Windows 7 vs Windows 8

[gww]

Buying a laptop and the upgrade to Windows 8 is minimal $$ .. .what would be better stick with 7 or upgrade.

I was told by the place I plan to buy from that 8 is only good if you have a touchscreen (like a tablet) and would drive you batty if it was on a regular laptop

 

[SirWanker]

Buying a laptop and the upgrade to Windows 8 is minimal $$ .. .what would be better stick with 7 or upgrade.

I was told by the place I plan to buy from that 8 is only good if you have a touchscreen (like a tablet) and would drive you batty if it was on a regular laptop

Have you tried using Windows 8? You'll have your answer fairly quickly.

 

[gww]

Have not tried either one.. that is why I am asking

 

[Rockslinger]

There was a discussion thread on this subject when Windows 8 first came out. Maybe worth doing a search. Have seen much discussion since.

 

[Rockslinger]

Just with the past of windows. Every other windows is good. WinXP is amazing Vista was bad Win7 was good Win8 will be bad. Windows has basically been liek that since day 1 tho. Every other is good. Either use Win7 Ulitmate or wait for the next one.

I seem to recall that the early reports from the field on Windows 8 was not very good so maybe we should wait for Windows 9. BTW: The clock is ticking on XP, only 400 days (more or less) left to go before Microsoft pulls the plug.

 

[Rockslinger]

If you have it on your P.C keep it. That was by far the best Win product to date.

I agree that XP with SP3 is great but what happens when Microsoft withdraws its support around 400 days from now? Would XP be vulnerable to bad things? BTW: I might just switch to Linux. Woodpekr says many good things about Linux and its free.

 

[agentman]

Currently i have Windows 7 on my PC; thought about switching back to XP.

 

[Rockslinger]

Currently i have Windows 7 on my PC; thought about switching back to XP.

Interesting. Are you not happy with Windows 7? Why?

 

[dtjohnst]

As a tech user, Windows 8 is fantastic. Fast, light, easy to use. People are upset because the start menu is gone. Same way people were upset Windows 95 changed to interface. Sure, there's a learning curve....but one you're past that, it's phenomenal. Mark my words: Windows 8 is twice the OS that Win7 is, and if you can upgrade for cheap, you're a fool not to.

 

[WoodPeckr]

Have used all of them. XP, Vista, W7 & now W8 and IMHO they are ALL rock solid just different.
However with Windows you have to know computer basics and proper PM! Since taking time to learn these basics I've never really had ANY problems with Windows. There's a bit of a learning curve between these 4 M$ versions but not really that difficult to master. With ANY OS 'change is a constant'. W8 was the most radical change in recent years but took me <1 hour to figure out.

Believe XP is still the most widely used OS worldwide because of it being rock solid. Some peeps hate change but then again some are still using W98 and W2000 which are unsupported by M$! XP will join them unless support is extended again by M$. If support is not extended and you want to remain using XP just make sure it was fully updated along with whatever anti-virus you use and you should be good to go.

That said I still prefer Linux over Windows because it is even more rock solid, more stable, has bullet proof security and is FREE!.....:thumb:
It's nice being M$ free.....:eyebrows:

 

[Rockslinger]

Didn't someone say that Windows 8 is only touch screen, or can it be adapted to a mouse as well?

 

[Rockslinger]

That said I still prefer Linux over Windows because it is even more rock solid, more stable, has bullet proof security and is FREE!.....:thumb:

I've been dabbling with Linux on and off for a few months now, but I can't install Media Player Classic or Studiotax on Linux.

 

[dtjohnst]

Didn't someone say that Windows 8 is only touch screen, or can it be adapted to a mouse as well?

It does both, there's no adapting needed. It's heavily geared towards shortcuts if you have a keyboard, though you can use a mouse only, or a touchscreen only. It's very flexible.

 

[gww]

As a tech user, Windows 8 is fantastic. Fast, light, easy to use. People are upset because the start menu is gone. Same way people were upset Windows 95 changed to interface. Sure, there's a learning curve....but one you're past that, it's phenomenal. Mark my words: Windows 8 is twice the OS that Win7 is, and if you can upgrade for cheap, you're a fool not to.

Thanks. Got Windows 8.

 

[WoodPeckr]

I've been dabbling with Linux on and off for a few months now, but I can't install Media Player Classic or Studiotax on Linux.

I don't miss Media Player Classic at all. There are a whole host of Linux media players. I prefer Audacious, a WinAmp style player and Rhythmbox. There are also VLC, Amarok, Kaffeine, Clemetine, Pithos, Audacity just to mention a few popular players.

StudioTax doesn't have a Linux version yet but all the major tax preparers work on Linux. This is why I suggest a dual boot setup, so you still have M$ for use when needed for something like StudioTax.....

 

[Rockslinger]

This is why I suggest a dual boot setup, so you still have M$ for use when needed for something like StudioTax...

Actually, I do have a sort of "dual" setup now. I recently installed Linux on my laptop (got rid of Vista) and have XP on my desktop now using Chrome instead of Firefox. When Microsoft stops supporting XP, I might do a dual boot on my desktop by partitioning the HD and installing Linux.

 

[WoodPeckr]

That's another way to do things.
You are on your way to becoming FREE of M$ & even pricier Apple.....:thumb:
I began dabbling in Linux a few years ago, all self-taught and now can do EVERYTHING needed with Linux for FREE!
It's nice to be FREE .....

 

[larry]

i've got about 50 programs installed on my pc. does each one need it's own icon in W8? could i group programs under 1 icon? can i run 2 or 3 or any number of apps at the same time and see them all in their own window (i recall there was some issue with that)? thks

what is the benefit to W8? over W7.

 

[Rockslinger]

Thanks. Got Windows 8.

Did you have to re-install all your programs/apps when you switched to Windows 8 from Windows 7? There was a recent discussion about this and some members said yes and some said no.

 

[Rockslinger]

I began dabbling in Linux a few years ago, all self-taught and now can do EVERYTHING needed with Linux for FREE!

Hey Woody and anybody else who can help, I have two questions if I partition my harddrive and install Linux in addition to my XP.
1) Do I have to re-install all my XP programs and apps on Linux?
2) Is it true that Linux can access my XP files and programs through a "back door"? If yes, how is this done?