
Windows 8 on a laptop: first look - revorad
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/blogs/2011/09/15/windows-8-on-a-laptop-first-look/?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
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dustinupdyke
First comment on this story is "'press the Windows key and start typing the
name' Who on earth does that? I don’t want to TYPE anything. I want to point
and click as much as possible! Even on a PC"

Which I think precisely differentiates the user model here on HN and the
general public.

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Qz
I remain a mouse user except where I absolutely have to type things. I do
recognize that this differentiates me from many if not most HN users :P.

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mattmanser
I get the impression he's talking from a power user perspective.

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Pewpewarrows
Having used Windows 8 for the past day or so, I'm definitely warming up to the
Start menu being replaced by the Start Metro screen. It feels very similar to
Ubuntu's Unity launcher. That said, for the times that I know I'm only going
to be quickly launching an app by typing the first few letters of its name, I
wish they had an optional "mini" panel for it, possibly with its own keybind.
Dock it onto the left side of the screen, or make it a front-and-center popup
like Alfred/Gnome-Do/Quicksilver/Launchy.

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sandGorgon
can I add Synapse (for Ubuntu) to the list ? Written in Vala, faster than
Gnome-do and primarily developed for the ElementaryOS project.

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fuzzylizard
If MS continues with their ideas for Windows 8, then Windows 7 will be the
last OS I own from them. I really do not understand the rational for wanting
to make desktop PCs look and act like tablets. I really don't want full screen
apps on my 24" monitor. And that start screen looks like it was written for 5
year olds.

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_debug_
> And that start screen looks like it was written for 5 year olds.

That's how the average user IS. That's what Apple has shown us with the
phenomenal success of their iPhone, iPad products. It's the "Don't make me
think" philosophy taken to an extreme.

I'm guessing that you are probably like me, a command line aficionado. They
call it "simplification" of the user interface, but we feel that there's an
element of idioticization there, too! :-) I mean, how do they get things done
when there's no place to TYPE?! It's scary to have no place to type. :-)

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JohnTHaller
This first Windows 8 development release is really to get people working on
Metro apps. It's tablet-centric and desktop and laptop use (without a touch
screen) is a very clear afterthought. There will be major changes to the way
this all works over the coming months. There have to be for Windows 8 to be a
viable desktop OS.

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steverb
That review jives with my own experience. I sincerely hope that they make the
metro "Start" optional before the final build.

Also, you can move past the lock screen by hitting enter or by hitting control
(in case you habitually use ctrl-alt-del).

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fname
Here's a Registry hack to get it back: [http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-
pick/how-to-get-a-windows-...](http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-pick/how-to-
get-a-windows-7-start-menu-in-windows-8-20110914)

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Ryan_IRL
UI looks inconsistent, but I see a lot there to be excited about. If they are
taking cues from the phone OS, then that's a very good thing IMO. I've always
felt that was one of the nicer mobile UI's.

