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I like Win7 a lot. However, there are things that are lacking in it that I feel Windows 8 attempts to correct. The biggest one is the idea of ecosystem. Apple kills Microsoft when it comes to ecosystem in the consumer space. An iPad can use iPhone games, both can send video to an Apple TV, the Airport and Time Capsule set up very easily, and everything plays very nicely together. There are no third-party tools or special skills needed to get it to all work together. This is where Windows falls down. Windows 8 is the start of trying to rectify that. The Windows 8 Phone, the Slate, the Windows 8 desktop/laptop, and the XBox 360 all intend to play nicely together. That may be a game changer. The reason why I love it when my friends and relatives get Apple is because I know I will have a lot less support calls from them. I am actually a Microsoft fanboy in most ways (their business ecosystem is unparalleled) but the number of calls I get about Apple machines and setups isn't even worth talking about (one in the last year and that was because of a bad hard drive - I've gotten countless requests from people who have Windows). The kicker is that probably half my friends and relatives now have Apple products (your experience may vary depending on area, cost of living, etc.) Obviously this is anecdotal but it is disturbing to me as a fan of Microsoft. I see Windows 8 as a step towards correcting this problem.
The change in the interface to make it tablet-friendly will take some getting used to. However, I think it is a wise move. There are two ways to handle changes in the market - lead with new ideas that push boundaries or stay with what you know to work and watch as others take away your market share. Microsoft is choosing to (somewhat) lead. In reality they are catching up but they are leaping further in order to get ahead. The days of the desktop machine are dwindling. Don't get me wrong - there will be a desktop for a long time to come. However, it will not be dominant like it was in the last decade. Even the laptop is being challenged. Powerful tablets that can do 80% of the normal tasks a computer can do are taking over because they are easier to carry, more flexible in how they are used, and because they fit better overall in a lot of areas. I used to go to meetings and watch as everyone opened up laptops. Those that didn't used paper notes and either lost them or transcribed them into the computer when they got back to their office. Now I see a lot more tablets being used. I'm not sure this will ever be a primary market like desktops were or if the market will fragment relatively evenly between desktops, laptops, and tablets but I do see a large portion of the market moving towards the tablet. If Windows 8 didn't change how Windows looks and operates as radically as it did, the tablet would not work (it was tried once before and it was a failure).
There will be a lot of people who stay on Windows 7, and I think that is ok. For a lot of business cases, it continues to be the best platform for the job. However, I think we should be glad Windows 8 is coming out. This release will drive innovation. Apps will be built to support it and slowly an ecosystem will (hopefully) emerge. This will eventually be great for businesses but for now it will be a big win for the consumer.
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this is the bigger picture! you nailed it!
Life - Dreams = Job
TheCardinal
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Definitely MS's attempt at closing the loop. Will it come without hitches? I don't think so but will it be beneficial in the long run...I'm sure it will after some initial issues are iron out and users get their heads into the OS in terms of usability.
Look, for many, we get new cellphones almost every 2 years and we have to get used to changes in OS there...takes a while but we get there...or else we will still be using NOKIA 3310's.
I'm prediciting a bright future for MS OS 8+. Will I dive in and get the first OS8 release maybe not but an upgrade is inevitable at some stage...next year, the following year...its gonna happen I think...
My 2 cents and must say the original poster did an awesome job explaining his opinion on the matter
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butchzn wrote: I'm prediciting a bright future for MS OS 8+.
I think we will see the market grow of for the Mac. I've used it and got to say quite like it.
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Tim Corey wrote: There will be a lot of people who stay on Windows 7, and I think that is ok.
For a lot of business cases, it continues to be the best platform for the job.
However, I think we should be glad Windows 8 is coming out. This release will
drive innovation. Apps will be built to support it and slowly an ecosystem will
(hopefully) emerge. This will eventually be great for businesses but for now it
will be a big win for the consumer.
I sincerly hope your right for Microsofts sake.
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I am not feeling in the mood of change right now. At work we use Win 7 as main OS with XP on VMs because the software we use simply don't work in the new versions. On the other hand, I still have customers with Win 98 running in their maschines, so I don't see a big change in a while.
I would not mind to test it in private computer, but I have no private computer at the moment.
Speaking about preferences... I don't really like the appearance of Win 8 very much, but I know this is just a matter of getting used to it.
Regards.
--------
M.D.V. 
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpfull answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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I was at microsoft just prior to Vista (so we had to use it), and I had some real problems with getting use to it. Things were just not where I expected them to be. I know people that do not like Windows 7 (a lot of people hardly noticed Vista) because it is so different.
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Just sayin.
m.bergman
For Bruce Schneier, quanta only have one state : afraid.
To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid, you must also be well-mannered. -- Voltaire
In most cases the only difference between disappointment and depression is your level of commitment. -- Marc Maron
I am not a chatbot
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Way to date yourself. 
There are only 10 types of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don't.
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Didn't even remember Bob, but I would not be surprised if some of the people working on Bob worked on the UI of Windows 8
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There are a large percentage of people still using XP, and are happy. Plus past experience says that the first version of a new OS is a waste of money (Millenium, Vista). So should wait anyway.
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ME was the last version of an old OS :P
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It was pretty bad for being windows 98 derivative.
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..."Plus past experience says that the first version of a new OS is a waste of money (Millenium, Vista)."..
hm... i think you missed the start of Windows 7, even the beta version of it fascinated me.
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Windows 7 was a fix of Vista.
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Since the person who voted down my comment dine not bother to say why he voted down, I will reply Vista had some real performance issues, and other problems. What was the real difference between the two, they basically looked and worked the same. So why did you down vote???????????????
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Obviously somebody does not believe that xp is not still being used by a lot of poeple. I know people who do not like Windows 7/Vista and prefer XP. I also know that neither Vista nor Millenium were ever considered very good OS's. Millenium seemed like it never had very good sales, and I do not beleive either is sill in much use. Know that XP and Windows 7 are.
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I know of at least one large corporate (over 50000 staff globally) who have no current plans to switch away from XP and I know they are not alone. The investment in time and resources for a large company can be enormous and may not bring any tangible advantages.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair.
nils illegitimus carborundum
me, me, me
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As far as I am concerned, XP worked just fine. I do not hesitate to tell someone that it is fine to be on XP. Of course seems like it is best to have moved on from Office XP.
modified 25-Oct-12 15:56pm.
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It did and does the job well - it ain't broke, why fix it? That's not me being a luddite, by the way; it's pragmatism in the face of an OS that works against the time and money it would take to upgrade when, for most people, the upgrade will just bring a flood of calls to a beleaguered help desk and another learning curve most people can't be bothered with.
"If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur." Red Adair.
nils illegitimus carborundum
me, me, me
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Agree. And for friends who are happy with XP, why deal with the bitching.
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Right now, I just don't see a benefit to it. The only thing that stands out is a UI change that I don't really want. If at some point I need something like DirectX 12 and only Windows 8 supports it, I'll upgrade. Until then, I'm happy where I am.
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I still haven't adjusted.
I'm very new to both Windows 8 and Mac OS X. So far I find both of them unusable.
I do think that Metro will be nice on a retail tablet, but forcing it into the desktop (even with a touchscreen) is just awkward.
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My home desktop machine is dying and I'll replace it with a Windows 8 one. As for work - I've no idea. In fact my main development environment these days is SUSE Enterprise Linux 11, so I guess it doesn't matter much.
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The UI will be a Crayon Box and the apps will be the crayons.
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