Windows 8 may drive me to Linux | Hacker News Reader

Windows 8 may drive me to Linux

extremetech.com

13 pointsmrsebastian11 comments

Here's a question: If you're a Windows user who is sufficiently "powered" (as in power user), then why are you still launching things from the Start Menu? When I was a Windows user, I rarely used the Start Menu. It was, in my view, the worst part of Windows. Vista improved things -- please, hold your jeering until the end of the speech -- with the type-to-search feature; conveniently available at the press of the Windows key. In WinXP, I memorized many application executable names so I could press winkey+R to invoke the run dialog, then launch the app from there. Vista meant I no longer had to memorize! Yay!

On OS X, I'm intensely addicted to Quicksilver. I know many others who use Alfred, or even the built-in Spotlight search feature, all of which are invoked from a readily accessible keyboard shortcut.

There must be a Windows equivalent? If not, here's a pro-tip for Microsoft: build a smart launcher in to the OS, and make the back-end pluggable so others can write their own alternatives and market them. Power users will shut up about the new Start screen, because they'll never bother with it. The rest of us will enjoy our shiny new dynamic tiles and can get on with our lives.

Launchy does something like that. http://www.launchy.net/

Cross-platform and all.

I have no problems with Vista and still use it to this day. I will upgrade to 8 when it comes out but I ran Vista on a Pentium D for the longest time with no issues.

Windows key + typing easily launches apps since, IIRC, Vista. As someone who is forced to use windows again, I was quite pleased that spotlight search to launch (available since Leopard) exists.

I think all of the gripes in this article are based around the Metro UI, which was designed to be touch-friendly at its core. Pretty much every single point in this article becomes moot if you actually use the standard Windows desktop.

I think what a lot of people are assuming is that you have to use this new Metro UI exclusively, and the truth is, you don't. If you just treat it as a glorified start menu instead of a replacement to the Windows desktop, suddenly it becomes a lot less scary.

I agree, the article is centered at the Metro UI. But have you tried the Desktop app Win8 has ? It has completely removed all configuration from it.

I installed Wind8 in a VM. My network was not detected, I spent 2 hours trying to find the damn configuration. The only thing I could find was the Network Config, and it didn't let me do anything. If the windows tool can't find the device you are stuck.

Right now I can use a lot of other tools to make it work. Win8 just makes it too complex to do anything, because it is created to handle everything by itself. The problem is OSes are not smart enough to do that yet.

Why are people so reluctant to change? Ubuntu, Apple and Microsoft are changing their UIs to add a new layer of usability, which can always be disabled. This is clearly a transition release, like Unity or Mountain Lion, which will set the foundations for the future of PC operating systems.

The author is free to switch to linux whenever he wants, but using Windows 8 as scapegoat is a quite poor excuse.

I don't believe this is a resistance to change. It is just that Win8 doesn't seem to be made to work on the computers we have today.

I'm sure tomorrow, maybe. I can't see how right now. I can't imagine myself coding in a virtual keyboard.

Now maybe in a few years, even coding will change, then maybe Win8 might be going in the right direction, but for me right now, and probably even next year, Win8 won't be able to fill my needs.

I'm writing this from win8 on laptop right now. After 3 days of using it I'm finding it very usable. I spend most of my time on the desktop but I have the metro remote desktop pinned on the left and I'm watching my build go by. Switching back and forth is easy and nice. When I need to run a new app I just hit Win then type whatever I want: Win->"notepad" boom, notpad pops up. It actually feels faster than the start menu in win7 too. You just have to get a little more keyboard-centric and not rely on the mouse for everything, though you can still put your mouse in the corners and get all the menus you need.

Is it possible to disable the hot corners/replace their functionality with a keyboard shortcut?

There are a variety of keyboard shortcuts: http://win8review.com/2011/09/windows-8-shortcuts/

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