Win 8: yay or nay?

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Originally Posted by mashakos

Maybe. I'm not going to bring up Windows ME in this conversation :P

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ME was a pointless stop-gap between the 9x consumer kernel line and the move to using the NT kernel for everything. I have no idea why Microsoft decided to release that, because people generally either stuck with 98 or were using 2000.

But the same arguments flying around over Win8 were around when Vista was released, and again when Windows XP came out. Did Microsoft die? Nope. I remember forums were rife with threats to switch to Linux or Mac, and the majority of people never did. Hell with Vista, Microsoft just basically released an updated version that took advantage of the better driver support, and people decided it was awesome... yet it's still using the core foundation set by Vista.

I actually was glad that Microsoft finally entered the 21st century with Vista's WDDM and Media Foundation. Vista was unfairly stigmatised because of it's rough start, but it was great. Kept it on my system from '06 to '11.

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Originally Posted by mashakos

you are also aware that this is possible with Win XP and above?
ugh... there's a reason for WinRT:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Runtime

Microsoft is betting on crappy developers using javascript in combination with microsoft's COM based extensions. These extensions are written by the core Windows team in C++ so they're fast and optimized (good) but in the real world there will ALWAYS be a case where a windoows control is not enough and custom code will have to be written to implement features.
So developers are faced with two options: release a limited application with features only supported in the core windows extensions, or implement the custom features using C++ (l33t coders), C#/VB.Net (managed code posers) or javascript (n00bz). Since C++ programmers are not exactly a dime a dozen, guess who the average metro style developer will be? Most likely also metrosexual.


do your homework!

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Biggest load of toss I have ever read.

Not used .NET Framework then? If anyone insists on using C++ to write Windows apps they are wasting their time when the can accomplish the exact same thing using the Framework provided by Microsoft to make it easier to develop applications.

Granted, there is room for C++ if you're working near the CPU but other than that, there is little to no point.

What is this l33t coders bullshit? You can still write crappy code with C++ and you're more likely to royally mess things up with it.

Didn't a game just get canceled because it was using .NET Framework and they were told it would no longer be supported?
I don't remember the game (something indie) and maybe I've got it totally wrong.

What would no longer be supported? .NET Framework? I don't think so, it's on every PC since Vista.

.NET Framework 5 is soon to be released. It's the defacto development platform for Windows now.

Nevermind, the game was called The Swindle and the thing the developer had trouble with was XNA, not .NET

XNA is integrated into .NET Framework 4 now.

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Originally Posted by Rossi

Biggest load of toss I have ever read.

Not used .NET Framework then? If anyone insists on using C++ to write Windows apps they are wasting their time when the can accomplish the exact same thing using the Framework provided by Microsoft to make it easier to develop applications.

Granted, there is room for C++ if you're working near the CPU but other than that, there is little to no point.

What is this l33t coders bullshit? You can still write crappy code with C++ and you're more likely to royally mess things up with it.

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another lazy programmer gushing about dot net. Good for you!

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Originally Posted by mashakos

another lazy programmer gushing about dot net. Good for you!

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I could walk to work. I choose to drive, because I don't base my self-esteem on needless self-flagellation.

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Originally Posted by Space Indaver

I could walk to work. I choose to drive, because I don't base my self-esteem on needless self-flagellation.

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Walking with your feet is so plebeian, real men walk on their hands.

Tangentially related to this thread:

Adventures in Microsoft UEFI signing. Seems that the system is crapshoot with MS hampering the progress on every step - not surprising in the least.

I've been using it for a week or two now and encountered no problems and everything works like it should. The Metro UI is actually quite nice for your game icons, keeps your desktop nice and tidy.

http://i.imgur.com/lGMPJ.jpg

With free windows 8 keys from Microsoft, You might as well give it a go.
http://www.extremetech.com/computing...ro-license-key

The link to the Microsoft website is http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/w.../feature-packs just enter your email and they send you a windows 8 key in ~24 hours.

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Originally Posted by Ravelle

I've been using it for a week or two now and encountered no problems and everything works like it should. The Metro UI is actually quite nice for your game icons, keeps your desktop nice and tidy.

http://i.imgur.com/lGMPJ.jpg

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We all how our likes and dislikes. That makes me want to vomit (the GUI, not your pictures! Your pictures are great). Reminds me of the internet in 1998 too.

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Originally Posted by mashakos

another lazy programmer gushing about dot net. Good for you!

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What do you program in? Because if it's anything other than bare metal assembly, you're lazy. I'd work a bro do you even lift reference in here but I can't be bothered.

But seriously, stop being so condescending. If you want to appear to know everthing better than everyone, be prepared to actually know everything better because sooner or later someone will call you out on something you got wrong. There's always someone better than you.

Oh by the way, I got Win8 for free though MSDN and I'm not installing it for fulltime use. I dislike the interface.

You only deal with that metro UI when you're hitting the windows key, it's like a new start menu. It's gone the moment you start a program or return to the desktop like you're used to, it keeps your desktop nice and clean and you have all your programs nicely organized in one screen with a button push.

Unless you make the dreadful mistake of not uninstalling the Metro apps (default for opening their respective file types) as soon as you install Windows 8.

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Originally Posted by Maknol

The "upgrade" code can be used with a clean install of Win8 too, or so I'm told.

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Just wanted to confirm that you can.
It basically gives you three options on install:
Do a standard upgrade, keeping the registry, all installed programs and your personal folders.
Do a clean install but keep your personal folders (It renames the windows folder to windows.old and makes a new install, but it keeps your data. Clicking my documetns will result in getting the my documetns folder you had before, which is neat)
Do a full clean install (probably Format C)

As a netbook user Windows 8 is fantastic.

Start up/shutdown time has been cut by more than half, I get an extra half hour battery life and in game I've seen a 10-15% boost in performance. For £25 I can't recommend it enough.

The search feature is very versatile and after a few days I really don't miss the old start menu. My only complaint is that my resolution (1280x720) is too small to run the metro apps (1024x768), which I don't really care about but I can't help but feel irked that I'm missing out on features.