Let me start by saying I’m not a Microsoft fan. I do everything I can to avoid their tools. The first computer I bought for myself ran Windows Millenium (still waiting for an apology for that), Internet Explorer has been a disaster on many levels, the list goes on.
So when I bought a new laptop for my wife (after the screen on her HP gave out after 5+ years) and it came with Windows 8 I expected the worst. However, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the experience so far.
I wouldn’t go so far as to call it great because there are some very obvious things that need to be brought back (such as the oft noted missing Start button and some noticeable loading time issues). But in general the new OS hits the mark on several levels. But mainly by acknowledging that users work differently depending on their task.
This is the first OS that I’ve used that really can work for both casual use and business use. The changes they’ve brought have been better than expected!
With that said, I’ve picked it up much faster than my non-techie wife. She’s still struggling to work through the change in interface and what to do to go back and forth. It isn’t directly intuitive if you’ve grown up with Windows which 99% of the world has. So much of the grumbling may be undeserved.
So, Microsoft, keep forward on this path. You may be onto something….
Box Thoughts 