My View on Windows 8

Now that Windows 8 has been out since October 2012 and has gone through 2 major updates in the forms of 8.1 and 8.1 Update 1, it's time that I put in a few words on my opinion of it. Before, reading on, please watch this 24-minute rant video so you can get some ideas that I will be saying next. Granted, this video was created when Windows 8 was Windows 8.0. Since then, Microsoft has released two major updates that have addressed some of the complaints mentioned in the videos. So this mini reviews covers the most annoyances that still exist.

Let me start with the most obvious: the Start button. At least Microsoft brought back a half-baked Start button with Windows 8.1. Its initial complete absence drove many people nuts. After almost 20 years of telling people to hit the Start button to do virtually everything in Windows, Microsoft thought no one would cry blood murder when it suddenly took it away? When power users like myself get lost without the Start button, what did Microsoft think the Ludites would feel?

The Start button in Windows 8.1 is still not its full old self. For starter, left clicking on it does not launch the expected start menu of old. Instead you get hit on the face with a jarring experience of looking at the hated tiles. The tiles are the mainstay of the formerly known as Metro interface which is designed for touch screen interface. This is Microsoft's biggest mistake with Windows 8. It tries to merge the two interfaces in one system. The Metro interface is virtually useless without touch interface. Microsoft was hoping that by now, many people would have touch-capable computers. This is not the case. The majority of Windows 8 users do not have such a computer. Even if they do, they still prefer to use the mouse as their primary way to navigate. 

My proposal to Microsoft is to decouple the Metro interface from the desktop interface. At the very least, give people the option to completely disable Metro completely. Having the tiles suddenly show up when the user click on something is a jarring experience. It's like an unwelcome magic trick when the magician pulls off the veil to reveal something unexpected. Unlike a magic trick, computer users do not like a sudden change in interface. How did this pass the focus group testing during Windows 8 testing? Most likely, it didn't. Most likely, the sudden change in interface got negative reactions from testers but Microsoft decided to over-ride that in its zeal to move all Windows users to the touch interface. Evidence of this zeal remains with Windows 8.1 when clicking on the Start button would whisk you away from the desktop mode and drop you onto the tile interface.  

On the related note, the Charms bar is clearly the Metro version of the classic Taskbar. The problem is the Charms bar shows up when you don't want it to show up. This is like left clicking on the Start button. When you move the cursor to the right side of the screen to move or close a window, the Charms bar will suddenly pop out on the right edge. While this is not as jarring as the suddenly switch to Metro mode because the desktop is still visible, this uninvited Charms bar is an annoyance. Fortunately, this behavior can be disabled in Windows 8.1. However, if you use the trackpad, the Charms bar still shows up if Windows  misinterpret your finger movement as a swipe as opposed to a no swip with a mouse. Therefore until Microsoft allows you to completely disable the Charms bar, I recommend that you use a mouse instead of the trackpad.

Even with Windows 8.1 Update 1, I will still not recommend it for the average longtime Windows user. Yes, the Start button is back, sort off, but navigating in the Modern UI formerly known as Metro mode is still confusing.