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Windows 8


Stuart0742

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I have been trying the Release Preview of Windows 8 on a spare PC tonight, anybody else tried this

1st impressions, are "Glad I did Not pay for it"

Its hard to explain, its abit like a tablet, programs called apps etc, not impressed, now where's that copy of Vista lol

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I'm still happy with CPM. Never seen Vista.

I have been trying the Release Preview of Windows 8 on a spare PC tonight, anybody else tried this

1st impressions, are "Glad I did Not pay for it"

Its hard to explain, its abit like a tablet, programs called apps etc, not impressed, now where's that copy of Vista lol

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I have been trying the Release Preview of Windows 8 on a spare PC tonight, anybody else tried this

1st impressions, are "Glad I did Not pay for it"

Its hard to explain, its abit like a tablet, programs called apps etc, not impressed, now where's that copy of Vista lol

Come on Stuart, you should have known that without even bothering to try it.

Everyone who has used Microsoft Windows OS since 1995 knows that since 1998 every alternate version of Windows that comes out is crap and best avoided and you should only bother with the ones inbetween.

Windows 98, XP and 7 were brilliant (they still are) but Windows ME and Vista were hopeless. (Windows 2000 was where most of us switched from the older system to the NT based system used in XP, so I won't include that.

If the pattern continues, Windows 8 will be rubbish but Windows 9 will be great.

...and if they continue with this numeric sequence for naming their operating systems then eventually we will get Windows 95 and 98 coming back again, - all be it only in name.

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No intention of trying Windows 8, been using Ubuntu 12.4 (Precise Pangolin)

a big improvement on the former Linux operating systems I have tried.

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No intention of trying Windows 8, been using Ubuntu 12.4 (Precise Pangolin)

a big improvement on the former Linux operating systems I have tried.

MicroSoft have made their first ever loss this year, and it also seems that their domination of computer operating systems in the mass market may also be about to crumble.

People have been moving away from Internet Explorer to FireFox for several years now and a few years ago Microsoft had to give us a choice of browser.

As for the operating system itself Windows is still on top, Apple is solid, reliable, expensive and so restricted in the software it can run that most people I know who use it permenantly run a Windows emulator on it just so they can use Windows programs. Linux has long been the poor relation, although it is free it has always been very user unfriendly and difficult to work with. It sounds like this is changing and many notebook computers now come with a version of Ubuntu installed rather than a cut down version of Windows.

Would be interesting to hear what experiences other members have had with using Linux.

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No intention of trying Windows 8, been using Ubuntu 12.4 (Precise Pangolin)

a big improvement on the former Linux operating systems I have tried.

I have never got my head around Linux, perhaps I should try again.

Perhaps now is the time, I have just ordered myself a Solid State Drive for my spare PC, perhaps its time to give it another go

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I have never got my head around Linux, perhaps I should try again.

Perhaps now is the time, I have just ordered myself a Solid State Drive for my spare PC, perhaps its time to give it another go

Ubuntu 12.4 it is then.

The Ubuntu desktop and screen layout has more in common with Apple operating systems than Windows.

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I hate it when the mess about with the OS. :angry: They never make it so they take over the good features of the one that everyone is used to. Plus all the old programs don't work with the new one. Then if they bring out some the new version of the software that worked with the old OS, that's changed so you can't do what you want with that anymore!

Generally it's the more technical software that is expensive or hard work out how to use, that OS changes are a nightmare. I use DTP and Video editing software a lot which are hard to grasp, which also feature lots of imports of different file formats. I'm on XP at the moment, but I got a laptop with Windows 7 and that was a nightmare. One DTP program I use a lot is Pressworks. But after the XP version came out the company that made it went bust. The XP version wouldn't run on Windows 7. Pressworks files won't go into any other software, so I'm stuck with XP! However the video editing stuff needs a better faster computer and they use the newer OS. So I'm torn. :mellow:

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One DTP program I use a lot is Pressworks. But after the XP version came out the company that made it went bust. The XP version wouldn't run on Windows 7. Pressworks files won't go into any other software, so I'm stuck with XP! However the video editing stuff needs a better faster computer and they use the newer OS. So I'm torn. :mellow:

Can't you run your DTP program inside an XP virtual machine, on Windows 7 ?

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Always got the impression Windows 8 is designed more for tablets than PCs so not really taken an interest. Point about every other version does seem to be true though.

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Can't you run your DTP program inside an XP virtual machine, on Windows 7 ?

Perhaps, but It won't load the software from the CD/DVD drive!

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I hate it when the mess about with the OS. :angry: They never make it so they take over the good features of the one that everyone is used to. Plus all the old programs don't work with the new one. Then if they bring out some the new version of the software that worked with the old OS, that's changed so you can't do what you want with that anymore!

Generally it's the more technical software that is expensive or hard work out how to use, that OS changes are a nightmare. I use DTP and Video editing software a lot which are hard to grasp, which also feature lots of imports of different file formats. I'm on XP at the moment, but I got a laptop with Windows 7 and that was a nightmare. One DTP program I use a lot is Pressworks. But after the XP version came out the company that made it went bust. The XP version wouldn't run on Windows 7. Pressworks files won't go into any other software, so I'm stuck with XP! However the video editing stuff needs a better faster computer and they use the newer OS. So I'm torn. :mellow:

You could use both XP and Windows 7 like I do, horses for courses, use the better machine for each job.

You can even have them networked to quickly share files between them.

Both these operating systems are excellent, - the best that Microsoft have produced, so worth sticking with.

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Perhaps, but It won't load the software from the CD/DVD drive!

Yes but in a virtual machine, like VMWare the host OS would be Win 7 and you would have to load XP into the virtual machine as a guest OS.

When it is running peripheral devices and hardware are made available to the guest OS (XP)

So you would effectively be loading your DTP software into XP and not Win 7, - it would still be unavailable to Win 7 and would only be available while the virtual machine was running the XP guest OS.

Complicated, but it works,

Virtualised operating systems generally run slower than a native installation because of the virtual machine interface, but for DTP software this should not be too much of a problem.

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Perhaps, but It won't load the software from the CD/DVD drive!

It may be possible to get around this by changing the compatibility mode settings in control panel for this program.

I had a similar problem with, as you said, specialist and more expensive software that wouldn't run on Win 7, and to be honest, still doesn't!

However, I have a virtual machine running Windows 98 within Windows 7 and this will load and run some old software on the virtualised Windows 98 which will not load from the disc on either Windows XP or Windows 7.

Windows Vista is worst for this as hardly any older software will run on it, a possible reason why it was never that popular.

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Thanks for the advice :)

We already tried the network option in connection with video files. But we had lots of problems linking them up. In the end I found it quicker to transfer files using a USB hard drive stick!

On the slowing down of the system for the DTP software. I should mention that Pressworks has a couple of problems caused by the software itself. The first is the reformat of the screen when you enter text or move stuff around the page. It just messes up for a while, sometimes corrected when moving to another page and then back. If the system was runing slower this could take longer to reformat the page. The second problem is a crash problem, when two pressworks files are open. Pasting and copying between the two can cause one to close, with a loss of any work not previous saved.

GST Pressworks was replaced by Publisher (not to be confused with Microsoft Publisher) the last version being 4.6, taken over by the firm Greenstreet, with some of the problems solved. However the program was changed and crucial features lost.

Though Pressworks files will go into Publisher (MASSIVE layout changes though) they won't go back into Pressworks once saved by Publisher. Again both now obselete. Greenstreet also closed down.

I'll try the settings on Windows 7. :mellow:

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Thanks for the advice :)

We already tried the network option in connection with video files. But we had lots of problems linking them up. In the end I found it quicker to transfer files using a USB hard drive stick!

On the slowing down of the system for the DTP software. I should mention that Pressworks has a couple of problems caused by the software itself. The first is the reformat of the screen when you enter text or move stuff around the page. It just messes up for a while, sometimes corrected when moving to another page and then back. If the system was runing slower this could take longer to reformat the page. The second problem is a crash problem, when two pressworks files are open. Pasting and copying between the two can cause one to close, with a loss of any work not previous saved.

GST Pressworks was replaced by Publisher (not to be confused with Microsoft Publisher) the last version being 4.6, taken over by the firm Greenstreet, with some of the problems solved. However the program was changed and crucial features lost.

Though Pressworks files will go into Publisher (massive layout changes though) they won't go back into Pressworks once saved by Publisher. Again both now obselete. Greenstreet also closed down.

I'll try the settings on Windows 7. :mellow:

Sorry History Dude, I didn't realise which DTP software it was.

I am familiar with GSP (I think it's P and not T) Publisher and its later Greenstreet incarnation.

I had the GSP version running very successfully on Windows 98 for which it was designed and never had any problems with it, none of the one you mention.

It was less successful under Windows XP, was more difficult to load (select Windows 95 / 98 compatibility mode) and occasionally malfunctioned in the way you describe. The Greenstreet version addressed some of these problems but was only a little better.

I have not tried loading it into Windows 7 as I no longer use it and I think you are correct in that it will not install or run under this operating system, however it may run within Windows 7 in an emulator running as a guest system, preferably Windows 98 for which it was designed.

GSP stuff, and they made a whole range of software, was made in Cambridgeshires "silicon valley" between Cambridge and St Ives where many computer based companies had their base, - most famous being Sir Clive Sinclairs Sinclair company. The GSP building is still there, with the 3 letters GSP very prominent on the outside.

GSP specialised in economy software so I would hardly call them "expensive top end software". Many of their programmes were given away with computer magazines or were in the economy £10 and uder software section in shops that sold CD's / DVD's.

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No intention of trying Windows 8, been using Ubuntu 12.4 (Precise Pangolin)

a big improvement on the former Linux operating systems I have tried.

Once more into the Breech

Installed Ubuntu 12.04 on my new Solid State Drive,

Still not sure, but determined to give it a good go

At least its quick to boot.

Steve - Whats a good photo editing program for Ubuntu ?

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Once more into the Breech

Installed Ubuntu 12.04 on my new Solid State Drive,

Still not sure, but determined to give it a good go

At least its quick to boot.

Steve - Whats a good photo editing program for Ubuntu ?

I thought most versions of Linux, including Ubuntu, ran Gimp as the photo editing software, but I'm not sure so lets see what Steve uses.

Gimp is pretty good, I have a windows version of it.

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I thought most versions of Linux, including Ubuntu, ran Gimp as the photo editing software, but I'm not sure so lets see what Steve uses.

Gimp is pretty good, I have a windows version of it.

What a strange word Gimp :wacko:

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What a strange word Gimp :wacko:

Not as strange as Ubuntu, or the silly code names each version has.

GIMP is an acronym, it stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program.

The developers call it "The Gimp"

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Not as strange as Ubuntu, or the silly code names each version has.

GIMP is an acronym, it stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program.

The developers call it "The Gimp"

Nothing more sinister then, thats ok

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Nothing more sinister then, thats ok

A strange thing about The Gimp is that most of it's developers, as they are working with free open source stuff, have developed it on Linux which is also free open source stuff BUT most of it's users are using it on Windows.

Now, that means one of 2 things, either, -

A )

Most Windows users are too tight fisted / skint to fork out for the likes of Adobe Photoshop which costs a fortune and they want something similar for nowt.

OR

B )

The Gimp must be a really popular program in it's own right, that means it must be fully featured, reliable and fast to be able to compete with the likes of ADobe Photoshop.

If the answer is B ) which I suspect it is then the Gimp is well worth downloading and installing.

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Once more into the Breech

Installed Ubuntu 12.04 on my new Solid State Drive,

Still not sure, but determined to give it a good go

At least its quick to boot.

Steve - Whats a good photo editing program for Ubuntu ?

Photoshop CS2, running in WINE 1.4 ...

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Photoshop CS2, running in WINE 1.4 ...

now thats looks like a good idea

however I am now on plan c with my solid state drive, I have replaced my c drive on my main PC with it and installed Windows 7 on it,

I did make a terrible school boy error and formatted my Data HDD in error, lost 300 GB of data

luckily I back up my data every night.

Just shows how important Back ups are

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now thats looks like a good idea

however I am now on plan c with my solid state drive, I have replaced my c drive on my main PC with it and installed Windows 7 on it,

I did make a terrible school boy error and formatted my Data HDD in error, lost 300 GB of data

luckily I back up my data every night.

Just shows how important Back ups are

I do a lot of back ups these days

Oh, - and a lot of things get my back up these days as well lol

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