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Comment by seanalltogether | Hacker News Reader

I've installed Windows 8 on my desktop and so far I find it infuriating to use. I get the feeling that the "computer as a tool" notion has been deprecated with this release, and yet the world is full of people who still need to use their computers as tools on a daily basis. Windows keeps forcing me to use metro, but all the apps I need to use throw me back to the desktop. I was constantly having to switch context throughout a normal working day.

Also, I'm annoyed that the app store is Metro only. As a result its full of junk toy apps that are again designed to take me out of the context of the desktop. The fact that you can't purchase and install MS Office through their own app store shows how worthless it is.

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Windows keeps forcing me to use metro

How? I've been using Windows 8 for weeks and only see Metro when I'm launching an app I don't have pinned. And even then only for a very brief moment while I'm typing, a moment which is hardly disruptive.

How do you feel forced to use Metro when everything you do is on the desktop?

Install and launch an application - Gotta go through metro

Hit close on a fullscreen window - Metro sidebar shows up.

Doubleclick a video file, where does it take you? Metro

Need to look at pdf or image real quick, where are you going? Metro

Wanna use a one off app like Notepad or Calculator? You have to go through Metro, then right-click to pull up the bottom bar, hit All Apps and then finally find your app. Dear God.

Try this: Windows key + (application name)

Is that any different than Windows Vista or 7?

For media, you don't have to use Metro. When I open a video it opens MPC. When I open a picture it opens Windows Photo Viewer (not the Photos app). When I open a PDF, it opens Chrome or Foxit.

Hell, I want to use Metro but my workflow keeps me in in the desktop 95% of the time. The other 5% is just to open a program I don't have pinned. In that case, just type the application name.

Installing Metro apps from the Store then sure it's metro. Installing a desktop app doesn't go through metro at all.

You can change the default apps, just like you always have to not use Metro apps.

The Start Screen works just like the Start Menu did in terms of searching. Just start typing "notepad" rather than browsing for it.

"Installing Metro apps from the Store then sure it's metro. Installing a desktop app doesn't go through metro at all."

I just downloaded and installed a program from the web, the shortcut to launch that program only exists in the Metro UI unless I either pin that to the desktop launchbar, or I add a shortcut to my desktop

Just like on Windows 7, where a shortcut only exists on the start menu by default.

At least the Start Menu looks like the rest of Windows and doesn't steal the entire screen. To me, Metro replacing the Start Menu is as jarring as it would have been if they had replaced it with a DOS based application launcher.

What's the difference between "stealing the screen" and clicking All Programs which then fills up a major part of the screen while you hunt down which folder you're looking for, then try to find the application that exists in that folder?

Either way, you're going to lose focus of whatever was on the screen to begin with.

Try viewing an image, watching a video, or opening a PDF; if you don't custom configure your helper applications, you are thrown into metro each time you open these files. I've been careful to configure my helpers to avoid metro apps and just use Chrome instead, but I'm still encountering some content types that I forgot about that have metro viewers.

Is that so terrible of a solution though? I'd wager to say that most Win 8 devices will be touch devices (my bet is people aren't going to flock to upgrading their Win 7 machines). So the people who don't have touch machines are the only ones that don't want metro apps running their media. Is it that hard to set the helpers accordingly and then never worry about it again?

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