The computing world will certainly have a spooky, uncertain Halloween, for Windows 8 is just on the horizon. This Friday is the official release date for the new, totally re-imagined version of the ubiquitous operating system. I have been using a tester version of Windows 8 for some time now, and I've gotten a feel for how it works, and I am going to write a series of posts discussing it, what's better and worse and what you need to know (and forget) to use Windows 8 most efficiently to get us all ready for the change. But first, two notes.
Firstly, this Windows version is far and away cheaper than past versions, with the CD version being $69.99, and the digital version being only $39.99. This puts it in the ballpark of other software, and it ceases to be prohibitively expensive to buy it just to have it. This is a great benefit to everyone, as in the past, we have usually only gotten new versions of the operating system when we bought a new computer. Now you can upgrade easily and cheaply when it suits you.
Secondly, even knowing that it is cheaper, there is no reason to upgrade just yet, and plenty of reasons to wait. As with any big change, there will be hiccups, and in the world of computers, like anything else, the problems you'll encounter are often hard to predict. Unless you are a tech junkie like me, or a compulsive early adopter, I would hold out, at least until the start of the new year, and see what happens before upgrading.
For Windows 8, I downloaded the testing version without having read from my usual geek websites how things were going to be different. I had heard that it would be more like the Windows phone systems, and I wanted to experience it as a regular end user going in cold. I wanted to test what the experience would be like for people making the jump from how Windows used to work to how it would be now, so I could relate my experiences to you.
I know we have all been using Windows regularly for more than two decades now. I started using Windows as part of a normal day with version 3.1. I can vaguely remember being shocked when I first started using Windows 95, because of the drastic changes to the user interface. The jump from Windows XP, Vista, 7, or whatever you are using now, to Windows 8, and presumably, future versions, will be just as drastic, if not more so.
I've always enjoyed trying out the newest gadgets and software as they come down the pipe, hiccups and all, and I especially like looking at new operating systems. I try to experiment with each new operating system as soon as I can, with Windows, MacOS, and even several versions of Linux. They tend to show us where the industry as a whole is headed, and this has rarely been more apparent than it is with Windows 8.
Over the next week or so, I'll relate my experiences with Windows 8 and talk about the major changes and how it is a serious departure from the status quo. There are some big changes, and many of them mean we will need to totally throw out what we know about how Windows works. I'll also talk about how these changes might affect all of us in the future and why Microsoft would do what they have done, and how this affects the business side of things.
