Well, you just run two Desktop applications, exactly as you would under Windows 7. So what's the problem?

Windows 8 does not do away with the Desktop; it augments it with another paradigm that is more suitable for some, but not necessarily all, applications. For example, the Windows development tools run as Desktop applications. This is necessary because you may need to run other applications at the same time. But something like, for example, a game is quite happy as a full-screen RT application. You don't really need to refer to anything else whilst playing games. If you do want to switch to something else it is just a single keypress.

People keep wittering on about Windows 8 as if it was somehow less than Windows 7. It isn't - it is more (RT as well as Desktop) but you don't have to use that more if you don't want to. The Desktop performance alone is much improved over 7; 8 would still be a good buy if you never used RT applications.

In reply to a post by AEP:

Well, you just run two Desktop applications, exactly as you would under Windows 7.

I thought that was exactly what I described and said should be OK?

So what's the problem?

This:-

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

i find even with the desktop windows 8 is not as good at multitasking as windows 7.
sure you can open windows galore, but you try doing a few things at once and the windows 8 just stops ....

(Incidentally, I have no idea what the acronym "RT" means in this context).

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

This:-

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

i find even with the desktop windows 8 is not as good at multitasking as windows 7.
sure you can open windows galore, but you try doing a few things at once and the windows 8 just stops ....

(Incidentally, I have no idea what the acronym "RT" means in this context).

The situation Adrian reports is totally abnormal. In fact, it puzzles me as last week I upgraded some of the most rubbish spec systems you'd imagine to Windows 8 and the performance of them compared to when they were running XP is amazing. Windows 8 will beat Windows 7 at performance hands down, guaranteed. Unless, there is some weird compatibility issue at stake. As long as you meet the minimum system requirements, you are good.

Just compare Windows Server 2012 to Windows Server 2008 R2 - the performance improvements are extremely impressive.

To say that Microsoft have made Windows 8 less efficient at multitasking than Windows 7 is a total nonsense - I feel sorry for Microsoft employees and developers who have to put up with all this disinformation that floats around about their products.

Edited by Pipexer (Thu 29-Nov-12 00:11:18)

In reply to a post by Pipexer:

To say that Microsoft have made Windows 8 less efficient at multitasking than Windows 7 is a total nonsense - I feel sorry for Microsoft employees and developers who have to put up with all this disinformation that floats around about their products.

Here's a list of the things in Win XP / Vista that did not impress. Are they back in WIn 8?

Search function - Windows XP/V search requires indexing, which I refuse to enable as it spends an inordinate amount of time looking through my files for the rare occasion I want a file or folder. WHen I do want one, I have to type the filename, then hit advanced search, then click to search locations (said window is not resizeable, not does it offer the option to save custom searches), enable tickbox to seach in non-indexed locations. Verses this it's pathetic. When I want a file, I want a file. Let's use the hard drive when searching is asked for. Not before. Simples.

Winsxs - Started in Vista, continued in Win7 - Currently uses 31.5% of my 50GB C: installation. NO way to reduce it without severe (and potentially disastrous) hacking of the file system.

Office 2007 ribbon (apparently continued in Win 8) - Hard-coded and created massive loss of productivity, hence, I hacked in the old menu:

http://www.camieabz.co.uk/menu.png

After a year or so of use, the ribbon is more useful, and I have nothing against a single bar of one-click shortcuts; indeed the idea is great, but the lack of being able to disable and go back to the old system, or generally configure it at will is bad. Like having the Win taskbar only at the top all of a sudden. I like it at the bottom, and want it to stay there.

So is the taskbar gone in Win 8?

There are probably a couple of dozen others, but after 3.5 years of fiddling, I've ironed them out. I don't think I fancy fiddling for the next 3.5 years for Windows 7 / 8 or any other Windows OS. If I can figure a Linux setup with MS Office, that will be my next system.

I would love to know what windows 8 can do than windows 7 or 7 with an app can't do. My productivity is geared towards multiple windows , If I want a single window ui ill continue with froyo on my tablet or use alt-tab

Ps. 4:3 is over. Your vision is designed for binocular panoramic view - move on

So MS has wimped out of WIMP? The little IMP!

Edited by XRaySpeX (Thu 29-Nov-12 07:06:20)

Adrian's experience is not mine. I wouldn't rely on anecdotal evidence from a single user (self included).

If independent benchmarks show Windows 8 multitasking to be slower than Windows 7 then I would agree with you, but I know of no such benchmark (and it does rather go against common sense).

Well, for starters, it can maintain the state of an application across multiple devices.

In reply to a post by AEP:

Well, for starters, it can maintain the state of an application across multiple devices.

Can you give a real-world example of that?

In reply to a post by kamelion:

Ps. 4:3 is over. Your vision is designed for binocular panoramic view - move on

Your skeletal structure is designed for standing and bearing weight, so get rid of the chair and carry the monitor; move on.

Think about it. The eyes maybe pan well from left to right, but for many the data goes from top to bottom. Most modern webpage content areas don't take up more than 50% of a monitor screen anyway and are...centred.

Progress isn't adopting the new fashion and telling advocates of the old to move on. Progress is having a better design than the previous one.