Windows 8

[Honemi]

Anyway, Windows 8 still is a tablet-oriented OS and focused on single full screen apps (even Windows 1.0 could have multiple windows, though they couldn't overlap - that was a new feature of Windows 2.0, MS should just call the new OS "Microsoft Window"). You can run multiple programs in desktop mode of course, but the start menu is still full screen (and IIRC it can only contain metro apps - all desktop apps can only have shortcut on the desktop).
ClassicShell solves some of the problems. Copying explorer.exe from Windows 7 cal also be done. That leaves the borderless windows (when I have multiple windows open, I find it useful when I can quickly find the edge of the window), but even WindowBlinds cannot really make the UI look normal (as in Windows 2000 or XP style). Oh, and Server 2012 has the same UI - who the hell uses a touch screen on a server? Or has a good video card there if it's not needed for GPGPU?

I also really disliked the part where Windows 8.1 setup pretty much forces you to sign up for Microsoft account then use that to log in to your own PC. As if Active Directory is not enough. There is a way around that though.

You can have desktop applications on the start screen. Where did you get the idea you cannot? They just decided not to automatically add tiles in anymore so they don't clutter your screen. On the Start Screen, there is a little encircled arrow on the bottom right of the screen, click on it and it will have a list of apps. Right click apps you want to add to start and then click "Pin to Start".

You don't need to do anything special not to create any Live account. Microsoft did try to hide the option (which is shitty, and you would be right to call them out on it), but it is still there. When you're installing Win8.1 and it asks for a Live Account, click on "Create a New Account". You'll get another screen titled "Create a Microsoft Account", and near the bottom of that screen is the phrase "Sign in without a Microsoft Account".

I don't know a thing about Active Directory, and I was never bothered by the borderless Metro look of Desktop Mode _{(that's a lie)}, so I can't help you there. I thought it looked nice honestly _(eventually). _{Well, I guess I hated the appearance of all Windows operating systems except Win7.} I haven't seen many shell themes for Win8.x actually. Actually, I only found one.

Also, another baffling decision by Microsoft was to hide Libraries by default. I guess a lot of people didn't use them and/or didn't like them cluttering up their sidebar. You can un-hide them by right-clicking the sidebar and clicking "Show Libraries".

You can also remove tiles by right clicking them and hitting "Unpin from Start".

[megido-rev.M]

I just hope MS does away with all the nonsense with the next OS.

BTW Win8 users have about 2yrs until 8.1 is a forced update.

Nothing is "forced", unless it is enforced by law or someone threatens to punch you if you do not do it.

I mean that Win8 users will have to update to 8.1 to remain under Win8's support lifecycle. (lol)

[zherok]

They just decided not to automatically add tiles in anymore so they don't clutter your screen.

It's a really nice change, the default behavior tended to add all sorts of ancillary programs that you weren't meant to actually launch.

[Tiffanys]

I read that Acronis True Image doesn't work on Windows 8/8.1 for some reason and causes a BSOD and they have no intention of updating their 2014 version to support it. At least, if you believe some random comment on some Newegg rating for one of the Windows 8.1's. That's not good if it's true... I always use Acronis for cloning drives and data destruction.

[zherok]

Says it supports it here: http://kb.acronis.com/content/31033

[megido-rev.M]

Last updated on Oct8. lol

[AceHigh]

By following my tradition of jumping over one windows OS, I wonder what win9 will be like. Let's see, I jumped from 95 over 98 to 98SE, then to XP over Me, then from XP right to win7. Anyway the future can change quickly and I bet in the future I will have Steam OS on my gaming rig and old trusty version of Windows for my CAD/CAM/EDA programs and JTAG debugging interface.

Hmm... Some other linux for the notebook that is used only as a media player/typewriter? Actually will probably go SteamOS on it too.


In other news this weekend I learned a few things about installing windows 7 on an EFI machine that was meant for win8. Luckily the manufacturer had all right drivers for it, so kudos to them. Too bad I did not think of writing down my Win8 serial key. After all it is gone forever after I did something as brutal as ripping out the laptop HDD, connecting it to my desktop and using a partition program to wipe everything. Recovery partition is for the noobs, so it all had to go. Still, could have given away that serial to those who want a legal win8.

[JoonasTo]

I jumped from 3.1 to 95 then to 98 then XP(with simult 2000 on laptop because OH MY GOD THE SPEED) now finally to 8.1(albeit it's the secondary dual boot system aside of gentoo) with new laptop. Never had a good reason to go win7 with all the compatability issues to older gen games and speed issues. Haven't actually tried anything older in 8.1.

Naturally I still have older pcs with all of the said systems bootable. Got to be able to play Resident Evil 1-3 and FF VIII. For some reason we can get Dosbox to run 99% of old games properly but the windows ones are such a horrible mess. The japs just probably did such godawful work on the windows versions no one knows how they even work in the first place...

[AceHigh]

DirectX11 was my reason for Win7, so I think it is a bit strange you didn't jump on it. Vista's DX10 was a bloody joke, because the DX10 itself added almost nothing to the graphics experience, nor did games use the technology well at that time. However Win7, DX11 with tessellation technology and games using it hit me all at once like a brick.

In fact the most painful transition for me was going from Win98SE to XP. Games were pretty much not compatible with XP at that time, so it was the biggest backwards compatibility issue of all OSes for me personally. On anything newer I could switch OS without worrying about games. The irony is that I can once again play many of the win98 games on newest OS thanks to GOG patching.

[zherok]

Got to be able to play Resident Evil 1-3 and FF VIII.

If your selection of older games is explicitly old PSX ports you ought to just emulate their console versions instead.

[JoonasTo]

Of course it's not. It's just that the console ports tend to be the ones that don't work with newer systems. Nor run properly in emulators(CURSE YOU RESIDENT EVIL 2!!!).
As I said, 99% of dos games run perfectly in dosbox. Most win natives run perfectly in compability mode in XP(and a LOT fail horribly in win7 compat-mode, yes I'm looking at you AoK).
Then there's the IPX and Null-modem issues for lans. Especially the IPX, WTF MICROSOFT!

The only reason I would have had to change to win7/vista was sword of the stars(and halo 2 but that was easy enough to hack). With the performance impact the 7 brought, that was not quite enough. Pretty much all the rest of the games have dx9 versions so...

[zherok]

Nor run properly in emulators(CURSE YOU RESIDENT EVIL 2!!!).

I just youtubed a video of someone playing it emulated, so I'm positive it can be done. I dunno when you last tried emulating it but I'm pretty sure I could run RE2 off my phone if I wanted to. Surely your PC could do it.

Then there's the IPX and Null-modem issues for lans. Especially the IPX, WTF MICROSOFT!

To be fair, hardly anyone still supports IPX. Even Novell has moved on, and it was their protocol to begin with.

Could try something like an IPX wrapper. No idea if it works in Windows 7/8 (it specifically mentions Vista, but it was last updated after 8's release at least.) Worth a shot.

[kitamesume]

i just encountered something amusing.

windows 8.1 seems to favor paging very heavily, i formerly have it set to 400MB and was seeing ram usages hovering at 3.2GB or so(40% of 8GB).
i've increased the minimum pagefile to 1GB now and ram usage had dropped to a wooping 1.6GB(20% of 8GB).

[JoonasTo]

That's because windows 8 is still the same as vista and seven with ram usage. It loads programs into memory. There are some priorities but after a certain point it prefers to load them into the pagefile instead. Which doesn't really matter that much becuase it will either purge them from memory when it needs the space or transfer them to pagefile anyway. If you disable the pagefile completely it stops this habit which I found far more interesting. So disabling the pagefile completely, leads to the same result on idle ram usage. Funny, ain't it? 


Yeah, emulating old consoles hasn't been a computing power issue since 2000. It's a compatibilty issue. Whether the emulators work with some of the weirder releases or not. N64/SNES expansion packs are a great example of this. StarFox took ridiculous amount of time to get working becuase of the specialised 3D-computing chip in the rom itself. Haven't tried RE2 in years though. Probably works by now.

Hardly anyone supports IPX is not a valid argument when you're all set and ready to kick your friends' ass in Tiberian Sun. Not by a long shot.

[kitamesume]

i actually having a much more responsive system with a large pagefile and superfetch enabled.

it seems like most unneeded kernels get booted off the RAM, which makes more room for superfetch's cached files.

i mean, would you rather keep printspool in ram when you don't have a printer?

[zherok]

Yeah, emulating old consoles hasn't been a computing power issue since 2000. It's a compatibilty issue. Whether the emulators work with some of the weirder releases or not. N64/SNES expansion packs are a great example of this. StarFox took ridiculous amount of time to get working becuase of the specialised 3D-computing chip in the rom itself. Haven't tried RE2 in years though. Probably works by now.

I meant I could actually play it on my phone, not just that my phone could theoretically run it. And specialized chips aren't really a problem for disc based consoles.

In any case, it's gotta be better than dragging around 16 year old Windows ports. At least the emulator will have been designed to run on the same OS you're using.

Hardly anyone supports IPX is not a valid argument when you're all set and ready to kick your friends' ass in Tiberian Sun. Not by a long shot.

It's niche, and supporting it isn't free. I know why you want it, but I'm not gonna be surprised that they don't support it. They don't include Indeo codecs, or game port drivers either.

[Pentium100]

So, just get an old PC for old games.
I will use my previous previous main PC for this (Athlon XP 2500+, 1GB RAM, ATI Radeon 9800Pro). I will just dual boot Windows 98SE and XP on it for old games.

[kitamesume]

So, just get an old PC for old games.
I will use my previous previous main PC for this (Athlon XP 2500+, 1GB RAM, ATI Radeon 9800Pro). I will just dual boot Windows 98SE and XP on it for old games.

pfft, vbox win98.

yeah i get to play tubular world through vbox DOS.

[JoonasTo]

So, just get an old PC for old games.
I will use my previous previous main PC for this (Athlon XP 2500+, 1GB RAM, ATI Radeon 9800Pro). I will just dual boot Windows 98SE and XP on it for old games.

Since my desktop is still XP 98SE is the main OS on my older machine. ISA POWER BABY!

[Honemi]

Microsoft has released an anime short promoting IE11. It seems that this may not be too uncommon for the corporation.