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Windows 7 vs Windows 8
kenkyle236
Member Posts: 2
in Hardware
Which would you get and why? The Windows 8 release is coming in a few months, and it will be touch based, but it will still support desktops and laptops. Would you will get it?
Comments
Window 7 all the way.
I will not upgrade and pay all that money to be forced into a tiled interface meant for handhelds and mobile systems, it's just wrong on so many levels.
PC lovers were not considered in this update and personally, i will never spend a cent on Windows 8 due to the fact I can't change the "Metro" tiled interface, if I could...then it would be a different story but being forced to use it, no deal.
There is a performance boost with windows 8 over 7 but not much and not enough to make me put up with the Metro tiled interface anyway.
Microsoft is known to produce a shit windows in bewteen good releases, so I hope it fails enough for them to rethink their design and produce a very fast and productive windows 9 either giving us an "option" to disable such crap features or completely scratching them from their new design.
just my 2 cents.
Windows 8 is not that great for gaming., even it looks all fancy and bling bling the operation system will be crap for both the developers and gamers. Windows 8 has alot of "fluff => microsoft crap" on it to give you a better performance.
Windows 7 will give you the best gaming performance.
If you like the Metro design, maybe.
If not - you're better off with Windows 7.
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It looks like there will be little to no difference for gamers between the two operating systems:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/windows-8-release-preview-vs-windows-7-benchmarked_p3/20610
If you're into audio/video encoding or want to shave a few seconds off boot time then it might be worth a look.
Personally I won't bother.
If you want a Windows smart phonesque front screen then it is ok.
But basically from what i have done it is Windows 7 for idots with some pretty interactive tiles and built in Facebook/Flickr etc built in.
Basically it is a giant mobile phone
If you dont like the tiles you can quickly get to your desktop
However a lot of the commands and stuff were for me (an advanced Windows user) quite counterintuitive and sometime made little or now sense.
they have now banned the use of the word metro, turns out its copyrighted to somebody else.. bit of an oops for MS really..
as for windows 8, its already been described as being a disaster for PC gaming, unless its for a tablet pc, or perhaps even if it is for a tablet PC, windows 8 probably constitutes a downgrade. windows 8 represents a huge gamble for microsoft, one that could well bite them in axxx.
Having used the preview release for a few months now:
Yes, the-interface-previously-known-as-Metro (I think they call it Modern now) is there, and it's fairly annoying. I don't know if they've fixed it in the GM yet or not, but several of the UI elements actually required click&drag (like you would on a scroll bar), rather than just clicking or using the mousewheel - it wasn't very intuitive with a mouse, but would make sense using a touchpad.
Aside from the-interface-previously-known-as-Metro, it really is nearly identical to Windows 7, it's just there's no more Start button. For gaming, all in all, I don't think it will present any advantages or disadvantages - it's still largely Windows Vista/7 under the hood.
It won't be nearly as dramatic as the changes between Windows Vista/7 and XP. I rather lump Vista/7 in together because most people I know skipped right over Vista (with all it's driver problems and overly-aggressive security settings), but all in all Vista and 7 are very similar under the hood. Windows 8 is in the same vein - very similar under the hood with mainly cosmetic/UI changes.
I don't think we'll see people clamoring to downgrade back to Win7 like we did with XP (more likely people will just bypass the-interface-previously-known-as-Metro and find a hack/patch that re-adds the Start menu), but I also don't think we'll see a lot of people (or businesses) rushing out to upgrade. I see most people probably just waiting on Windows 9. It will be nice on touch-enabled devices, and if you really like your XBox you'll be right at home. Fast-boot is nice (although with an SSD Win7 boots pretty darn fast as it is), but I still use WinXP-themes and layouts on my Win7 machine, so I'm largely a creature of habit, and Modern UI (at least without a touch interface on my PC) isn't going to be enough to get me to change.
Windows 8 is an even number, and so far the even numbers of Windows JUST SUCK.
After having that said... I'll stick with my old WIn7. My machine is an 'older one' and Win7 is doing a very nice job on it. I'm not sure if all Win8 has to offer can be supplied by my machine, or that it'll get faster after upgrading...
Just based on what I've seen on the web I haven't seen too many game developers enthralled with Windows 8. Gabe Newell even went so far as to hedge Valve's business strategy based on his concerns. Microsoft has been quick to respond to these claims, but, I suppose we'll all have to wait and see.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2012/07/26/windows-8-is-a-catastrophe-according-to-gabe-newell-valve-hedging-with-steam-on-linux/
http://www.technobuffalo.com/companies/microsoft/windows/game-developers-bash-microsofts-wrongheaded-windows-8-strategy/
http://www.neowin.net/news/stardock-talks-about-windows-8-concerns-in-annual-report
Steam: Neph
Windows 8 won't make or break Microsoft (after all, if WinME and Vista haven't sunk that boat, it's not going to sink).
PC's won't disappear if Win8 sucks. They won't migrate en masse to Apple/Linux because of it either - they will just stick with what they know best - which is WinXP/Win7.
The role of the PC has long been parceled out to other devices, with laptops outselling PC's lately, and mobile devices that have many of the same capabilities as PC's becoming extremely popular more recently. The growth will occur in those sectors (mobile computing in particular - smart phones and smaller devices (web enabled apparel, such as sunglasses/wristwatches are right around the corner)), but that doesn't mean that PC's are gone - just that they aren't growing like they used to be. There are still many, many tasks (and some particular types of gaming, but not all) are best done on regular sit-down desktop PCs.
Windows 8 doesn't ignore that fact, it just positions Microsoft to be more maneuverable in the changing computing climate. They claim it's so that they can offer a more unified and consistent experience across all your devices running Microsoft - you go from your PC to your smart Phone to your tablet to your XBox, and all are running some variant of WIn8/Modern UI - so if you know how to use one, you have a good handle on using them all. Not really any different from Apple and their OSX/iOS strategy, it's just Apple has been doing it for a few years now, and (arguably) it's harder to be better at UI design than Apple, or better at mimicking good UI design than Microsoft.
I don't really understand the game developers rants against it - I can support hedging away from Windows Desktops, because the growth isn't there (and damn me for saying that, because I hate the console-centric developer mentality, but there is a lot of truth in it) - most houses are shifting towards console and/or mobile/web gaming as their hedge. And it's smart for them to do so, because in particular mobile devices are experiencing explosive growth right now, and we are on the cusp of a new generation of consoles (WiiU due out this year, new PS4/Xbox 720's probably out in the next 2 years). But Win8 doesn't do anything to diminish the current PC ecosystem, it just ties the UI closer to what Microsoft envisions the mobile computing experience to be like - all the API's and drivers and under-the-hood guts that game developers use and need are largely unchanged from Win7, and if a game runs on Win7, it will more than likely run nearly identically (except for the use of the Start button menus) under Win8.
The companies that are complaining the loudest are those that run their own online forms of distribution - Steam and Stardock. They are mostly complaining because Windows will have a new Windows Store that can sell third party apps digitally - just like the App Store from Apple. No surprise they are complaining that their cash cows will have some competition. That doesn't mean that Microsoft is eliminating the capability of Valve/Stardock to continue their services (although, historically, Microsoft tends to not play fair with regard to open competition). It really has little to do with gaming itself, or the capability of the operating system to run games - but with digitial sales, DRM (to some extent), and distribution of software.
I have been running Windows 8 public test release on my PC for awhile now. I have played mostly Skyrim and the last two BWE of GW2 and had no issues. I hate the interface. There is no reason to have the formaly known "metro" interface unless you are running it on some touch device. You get no performance boost running any of the games, not that I expected too. There is no real desktop, other then what is used to throw shorcuts on. Although the programs usually install a shortcut on the "metro" start screen interface.
Who would want to sort thru this mess to find the program they want to run...
If you have Windows 7, there is really no sense in buying Win 8 as there really is no advantage unless you have a touch screen monitor, then its just a maybe. I hate to say it, even at the $40 upgrade price to Win 8, its going to be another OS flop IMO. The rule of thumb for most of the time for MS operating systems is to look towards every other one developed.
Windows 8 is the Vista of 2012.
No one will use it unless forced to by having it preinstalled on their computer. It will be a disaster.
I wouldnt touch it with someone elses barge pole.
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I agree and disagree. I see your point, and there will be some that may just use it as a email / online social outlet, but there are allot of people who actually use the office programs to go along with it, amongst other things. Most who do the simpliest tasks as mentioned, have a PC and are use to the current style OS with "START BAR" and desktop. Going from that, to the new Win 8 interface is going to be, I dont want to say shocker, but perhaps a bit overwhelming as they will have to relearn where everything is at and how things interact with each other (example: file downloads and how to gain access to the folder where files are saved). For you and I, probably took 5 minutes to see where things were going, but for the novice user, he/she may just punch a hole in the monitor out of frustration.
Where this will shine, is the Tablet market. MS is starting up its own tablet specifically to get its new OS out there. But, I really think there is more to it. I believe they will promote there tablet, and hope other harware companies get on board and start making there own tablets with a Win 8 OS. MS is not a hardware company for the most part. There main sales is through software. If, the other companies become competitive enough in the tablet market, we will see MS back off on making tablets and focusing on Win 8 licensing for the other tablet makers. Its been proven that you lose money making the hardware, but the sales come in providing software. If the hardware made money, MS would be making its own brand of PCs.
Prediction...
Win 8 fails on sales for PC
Win 8 has moderate to good sales for tablets and similar devices.
I have no problems with Vista 64bit and I wouldn't trade it in for win 7 or 8. I will hang on to Vista until they stop supporting it then upgrade at that time.