Windows 8, the new 7?
Windows 8 is supposed to be the improved version of Windows 7, as Microsoft claims the following: "Windows 8 is built on the rock-solid foundation of Windows 7, but it's been improved on all fronts." A bold statement, given that Windows 7 is a great os in my opinion, that still has a great deal to offer in terms of usability.
Performance.8 vs 7. I am happy to say, that after about 7 days of using Windows 8, I do believe that Windows 8 is better, in terms of performance, than Windows 7. Is it mind blowing? Well, no, not really. But it does feel snappy-er than his older brother in day-to-day usage.
After doing some basic testing so clarify if the benchmarks posted on some sites, regarding the performance of these two operating systems, I must say that there are some specific app's or activities that run faster on Windows 8. Some examples of these app's/activities: -boot/shutdown time: allot faster. -office 2010/2013: works much faster, you can notice a substantial improvement; -Chrome and Firefox browsers seem to like Windows 8 better; -minor gaming improvements: I got about 2fps increase in some games on the same computer with the same driver versions;this is biased, not sure if it would apply in general; A more technical review, regarding performance of Windows 8 when put against Windows 7, can be found on TechSpot The new interface I gave it a try. It is indeed decent on a basic pc configuration(average lcd monitor,keyboard,mouse), some things are now easier to do(like launching a program if you make a shortcut on the new Start screen) but it was not rocket science to begin with,as far as I know.
But, it clearly is more touchscreen-friendly, as you get the feeling of using a mouse on a smartphone instead of just tapping the screen. That is pretty frustrating in my opinion. Although Windows 8 does have a desktop(check the screenshots), it does not have the classic start button that we all know and love. Drivers, hardware, security and networking I was pleasantly surprised, as I found drivers for all my pc's(even though I do not own the latest hardware available out there), and Windows accepted all my hardware without any problems or headaches. A big plus!
In terms of security and networking, windows 8 reminds us of windows 7, but with allot of security vulnerabilities fixed. It's not the god of security(it's still a Windows operating system) but there are big improvements. After installing all the updates available(through Windows Update), the operating system seemed to be more "on his own", as things started to run smoother(there were some reliability/performance updates - these might had something to to with it), so I strongly advise you to stay up to date with every important update. NOTES I do not work for any of the companies/brands/projects mentioned in this article.
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Screenshots of windows 8 in action:Windows 8 system requirements
I have Windows 8 installed on a pc with slightly better than the above system requirements(1.5gb RAM, and 1.6ghz dual core CPU) and it worked great. When installed to my main pc, it ran perfect. In conclusion, Windows 8 does not demand you to purchase a rocket in order to be able to run it. Final thoughts Well, I like Windows 8. The new interface does bother me, that was it's only minus as far as I can tell, but that got easily fixed.
For what I use my computer, Windows 8 does the job, sometimes faster/better, so I will stick with it. Note: how i fixed my interface problems? I installed Pokki for Windows 8. It gives me the classic start menu, quite improved if I must say. And after installing it, you do not lose the Metro interface, but your computer starts in desktop-view with the start menu back(just like in Windows 7). This is the perfect combo for me. Some screenshots of Windows 8 with Pokki installed: |