Why w8 ?

[JoPo]

I'd like to know the benefit of using w8 ?
- Do you have a touch screen (for w8 users of course !) ?
- What is new and nice in w8 exept touch screen system ? One's, I tried w8 on a normal pc (no touch screen), I had to go on internet, after 30mn of research, for understanding how to close an application : the upper right cross is not there anymore !
- Is it worth it without a touch screen ?

- How many time must you clean your hands when you've got a touch screen to keep it just about clean ?

I'd like to see if I get convinced...

Thanks.

[jksuperstar]

Win 7 has all the same support for applications + touch screens.

It's just that the Win8 OS/Window Management look & feel is geared for touch now.

I haven't heard of any improvements to audio/midi performance in Win8. No have I heard of considerable OS optimizations to use less memory or less cpu.

[garyb]

if you are already using win7, i don't think it really matters, not for making music, anyway.
if you are upgrading from XP, then win8, by all means.

i do think win8 works a bit better than win7, but there's not enough difference to reinstall everything and spend the money...not just to have the latest os anyway.

[dante]

The only benefit I've experienced in W8 is faster boot times. Probably more usefull to pro studio with waiting customers than home studio, and definately handy if you were gigging XITE live.

[JoPo]

The only benefit I've experienced in W8 is faster boot times. Probably more usefull to pro studio with waiting customers than home studio, and definately handy if you were gigging XITE live.

You mean you can touch all Scope buttons on the screen ? This must be excellent ! But is it accurate ? Anyway, it seems also possible with w7 as JK says ! To have a touch screen is enough.

Yes.. I don't think I gonna update to w8. My pc is fine like now, begin to be a bit old (asus p5q) but thank to Xite, it has enough power for vstis I use. So, I'm still not convinced !
More arguments , please ! As it has no audio/midi improvement, the argument must be really huge !

[garyb]

real working studios only upgrade if
1. something is broken
2. there's a program that you really want to use that requires the upgrade.

if it works acceptably well, leave it alone. there is nothing to be gained from just upgrading for the heck of it or because there's something new, unless your hobby is computers, not audio or music.

[braincell]

It's best if you are getting a new computer but I would not switch otherwise. I am using Windows 8 on my new computer and use Windows 7 on the old one. I don't think there is one huge difference but there are a lot of little improvements. I don't understand why people badmouth the GUI because it is so easy to make it look like Windows 7 and never see the metro style interface. You could even get a gamer keyboard with a lock so you don't accidentally hit the Windows key and switch to it. Windows 8 is perfectly fine for a DAW computer. I like it.

[JoPo]

I don't understand why people badmouth the GUI because it is so easy to make it look like Windows 7 and never see the metro style interface.

You mean, you can switch to a 'normal' windows look ? With the cross up right of app ? Start menu & so on ?

If yes, it's a good point for w8 !

[garyb]

it's already there in win8. you just have to go past the first screen. there's a desktop tile. one click, traditional windows look...

[dante]

Where's the start menu ? I've been making shortcuts on desktop coz can't find it.

[JoPo]

That's a good point because even in w7, I keep the classical windows look. That tires me less !

[garyb]

ahhh, sorry. i meant desktop.
if you really want the start menu like in win7 and XP, there are 3rd party apps that will create it.
m$ says that they will return the start menu in a later build of win8.

to start on the desktop:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... start-menu

to replace the start screen with the start menu:
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/14 ... -windows-8
some of these apps, like "start is back", cost a few dollars($3).

[braincell]

You can make it skip the metro GUI and go right to the desktop on boot. The start menu is not the same but that is not a big deal. I put all of my applications on the toolbar or in folders on the toolbar. You should never need to use the start menu. Use Alt + F4 to shut it down or go into sleep mode. I did not replace the start menu with the old style start menu because I don't use it that often. I search from the metro GUI.

[dante]

ahhh, sorry. i meant desktop.
if you really want the start menu like in win7 and XP, there are 3rd party apps that will create it.
m$ says that they will return the start menu in a later build of win8.

to start on the desktop:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... start-menu

to replace the start screen with the start menu:
http://www.extremetech.com/computing/14 ... -windows-8
some of these apps, like "start is back", cost a few dollars($3).

Yeah I think I tried one of these alternative start menu's, then got browser hijacked with random advert links.

So if anyone knows a clean one, let us know.

[garyb]

is it really needed?

[dante]

No, not needed, just maybe convenient.

[w_ellis]

I love Classic Shell. That and booting straight to the desktop makes Win8 just a quicker version of Win7 on the whole.

[King of Snake]

I still use W7 on my desktop but put W8 on my laptop and use Stardocks Start8 to bring back to old style start menu (this is certainly clean, I've never had any problems with it). With that and the ability to just start directly into the desktop with 8.1, there really isn't much difference in a usability way between W8 and W7. I never use the new "metro apps" and you don't have to. I think a lot of the negative hype was really overblown, although I'd say that it was not the right decision for MS to remove the old start menu as probably most people were using that more since W7 (compared to XP) with the excellent search function. But as said, with a little 3rd party app that costs a couple of dollars that "problem" is fixed and the desktop enviroment is almost the same as in W7.
Certainly though technologically "behind the scenes" W8 will be more advanced than W7.

[dante]

I just discovered the 'WINDOWS KEY' + 'X' key combination, makes things a lot easier.

winx

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