Windows 8?

[sporkles]

I'm in the process of selecting components for my new computer, and I'm just checking in to make sure I won't be missing out on anything if I opt for a Windows 7 system. I've had little experience with Windows 8, but enough to know that I hated it. Is there anything in Windows 8 that would actually be beneficial from a musician's standpoint?

[yur2die4]

My only problem with win8 is issues with drivers for some audio interfaces.

I barely understand the win8 h8. It is the latest version.

[markwphoto]

Windows 8 is not the devil that everyone makes it out to be. I've found from a performance standpoint Windows 8 runs rings around Windows 7! I've got a work laptop with an i7 that runs a hybrid SSD and my personal laptop with an i7 that used to have a hybrid SSD (which I'm now using as a data drive). The work laptop runs W7 and it takes about 45 seconds to boot to the login screen. When I was running W8 with the hybrid it took about 18 seconds to boot. The work laptop has a slightly faster processor than my personal laptop but both have the same amount of ram, yet my personal laptop still booted faster with Windows 8.

I have since switched to a full SSD HD on my personal laptop and now boots with W8 around 7-8 seconds. Not bad for a 2 1/2 year old laptop! The hybrid drive is now my data drive. So just from a boot performance standpoint W8 is way better. All my programs also run faster with better performance in W8 than they did in W7.

Most people hate the metro screen in Windows 8. Honestly I don't spend a lot of time there and go straight to the desktop. Aside from that it really does work close to the way Windows 7 works with slight GUI updates. There's nothing in Windows 7 that would ever want to make me go back.

[eyeknow]

I've heard quite a bit of issues with drivers. I went with 7 because I basically only do two things: music/internet. I have no need for anything that win7 can't do as far as I can see. But that's just me.

[H20nly]

I hate it.

I've used both and I'd rather have 7 any day. Too much wasted motion trying to get 8 to act like a desktop OS. If you're going full touch screen... sure, why not. Otherwise; support does't run out on 7 until 2021.

In answer to your question... No. It offers nothing. In fact, there's probably less that works with 8 than 7.

[sporkles]

H2: thanks; that's basically what I thought and what I wanted to hear.

I don't see any reason to introduce unfamiliarity into your workflow, and W8 seems to be just that. I guess they've been trying to address some of the issues people have been having, but as long as there's no real advantage in a given scenario, I'll stick with 7.

[Martin Gifford]

I think faster boot time gives the illusion of speed elsewhere. Who boots their computer these days? I don't think I've booted mine for about 3 months. Always use sleep mode.

With some fiddling, and using programs like Classic Shell, you can make W8 work in a similar way to W7. Then it's a matter of pros and cons on either side. W8 adds some features but also takes some away. Now it's faster to get to power user stuff, but it's slower to use options like "Copy but keep both files". And there are many more examples. I'm surprised that no one makes a high quality tweaker for Windows these days, especially since MS are moving in the direction of reducing customisability (their dodgy stats say that most people don't customise, and therefore supposedly don't want to customise).

[redglass]

I'm in the process of selecting components for my new computer, and I'm just checking in to make sure I won't be missing out on anything if I opt for a Windows 7 system. I've had little experience with Windows 8, but enough to know that I hated it. Is there anything in Windows 8 that would actually be beneficial from a musician's standpoint?

Hi,

I switched from Win7 to Win8.1. To be honest: At the beginning I didn't like metro GUI, but it is not that bad.
Without touchscreen there is no need, but its ok for me, especially if you click on the little arrow down left and all programms are shown with little symbols, very helpful to me.

I love charms, search field, the way you click through to Bios/UEFI in order to change something there, incremental backups of system image and data. It works flawless, I don't even think about it anymore. No issues with drivers on both machines (Samsung Laptop and self build PC). So I would give it a go: Some shops sell Win8 Notebooks pretty cheap, as people stick on XP or Win7.

Best, Bastian

[Martin Gifford]

I hate metro. I would only buy W9 if you could completely disable metro.

Right when they needed to create an OS that people would love, MS created an OS that they wished people would love.

[mmorgan]

I'm running Win 8.1. I boot direct to the Desktop and there are many days when I don't see the Start Page of Metro at all. I believe performance is nominally better in 8.1. I've read an analysis of 8.1 from the CTO of a competing DAW manufacturer and his conclusion was that 8 should perform better. I did have to wait for a driver update from RME but that was quite some time ago.

I dislike (maybe even hate) the Metro style applications, or at least what I have experienced with them so far. I don't understand how I am benefited by having so much of the interface hidden. That said, I can, and do, run a Win 8.1 tablet that has the usual 'productivity' (i.e. MS Office) apps and I run them in Desktop mode. Simples.

Not sure about the support to date for Win 7 that someone mentioned but I can say it will roll around much sooner than the one for 8.1. If I already had a Win 7 license I would probably continue to use it but if I was purchasing an OS I would definitely opt in for Win 8.1.

Regards,

[oddstep]

once you have started up a program (like Live), Windows 8 is just like windows 7. I think the drivers seem better but that might simply down to changes in hardware. Its pretty easy to avoid the metro interface

[Martin Gifford]

Yes, you can mostly avoid metro, but then its principle of simplified graphics intrudes elsewhere. For example, you load up a softsynth in Ableton and it has a horrible white title bar until you click on it. Just jarring and yucky poo. It's incredible that MS would reduce graphics quality just when processors have become capable of rendering fantastic graphics.

[Da hand]

... and using programs like Classic Shell, you can make W8 work in a similar way to W7... .

When I got the laptop I am using now, I spent about 1 hour on Windows 8 before I hunted down Classic Shell, installed it and never needed to see the Windows 8 interface again.

[XSIMan]

Windows8.1 update turned Live 8 into a desktop OS. Windows 8 boots on multiple cores instead of one like Win 7 does and Win8 is faster at restarting and has an easy to use menu in the task bar to disable programs you don't want starting with Windows. Windows 9 is around the corner maybe next year that will bring dx12 compatibility. I don't like the awful boxes Win 7 puts around plugin gui windows 8 is better for that.

[yur2die4]

When it comes to the actual user interface, there are a lot of pluses and minuses.

Some minuses,
your only option is for it to take over your screen when you hit Start. For some that's no biggie, others might prefer the option.
they sort of endorse using their apps even though they generally suck. Let's say you hit Internet Explorer (for some odd reason). If you hit Start and then click, chances are you'll open the app version. If you click the one on the desktop or hit Start and type 'intern..', you'll open the desktop one.
How the fuck do you close these apps? You can do it, but if you're not planning ahead, you might have a hesitant second of frustration.
Moving the pointer to the borders could cause random shit to pop out. It is like the antithesis of the whack-a-mole game. Imagine trying to play it where you're trying Not to hit the fucking moles

Some benefits,
metro lets you have nice fat icons of your favorite shit. My desktop is always empty, just an image in the background. Not even a trash bin. I do my shit either via win button and type app name (or click it), or if I need to browse files, win+e.

To be honest. I'm not sure if there are any other major benefits to the user interface.

But, I simply don't mind it. And feel better/more secure having the most up to date os.

What's funny is that the only improvement 8.1 really offered me was the ability for the desktop image to be in the metro Bground haha