dell) and this particular powerhouse was only available with Win 8. 

Secondly, I am a techie... I don't mind learning new things and doign new things (I was a programmer and senior systems engineer at Intel for a while) so you can imagine I will be curious about new stuff and frankly the last thing I will do is go to a store to try something out... I just want the new stuff... like all techies do. And I never go to stores unless it is for food... that is what the internet is for... you do your shopping there...

My comments here are to help Microsoft because I think (I hope) they read what people comment about. You can always buy an iPhone 1 but why would you if the 5 is already out? Same with Windows.. I can buy any other version.. but Win 8 is what I wanted for its speed.. I did not realize that you cannot turn off these gadgets and log on and that I would have to end up starting my new experience by buying a software to remove the visible features of what makes Win 8 into Win 8.

As a techie myself, I strated still with DOS - actually started with Apple's first public computer (Mac Plus I htink it was) but switched to PC in the DOS stage and have purchased the first windows version and the new versions--every single one except 2000--throughout the years.

I ended up as a top executive of a technology company some time ago and so you'd think I have the business knowhow (also have MBA and a PhD)..  so my words here are for Microsoft to see that  the road they are heading is not a winning one.

**For some people Win 8 will be great.. so was Newton from Apple.. I loved it.. still.. the majority of people hated it and Apple almost went under...**There is a reason for everything and these forums are no exception: they are visions into the minds of the user for Microsoft.

There you go again - making assumptions of what others do or like based off a few posts on a forum or what *you* like or do.

I am a "techie" and it is my career to do that - I try out things at stores or wait until a friend or neighbor have them for me to play with or someone at the place I work gets curious enough where work will drop the money on it so I can learn it and try it without cost to me.  Patience rarely causes issues with such things.  I read all the internet reviews, blogs.  I get opinions from people of all walks of life and after all that - if I want to - I purchase a product to use.

It's great that your comments are here to help.  I don't say you cannot have your opinion, but you state your opinion like it was right and everyone else is wrong.  Just because something is not to your liking or 1000 people's liking or 100,000 people's liking or 1 billion people's liking - the other 6 billion might be perfectly content.  Since this 'issue' is around the look and feel of an operating system - nothing extremely dangerous to life or liberty - the opinions *will* and do vary.

You said, "I can buy any other version.. but Win 8 is what I wanted for its speed."... I didn't know that Windows 8 is any faster than Windows 7 for everything.  Where was that stated?

You stated, "I did not realize that you cannot turn off these gadgets and log on and that I would have to end up starting my new experience by buying a software to remove the visible features of what makes Win 8 into Win 8."; yet here we are and obviously you were not the first to state a dislike with the menu system in Windows 8 in the year+ the pre-releases have been available to the general public or there would not be such utilities out already to modify it before your epiphany - so your ignorance of that would have to be caused by your hurry to get something without understanding it or doing much more than falling for marketing garbage.

Opinions are numerous.  A lot of people will only have opinions about the way things look and that is their only concern.  A lot of people will only have opinion about the way things function and that is their only concern.  A lot of people will want the best combination of look and function.  I cannot tell where you lie - although from this post - you seem to have cared about the combination more than anything else.  You wanted the speed of Windows 8 (although where you got the impression it was faster than other OSes, that is still to be determined) and the look of some other OS (I would call that an assumption - but given you state you didn't know you couldn't turn off all the gadgets - it's obvious you had some plan to make Windows 8 not look like Windows 8.)

Truthfully - I think if Microsoft is getting anything out of these forums - it's less phone calls for assistance.  If they are squeezing ideas out of the mess these forums become on any given day - their algorithms are fantastic *and* the results would be skewed towards the negative on everything they have ever put out (who comes to a help forum to say they need no help because everything they have works great and they just wanted to point out all the positive things in the interface?)