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News Lenovo Win 8 systems to bundle Start Menu replacement

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by Gareth Halfacree, 23 Aug 2013.

  1. jb0

    jb0 Minimodder

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    Start menu, start screen, whatever. It's all crap next to the glorious light of Program Manager.
    (In the interests of full disclosure, I did use Dashboard for a time on my Win 3.1 machine. I no longer remember if it was better or worse, but it was definitely SEXIER than ProgMan.)
     
  2. deathtaker27

    deathtaker27 Modder

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    haven't read all of the above but what happens if 8.1 breaks this start menu or between this addon and windows 8.1 renders the system in an un-usable state?
     
  3. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    huh?
    It's just a program, like any other... it's just say to transparent border (which is a an option in when a program tells to create a window, in Windows (API call)), and set it's position at the bottom left corner of the screen. (They are API calls to get the area available minus the space taken by the task bar, so you can deduce the location of the task bar, and position the window accordingly). Then finally, it adds a program to the task bar, much like Media Player that can pinned on the task bar back in XP, or the Zune software, or like some OEMs does. Lenovo is big at adding crap there. However, this program does nothing more than start the Start Menu program.

    So really, there is nothing that can break. Same for all Start Menu replacement, unless it does hacks to get it back, instead of actually making it's own program.
     
  4. Nicodemus_MM

    Nicodemus_MM What's a Dremel?

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    It's pretty apparent which people think computers are only used in homes for personal use. You know, the people that never consider that a major interface change can have huge consequences in a business environment. For the "I don't see what the big deal is" and "resistance to change" crowd, try this....

    Imagine you're over a company's IT infrastructure. Now imagine that your _smallest_ facility has over 600 employees. Many of those people (barely) know just enough about computers to do their job and only then due to extensive training. Change, whether you like it or not, disrupts these peoples' day and the company's productivity. Major change, like a UI they've never seen before), is a show-stopper... the kind that costs you your job.

    So... when you're the person who's neck is on the line for switching 79k+ machines to an OS that's going to require retraining of roughly twice that many people, then we can talk about what the "big deal" is, and your ill-perceived "facts" and "resistance to change". Until your "facts" include consideration of IT/IS and training departments larger than your personal desk, and your decisions are based on someone else's bottom-line... they're not facts at all. They're pure conjecture based on assumptions that are based on a lack of scope and experience that you can't understand.
     
    M7ck likes this.
  5. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

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    Given that most office workers I know don't even use the Start Menu (they go by desktop shortcuts or clicking on emailed files to launch the associated program), I can't see the only change that Windows 8 introduces for them --a Start Screen rather than Start Menu-- causing them big problems. In fact, for those people a Start Screen would be immensely easier. A few BIG icons to launch their Office programs. They don't have to dig through directories and cascading menus. Just hit the Windows Key and click.
     
  6. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    Nexxo, no longer mod.. what happened?!
     
  7. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    Same thing was said with Office 2007.. look, no problem!
    Stop thinking that the average user are complete retards.
     
  8. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

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    I gave it up. Work commitments are just crazy at the moment, and to be honest I've had enough of trying to manage a bunch of people who act like squabbling children and then complain that mods can't be everywhere 24/7 to moderate things to their exact satisfaction while being too lazy to simply click a button to report whatever post they took umbrage to, and too irresponsible to employ a bit of self-control in managing their conflicts.

    I've reached my tolerance limit, and just need to take a step back for a while. It's either that or just banning a lot of people.
     
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  9. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    HAHA! Ok

    I am all for it :p
     
  10. Xir

    Xir Modder

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    Businesses will simply require Win7

    Very true :thumb:

    Well, I can tell you what happened when my company switched to Win7. A half a day training for every employee and two YEARS of support to get everything running again.
    And that's just win7 that wasn't a big difference.

    Office 2010? Two days of training per employee and people that are miffed for weeks cause they can't find the "print" button.
    The only good office 2010 brings that we actually use is more rows in excel, woohoo.

    These changes cost A LOT of time and money.

    Really think they're going for Win8 now that they've just finished the transition to 7?

    :D
    You mean the mighty Banhammer has been deserted?
     
  11. Nexxo

    Nexxo * Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock 'n' Roll

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    Not so much that as I had to drag myself away from the Big Red Button before I press it.

    Frankly I'd fire people whose job it is to work with computers on a daily basis but can't find the print button within 30 minutes of working with a new version of Office. They should be able to work those things out by now. It is pure laziness and fecklessness --like being a cab driver who does not know how to change a tire, fill up a tank or top up the windshield washer fluid.
     
    Last edited: 26 Aug 2013
  12. Nicodemus_MM

    Nicodemus_MM What's a Dremel?

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    No one mentioned anything about being "retards", but failing to acknowledge that such changes to a work environment are disruptive and costly is short-sighted and reeks of inexperience. Would I prefer to trust my user base to be able to handle such changes? Sure. Am I willing to risk my job on it? Not a chance. Neither are the people who sign my paycheck and/or authorize such changes.

    Bottom line... until such changes provide sufficient benefit to outweigh the financial and temporal burdens they impart, they will be sidestepped, avoided, and otherwise regarded as a bad business decision.
     
  13. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    Doesn't mater. Companies follow a 6 year upgrade cycle. Way before anyone know anything about Windows 8, Windows 7 was young. I did say it will be a good opportunity for Microsoft, and will probably will, do something very risky. And in fact they did mention it, and we have it.
     
  14. Nicodemus_MM

    Nicodemus_MM What's a Dremel?

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    Right... that's why it was so easy for MS to persuade companies to move away from XP. Oh, wait...
     
  15. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    3-4 years in XP, companies upgraded to XP. Vista was a skip no mater what.
     
  16. Alecto

    Alecto Minimodder

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    Huh ? Many companies STILL run XP (and will continue to do so at least until April 2014) because they have no need to change (or better put, t6hey prefer not to change in order not to break things). Once they finally migrate to Win7 in a year they will stick with it until who knows when ... 2020 ?

    IT in business environment isn't about most computer savvy users. It's not even about your average users, it's about vast majority (bottom 95% to 99%). A company simply cannot sack 50% of its work force because they are below company's average as far as their computer skills are concerned. Changes for the sake of changes or not only unneeded, they are counter-productive (well except to M$, they get to sell yet another version of something that nobody asked for with each change).
     
  17. Nicodemus_MM

    Nicodemus_MM What's a Dremel?

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    This shows how little exposure you have to IT. One of Microsoft's greatest challenges over the past few years has been getting companies from XP. It wasn't until 2011 (10 years after XP's release) that Win7 had more installs than XP and XP is still a significant install base.

    3-4 years? Vista wasn't even released until late 2006/early 2007. Basic math helps... even when speaking of things about which you have no clue.
     
  18. GoodBytes

    GoodBytes How many wifi's does it have?

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    Companies didn't upgrade to XP on day 1. In fact, they took FOREVER to upgrade to XP.
     

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