Windows 8: Good
I’m just going to admit it up front: I am a complete sucker for a good UI. UX is important as well but if you give me a really ugly UI and say “But the UX is amazing!” I’m less likely to be interested. Love it, hate it, whatever, the new Windows style of interface is attractive. Live tiles are a clever method for content consumption that is far more interesting than a straight feed reader. Even though that’s basically the purpose.
Sure you can put whatever you want there, but essentially it’s a feed. The ease of programming for the Windows 8 style of application is also welcome. Granted, I really don’t know anything about XAML. I can mostly read what’s going on but I’m currently having to read up on what it is I want to do if I’m not going to be dropping things in from the toolbox. But it’s fun. And you get Visual Studio.
I like Eclipse a lot. My Java class and C class both had me using Eclipse (IDE was optional but Eclipse was a natural choice) and I found myself productive in it and all that. But when it came to playing with Android, the experience felt extremely clunky. I know there are many that will disagree, and that’s fine. Preference is subjective. Visual Studio feels streamlined. When I drive a car, gadgets are fun but I really only care if they enhance my driving experience. I don’t need a million buttons to do things. I don’t have to have volume control on my steering wheel, but it’s handy. I don’t need extensive configuration. My car’s purpose is a point A to point B type of thing for me and I like to feel the drive. I feel the same about the tools I use to fulfill my role of code monkey.
Visual Studio deploys easily between tests for Desktop (windows 8 store), Tablet, and Phone. The simulators are clean for tablet and phone. And you don’t have to wait for what feels like an eternity for them to boot. That’s my favorite part.
As for the operating system itself, I don’t understand all the complaints. Granted, I’m an individual that hits the windows key and then immediately begins typing to get my desired program. I don’t like having to run through context menus to find it. So for me to use Windows 8, I had almost no learning curve. Yes to get to my wireless settings I have to go through the charm bar. So what? Hide the stuff I don’t need to see all the time. I’m fine with that. I spend most of my time on the desktop. I really don’t see the Start menu dash unless I’m doing a search to find the program I want.
This isn’t some sort of colossal failure or a war on users. Why is it we idolize the screens we see on Star Trek and such and then when we’re presented with something that moves more toward that direction we reject it?
I’ve never been a fan of the ribbon for Office, but I actually like it for Windows Explorer. New folder? Boom. Dedicated icon for that. Search filtering. Dedicated icons. I feel like it’s an improvement. It adds a little bulk to the top of the window but it isn’t an unwelcome feature.
Windows 8 really shines with touch interaction though. I like the paradigm shift. The choice of blending tablet with desktop is nice because you can grab a tablet PC (that is, one running Windows 8, not WindowsRT) and have it on the couch while you’re watching television, but then snap it in to whatever docking method your particular hardware supports and you’re back to your usual mouse and keyboard. Love that.