[dennmart]

While it's fine to not upgrade, especially if you already have a stable setup, not giving Windows 8 a chance based on YouTube reviews seems to be a bit unfair. Most conversations I've had with Windows users who I've spoken to that haven't moved to Windows 8 can be summed up like this:

  Me: Do you plan to upgrade to Windows 8?
  Them: No way. Windows 8 is horrible!
  Me: Oh, so when did you use it?
  Them: Not yet... I read a lot of people bitching about it online, though.

[jere]

Is there something really wrong with that? I won't spend $10 to go see a movie with bad reviews. Why would I want to spend $40 and quite a bit of time and effort on an OS that most people think is bad?

[iy56]

Basing your movie opinions on random youtube videos would be equally foolish. The reviews of professional critics are somewhat different.

[jere]

Ok. I wasn't sure if the original complaint was because they were random youtube videos or simply reviews. Several professionals have criticized Windows 8 harshly: http://www.nngroup.com/articles/windows-8-disappointing-usab...

[chadzawistowski]

Ugh, that review leaves plenty of room for FUD. This excerpt for example.

    One of the worst aspects of Windows 8 for power users is that the product's very
    name has become a misnomer. "Windows" no longer supports multiple windows on the
    screen. Win8 does have an option to temporarily show a second area in a small part
    of the screen, but none of our test users were able to make this work. Also, the
    main UI restricts users to a single window, so the product ought to be renamed
    " Microsoft Window ."

They make it sound as though I can't have multiple windows open even in desktop mode. Furthermore, the option to show a metro app side-by-side is neither temporary nor difficult. In my multi-monitor Windows 8 setup I leave the Mail app open most of the day.

[orionblastar]

I did a Windows 8 Beta Test and Windows 8 Developer test and had Windows 8 Enterprise RTM for a 90 day demo. It didn't seem to want to run half the software that worked with Windows 7, and the Windows Store didn't seem to have a lot of apps worth the purchase price. I've tried Windows 8 and I have family and friends who bought a Windows 8 Machine and now regret it.

I think the youtube videos are based on that.

Windows 8 is the New Coke of Windows operating systems, worse than Windows Vista and Windows ME combined.

[yuhong]

>It didn't seem to want to run half the software that worked with Windows 7

What do you mean?

[jwoah12]

Anyone else had problems running Windows 7 apps on Windows 8? I thought it was supposed to be almost completely backwards compatible?

[leviathant]

I upgraded to Windows 8 pro about a month ago, despite my concerns that some of my more eclectic software & hardware might not make the jump (given prior experience with major Windows revisions).

Specifically, I'm running an M-Audio ProjectMix I/O multichannel soundcard/mixing desk through a PCI-e Firewire card, for which I record multitrack audio and produce video. I'm running two monitors and a 1080p HDTV off a single ATI Eyefinity card. I've also got a pile of more common software - an old version of Photoshop, some webdev crap I test with for building out my hobby sites.

The installation couldn't possibly have gone smoother. I downloaded the upgrade, which ran and had me on Win8 Pro in about a half hour, probably less. I remember it going very quickly. I was upgrading from Win7 home.

[chadzawistowski]

Nope. I've had no problem running anything that worked on Windows 7. Even older apps which need Windows XP compatibility mode work fine.

[genwin]

My hands-on experience with Win8 confirmed what the videos showed: the OS is seriously flawed in the usability dept.