Having used Windows 8 now for almost a year on a laptop with a touch screen and a pen... it just doesn't make any sense to me. Its supposed to be 'easier to use' but in fact its much more difficult. I can get by, but the less computer savvy members of my household are just stumped by it. All the functionality is hidden away in menu's requiring gestures with no explanation or consistency. Sometimes you're swiping from the bottom, sometimes the top, sometimes the left, sometimes the right, sometimes a corner... Which side or corner for a given function is not even remotely intuitive. The swiping mechanic is rather 'sticky' and requires a very precise gesture, so many times you think that maybe there is no menu, when in fact there is and you just didn't swipe it 'right'. Some apps open in metro, some in desktop, but again only someone who is computer savvy would know how to set it up such that it only chooses one or the other. The list of gripes just goes on. Each one isn't huge in and on itself, but eventually you find your self spending all your time fighting the stupid OS than working with it. Seems every time I use it I find something new that annoys me.

I think your hardware might have something to do with the swiping responsiveness? I have this same issue with some Android tablets. The other stuff you mention is just remembering where to access things. This again comes down to change. People don't like change because it's different. You had to remember where stuff was a long time ago when you first started using Windows. I have to remember how to get to certain stuff when I use my Mac/iPad. You can't get around this when things change.

Having used Windows 8 now for almost a year on a laptop with a touch screen and a pen... it just doesn't make any sense to me. Its supposed to be 'easier to use' but in fact its much more difficult. I can get by, but the less computer savvy members of my household are just stumped by it. All the functionality is hidden away in menu's requiring gestures with no explanation or consistency. Sometimes you're swiping from the bottom, sometimes the top, sometimes the left, sometimes the right, sometimes a corner... Which side or corner for a given function is not even remotely intuitive. The swiping mechanic is rather 'sticky' and requires a very precise gesture, so many times you think that maybe there is no menu, when in fact there is and you just didn't swipe it 'right'. Some apps open in metro, some in desktop, but again only someone who is computer savvy would know how to set it up such that it only chooses one or the other. The list of gripes just goes on. Each one isn't huge in and on itself, but eventually you find your self spending all your time fighting the stupid OS than working with it. Seems every time I use it I find something new that annoys me.

I think your hardware might have something to do with the swiping responsiveness? I have this same issue with some Android tablets. The other stuff you mention is just remembering where to access things. This again comes down to change. People don't like change because it's different. You had to remember where stuff was a long time ago when you first started using Windows. I have to remember how to get to certain stuff when I use my Mac/iPad. You can't get around this when things change.

The hardware is very responsive, both pen and touch input are very precise in other applications, its just the windows 8 swipe recognition is weird. The 'people dislike change' argument is old. Its not 'just change'. Windows 8 is harder to use than Windows 7; the lead UI designer even admitted that power users (aka anyone not just looking at pictures/playing angry birds) would find it an impediment. The irony is that its also harder for the casual/not computer savvy. The underlying kernel is quite nice, but the UI is straight broken.

I agree with phantom and too have been using Win8 from the start, although until 8.1 was using windows server 2012. I have had no issues at all and for the sake of things I am closely using almost all MS tech and haven't had any issues. I don't need to sell / advertise windows or correct people when they talk crap so I wont bother getting into a debate on this but I will mention I have had my best OS experience with Win8 and if that makes me a fanboi then I will gladly wear that status.

Having used Windows 8 now for almost a year on a laptop with a touch screen and a pen... it just doesn't make any sense to me. Its supposed to be 'easier to use' but in fact its much more difficult. I can get by, but the less computer savvy members of my household are just stumped by it. All the functionality is hidden away in menu's requiring gestures with no explanation or consistency. Sometimes you're swiping from the bottom, sometimes the top, sometimes the left, sometimes the right, sometimes a corner... Which side or corner for a given function is not even remotely intuitive. The swiping mechanic is rather 'sticky' and requires a very precise gesture, so many times you think that maybe there is no menu, when in fact there is and you just didn't swipe it 'right'. Some apps open in metro, some in desktop, but again only someone who is computer savvy would know how to set it up such that it only chooses one or the other. The list of gripes just goes on. Each one isn't huge in and on itself, but eventually you find your self spending all your time fighting the stupid OS than working with it. Seems every time I use it I find something new that annoys me.

I think your hardware might have something to do with the swiping responsiveness? I have this same issue with some Android tablets. The other stuff you mention is just remembering where to access things. This again comes down to change. People don't like change because it's different. You had to remember where stuff was a long time ago when you first started using Windows. I have to remember how to get to certain stuff when I use my Mac/iPad. You can't get around this when things change.

The hardware is very responsive, both pen and touch input are very precise in other applications, its just the windows 8 swipe recognition is weird. The 'people dislike change' argument is old. Its not 'just change'. Windows 8 is harder to use than Windows 7; the lead UI designer even admitted that power users (aka anyone not just looking at pictures/playing angry birds) would find it an impediment. The irony is that its also harder for the casual/not computer savvy. The underlying kernel is quite nice, but the UI is straight broken.

The problem is when OS developers force you to do certain things that they think is intuitive, but didn't let you customize anything. What's intuitive to some people may not be to other people. I never gotten used to Apple's keyboard shortcuts for text and file navigation, for example, although their touchpad and finger gestures are amazing.

So you just need to spend a bit more time to get used to it? So is the most user-unfriendly OS: Linux. With enough time, you will know what's going on with Linux. If the proprietary OS, which is supposedly better and more user-friendly, also needs some "getting used to", then there really is no reason to spend money on it when there's an alternative that's free and also requires some "getting used to".

"Don't like change" argument never gets old because it's true and will always be true as long as we are human. Corporations can spend millions of dollars in change coordination to help their people through major changes. They do this for a reason.

So you just need to spend a bit more time to get used to it? So is the most user-unfriendly OS: Linux. With enough time, you will know what's going on with Linux. If the proprietary OS, which is supposedly better and more user-friendly, also needs some "getting used to", then there really is no reason to spend money on it when there's an alternative that's free and also requires some "getting used to".

?? The UI isn't the reason I don't use Linux. I don't think this is really any reason most people don't use Linux. The reason I don't use Linux is because it's driver support and software (quantity and quality) is horrible when compared to Windows.

I have a Mac which is supposed to be the most friendly in UI and I don't like it, but at least I understand that it's because it's different than what I'm used too instead of saying the OS sucks and is broken.

"Don't like change" argument never gets old because it's true and will always be true as long as we are human. Corporations can spend millions of dollars in change coordination to help their people through major changes. They do this for a reason.

So you just need to spend a bit more time to get used to it? So is the most user-unfriendly OS: Linux. With enough time, you will know what's going on with Linux. If the proprietary OS, which is supposedly better and more user-friendly, also needs some "getting used to", then there really is no reason to spend money on it when there's an alternative that's free and also requires some "getting used to".

?? The UI isn't the reason I don't use Linux. I don't think this is really any reason most people don't use Linux. The reason I don't use Linux is because it's driver support and software (quantity and quality) is horrible when compared to Windows.

I have a Mac which is supposed to be the most friendly in UI and I don't like it, but at least I understand that it's because it's different than what I'm used too instead of saying the OS sucks and is broken.

You're arguing that anyone who doesn't like Windows 8 doesn't like it for the sole reason that its different; and yet many arguments have been presented otherwise. You seem to have a stake in this, where-as I certainly do not. Use Windows 8 if you like, I will stay with Windows 7. You wish to believe that everyone who dislikes Windows 8 does so solely out of the fact that they are reluctant to change, and it seems no one can persuade you otherwise.

You wish to believe that everyone who dislikes Windows 8 does so solely out of the fact that they are reluctant to change, and it seems no one can persuade you otherwise.

Because, besides the touch issue posted above, nothing else has shown anything to the contrary, while we have pounds of evidence to show that humans are reluctant to change. How am I supposed to conclude anything otherwise given those facts? When you hear anything that says, x isn't where it "should" be, and it's hard to find y, those are change issues not OS issues. There are very few actual functionality problems with Win 8.1. Everything else is just preference so people's argument that it's a crap OS is just them saying they don't like change, which is natural and I understand it, but admit what it really is. You'll be much better suited in life to accept that change happens, and that it'll take a little getting used to for anything that changes.

I'm sure this is the exact arguments that were going on from DOS to Windows. It's the same sort of big jump in a different direction and look at what everyone likes now. If you aren't changing you're dying. That's just the way it goes. I'm sure everyone knows that but then when it happens they all freak out?