Microsoft has released a video showing off some of the features coming to Windows 8.1. I must say, the new features all look like great additions (the new search looks awesome), but I’m much more interested in performance – the huge bottleneck for anything related to Metro. In addition, as part of the Windows 8.1 update, Windows RT users will get an ARM version of Outlook. Not that I care, but I’m sure some business users do.
I had Win8 on my laptop for about 3 months. Perhaps I’m set in my ways but with the bitter taste it left I’m turned off for anything higher than Win7. I can’t help but not be excited for 8.1.
Initially Windows 8 is a usability clusterf*ck, for a traditional desktop role at least. However, with some coaxing it can be made it to work, and the transition takes about a week or so.
However, IMO, this is one Windows version with basically no value proposition going for it, specially RT. I get it for “free” via our organization, so it is easy enough to put up with…
OK, it’s all and nice, but forcing users to have UAC enabled won’t allow me to make any use of it, unfortunately.
(I’m quite computer fluent and UAC simply gets in the way – I often need to edit some system files [e.g. hosts], Notepad++ and NetBeans have issues with it, etc…)
don’t blame UAC for your lack of knowledge:
“administrator prompt”
cd c:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc
notepad hosts
<edit>
save and exit.
#facepalm
I’m aware that I can still edit the file and so forth – but imagine situation where I already have opened N++ and simply want to edit yet another file and I have to jump through stupid and pointless hoops just to add one line… no, don’t think so…
I DON’T NEED METRO APPS, I could use them if they weren’t making me do unconvenient things for the rest of the day… <shrug shoulders>
UAC isn’t pointless…. Its one of the best things Microsoft has ever added to windows.
Not really. It could have been, if they’d done it right and required a password or something other than mindlessly clicking the “yes” or “continue” buttons. Sure, it will require a password if the account is not an admin, but the fact is that when most people set up their laptops they use the defaults, and the default is that the first user created is an admin. As such they still end up downloading something like “BarelyLegalTeenzNaked.jpg.exe” and clicking the damn thing, then impatiently click yes. Same with installers, damn near every installer wants elevated access so it can write to Program Files, change the registry, etc. I realize that most installers don’t actually *need* this, but they request it anyway and thus the users are desensitized to what the UAC prompt should signify. Rather than raising a red flag as it should, it’s become just one more dialog to click through and get rid of.
UAC hasn’t actually protected anyone who doesn’t already have the knowledge to protect themselves. Those who do don’t need it, and those who don’t will just click through it anyway.
** Edited for clarification.
Edited 2013-06-05 19:10 UTC
I agree. You make your PC much more secure by setting even Admins in Admin Approval Mode to require credentials via Group Policy.
This means that the local administrator (the first Account) by default is functionally equivalent to a standard account.
I never liked the Yes/No stuff. Asking for credentials forces users to think about it more.
Yeah. Too bad that the people UAC was designed to protect wouldn’t even know what group policies were, let alone why they should change them or how to go about it.
UAC is working as intended. Requiring user consent and privilege elevation is expected when you’re trying to edit system files.
Normal users seldom have to do such things.
True. And atleast it isn’t like in Linux where everything requires root’s password.
Don’t troll. Most user-oriented Linux distributions don’t set things up that way and you know it. I don’t like Linux either, but at least come up with valid criticisms and don’t troll a thread that has nothing to do with it.
I’m sorry but that’s a bad thing why? (rolls eyes)
Which is why anyone who isn’t a ‘normal user’ should be the ones who are inconvenienced and shit on for the sake of millions of dumbasses who keep breaking their machines
At work, I can’t even right click on a file in a network drive anymore without being pestered about not accepting candy from strangers.
Install the “Save as admin” plugin from Notepad++’s plugin manager. If you then try to save a file that requires elevated privileges, you’ll simply need to confirm a UAC prompt rather than the operation being blocked.
For NetBeans, you could simply run the IDE as admin if you regularly access files in protected locations.
Edited 2013-06-05 17:25 UTC
Thanks for the hing about the plugin – this sounds quite nice!
As for the netbeans – the biggest problem was with the update – regular NB can run just fine, but then the update occurs, it needs elevated privilages and thus reuire being run as admin… it’s just a bit annoying, and given that I do not explicitely need to run metro apps then turning off UAC was waaay simpler…
What a piece of garbage. Is this really 2013?
You have to install it on “Drive 0” for some reason – you don’t get a choice. Disabling the drives in BIOS is not good enough. Rearrange or disconnect.
If M$ didn’t consider the ModernUI interface like a toy, things could have been great.
Imagine this interface as a real Tiling WM, no silly closed Windows Store only access, no restrictions (such as no JIT, really M$?).
It could have been a really good OS with a “new” way of thinking, the truth is… it’s not and it’ll never be.