Windows Windows 8 Marmite thread... Because you either love it or hate it

You seem to ignore the simple fact that the linux foundation has no lobbying power over OEMs. It has no commercial clout. If the linux foundation could simply approach OEMs and go: "listen....." There would be things such as better hardware drivers for linux, distros working out of the box without having to jump through hoops to make touch-pad, graphics drivers, Fn keys work and so on. The only people that are complaining are the fan boys and fan boys always complain regardless of what their camp is. AMD about Intel, Nvidia about ATI, Android about Apple, thats the nature of fan boys.

Also the fact that microsoft has a representative on the UEFI board of directors isn't going to help the linux foundation lobby them. Along with Microsoft are dell, lenovo and HP the OEMs which are dependant on Microsoft to move product.

The linux foundation don't actually have a truly independent platform to approach or lobby on this situation.

The linux camp are in fact "trying". The article that Impar clearly shows that the community are trying. Fom the article I posted it seems Fedora have one solution for the situation. What the linux community is not doing is banging their heads against the wall trying to lobby groups that won't listen. They are doing what they do best, finding technical solutions to technical problems.

BTW I don't know where you are getting "they just bash microsoft" no where in either article is there bashing of Microsoft.

 

Good business!

 

@theshadow2001, hmm, yea you raise very good points.
You are right, I didn't see it that way until now.

+rep

 

Greetings!

On x86 the lock is OEM dependent, on ARM is Microsoft dependent.
Or has that changed?

 

Cheers!

What I envision is enthusiast grade motherboards will be unlocked. But other OEM PCs will be a bit of a crap shoot as to whether the MOBO will be locked or not. I think laptops will be the worst offenders for having them locked down. I would also think how the UEFI will be set is not something you're going to find on a typical spec sheet for devices. This will make it even more difficult trying to find a device that willl dual boot before you purchase. I doubt the Hacintosh guys will be too happy about this UEFI business either. So thats my predictions for secure UEFI. Time will tell whats going to happen

 

Greetings!

Microsoft is getting more idiot by the minute.

 

What exactly is idiotic about this?

 

Greetings!

Well, not only the newer gadgets lack a numeric keypad (Surface, Ultrabooks, etc), but the one available via touch is now reversed.
Sure, it doesnt affect the majority of users. But for the ones that do work with the numeric keypad everyday it is just an idiotic decison.

The crazy QWERTY layout, designed so that mechanical typewriters typed in a way that prevented tangles, keep on going and is untouchable, the numeric order of calculators and keyboards gets switched just because.

 

Meh, if they were making an actual keyboard it would be a different story. But I don't think you're going to be touch typing on the numpad on a touch screen. Reversing key orders for every single keyboard, thats out there is a bit silly though. Probably all in the name of unifying the windows experience across all devices (by making the numpad the same as a phone)

 

Greetings!

But people dont really type numbers in phones, they browse\search the Contacts\Names\Whatever. ATMs also have the reversed numbers, but they are only needed for small inputs.
This only affects the ones that will try to work with numbers in these devices.

Some years ago laptops finally began coming with numeric keypads, now gadgets take those away and offer a reversed numeric keypad via touch.

 

Greetings!

Something is definitively wrong when even Thurrott advises Start8:

 

He says booting to desktop is handy, but the start screen is still superior to the menu. What's wrong with that? I don't know who he is.

 

I tried start8 and much preferred viStart

Anywho, it looks like Microsoft are blocking key APIs on Windows 8 RT to app makers

http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/asa/archives/2012/05/firefox-on-windows-m.html

Not only is this bad form, but it will lead to apps that are only usable on x86, which flies in the face of Microsoft's grand theory of unification.

 

Greetings!

You use it?

Yep, in the end it will affect other programs.

 

Which? ViStart, Start8, Windows 8

 

Greetings!

ViStart or Start8?

 

Yes I use viStart with windows 8. While its not perfect it does a pretty good job at being a start menu. I have tried start8 but found that there was little benefit in having the metro start screen popup as a menu, you might as well just use the start screen. Using vistart metro can largely be ignored.

 

metro can be ignored if you set your desktop up with all the things you want to be able to run, peeps are just making a mountain out of a molehill

one you are in desktop, you can still use thw windows key and r to open a run box, you can still create shortcuts on the taskbar/desktop etc etc

 

You know I am using Windows 8 on my 24inch screen.. and I like it. Honest. Again, this is once you add folders and arrange completely the layout of tiles and make groups, but is the same as for my laptop. Once it's done, it's done.

While it does have a few weaknesses, it's strength surpasses them.

 

i'm sure the weaknesses will eventually be ironed out in the full product, or through service packs, just like every other major os release