Windows 8 Anyone Else Using It?

I've been using it for a couple months now (MSDN) and although I like it, performance is great and I've had 0 issues; I have one big complaint. They slapped a tablet interface/functions and did not give an alternate option for people still using mouse and keyboards.
If you use the apps with their "Metro" interface (Start Menu, Xbox Music, etc) they do not function that well with a mouse. They were designed for touch. Although I am using it, and learning it, and have started to feel comfortable with it, those that aren't computer savvy/(business world) are going to have a huge issue with this. The need to make the start menu easier for keyboard and mouse.

Being an IT guy, I always make an effort to adapt to new technology, I don't want to end up like one of those people who still want to install Win2k because they don't like the "Chrome" of XP. Get it! Adapt to it! Learn it! and help educate others how to use it is how I work, however, I really see no reason to recommend an upgrade to my father in law, sisters or friends who ask me about it, unless they have a touch screen to use it with.

my 2cents

I just reformatted the PC and installed windows 8 tonight.

I forgot one important detail, to backup my firefox profile. It's gone. Have to rebuild my bookmarks from scratch.

So far, I haven't played enough with it to like it or hate it. It's different. As an IT guy, I will have to learn it, and teach others how to use it.

I haven't installed any apps, other than Unreal Tournament, just to check my Nvidia D3d drivers were working properly.

Eric, I am looking forward to the MS Surface tablet and its clones to come out soon. I held off a purchase of a laptop at work. I would like to see the tablets first, providing I can use a USB-to-Ethernet adapter to program routers, program/test wireless networks, and test internet handoffs before putting routers in place.

My wife has a Asus Transformer table and it works well for her. What I'm thinking of getting for me is Wacom Bamboo Capture Pen and Touch Tablet (CTH470) to use with my laptop for editing photos. It cost about $90. I just haven't seen a youtube or review showing it working with Windows 8, though I am sure it would work fine.

I have found an issue with Windows 8 64 bit that is bugging me. It might just be a bad video driver, but the screen brightness will jump up and down for no reason. I'm running on a Toshiba Satellite with a I5. It also has something to do with operating mode. If I'm in the EGO mode the screen stays wherever I set it. If I bump it up to balance or performance, this is when the screen will start changing brightness. It is a real pain when trying to edit a photo.

AMD/ATi did stop officially supporting some of their older cards with 8. On a machine with a 4890 I had to play around with it to get Catalyst working properly.

The surface looks nice. 8's a pleasure to use with a touchscreen. It is RT though. I personally may wait for the x86 version of Surface or if I decide to spend the money down the road, look at something like the Lenova Yoga.

I'm not sure why you can't do that. I have no problem scrolling in metro apps using the methods you described. I just tested with the Mail app.

man.. thats crazy.. i swear I tested the scroll wheel.. even better!

And yeah, when I did desktops, only the IT departments gets if (and any upper exec's if they requested it), then we'd rolled it out to a few computers around the company to test the different software, then if all else works, when new computers were brought in, they would get the new OS, otherwise they just stayed on what they were working on.

lol..

Our company is only now this year moving from XP to 7. I doubt they will look at 8 anytime soon outside of some small-scale testing and investigation, but I'd guess most companies unless they are fairly small will wait and stick with 7 for a while. The training along will cost a lot of time and money.

I find the behavior with trackpads to vary depending on the machine with 8 as well. If your tackpad support it, it will use similar gestures that are used on touchscreens. This annoyed me at first, because the trackpad on my Thinkpad that I had 8 has it enabled and I kept accidentally switching screens because of it. On larger touchpads it's much nicer though. My Thinkpad's touchpad isn't very big and isn't flush with the panel. That probably annoyed me the most about 8 when they started doing that in the Release Preview. That and I couldn't find how to shut down the computer when I first tried the Developer Preview.