Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for only $39.99!

[psxphill]

As Ilwrath says, this is a desperation maneuver; evidently they've picked up on the fact that a lot of people are very, very Not Happy about the idea of being forced into using a tablet UI on a desktop or laptop, and hope that making it ultra-cheap will persuade them.

It's more likely they are making it cheap to attract customers that would pirate it, if it were more expensive.
 
It doesn't matter how they price it, you'd still complain.

[psxphill]

I've used Windows 8, I am using it now on my NetBook, its very poor, a) metro-apps aren't supported, b) I get 'limited connection' displayed when I re-open it meaning I have to reboot all the time.

a) if you have an intel graphics chip then set then save the following in a .reg file and execute it
 
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E968-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0000]
"Display1_DownScalingSupported"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E968-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0001]
"Display1_DownScalingSupported"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video\{511F09E3-0635-4B11-B689-B08C00A0DF4E}\0000]
"Display1_DownScalingSupported"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Video\{511F09E3-0635-4B11-B689-B08C00A0DF4E}\0001]
"Display1_DownScalingSupported"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Intel\Display\igfxcui\igfxtray]
"ShowOptimalBalloon"=dword:00000000

Then you should be able to set the resolution to 1024x768
you won't be able to set the resolution to anything lower than 1024x768 with the standard resolution setting, so you'll need some way of switching back to your native res. Mine is an ASUS and there is software for switching the res using the keyboard which works fine.
 
It's very likely that you'll give up on metro and stick with your native res.
 
b) I never have anything suspend when closing the lid. Even on windows 7 I have problems suspending, plus I often leave things running and close the lid to protect it while carrying or shoving it under the sofa. I always have it set up as:
 
close lid: do nothing
power button: shutdown
sleep button: hibernate

[psxphill]

Windows 8 tried it and then uninstalled it the same day.
Win 8 = Vista.. there seems to be a pattern one crap OS followed by one good one, anyone remember Windows ME??
 
ME -- Xp (and no i didn't forget win 2000 which was a great OS but not for home users)
Vista -- 7
8 -- ?

Vista wasn't as bad as the moaners made out.
Windows 2000 was better than 95/98/98SE/ME. NT4 was the one that no games supported.
 
As you seem convinced that Microsoft make a good OS and then a bad one then Windows 8 is more important for you than it is for someone that will actually run it.
 
If you try to get used to it, you'd have noticed it's actually quite good. Although even Microsoft aren't suggesting that everyone should install the release preview on their everyday machine.

[psxphill]

Just like people absolutely refused to give up XP when Vista (or even 7, for awhile) came out, same thing will happen with Windows 8 and W7.

XP was out for a while before the majority stopped saying they'd never switch to it because they loved 98SE. It was too slow and bloated, looked funny etc.
 
What changed between XP and Vista being released is that lazy journalists started picking up online bitching and releasing it as news.
 
I ran Windows NT4 when everyone else was running 95 or 98. Then switched to Windows 2000 as soon as it was out, then XP, Vista & 7. But the story doesn't end there, I'm now running Windows 8. It's been a relatively painless move. I find the low price for upgrades interesting, it's not a tactic they've tried before.
 
On the other hand I've tried running Linux and I don't get what the fuss is about. It runs on my NAS, my TV, my router & my phone, but I don't see it ever running on my desktop. I tried it before I switched from an Amiga to Windows and I've tried it multiple times since.
 
Operating systems are like religion & I'm an atheist, so I'll stick with Windows and leave all the fanatics to their one true OS.

[psxphill]

As for the topic, Windows 8 is a desperate attempt to get Windows back into the game for touch-sensitive devices, as well as a badly-disguised stab at publishers - anyone wanting to make apps for the new UI needs to go though MS first.

Because you used the word "desperate" means you are desperate to make Microsoft look bad. What you say is true though, it is an attempt to get back into the game, but adding an emotional word just makes you sound a little bitter.
 
LOB applications for enterprises are supported in some circumstances.
 
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/uk_faculty_connection/archive/2012/04/03/installing-enterprise-metro-apps-without-using-microsoft-store.aspx
 
You may even be able to work round some of the imposed limitations.
 
http://www.ghacks.net/2012/08/17/how-to-add-non-store-apps-to-windows-8/
 
For delivering apps to consumer tablets then having everything go through the app store is actually a good idea. It's worked well for Apple, the alternative is Android and it's not really worked out too well there.

[psxphill]

Sideloading Metro apps doesn't remove the need for them to be digitally signed. Last time i checked, those certificates can cost quite a bit, so getting around the store is not a non-trivial issue.

On Windows/Windows PRO you should be able to setup a trust of your own certificate authority. I don't know if you can do that on Windows RT.
 
However making it hard to install unsigned apps is actually very important. Social engineering to persuade people to disable signing checks would make tablets very insecure.

[psxphill]

So basically, I need to set up my own CA, sign the application myself, and then install it using a non-standard method? Yeah, that'll improve conditions for open source programmers and the like.

Blame Apple, they proved it works.
 
Making a free delivery channel is like leaving your house unlocked in case you need to send a plumber round while you're out. The open source developers will have to learn how to fund their hobby, because nobody else should be forced to subsidise it.

[psxphill]

I don't have Windows RT, only pro, but I suspect Windows RT (what's on the Surface) will be locked down. You can only run ARM metro apps on it, so none of the intel stuff will work anyway, so I suspect they'll use the opportunity to lock you into the Microsoft store....

I've not seen it, but supposedly there are arm desktop apps as well as what used to be called metro apps. You are however locked into the Microsoft store, until there is a jailbreak at least.

[psxphill]

They want everybody to move to Metro, whether on the desktop or on a tablet,

No they don't. You missed out Windows Server 2012, which is the server version of Windows 8, and they aren't pushing you to move to windows store apps on that either (it's not called Metro anymore).
 
You seem very upset about Windows 8.
 

Not allowing people to install apps at their own peril, if that's what they want, is bad.

Forcing apps to be signed is the only way to save people from themselves. It worked out for Apple.

[psxphill]

Okay, so the server version is exempt. Big frickin' deal. Are you going to be able to get the server version for home use? If so, is it going to be the same price as the home version? Because if it's not, then it's pretty clear where Microsoft wants users to go.

You missed my point, you're not forced to use windows store apps on the home or pro version either.
 

And how many other terrible things have been justified by saying it's "necessary" because people just don't know what's best for themselves? Vendor-controlled software distribution is a hideous idea and I don't give a damn if someone thinks it might help security. Security at what price? The freedom to run whatever software you God-damn please? No thanks.

Don't buy an Arm windows 8 tablet then, the intel based tablets aren't locked into the windows store either.
 

It worked for Apple because Apple has spent decades creating a user culture that wants to be coddled and have their hand held and never once have to think about the fact that their computer doesn't run on magic and that they might sometimes have to understand it a little bit in order to keep it running well.

If by that you mean that they sold something locked down and while some people got a bit upset about it, the majority got used to the idea and it's actually worked out really well for them.
 

That's because I am. You seem to think that that's a way to dismiss my arguments, as if the mere fact that I have an emotional reaction to it means that it's therefore not grounded in rational thinking.

You're right, I don't think your reaction is grounded in rational thinking.
 

I'm upset about Windows 8 because it's another step taken towards the death of general-purpose computing and into a future where computers are mere appliances that are only allowed to perform a selected set of functions chosen by the vendor, which will be acting in its best interests with the user's as an afterthought.

I'm already running windows 8. I haven't used the windows store once. I didn't even create an account yet, so I actually can't. Microsoft haven't any control over what software I install. I'm not sure what your point is.

[psxphill]

Not yet, no, because it would be suicide for them to try that. But it's plainly the direction they want to go, which is why they've been telling developers outright that Metro is the future of Windows and they better hurry up and switch. As soon as they think they can get away with it, I guarantee you that Win32 is going bye-bye.

You're being paranoid. Microsoft still support 16 bit apps on 32 bit versions of Windows 8. 64 bit versions include Hyper-V so you can run a virtual OS for older programs.
 
Windows 8 & Windows RT being based on the same code base even allows you to buy an intel tablet that is backward compatible with all your old apps, plus all the new ones.
 
When it no longer makes financial sense to include backward compatibility then I can imagine they will drop it. I don't see that happening any time soon though. There is more chance of Microsoft abducting you and taking you to their Area 51 facility to perform medical experiments.
 
Why am I trying to reason with you? Because you derail a lot of thread and I thought I'd give it a try.

[psxphill]

Well, I tried it, and still have it installed under VirtualBox on my Linux machine. Don't like it at all. The first time you run it, you have to log in through Microsoft, not locally,

I have never logged in through Microsoft, you just click the create local account button during setup.
 

so they get your information, and all that got me was a call several times from someone who couldn't speak english, wanting me to pay them for keeping my computers running correctly.

Seems like you got a call from one of the boiler room scams. That is not Microsoft's fault.
 
"You will never receive a legitimate call from Microsoft or our partners to charge you for computer fixes."
http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/avoid-phone-scams.aspx
http://krebsonsecurity.com/2012/08/tech-support-phone-scams-surge/
 
http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/913890/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgHQDhoAc6s
 

I reverted to Windows 7 again - there's not really any point in upgrading if you already have Windows 7 and don't have a touch screen.

The speed optimisations and the new task manager have me hooked & I don't have a touch screen.

[psxphill]

I didn't notice any speed differences apart from Windows 8 booting a bit faster. The Task manager is sexy indeed, but it's not enough to make me pay for an upgrade.

Justifying the cost is a different argument, but the download upgrades are temptingly cheap. Microsoft are terrible at retail pricing and marketing. They are doing better this time round, although I wouldn't actually buy a disc version from a store when the download version is so much cheaper. No matter what box design I got.
 
My laptop is about three years old and it feels much snappier than Windows 7.

[psxphill]

I really don't think I am. That's the logical conclusion of pushing Windows towards a closed environment; if this succeeds, I really think it's only a matter of time.

It's only the logical conclusion if your logic is biased. If Microsoft did that then nobody would upgrade and eventually jump ship. It's all just FUD.
 

That remains to be seen. Vista already proved that Microsoft aren't as almighty as they think they are, and there's been more negative reaction to Win8 before release than Vista had a year after.

There are plenty of apple and Linux fan bois to spread misinformation, as is evident from this thread. They'll have to come up with something else to bitch about when it ships, or get comical ali to help them.
 
"On April 7, 2003, two days before Baghdad fell to US forces, al-Sahhaf claimed that there were no American troops in Baghdad, and that the Americans were committing suicide by the hundreds at the city's gates. He made this statement while standing on the east bank of the Dijli (Tigris) River in the center of Baghdad. His back was to the river and reporters could see two American Army M1 Abrams tanks behind him on a road on the far side of the river"
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Saeed_al-Sahhaf
 
 

I doubt we'll get to see a release-day scenario where nobody buys it (much as I'd love that,) but I don't think it's a given that adoption is going to be widespread.

Admitting you'd love nobody to buy it proves how biased you are. I'm running it now and it's nothing like what you imagine it to be.

[psxphill]

What you're doing here is conflating neutrality and objectivity to imply that, because I have an opinion at all, my opinion is "biased" and therefore valueless. By this logic, the only person whose opinion should be taken seriously is the person with no opinion at all, and debate is inherently pointless.

No, you lack objectivity. I know that because your argument is flawed and only serves to back up your bias.
 
You're suggesting that you are entitled to an opinion that is provably wrong.