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I don't use Windows 8.0 or 8.1, and have never made the switch to it. I have no doubt there are improvements from Windows 7, but these were never really significant enough for me to "upgrade".
As a primarily desktop user, what really killed it for me is the UX. Although it may seem like a non-factor at first, it is actually a huge factor due to its significant changes from Win 7. What Win 8 tried to do was create an OS that fits all. This simply does not work, my desktop is not a tablet, my tablet is not a desktop.
The start screen while optimized for a touch system, is not intuitive for a non-touch screen. I certainly have no desire to touch my desktop monitor. When 99% of the time I spend would be in desktop mode, it makes no sense to exit desktop mode, open a start screen that blocks my whole view, just to open another app on the desktop mode. Then you have things like duplicated functional apps due to the newer metro store apps. Should I use IE in metro mode or use the desktop IE? The Metro UI is just sour icing on top that makes it worst. They brought the whole UI to Windows Server, and now it's easier to shut down the machine than to log off. The start screen is even more irrelevant on a server.
Can I get used to these changes? Yes I certainly can, but I am much more satisfied and happy with staying at Windows 7. Although... Win 10 might change my mind.
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Amen. Well said.
If it's not broken, fix it until it is
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Silvabolt wrote: This simply does not work, my desktop is not a tablet, my tablet is not a desktop.
^This.
One of the Windows 8 devices I have to use with my current contract is a Dell XPS - Windows 8.1, touchscreen (foldable so it can be used like a tablet).
Terrible as a laptop, terrible as a tablet, one of the worst machines I've ever used - Dell have outdone themselves with this baby 
And at over £1,000, was this supposed to compete with iPads, MacBooks, or what?
How do you know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
modified 31-Aug-21 21:01pm.
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The biggest pain for me is that half the configuration options that you could take care of with a few clicks in previous versions of Windows, you now either can't do them, or you have to dive into the registry to do them.
Example: The shortcuts/icons on my desktop were way too large, for my liking, so, as per Win 7, I resized them with the mouse wheel.
That left me with nicely sized icons -- about a mile apart.
The old options for setting icon spacing are gone (along with most of the other window/desktop customisation options), so I had to edit the registry -- to do something that should not require anything like such drastic action.
Grandma should be able to change that; it's not something exclusive for devs, and you don't want granny digging in the registry.
I've already had to dive into the registry more for this machine than I have with most of my other machines, which I used for considerably longer.
Network settings, thumbnail-cache settings, all manner of really basic and/or really necessary settings, all just gone, and regedit only.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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People try to hate new things and changes in the beginning... Then they accept them!
I have been using Windows 8.1 since the day it was released, always worked as a charm for me. If I have to hate it, I should be able to at least come up with a single critical point of view, which I can't find, other than it being a product that has to be bought; which people think is bad.
The sh*t I complain about
It's like there ain't a cloud in the sky and it's raining out - Eminem
~! Firewall !~
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Afzaal Ahmad Zeeshan wrote: People try to hate new things and changes in the beginning... Then they accept them!
Yup.
Windows Vista, OS/2, WebTV, the G4 Cube, Google Buzz, the Newton, Net PC, PCjr, and, of course, Clippy...
History is riddled with examples.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Clippy is called Cortana now, headline feature of W10, with jobs outside of Office. The name implies boobs so the reception from the average developers will be astonishing.
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Peter Adam wrote: headline feature of W10
I have yet to see a headline feature of W10 that inspires me to do more than look away with a "meh". This cortana is a feature that I won't even install, unless it does not give me the option to skip it.
nb. returning what they removed for w8 doesn't count as adding features, AFAIC.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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I'm always excited about new technology coming out, but it has to bring something new and worthwhile to the table - Windows 8 failed on this for me and in fact encouraged me to go out and buy a MacBook (my first foray into the world of Macs).
Obviously it wasn't a resistance to learning something new or price that affects my opinion of Windows 8
How do you know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
modified 31-Aug-21 21:01pm.
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Yes, I would agree on this. There was nothing new (as per Windows features list), but the API had a lot more for me, specially the HTML/CSS/JavaScript based programming for Windows Runtime.
For me, anything that would encourage me toward it is the API it has, I am willing to purchase a new laptop to install Ubuntu for linux-based programming; because I would like to do some C or C++ based programming in Linux based environment or I would also try some Unix based systems. But Mac? Nah never! 
The sh*t I complain about
It's like there ain't a cloud in the sky and it's raining out - Eminem
~! Firewall !~
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Afzaal Ahmad Zeeshan wrote: But Mac? Nah never!
That's what I said for years, now wonder why I never did it earlier 
Microsoft has a long, long history of coming up with something, getting users/developers on board, then dropping it (e.g. Silverlight). I'd be surprised if WinRT goes much further than Windows 10.
How do you know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
modified 31-Aug-21 21:01pm.
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Yes, something that has been known for long as Win32, not isn't used much because C# has replaced much of C++ and .NET has finally replaced Win32 and so on.
You're right, But Mac? Nah never! 
The sh*t I complain about
It's like there ain't a cloud in the sky and it's raining out - Eminem
~! Firewall !~
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Afzaal Ahmad Zeeshan wrote: Mac? Nah never!
You'll see the error of your ways one day
How do you know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
modified 31-Aug-21 21:01pm.
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Thats the only difference! What I do, I do with sincerity  I know... Windows is way better in many ways than Mac. But, every one has their own point of view. And I respect your point of view by heart. 
Anyways, if the developer twin would force me to do some iOS programming, I surely will use Mac; not for my personal use, but for iOS programming only.
The sh*t I complain about
It's like there ain't a cloud in the sky and it's raining out - Eminem
~! Firewall !~
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Agree with Ian. I hate that forced (automatic) reboot which is really very annoying. I have to restore(& load) all tabs of browser after that.
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More items, based on what other's have said.
In a corporate environment, with support for Windows Server 2003 ending this year, servers are being replaced with Windows Server 2012. Yes, the Windows 8 version has found its way into the server world.
It took me a while, even using Windows 8, to find what I wanted in WS 2012, but I did find it, and now, I'm used to it.
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None of what you say about 8 matters to me.
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Joan Murt wrote: a lot of respectable [Alien] ians have told me that it was a bad idea doing that
When was the last time somebody here welcomed something new in the computer world ?
I actually like Win8. I went from XP directly to 8 then 8.1. I enjoy the tiles screen, kind of organized quick launch bar. There are of course a couple of PITA changes (the restart, the ... switchoff, etc...) but nothing to go out and yell at how bad it is. Plus it is damn fast and stable. At least as much as XP.
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I use Windows 8.1, Windows 7 and OSX (as well as iOS) on a daily basis.
The problem with Windows 8.1 is that it didn't bring anything new to the table (nothing if use, anyway). Microsoft seemed to assume that the desktop was dead and we'd all much prefer full screen mobile apps instead - after all, there's very few of us desktop users around these days, right?
What I particularly dislike is that on the desktop, you're continually interrupted by the charms bar (especially swiping on a mousepad on laptops) when all you want to do is move your pointer, just because your pointer or finger happens to have hit the wrong place at the wrong time.
Addressing some of the improvements you mentioned, all in all they're pretty trivial and in the case of IE no use at all for those of us who use Chrome or stick to one language.
If you compare this to the upgrade from Mavericks to Yosemite on OSX, there were compelling new features added that made it a pleasure to upgrade.
Windows 8.1 feels to me like half a step backwards, eighteen steps sideways and we're now waiting for Microsoft to stop standing around scratching their heads thinking what menu they can uppercase next.
How do you know so much about swallows? Well, you have to know these things when you're a king, you know.
modified 31-Aug-21 21:01pm.
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Windows 8.1 cons:
1. The mouse left-click button is disabled if you have a tablet device attached to your PC. (Point with mouse, click with tablet.)
2. Pro version is required (not home version) to enable disk management functions, such as moving public folders to other hard drives. (In NZ, Pro version is 3 times more costly.) Even after successfully relocating folders, the OS fights to return them to previous locations.
3. Swipe in from right edge is extremely difficult when no touch screen device is attached.
4. Request to allow installation software to alter system only recognises tab key to select [Yes] _ mouse-click AND tablet-POINT are disabled.
The difficult may take time, the impossible a little longer.
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Member 10707677 wrote: Swipe in from right edge is extremely difficult when no touch screen device is attached.
Try Win + C on the keyboard.
"These people looked deep within my soul and assigned me a number based on the order in which I joined."
- Homer
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Most of the command-control functions are disabled on the international home version. I discovered this 5 days after my system was delivered with the wrong OS onboard. (I got home version when pro version was specified.)
Six months later, I'm still sifting through the chaos. It's alot of encounter-a-problem, Google-a-solution,[WinK-C]-do-the-fix.
The difficult may take time, the impossible a little longer.
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Once we added a 3rd party START menu, Win 8/8.1 wasn't too bad. I really like the Storage Spaces functionality - we're using a Win 8.1 box as a low-end home server.
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Joan Murt wrote: - Once you know that windows+c shortcut getting into the control panel is a breeze.
I think it's faster by right clicking the start button and selecting the control panel from there.
There is another advantage on Windows 8:
- Some dev tools for Windows Phone.
To alcohol! The cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems - Homer Simpson
----
Our heads are round so our thoughts can change direction - Francis Picabia
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I think the problem is both windows 8 and windows 8.1 user inteface.
First the elephant in the room(?)
It was either change for change's sake OR it was change to be more like other competing operating systems.... Are you laughing yet Steve Jobs? wherever you are.
People, myself included, resent it for that reason alone.
Mostly, however, as the operating systems have gotten more complex, for the average user, the time it takes to learn a new gui is ridiculously long. Business users are particularly affected by this. and the inevitable mistakes along the way. They don't have the time or patience for the grief.
Being an old dog (I sold the first copy of my application in 1979 and have made a reasonable living with it ever since), while I have learned new tricks moving from OS to OS and platform to platform, I have not asked my customers to do that. AS I have added new features over the years (yes Virginia change is necessary and inevitable), I have done so GRADUALLY. This is, I think, along with the quality of my product, the thing that has allowed me to compete with bigger companies.
So all you application developers out there just starting out should learn from Microsft's mistake with Windows8.X - Change needs to be gradual, not like trying to take a drink from a fire hose at full blast.
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