Ok I've actually sat down for 12 hours with Windows 8 now both on a 1998 ThinkPad T61 and a 2011 Sony VPCJ1 multitouch desktop.
Firstly some background - I've been using Windows since 1992. I've spent 15 years now developing software on the platform, both desktop and web applications in C++ and C#. I also have a Windows Phone.
I actually don't understand why people are complaining about metro and the use cases as I think they are fine.
The way a Windows machine tends to get used these days is that you drag all the apps you want to the taskbar and that is it. Occasionally, you would benefit from some desktop gadgets such as weather etc and occasionally you use global search. If I look at my taskbar, I have:
Windows Explorer, RDP, IE, Firefox, Zune, Excel, Word, VS2010, sticky notes, PuTTY.
What I do on my phone is simply: Messaging, occasionally web browsing and checking the weather.
After 12 hours of Windows 8, I've settled into the following usage pattern that I actually find satisfying:
1. Metro has: weather, news, music on it.
2. Desktop has: everything else.
I spend a lot of time at (2) but switch to (1) if I want a quick status update of the world, which is simply a press of the windows key away and is just there! Also if i want to search for something, I use metro.
Otherwise I use it just like Windows 7.
The intended use case is not to throw metro at the desktop users - it's to augment it.
I don't get all the complaining! I actually like it.
I think you are right. Microsoft seem to occupy the land of the damned if you do and damned if you don't. If this was apple, I get the feeling that people would be gushing all over it.
Firstly some background - I've been using Windows since 1992. I've spent 15 years now developing software on the platform, both desktop and web applications in C++ and C#. I also have a Windows Phone.
I actually don't understand why people are complaining about metro and the use cases as I think they are fine.
The way a Windows machine tends to get used these days is that you drag all the apps you want to the taskbar and that is it. Occasionally, you would benefit from some desktop gadgets such as weather etc and occasionally you use global search. If I look at my taskbar, I have:
Windows Explorer, RDP, IE, Firefox, Zune, Excel, Word, VS2010, sticky notes, PuTTY.
What I do on my phone is simply: Messaging, occasionally web browsing and checking the weather.
After 12 hours of Windows 8, I've settled into the following usage pattern that I actually find satisfying:
1. Metro has: weather, news, music on it.
2. Desktop has: everything else.
I spend a lot of time at (2) but switch to (1) if I want a quick status update of the world, which is simply a press of the windows key away and is just there! Also if i want to search for something, I use metro.
Otherwise I use it just like Windows 7.
The intended use case is not to throw metro at the desktop users - it's to augment it.
I don't get all the complaining! I actually like it.