by Aaron Butts
Let me preface this review by saying that I am a PC person. I was raised on Windows and so I may have a little bias in saying that Windows is the superior operating system. That being said there was a lot of concern last week with the future of the world’s most popular operating system (OS) with the release of Windows 8, the latest version of the Windows OS.
Windows has staked everything on this new OS, by reinventing the wheel they run the risk of possibly crashing and burning, as was seen in the release of the successor to Windows XP: Windows Vista, which is generally regarded as a tremendous flop.
The method of making new operating systems in the past has been that every new version is an improvement on the previous (except for Windows Vista). Windows 98 was a new version of Windows 95, Windows 2000 was a better version than 98, and Windows XP was a better version of 2000 and so on and so forth. This model of taking the layout of the previous OS and making it better has been thrown out the window with Windows 8.
Microsoft takes aim at minimalism with this latest OS. Computer functions and settings are hidden in the corners of the screen, similar to hiding a task bar on previous Windows operating systems. Moving the cursor to a certain edge of the screen can bring up different functions, in an effort to take away a lot of the clutter and streamline the appearance of the OS.
Windows 8 introduces this new “Metro” concept where upon starting the computer, the user is met with a start menu that is filled with links to applications, RSS feeds, and notifications from social media applications. Windows 8 is an OS to link the accessibility of phones, tablets, and even game consoles with a PC. The whole layout is made to best function with a touch screen computer or a tablet. This fact may prompt some old fashioned mouse users to think that they are at a disadvantage compared to users with touch screens but this certainly isn’t true.
Sure Windows 8 is best on a touch screen, but it is still a phenomenal OS for a traditional PC without a touch screen. The main issue that people are having is the learning curve that is involved with using Windows 8.
Admittedly Windows 8 hasn’t been so well received by the critics, but change has never been something that human beings have been comfortable with. The mistake that PC users make when getting onto a device running Windows 8, is assuming that everything is right where it was with Windows 7, and this is incorrect. Just finding the command prompt alone is a chore at first, but as with any new piece of technology, it takes some getting used to.
Windows 8 also incorporates more of the “cloud computing” that Apple already offers, allowing Microsoft product users to share documents across all the different devices connected to their cloud. This is just one example of another feature that Microsoft is incorporating to compete with other similar software companies.
Windows 8 carries over almost every program from windows 7 with a few exceptions for older programs that already barely ran on Windows 7. What makes Windows 8 better is that it tends to run programs a lot faster than Windows 7. Webpages on the new version of Internet Explorer run a lot better for some using Windows 8, start-up time for the computer itself has also been lessened. Applications seem to run faster under Windows 8 which is a huge plus for PC users.
Along with the carrying over of most applications, there is also a level of familiarity with the new system which incorporates a “desktop” function on the start menu which will bring up an almost identical desktop to Windows 7. The desktop will still have all older shortcuts displayed; the only difference is that there is not the familiar start button on the lower left corner, which may throw some users off.
Just like Google, Apple, or Android has, so now Microsoft also has a “Windows Store” to find different apps. For now there are not a multitude of applications, but as the OS gains popularity, the users can be assured that the store will expand.
Updating a PC to Windows 8 is cheap as well, costing only $40 which is a much lower price than previous initial costs of new operating systems. For those that bought a PC after June 2nd, they can buy it for only $15.
Overall I would say that purchasing Windows 8 is a great investment. It is slick, it is cool, and best of all, (once you get the hang of it) it’s functional. Any owner of an Xbox 360 or Windows phone already has a bit of familiarity with the system, as Microsoft is taking the Metro template and applying it to everything Microsoft, including their brand new Microsoft Surface which is a tablet made by Microsoft with a similar OS to Windows 8, known as Windows RT.
A great aspect of Windows 8 is that generally almost every computer purchased within the past few years is eligible for upgrade to Windows 8. Even most Netbooks are eligible to upgrade from Windows Starter although graphics and performance on the start screen may suffer.
Many new application features also have more requirements, a list of all system requirements can be easily found at the Microsoft website.
abutts@capital.edu
