Is Windows 8 right for businesses? PC Pro readers say no

Took the survey...

But quickly, a majority of our employees use Igel terminals connected to Windows Terminals Server, so they won't be changing.

We have some Windows 8 VMs for testing our products.

We also have several touch based applications, which have relied upon Windows 7 Pro tablets until now, these will most probably be updated to Windows 8.

I have upgraded to Windows 8 on my private PC and so far find it much better than Windows 7. Using my normal working style, I have pinned the regularly used apps on the Windows 8 taskbar, just like I did in Windows 7.

That means, that I see the Metro screen once or twice a day during normal use, a bit more when I am actually exploring what it is actually capable of.

For pure desktop work, it offers some niceties, that I have missed in XP and 7, compared to Linux, especially when it comes to multiple monitor set-ups.

That said, unless you use multiple monitors or you want touch capability, I think most Windows users won't see a big enough difference between 7 and 8 to warrant upgrading.

For those moving from XP, I'd skip Windows 7 and go straight to 8.

Heck, it seems to have the same reputation as Windows XP at the moment - everybody hated Windows XP when it was launched and it took nearly 2 years before it saw any great take-up.

By big_D on 29 Oct 2012

How many of them had actually tried Win 8?

The USP of Win8 is that it's a single o/s designed to work on two very different platforms - the desktop and the tablet, in broad terms. If you have a desktop, don't try and use the parts of it that are designed for the tablet, and visa versa. On the desktop the Windows apps are pretty much without exception worse in functional terms than the readily available desktop equivalents. So unpin them all from the start screen and replace them them with tiles that take you to the desktop applications you do actually use each day. Stay away from the Metro interface(not at all difficult)and you have an easy to use and fast operating system which is a pleasure to work with. And it'll only cost you £24.99 or even £14.99 to upgrade. It's a no brainer....

By jmiii on 29 Oct 2012

Bunch of Luddites

Well actually that's an insult to Mr Ludd, but you get the picture.

I use W8 on my main work PC and there are virtually no issues. Like Big_D I rarely stray into "Metroland", but use various Apps occasionally (the IP Subnet calculator has been useful....).

Whilst I know people dislike the challenge of the "New" I'm amazed that people in a supposedly forward-looking area like IT should be so negative about innovation\change.

I get a nasty whiff of both conservatism, and contempt for one's system users. Windows 8 is mainly Windows7 but with added touch if your hardware supports it.
MY user community is easily bright \ flexible enough to cope, and will be as we roll it out.

By wittgenfrog on 29 Oct 2012

Bunch of Luddites

Well actually that's an insult to Mr Ludd, but you get the picture.

I use W8 on my main work PC and there are virtually no issues. Like Big_D I rarely stray into "Metroland", but use various Apps occasionally (the IP Subnet calculator has been useful....).

Whilst I know people dislike the challenge of the "New" I'm amazed that people in a supposedly forward-looking area like IT should be so negative about innovation\change.

I get a nasty whiff of both conservatism, and contempt for one's system users. Windows 8 is mainly Windows7 but with added touch if your hardware supports it.
MY user community is easily bright \ flexible enough to cope, and will be as we roll it out.

By wittgenfrog on 29 Oct 2012

Bunch of Luddites

Well actually that's an insult to Mr Ludd, but you get the picture.

I use W8 on my main work PC and there are virtually no issues. Like Big_D I rarely stray into "Metroland", but use various Apps occasionally (the IP Subnet calculator has been useful....).

Whilst I know people dislike the challenge of the "New" I'm amazed that people in a supposedly forward-looking area like IT should be so negative about innovation\change.

I get a nasty whiff of both conservatism, and contempt for one's system users. Windows 8 is mainly Windows7 but with added touch if your hardware supports it.
MY user community is easily bright \ flexible enough to cope, and will be as we roll it out.

By wittgenfrog on 29 Oct 2012

Bunch of Luddites

Well actually that's an insult to Mr Ludd, but you get the picture.

I use W8 on my main work PC and there are virtually no issues. Like Big_D I rarely stray into "Metroland", but use various Apps occasionally (the IP Subnet calculator has been useful....).

Whilst I know people dislike the challenge of the "New" I'm amazed that people in a supposedly forward-looking area like IT should be so negative about innovation\change.

I get a nasty whiff of both conservatism, and contempt for one's system users. Windows 8 is mainly Windows7 but with added touch if your hardware supports it.
MY user community is easily bright \ flexible enough to cope, and will be as we roll it out.

By wittgenfrog on 29 Oct 2012

@jmiii

"Stay away from the Metro interface..." Isn't that the whole point of a lot of the negative feedback though?... If there was a way to turn Metro off, I think there would be many more business supporters of Win8 And yes, I have used Win8. Give me a desktop start button and a way to turn Metro off for ever and I would quite happily upgrade to Win8! Until then....

By mrmiley on 29 Oct 2012

Is METRO for Business? No. Is Windows 8? Yes.

There. Fixed your question. Try asking the right one next time.

By cheysuli on 29 Oct 2012

@jmiii

You can fully turn off the Metro Start and boot right onto your desktop with Classic Shell, which gives you a Start Menu!

http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/

I'm using it and now Windows 8 is better than Windows 7 :)

By shalom2010 on 29 Oct 2012

@mrmiley

Yes there is! I use Win8 every day and there's never any need for me to see a Metro interface - the Apps - unless I want to.

What did the Start button do in Win7? It allowed you to access all your programs. What does the start page do in Win8? Exactly the same, but it does it better and makes it easier.

By jmiii on 29 Oct 2012

@jmiii

You can fully turn off the Metro Start and boot right onto your desktop with Classic Shell, which gives you a Start Menu!

http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/

I'm using it and now Windows 8 is better than Windows 7 :)

By shalom2010 on 29 Oct 2012

Classic shell works until MS says no.

Business cannot rely on classic shell because MS could release a patch that breaks it. What happens then.

By Ulfarus on 29 Oct 2012

@Ulfarus

This is my main concern over such 'hacks'.

Personally, I'm still dual booting with W7 so I'm only using W8 on the side but allot of W8 (for me) with the desktop mode is change for the sake of change and I'm not seeing any benefits.

By tech3475 on 29 Oct 2012

Windows 8

Yep... the install starts next week as it's been thoroughly tested with the standard company applications.

I can finally rest that little bit more assured around lunch time when staff venture forward onto various flash gaming sites for Solitaire/other.

Installation of Metro apps will obviously be watched and a 'safe' list created until we implement Server 2012 with updated GP updates.

As it stands and as far as the testers are concerned we have no issues that could stop a roll-out.


P.s. The start menu isn't really used here other than the obvious due to attaching the Office shortcuts to the task bar. Done.

By rhythm on 29 Oct 2012

Any One Tried This?

So maybe not a mainstream way of using a desktop or laptop but I was just playing with the touchscreen capabilities of our meeting room's whiteboard which got me wondering what it would be like to use something like Win8 with that?

Incidentally, we're still on WinXP with an upgrade to Win7 not terribly imminent :-(

By johnfair4 on 31 Oct 2012

@rhythm - GP I assume?

I'm assuming that rhythm is proposing deploying stuff to w8 taskbar using Group Policies.

I suspect this is where the "user" fraternity of W8 haters misunderstands how things are done in an "Enterprise" \ business environment.

It is relatively easy (especially with Server 2012) to deploy a consistent W8 installation, complete with Applications, shortcuts, taskbars etc. to quite disparate hardware around the enterprise.

Once this is done, users' experiences can be carefully managed to ensure minimum disruption, and maximum benefit.

Of course you have to have trialled and user-tested the whole shebang first, but then that's what we do.... Well I used to, my current company is quite small, so a bit of 'chatting round the water cooler' and a demo system suffices here.

By wittgenfrog on 31 Oct 2012

I don't like Metro either

but rather than bleat about it and declare the OS fit for business I choose to work in the desktop space with my normal desktop apps and only "suffer" Metro for those brief moments when that's where the OS takes me. It is not at all hard to learn to press Windows-D at any time in order to get your lovely desktop back in front of you.

By tdodd1 on 1 Nov 2012

Boss Im sick today

"employee" Sorry boss iv caught a virus and i wont be in for a week

"boss" where did you pick that up from?

"Employee" fat dirty dave from the IT department come to my desk and put his hands all aver my touch screen after going to the loo and not washing his hands

By Stratfordit on 1 Nov 2012

Win 8 and the missing shutdown button

Will the Muppet who decided to remove the Shutdown, Log Off, Restart, Change users and various other bits n bobs, go stand in the corner.

By rab_kay on 1 Nov 2012

Start button

I have loaded W8 onto one of my systems (upgrade from W7). All works, but until I downloaded a third party Start button, most of the applications were as far as I was concerned, missing.

The 95/XP/Win 7 start button is fantastic for a PC that has more than two applications.

So far W8 seems stable and quite fast (subjective view rather than timed)

By mscotgrove on 1 Nov 2012

Why ?

The only reason to upgrade is to help Microsoft change its business and charging model.

I have PCs of a few years vintage and they do everything we need them too for business purposes.

As more and more stuff is going web based anyway, what is the point of having a monster machine that spends most of its time doing nothing ??

Plus we don't need or want a touch screens with fingerprints all over them, and we need to be able to run more than one program at a time. Single program full screen is out. (Hence we don't use unity on our linux boxes either)

As with all technology, it's trying to work out which ideas are a real benefit, and which ones aren't. 8 is the dead duck variety AFAIC

By reetspetit on 16 Nov 2012