Windows 8 for people who hate the Metro UI

Lum

yangptangkipperbang wrote: »

Have you tried using this heap of junk on something like Photoshop ?.......or any other specialised software package ?

You cannot use programmes like this with touch a screen software package or a "!!!!!!!ised" version of one. W7 is excellent for this sort of thing - long may it last !

I have not tried to use photoshop with a touchscreen. I do not own a touchscreen (phones don't count)

This post is about how to fix Windows 8 for non-touchscreen use. Follow the instructions and you will have a desktop-oriented OS once again (and for less money than Windows 7) and will be able to use Photoshop just fine with your keyboard and mouse.

Lum

prowla wrote: »

No matter what you do, you can't get Metro to the have "eye candy" features of Windows 7 - they have taken them out.

Actually the support for it is still there, but you need to install third party themes and a hacked uxtheme.dll to enable it, which is beyond the scope of what I was trying to achieve with this thread. It was about usability not eye candy.

Johnmcl7

yangptangkipperbang wrote: »

Have you tried using this heap of junk on something like Photoshop ?.......or any other specialised software package ?

You cannot use programmes like this with touch a screen software package or a "!!!!!!!ised" version of one. W7 is excellent for this sort of thing - long may it last !

Yes, I use Photoshop and Lightroom on Windows 8 - they behave the same way they do in Windows 7, there is no difference.

John

yangptangkipperbang

Lum wrote: »

I have not tried to use photoshop with a touchscreen.............................and will be able to use Photoshop just fine with your keyboard and mouse.

I am afraid these two excerpts show why your statements are a bit lacking in facts.

You don't use Photoshop as a stand alone - you use it with other associated packages (that is why I have two monitors). With XP or W7 (or even the dreaded Vista !!) it is possible to run/start/stop these programmes with ease - that is not the case with W8 or any of the "fudges" that I have seen which purport to make W8 "just like W7".

Lum

Which programs are you having trouble with?

If Photoshop is launching metro apps on you, then you will want to change the file associations back to what they were on Win7.

As for two monitors, the new taskbar is rather nice on two monitors I find. You used to have to use a paid app to get a taskbar on the second monitor, but this is now built in.

MidnightDistortions

I don't think people will mind paying for an older product if it means keeping the legacy UI in place.

Microsoft got rid of these features. While i will agree that there are some good improvements with Windows 8 i don't think it justifies what Microsoft did. I don't like the new UI & by not upgrading to Window 8 and the negative feedback will hopefully give MS a chance to redeem themselves. Even though Win 7 is good until 2020, it's still got 8 years of use before people have to decide on a new OS.

The best way i know how to keep MS from messing with future OS releases and giving users an option between the classic UI and the new style is to tell people, do not upgrade unless you try and absolutely would be willing to make the change, without installing any software from 3rd party sites. MS needs to include legacy support in future releases. That's the deal.

Windows 8 is a product. Windows 7 is still a valid replacement & it is still supporting MS by not resorting to other companies. What i am tired of hearing is "get used to Windows 8 new UI it's here to stay!!" Do these people really care nothing but themselves when they say this? It is great that some people like the new system but it's really no excuse to dismiss the UI that i & other people love. Had MS given the option to remove the new start screen it would have been better. Being forced to use a product that you do not like/can't use is not cool. It will force users to go elsewhere, and Windows 7 for now is a viable option. I happened to be one of the users who liked Vista. IMO Windows 8 is the only OS that i have used that i did not like, so much that i hope it doesn't take over future OS's.

You might be tired of people not liking and badmouthing Win 8 but i am tired of things changing that does not help me/hinders me in the process.

MidnightDistortions

Lum wrote: »

Actually the support for it is still there, but you need to install third party themes and a hacked uxtheme.dll to enable it, which is beyond the scope of what I was trying to achieve with this thread. It was about usability not eye candy.

The "eye candy" is part of the Windows experience. If i liked XP's visuals more i probably would do the 3rd party theme but i happened to love the visuals in 7. Anyway part of the problem is if you don't like the new UI you should have the option of re-enabling older ones to your preference. Again, 3rd party works but MS should really start considering allowing custom UI's then a 'forced' one that if your desperate enough to download a theme.

MS was trying to disable the start menu in the developers preview making it more difficult for people to enjoy it. That's not a smart move and users should have the freedom to do what they want with the UI because you most likely have to live with it or downgrade.

Johnmcl7

MidnightDistortions wrote: »

I don't think people will mind paying for an older product if it means keeping the legacy UI in place.

Microsoft got rid of these features. While i will agree that there are some good improvements with Windows 8 i don't think it justifies what Microsoft did. I don't like the new UI & by not upgrading to Window 8 and the negative feedback will hopefully give MS a chance to redeem themselves. Even though Win 7 is good until 2020, it's still got 8 years of use before people have to decide on a new OS.

The best way i know how to keep MS from messing with future OS releases and giving users an option between the classic UI and the new style is to tell people, do not upgrade unless you try and absolutely would be willing to make the change, without installing any software from 3rd party sites. MS needs to include legacy support in future releases. That's the deal.

Windows 8 is a product. Windows 7 is still a valid replacement & it is still supporting MS by not resorting to other companies. What i am tired of hearing is "get used to Windows 8 new UI it's here to stay!!" Do these people really care nothing but themselves when they say this?

No, it's nothing to do with people not caring - it's more simply that people are speaking from experience. There was a lot of negative feedback during the developer and consumer previews which were at a point when Windows 8 was not finalised and changes could be made however they went the opposite way, initially the start menu could be re-enabled but that option was removed. So Microsoft are not going to be changing Windows 8 now.

This whole modern UI debate is almost identical to the ribbon UI debate back when Office 2007 was released, with a few word substitutes to your post it would be the same as one written about Office 2007. At the time many people complained that the ribbon interface was poor and Microsoft should allow the legacy menus. People claimed it would be the end of Office if they didn't change back to the legacy menus as they'd go elsewhere...we've had a couple of Office releases since then and Office is still as strong as ever, the ribbon UI is now more tightly integrated into the Windows 7 shell and even third party companies now also use their own version of it (such as the latest AutoCAD)

You make it out that supporting legacy is easy and there is no reason not to but neither are true, legacy support is a massive weight around Microsoft's neck and in particular they want to avoid another XP. This is a large advantage Apple have as not only do they have tight control over a limited range of hardware, they can very quickly drop support or change as they want ignoring any legacy support.

I'm not making any comments here about what they should or shouldn't do, just pointing out that people aren't making such comments because they 'don't care' And you do have the freedom to do what you want with the UI - if you want a start menu then there is third party software to do so.

John

Lum

Regarding the ribbon, uBitMenu is a good free addon for Office 2007 / 2010 that brings back the classic menu as an extra tab on the ribbon.

I'm only an occasional user of office. I've used it enough and for long enough to know where everything is by pretty much muscle memory, the UI previously hadn't changed since the 16 bit days, but I don't use Office often enough to actually learn the UI or for it to be worthwhile to take the time to learn it.

MidnightDistortions

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

No, it's nothing to do with people not caring - it's more simply that people are speaking from experience. There was a lot of negative feedback during the developer and consumer previews which were at a point when Windows 8 was not finalised and changes could be made however they went the opposite way, initially the start menu could be re-enabled but that option was removed. So Microsoft are not going to be changing Windows 8 now.

This whole modern UI debate is almost identical to the ribbon UI debate back when Office 2007 was released, with a few word substitutes to your post it would be the same as one written about Office 2007. At the time many people complained that the ribbon interface was poor and Microsoft should allow the legacy menus. People claimed it would be the end of Office if they didn't change back to the legacy menus as they'd go elsewhere...we've had a couple of Office releases since then and Office is still as strong as ever, the ribbon UI is now more tightly integrated into the Windows 7 shell and even third party companies now also use their own version of it (such as the latest AutoCAD)

You make it out that supporting legacy is easy and there is no reason not to but neither are true, legacy support is a massive weight around Microsoft's neck and in particular they want to avoid another XP. This is a large advantage Apple have as not only do they have tight control over a limited range of hardware, they can very quickly drop support or change as they want ignoring any legacy support.

I'm not making any comments here about what they should or shouldn't do, just pointing out that people aren't making such comments because they 'don't care' And you do have the freedom to do what you want with the UI - if you want a start menu then there is third party software to do so.

John

I think this boils down to what i said or thought i stated was that yes there was 3rd party downloads but that does not fix the reason why Microsoft went in the wrong direction with 8's UI. Yes some people like it & others will just install the 3rd party software but it still makes some people like me weary about the UI change being more permanent. MS will continue to make changes to the UI that will cause people to feel upset and then create software to fix this problem. Sooner or later though, if MS feels that people are not using the features they've given they'll end up forcing or trying to prevent users from customizing their desktop to remove the new start menu.

I don't think complaining about how the new UI is and changing it to meet your needs really do much either and that's most likely what happened with Office 2007. Avoid using/purchasing it is the best way to stop something you don't like. It's like buying a car that you absolutely hate the tires on it. It doesn't matter if you change the tires, the company who made the car is most likely going to keep the design. It's fairly the same with Windows 8. Essentially your still going to be supporting the new UI even if you use a 3rd party app, MS doesn't care.. or will remove that ability but if enough people do not buy it (or even possibly use Win 8) it will or might show MS that people do not like the new UI.

I am not attempting to say that this will definitely stop MS from doing things their way but money talks and if MS does see a decline in the need for Win 8 & people are still going towards Win 7 or another OS selection then they might change.

And well, customized UI interfaces might not be easy to do but i don't think neither is preventing users from enjoying desktops the way they want it to feel and function. The reason why i say some people don't care is because i have seen reviews of people not understanding why the legacy UI system has worked for so long for users & that they can't or are not willing to adopt a new system. And i for one don't find the new start menu, new or fresh. It's different but again it's different to the point where it's straying me and other people from using it. And the other reason why i say some people don't care (or rather are unaware) is because they think that new stuff is there to replace the old stuff. I for one don't like throwing out old equipment because the software is outdated. Or throw out the old software because MS wants to drop the support for it. I thought it was a necessary move back then because there are things that Win 95 & Win 98 are incapable of doing with modern OS's, better stability and more control. Windows 7 is even better with codec support then XP so i can watch videos straight from my PC without any trouble. With that out of the way i pretty much have what i need. The only problem is the future date of when support is dropped for it.

I think some people are missing the point with XP users still on XP. Some users know that upgrading to a more current OS will cause them to require hardware upgrades & for the most part people do eventually upgrade. But some others refuse to and i still see some users on Win 95/98 (or other older systems) because they don't feel the need to upgrade to whats current. The other issue i think with XP users sticking with XP is because of Vista's negative reception. It was too demanding and had too many bugs to use effectively for certain users. Even if Windows 8 was a huge success and i liked it i might not get it, For one thing i prefer full installations, not upgrades nor OEM. Even with Vista & 7's new 1 key 1 pc it's not making me like MS any more as i have several systems at home for different needs. (2 PC's and 1 laptop). Even then with Win 7 a decent portion of Xp users went to Win 7, it still really doesn't validate why MS decided on a system that is unfamiliar. It might help a few XP users that is already familiar or that like the system but it won't make every company jump out to get it & even then some are just making the switch to Win 7 to get off XP.

As i said before the new UI scares me, i am not liking it & if it's really here to stay then i'll be looking for a different OS when the need arises.