You are not ready for Windows 8. It still appears - a slow, heavy and terrible freight train, a huge-scale innovation, which will sow chaos in the lives of millions of people around the world. Ironically, it may surprise you. Windows has long been a widespread and commonplace as sanitation and antibiotics, it is perceived as self-evident. This is especially true of Silicon Valley. But when towards the end of this year will be the new Windows on all computers, you have to sit down and think deeply.
You will enjoy many things in Windows 8. But as happens with all of the redesign, your first impression will be a complete disappointment. Some of your complaints about the new OS to be unfounded, caused by an automatic emotional response, which you can later review. But in some cases, the grievance will be serious.
I use Windows 8 about three months. In February and March, after Microsoft released a version of the Consumer Preview, I worked at it on the tablet that Microsoft loaned me. The system is optimized for devices with touch screen, and although I had some problems with it, I wrote that Windows could become "the first serious competitor" for the iPad. But as far as personal computers, I fear, much more. May 31, Microsoft released the Windows version 8 Release Preview - the final prototype, which goes on sale. I work in this system a week on a laptop Samsung, borrowed from Microsoft, and now I have even more concerned about how the new Windows will manifest itself in the non-touch machines. Personally, I am under Windows 8 felt like a desert island - confused, paralyzed, frustrated. I was forced to break all the established habits of work, and nothing I can do about it.
Microsoft has been the reason for such a radical change - the company considers the enormous popularity of iPad a serious threat to their business, and using Windows tries to ride this wave of a tablet. However, Windows 8 is impossible to explain to users the meaning of all these dramatic changes, which they break down. Much of what we used to take for granted - "Start" menu, file manager, location of windows next to each other - in the new operating system is radically changed. Even for the simplest of tasks need to re-learn.
Entrepreneur Michael Mace (Michael Mace) wrote an article in volume 7400 words about the changes in Windows 8. However, if you do not have as much time as I'll describe just one of many scenarios in the OS, which I am personally crazy. Once I tried to close the payment system in one bank and replace it with another system from another bank. To do this, I had to copy the information in each of my accounts from the old to the new bank - in other words, I needed information from two different web pages.
In Windows 7 or Mac is done by opening two pages side by side. But in the Metro - the main interface of Windows 8 - this is impossible, because all applications occupy the full screen. I was able to simultaneously display only the site of one of the bank and to continually switch (on Windows 8 is an application "desktop" that mimics Windows 7, but Microsoft wants to make a new interface is the main method of work in Windows, so most of the time I worked there).
The constant switching of annoying in itself, but even more annoying is how much effort it requires. With the touch screen to switch from one open Web page to another should be done by holding the top of the screen and display the icons of open tabs, and then click on the desired tab. Gesture and touch - it is somehow too much for such a simple action. But what is worse - is the work on the trackpad. To list all open tabs in the browser of Windows 8, you need to touch the trackpad with two fingers, one finger and then remove and select the second tab. Sounds simple, but when you do this several times a minute, quickly tired of this balancing act. I was especially difficult to select and copy the text while moving between tabs. I have all the time instead of selecting the text turned out to switch tabs, or vice versa. I was tormented, tortured, but then spat and did everything to Windows 7.
In Microsoft clearly understands that Windows 8 will be dissatisfied. In May, Harris Jensen (Jensen Harris), Director of Product Management Group Interface Windows, wrote a long article about how Windows has changed the past 27 years. He wrote that he initially did not like people are always changing, but then they get used and start to love the new system. "One of the things I always explain, is that perfectly normal harbor strong negative feelings to change - he said to me recently. - Whenever to change the interface, there is an internal appeal. " But he adds that during the tests, Microsoft has found that people could overcome those feelings first. "People get used to the changes," - says Harris.
Well, we'll see. As I wrote in February, Windows 8 is a lot of good, especially on touch devices. For example, the front page, where tiny icons are replaced with "live tiles" that display information from programs, to accelerate many tasks (for example, the application does not need to call the "Weather" to find out the weather forecast - it shows the main screen). Getting the current Windows-based applications through a centralized store, and not anywhere across the internet, should seriously raise the level of security. But I wonder whether understands Microsoft, that against this new interface will rise mass of users. If Microsoft wants to maintain and strengthen its dominance in operating systems, it should help you get comfortable with the changes, such as through on-screen prompts, or a large campaign. But even this may not be enough. Yes, people get used to the changes. But not always.
