

Windows 8 may drive me to Linux - mrsebastian
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/121015-windows-8-may-drive-me-to-linux

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bradleyland
Here's a question: If you're a Windows user who is sufficiently "powered" (as
in power user), then why are you still launching things from the Start Menu?
When I was a Windows user, I rarely used the Start Menu. It was, in my view,
the worst part of Windows. Vista improved things -- please, hold your jeering
until the end of the speech -- with the type-to-search feature; conveniently
available at the press of the Windows key. In WinXP, I memorized many
application executable names so I could press winkey+R to invoke the run
dialog, then launch the app from there. Vista meant I no longer had to
memorize! Yay!

On OS X, I'm intensely addicted to Quicksilver. I know many others who use
Alfred, or even the built-in Spotlight search feature, all of which are
invoked from a readily accessible keyboard shortcut.

There must be a Windows equivalent? If not, here's a pro-tip for Microsoft:
build a smart launcher in to the OS, and make the back-end pluggable so others
can write their own alternatives and market them. Power users will shut up
about the new Start screen, because they'll never bother with it. The rest of
us will enjoy our shiny new dynamic tiles and can get on with our lives.

~~~
mc32
Launchy does something like that. <http://www.launchy.net/>

Cross-platform and all.

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SpikeX
I think all of the gripes in this article are based around the Metro UI, which
was __designed to be touch-friendly __at its core. Pretty much every single
point in this article becomes moot if you actually use the standard Windows
desktop.

I think what a lot of people are assuming is that you _have_ to use this new
Metro UI exclusively, and the truth is, you don't. If you just treat it as a
glorified start menu instead of a replacement to the Windows desktop, suddenly
it becomes a lot less scary.

~~~
aespinoza
I agree, the article is centered at the Metro UI. But have you tried the
Desktop app Win8 has ? It has completely removed all configuration from it.

I installed Wind8 in a VM. My network was not detected, I spent 2 hours trying
to find the damn configuration. The only thing I could find was the Network
Config, and it didn't let me do anything. If the windows tool can't find the
device you are stuck.

Right now I can use a lot of other tools to make it work. Win8 just makes it
too complex to do anything, because it is created to handle everything by
itself. The problem is OSes are not smart enough to do that yet.

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youlost_thegame
Why are people so reluctant to change? Ubuntu, Apple and Microsoft are
changing their UIs to add a new layer of usability, which can always be
disabled. This is clearly a transition release, like Unity or Mountain Lion,
which will set the foundations for the future of PC operating systems.

The author is free to switch to linux whenever he wants, but using Windows 8
as scapegoat is a quite poor excuse.

~~~
aespinoza
I don't believe this is a resistance to change. It is just that Win8 doesn't
seem to be made to work on the computers we have today.

I'm sure tomorrow, maybe. I can't see how right now. I can't imagine myself
coding in a virtual keyboard.

Now maybe in a few years, even coding will change, then maybe Win8 might be
going in the right direction, but for me right now, and probably even next
year, Win8 won't be able to fill my needs.

~~~
justncase80
I'm writing this from win8 on laptop right now. After 3 days of using it I'm
finding it very usable. I spend most of my time on the desktop but I have the
metro remote desktop pinned on the left and I'm watching my build go by.
Switching back and forth is easy and nice. When I need to run a new app I just
hit Win then type whatever I want: Win->"notepad" boom, notpad pops up. It
actually feels faster than the start menu in win7 too. You just have to get a
little more keyboard-centric and not rely on the mouse for everything, though
you can still put your mouse in the corners and get all the menus you need.

~~~
nxn
Is it possible to disable the hot corners/replace their functionality with a
keyboard shortcut?

~~~
justncase80
There are a variety of keyboard shortcuts:
<http://win8review.com/2011/09/windows-8-shortcuts/>

