Hey guys I was wondering,what’s your opinion on Windows 8?Have any of you guys installed it?What do you think that sets it apart from Windows 7,and what do you think it has that’s done better on openSUSE?I found nothing worthy of upgrade until now,except maybe the removal of Aero for performance reasons(not taking into account that it makes the interface uglier),and maybe…say that it installs the proprietary drivers of my hardware out of the box,in Win 7 I had to manually install most of the drivers and the performance is almost the same!By the way copy-move dialog is still slower then Terracopy application,the boot takes longer(Microsoft advertised it that it will boot faster),and I skipped Metro installing Classic Shell application!
I have no opinion at all, I use openSUSE.
Well said. I think my opinion would be I am glad to be using a flexible and open operating system instead. 
I wonder who will be the first protesting poet to post “Hate, hate, hate Windows eight”? Try saying that when you’ve had one over the eight… 
The following is just my humble opinion on using Windows 8…
I have loaded one copy of Windows 8 into a VirtualBox VM which seems to work OK on my newest PC, but blows up on my oldest though. This is just a VM and so you can’t tell how well it will work for real. I have decided to work with it so I can understand how it installs, if it works with Grub 2 and how it works with Samba. I see no reason it will not work with Grub 2, it creates two partitions by default just like Windows 7 does and I got it to work with the latest Samba though the workgroup setting is in the somewhat hidden old Control Panel like it was done before.
The Start Menu of old is now gone. The new Start Menu is like a phone app menu that appears to scroll on forever to the right, you get an added block for each newly installed app. There is a scroll bar at the bottom for those that use a mouse. It works just like a phone app start and is geared for a new touch screen PC. Except in the Desktop app, a right click of the mouse does nothing at all. Windows 8 apps get a real nice big block while older programs you load get an old small block. There is a desktop that old programs will bring up, but it has no start menu to select and its the only place where a mouse right click does something I have found. To shutdown or configure your PC, you put your mouse on the top right while running programs can be found on the left when you put your mouse pointer there. In order to get the old Media Center, you must pay an extra 10 bucks US.
I can say if you can’t stay off of your smart phone and love to download every free app that you can find, you most likely will love using Windows 8. Of course there is nothing new there you can’t already get from your internet browser of choice. But it is flashy and will capture some people I think. Oddly, after I showed it to my daughter who does use Windows 7, she said no, don’t put that on my PC. I do think the same people that go crazy over an Apple system will like Windows 8. I can’t imagine too many business that are going to switch to this thing. Lots of new users will get it no matter what on a new PC, but if its not a touch screen, I think they will say that it does really suck. Like most things from Microsoft, you have to learn to live with it and that is what I have decided to do. If you are curious though, it is the cheapest price that I have ever seen M$ sell an OS for and for a limited time as I understand it, till the new year.
So I can’t recommend it to any serious openSUSE user or if you have a valid working copy of Windows 7. It is certainly not better or more useful than openSUSE. But if you are curious though, what can I say? If you mess up your computer though, you will have to come back here and tell us what you did, don’t forget. We will be ready though to give you that help you will need to get back in with openSUSE again.
Thank You,
That review convinced me NOT to update Win7 on my notebook to Win8. On announcement day, it appeared to be aimed at tablets.
On 2012-11-01 03:16, jdmcdaniel3 wrote:
> The Start Menu of old is now gone. The new Start Menu is like a phone
> app menu that appears to scroll on forever to the right, you get an
> added block for each newly installed app. There is a scroll bar at the
> bottom for those that use a mouse. It works just like a phone app start
> and is geared for a new touch screen PC.
I read somewhere that you can change to “classical” style, or a similar
name.
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Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” (Minas Tirith))
What did I just said,there is an open source app called Classic Shell,it let’s you use a menu and it disables charms and let’s you directly boot into windows,I’m using it no doubt,but I still love the KDE approach where if you don’t like kicker you just right click and change to a classical menu!
The last time I walked into Costco I found they changed all of their computers to Windows 8, so I fooled around with it for a few minutes.
There is definitely a learning curve moving from Windows 7 to 8. I ended up putting something on the side so it was visible while I did something with the main screen and I still don’t’ know how I got it to finally go away!
The concept of the live tiles I kinda like, but I wish their “desktop” mode was more reminiscent of Windows 7. For starters the familiar “Start” button is replaced with a corner hotspot but I understand that the main screen you see IS the (functionally) “Start” menu now.
KDE, Gnome and even Unity have a well entrenched desktop “flow”, or logical interface. Windows 8 is going to take time to learn and I for one is not in a rush to learn that at this point.
Given that learning curve and the relatively small amount of time I spend on Win7, I can’t justify the upgrade.
I’ve just bought a new notebook. I saw some Windows 8 tutorials at youtube and read some previews at inet and decided for a short-term buy with a preinstalled Win 7 before Win 8 is released. Another reason was secure boot and the still unfinished solutions for Linux. My impression of Win 8 from outside is: as a 99% Linux user (KDE) who switches maybe 3-4 times a year to Win I’m not willing and able to learn this complete new GUI to get familiar with it.
wating for some developper installing some SDK’s causing 7000 new tiles on the start screen. Serious: I played around with Win8 for a while, I don’t like it. Compared to KDE and GNOME? Far behind. To get there has a price.
I know that I have spewed much hatred against Microsoft and Apple here and at OpenSuSE forums, but I unexpectedly received $40.00 USD in cash from my father today so I decided to purchase Microsoft Windows 8 Pro 64 bit Upgrade. At first, it failed to install successfully, but I decided to try again and I opted not to keep any of my old settings or configuration. That did the trick for me. Windows 8 Pro 64 bit installed successfully. I use Oracle VM Virtualbox 4.2.4 64 bit to run it inside a 64 bit 60.00 GB guest virtual machine. I didn’t do much except to run Windows Update and I included the option to update other Microsoft products as well. It downloaded and installed 5 updates and I also downloaded two optional updates. I made three backup copies of my entire Virtualbox VMs folder to my external Seagate and Western Digital Super Speed USB 3.0 hard disk drives and I am making an updated backup to my CrashPlan+ unlimited home account now.
Microsoft Windows 8 Pro 64 bit is extremely robust in terms of stability, performance, and security. For these reasons alone, it is well worth the low price to upgrade. I find switching between the Windows 8 Modern user interface and the Desktop app to be a bit confusing, but I guess that I will learn to adapt and it will grow on me. I find the overall look and feel to be quite beautiful to behold. It’s highly colorful and it is very features rich.
Tomorrow, I plan to download and install all of my third-party software security products to harden Windows 8 Pro 64 bit. BitDefender Total Security 2013, QFX Software Key Scrambler, WinPatrol PLUS, Super Anti-Spyware Professional Registered, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Registered, and Microsoft’s EMET will be installed and configured for maximum security settings. I also have WiTopia Personal VPN PRO service.
I have no problems using OpenSuSE 64 bit Tumbleweed as my primary default operating system on my System76 Lemur Ultra Thin (lemu4) notebook PC and Microsoft Windows 8 Pro 64 bit in a guest virtual machine. Everything works perfectly right out of the box. I also installed Ubuntu 12.10 64 bit and Red Hat Fedora 17 64 bit in two separate guest virtual machines. I have an OCZ Vertex 3 SATA-III 120 GB Solid State Drive housed in a JacobsParts 2.5" 9.5 mm Super Speed USB 3.0 disk drive enclosure. I am getting my old Intel X-25M SATA-II 160 GB Solid State Drive housed in a Coolmax 2.5" 9.5 mm Super Speed USB 3.0 disk drive enclosure this Sunday afternoon from my best friend.
So far, I like Windows 8 Pro 64 bit despite my previous qualms against it. It changed my opinions thus far and I look forward to using it daily.
Yes, this is true. This is why I switched to OpenSuSE 64 bit Tumbleweed because it is safer and more secure than Ubuntu according to Secunia security advisories and others. I use YaST 2 to manage the security configuration and tools. I added AIDE, rkhunter, and chkrootkit which I can run in the terminal on demand along with BitDefender for Unices Free. That’s it. These software security tools don’t run as system services in the background; they only run on demand with a sudo command in the terminal.
Now, hear me out. I am seriously thinking about changing my security focused mindset especially regarding Microsoft Windows 8 Pro 64 bit. Windows Defender, Security Essentials, and Firewall are installed and configured by default. I am thinking about installing EMET and that’s it. If I do this, then it will stay lean and fast and there will be fewer problems. I think that this should be sufficient for my needs especially given the fact that I don’t really use Microsoft Windows that frequently and I use Oracle VM Virtualbox to run it in a guest virtual machine that I can turn off. This would be prudent and it will keep my user data and my accounts reasonably safe and secure without placing excessive strains on the operating system.
I am going to think about it quite seriously tonight and I will make my decision tomorrow. If I only add Microsoft EMET, then that should be sufficient for my needs as a casual Microsoft Windows user.
I am waiting for Microsoft to release Office 2013 Home Premium subscription worldwide. I plan to pay $100.00 USD to get access and I can share it with up to 5 other family members and friends legally with the subscription model. This is not a security product. It is an office productivity product and I need it. Montclair State University requires that I use Microsoft Word 2007 or later versions for my degree program because it is heavily focused on creative writing.
This is very tempting. It would ease my burdens and it will keep Windows 8 Pro 64 bit bloat free of additional third-party security products. I will have a lower risk of system corruption issues especially by not installing BitDefender Total Security 2013 as its highly advanced malware cleanup capabilities can render Microsoft Windows inoperable as a result of collateral damage. This is a documented fact about this specific software security product. I don’t want to corrupt Windows 8 Pro 64 bit if possible. It is not expensive, but it is terribly expensive to clean up and repair damage to the corrupted system files.
I shall see what I do tomorrow. I am monitoring the US presidential election results tonight and tomorrow. This is my main focus. I live in West Orange, New Jersey in the United States of America and there is a Nor’ Easter storm coming in my area tomorrow night. It might knock out electrical power due to strong wind gusts and rain. As a precaution, I made extra data backups locally and remotely today. I switched to using my Energizer Energi to Go XP18000A portable lithium polymer battery pack to connect it to my System76 Lemur Ultra Thin (lemu4) notebook PC so I have extra battery life and surge protection. I also have a Tripp Lite UPS connected to the Energizer battery for extra power backup and redundancy. I already lost electrical power for most of last week due to Hurricane Sandy.
So far, Microsoft Windows 8 Pro 64 bit is growing on me. I find it usable and useful. It is definitely nice to have, but it is not necessary if you are already pleased with Microsoft Windows 7 especially if you are an enterprise user. I am satisfied with this software product so far and it continues to meet my expectations and needs on a daily basis. It was well worth the $40.00 USD for the stability, performance, and security features.
I can make a cautious recommendation to other Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, and 7 users to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro 64 bit only if you are a desktop consumer user. It is fun to play with and explore. It’s beautiful to behold and it is super fast and stable. The extra security features obviate the need for expensive third-party security software products. In terms of security, it has all of the basic essentials necessary to keep Windows 8 users reasonably safe and secure for the next several years. Purchasing additional security products is entirely optional with Windows 8 Pro 64 bit.
Get Windows 8 Pro 64 bit for $14.99 USD or $39.99 USD before the January 31st, 2013 deadline. It makes for a good holiday gift. It’s definitely nice to have and it will keep you busy and satisfied for a long time.
On 11/06/2012 05:16 PM, wellywu wrote:
…
> Microsoft Windows 8 Pro 64 bit is extremely robust in terms of
> stability, performance, and security. For these reasons alone, it is
> well worth the low price to upgrade. I find switching between the
> Windows 8 Modern user interface and the Desktop app to be a bit
> confusing, but I guess that I will learn to adapt and it will grow on
> me. I find the overall look and feel to be quite beautiful to behold.
> It’s highly colorful and it is very features rich.
Well openSUSE cures cancer, world hunger and fixes all debt problems around the
world!
Thanks for the post… made my day.
I downloaded and I installed BitDefender Total Security 2013, WinPatrol PLUS, Super Anti-Spyware Professional Registered, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Registered, QFX Software Key Scrambler Premium, Microsoft EMET, Intuit Quicken Deluxe 2012, Microsoft Office 2010 32 bit Professional Plus Service Pack 1, Revo Uninstaller Professional Registered, Secunia PSI 3.0, File Hippo, Zinio Reader 4, Adobe Acrobat Reader 11, Adobe Shockwave Player 11, Adobe Flash Player 12, Oracle Java 7 JDK and JRE, LastPass Premium and Pocket, and a few more software applications that I forgot about. So far, Windows 8 Pro 64 bit has not crashed on me yet. I have had a few problems with Oracle VM Virtualbox with regard to changing the screen resolution and viewing modes, but they are easily solved once I figure out the problem and its solutions. I like it, but I don’t love it yet. It works well and it’s useful. I thought that it would be awful, but I found out it is pretty good. It’s very fast and it’s highly responsive. So far, I have had mostly positive experiences.
System76 Lemur UltraThin (lemu4):
14.1" 720p LED, Intel HD 4000, Intel Core i5-3210M, Corsair Vengeance 16 GB 1,600 MHz DDR3 SDRAM, Crucial M4 SATA-3 128 GB SSD, 8X Super-Multi Drive, Intel Centrino Advanced N 6235, 4 batteries, 2 year support
I have win 7 pro on a Lenovo i3 based laptop; how would I ever benefit from Win. 8? It is interesting that the cost is only $40. MS is really feeling the heat from GNU/Linux systems.
Since you claim to be a “casual” windows user, not sure why the need for all these upgrades? What is in Win 8 for a typical laptop which is superior to using
win 7 pro? I cannot believe that everything in Win 7 runs flawlessly in Win 8. This never happens with MS, ever.
On 11/07/2012 07:46 PM, wellywu wrote:
> So far, I have had mostly positive experiences.
who cares?
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dd
Umm, the guy who started the thread could be interested in that opinion (and the rest). It’s unusual I suppose, but just a wild guess. :\ > 