windows 8

[terry_gardener]

after using Ubuntu or other Linux distros for the past 6 years I have installed windows 8 64 bit yesterday and it is currently the only OS installed on my desktop pc.

the experience of installing windows 8 was that it was fast and it installed all the drivers for my computer, I installed the latest stable NVidia drivers from there site, then installed AVG free edition but I could have stayed with windows defender. downloaded and installed updates which annoyingly asks you to install a browser, before the update IE10 tile was on the start screen which disappeared after the update. so you have to repin the IE10 icon back if that's what you want to use. it is really strange setup. downloaded couple of other programs and installed them. started to use it and over the next several hours I kept getting system freezes/hanging nothing happens the mouse cursor just stops and nothing works. so I updated to the latest 326 beta NVidia driver from 320.49 WHQL and it still happened. did some searches and eventually found that if I downgraded the NVidia to 314 WHQL it works without the freezing so that is what I did and it seems to work fine now, when I downgraded to the older driver it seemed to knock out the multimedia keys on keyboard and IR remote control so I had to find a solution for that which is to set the HID access service to automatic and start it.

I think what I am trying to say is that no matter what OS you are installing or setting up nothing is perfect and you can hit difficulties with any OS. I have seen it lots of time that people get annoyed with Linux saying it doesn't work and it is to hard to get it to work the same can be said with windows if the drivers aren't working correctly with your HW.

[buzzingrobot]

I bought a new laptop a couple of weeks ago that came with Windows 8. That was my first real use of Windows in a very long time.

The horrendous font rendering meant I wouldn't use it. The traditional desktop interface was responsive and worked. Why MS bolted on the Metro/Modern interface beats me. They could have made it optional and generated more sales and less angst.

[Kevin_Arnold]

Windows 8 installed and ran great for me. Then again, the only issue I had with Ubuntu was having to enable the proper video driver. Overall Windows feels much more streamlined but I enjoy Linux more. Apt-get and a unix-y shell are big pluses. I really like Unity too, to be honest.

[su:bhatta]

I am booting Win8, Debian7, Fedora19 & Ubuntu!
I don't know why, but I found 'Metro' to be really nice...nice candy!

In short I liked it!

But yes, no comparison to any linux distro! Linux just turned 22! And it Rocks!

[dhunt84971]

I also only just recently got a taste of Windows 8 and I found that if I acted like I was using a Linux OS it made more sense. For example, pressing the <SUPER> button and then typing the name of the application of whatever I was looking for brought up a list of matching items to choose from. (Sound familiar to any of you Unity users.) I have to admit, I thought it ran pretty well. I think that any Linux user who has jumped around on the many different distros and Deskop Managers will probably have no problem adapting to Windows 8. The only concern I have for Windows users is their lack of choice, afterall it's Windows 8 or nothing, but then many could choose Linux.

I am sure my next work computer will come with Windows 8, so I know I will be getting more familiar with it, then. Of course, <whispering> don't tell anyone, but I recently stopped using the Windows 7 that came with my work laptop and now only use Windows in VMs and host everything with Ubuntu 13.04 </whispering>. It runs sooo fast and sooo well. I love it!

[COMECON]

I removed everything Linuxy from my computer, including /home, and went back to Windows 8. That's what I mainly use now - I basically use only the Desktop interface using Start8.
But since I need to develop in Python and Ruby besides C#, and I want to try if something I made with Java works in another platform, I'm now installin Debian 7.

BTW, I really love Windows 8 font rendering lol, I use to hate most Linux distro's (especially Fedora & Debian, until you fix it).

Cat

[su:bhatta]

I am currently mainly using Debian Wheezy, and i know people are gonna say, its ancient, old and what not, but I like it. Like it over most Distro's I've tried, except Ubuntu, i guess!

Also, installing Fglrx, the font rendering is no less compared to Win8, which I've last used in May13 and maybe have to do it again in Nov13. Win8 was fresh and somehow i liked the tile based approach.

If you need an app to run it takes you to the 'workspace', i liked the idea. If it had different 'desktops' it would have been gr8, e.g. Work related stuuf opens on one desktop viz work, games in a second desktop viz gaming/leisure, something like that!

[ThoseTimesAreGone]

I got win8 and uninstalled it within the day. Terrible os. Impossible to get any work done with the metro junk UI getting in the way all the time. Ended up with linux mint 15 and all is well now.