Windoze 8

My big problem right now is what to do with two old PCs I ahve with me. One is an old, "custom-made" XP system which did little but cause problems and run poorly the 3 years I had it. The other is a rather nice HP Vista mini-mini-tower with monitor.

I never tried to sell the old XP because basically it was junk. It would ahve been wrong to take a dime. I tried to give it away, half-heartedly, but couldn't (the lack of a monitor did not help). So I thought about throwing it away. Still, the components might be worth something. Any thoughts?

The Vista is, naturally, even more unsalable. It would work reasonably well if it were formatted and had the OS re-installed, but I don't know if I have a CD for that, or ever did. It could run XP perfectly well (I do have a CD). It can't run Win7. It may be able to run Win8(.1)

What I think I should do with it is 1) move out any files and other things in it to the new one and then 2) format the HD clean and install Linux, or 2.1) install Linux in a BIG partition. I favor the last option, as I'd keep Vista (why?) in case I ever need it (why??)

So things are going well, finally.

Which makes agitating aagsint the M/M/W interface all the more important. Being stuck with Vista for years taught me the importance to upgrade, yet having seen Win8(.1) taught me to be selective about upgrades. I don't really care if MS wants to push a tablet interface to the desktop ebacuse either 1) it will fail to catch on (MS Bob, anyone? All tech companies can count many, many failures) or 2) third-parties like Stardock will keep providing a desktop. But I am concerned that the desktop may die without further developemnt both to the interface and programs to run in it.

Microsoft did realease a desktop version of IE 11, both for Win7 and 8(.1), and Office 365 (the software you rent) works only on the desktop. But there was the minor flap about Skype removing desktop functionality (why?), not to mention the "legacy" tag hung on the desktop. The rumor mill is evenly split about a Win8.2 and Win9 for late this year or next year. And since Ballmer is leaving, really MS is largely ignorant as yet of their own intentions. Very likely there will still be a desktop in the next Windows, but also as likely nothing new will be found in it (except, perhaps, a more rigid configuration that cannot be changed).

So the mission remains to preserve the desktop.

I imagine what Microsoft will wind up doing is "allow" more open windows in "snap" view on the M/M/W interface, then perhaps an option for keeping the task switcher visible at all times, then you will be given the option to relocate it to the bottom or top of the screen (hopefully), then the "snap" windows will "allow" the novel feature of vertical resizing (it will be 6:5 "Blackjak" all over again).

If you think, "isn't she describing a taskbar and Win1-7 windows?" you are entirely correct.

I'm a lot less upset now that I have a new(ish) Win7 PC, and don't need to worry about massively configuring a Win8(.1) PC.

Still, the future remains, as it usually does, and that worries me.

Amazon has begun offering a desktop in the cloud. Huh? Shouldn't that be on your PC? Sure. But if your company issues or lets you use a tablet, then you don't have a desktop. One can imagine also other "thin clients" such as minimally equipped PCs (essentially Chromebooks) which would be very cheap and yet very able to run any complex desktop program requiring massive resources.

Microsoft could do the same thing easily, and may be planning to do so through its own cloud services. Google for all practical purposes has been doing this with Chrome OS, too, and whatever it runs.

I can clearly see MS issuing a Windows 9, without any desktop at all. Instead you would be expected to rent the desktop remotely through the cloud. If you're paying rent for Office 365 already, why not for the environment to run it in?

What is the world coming to?

For a change I'll complain about someone else, namely Firefox.

In the old days, c. 2010 or thereabouts, Firefox had a function called Import/Export Bookmarks. In the export mode it created, or copied, an HTML file called Bookmarks.html to a specified folder. This you could then copy to another PC and use the import mode to incorporate them to its web browser.

No more. Now they've modernized and moved to the cloud, where you sync everything. Yes, i know the advantages, but why not leave the Export function in too? Months ago this worked well for transferring the bookmarks from my home PC to my laptop. But this time I wanted to transfer them to the new PC, and it hasn't worked.

The thing is the sync function has a help link labelled "show me how," which directs you to a web page with instructions. Very nice. Only the isntructions do no match what you see on the screen. Then I noticed the web page has a heading claiming "this article is no longer supported and may be out of date." I'll say!

The downside is I've been unable to sync bookmarks to the new PC.

I'll try again from the laptop when I find the time. Otherwise I'll try setting up a new account from scratch.

I just bought a new laptop, because my son pretty much turned my old one into his. I need a second computer for travel and running long programs, like the one tot analyze Head Up Hold 'em, which will take about a week to cycle through all 27,813,810,024,000 combinations of 7-card hands.

The new Dell I just bought today is stalled with Windows 8, and I immediately don't like it. I don't know how to find anything. It would be nice if there were an option to make things look the "classic" way.

Anyway, I will be expecting a Windows 8 lesson your next Vegas visit, since you're obviously very familiar with it.

Quote: Wizard

It would be nice if there were an option to make things look the "classic" way.

Careful. The Windows Fanboys will be tagging you a wanna-be caveman who's afraid of change :P

Quote:

Anyway, I will be expecting a Windows 8 lesson your next Vegas visit, since you're obviously very familiar with it.

Certainly. But all you need is to Google "Start8" and install it. While you're at it, get also Modern Mix and perhaps Window Blinds (the latter is not necessary if you do't mind the transparent taskbar to clash with the non-transparent windows). They're free to try and rather cheap to get. Then just configure the defaults to open all file types on desktop programs rather than on the Metro/Modern/Whatever-the-hell-this-interface-is-called-now interface.

Unless, that is, you want to wait 6 to 7 months for a fix.

Or, though it would cost you more, you can see if your aprticular Windows 8(.1) license allows you to upgrade to Windows 7. But then you'd have to pay for the priviledge.

Then when I'm in Vegas we can take care of the "hot" corners, the "charms bar," the lock screen and even the mandatory password log-in. I can also unpin everything from the taskbar and resurrect the quick-launch toolbar.

I take it this is what you mean,a nd not that you want to learn how to use Windows 8(.1). All I know about that is that I don't want to use it as intended. No wonder, then I jumped at the chance to acquire a Win7 PC, eh?

BTW, my old and dying (I wish it were dying for real!) Vista PC cost me about $1,200 back in 2007. This year I bought a much more capable Win7 PC (with a bigger screen to boot) and a Nexus 7 tablet for less than that. How's that for progress?

One question -- Where is the Start button?

Quote: Wizard

One question -- Where is the Start button?

There is no start button in Windows 8.

There is one in Windows 8.1, but all it does is send you to the M/M/W interface start screen. If you want a start menu, you need to install a third party shell. I've tried Classic Shell and Start8, but there are many others, most of them free.

Here are more start menu replacement options: http://www.infoworld.com/slideshow/107780/suffer-not-10-windows-start-menus-windows-81-221548#slide1

Lately upgrades are a big PITA.

The thing is software changes radically, often for the worse. There was Office 2007, Windows 8(.1), and form what I hear iOS7 as well. And now, now I'm faced with Android 4.4 "Kit-Kat." (BTW shouldn't that be "Kit-Kat Bar"??)

Last Friday evening the Nexus started displaying a "notification" to the effect the new system software is ready to be installed. Lucky for me I set the tablet to manual rather than automatic updates. And this is a sticky kind of notification that just won't go away.

I've been reading up on 4.4 lately, and mostly I don't like it. Leave alone about half of wverything, which seems to aply only to phones. The rest is either innaplicable to me, like being able to activate "Google Now" without touching the tablet, or a major inconvenience.

For instance, one thing I really dislike is that some apps can now go full screen and hide all system controls. In some apps in 4.3, like the Kobo reader or Kindle, the system controls become dots in order to occupy less screen sapce. But they remain visible and activate at a touch. In the new OS version they'd be gone, and you would have to swipe up in order to bring them up.

Now, switching apps is already complicated enough as it is. I don't need an extra layer.

More to the point, I find ahving the system controls available at all times, and even the notification area and system area above available at all times as well, to be very useful in handling the tablet.

So I won't be upgrading to "Kit-Kat" for as long as I own the Nexus 7. Or for as long as I can keep using it at the very least. I figure some apps I actually use will be rendered useless in time, perhaps.

Why did Google chose the worst possible moment to copy Microsoft?

There isn't much to report on Win8(.1), as all the press about MS keeps talking about the Xbox. There was a tidbit about hints to the effect that they can't keep 3 operating systems, phone, RT and "full" Windows. But I take this to mean RT will merge/blend with the phone OS. On the other hand, with a company in flux who can tell?

Specifically there has been nothing concerning Windows 8.1 sales, upgrades or PC sales in general. Nothing at all on next year's upgrade, if any, and no credible rumors at all on the next version.

But I worry since Apple and Google have begun to copy Microsoft. Both ahve gone with flatter, plainer looks for their interfaces, and now Google is hiding controls in Android <sigh>

BTW, while shopping for a PC I ran across something decidedly interesting. HP has an Android desktop PC. No, really. And I really mean really. It's dirt cheap, has a nice large touchscreen, a mouse, a keyboard and not much else I could see. I rather like Android for a tablet, but I wouldn't use it on the desktop. And also it has no desktop environment at all. I'm puzzled who'd get something like this and how they'd use it.

I could understand a hybrid laptop/tablet PC with Windows and Android, say. and having both OSes, it would allow use of either one in both configurations (it's easier that way).

Oh, and an oddity I kind of just got. If you recall Windows 95 and 98, you may remember when powering up the Windows logo was shown against a blue sky with clouds. Now that "The Cloud" is all the rage, while powering up Windows 8(.1) shows a fish.