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 Post Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 12:13 pm 
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Ed Bott's latest blog: http://www.zdnet.com/a-closer-look-at-whats-new-in-windows-8-1-7000016184/

Some nice stuff coming! :)

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 Post Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 12:30 pm 
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It would be nice if the Calculator wasn't even mentioned. A Calculator, really at this stage of the game. Of course it was an obvious addition but it's just an indication of all that they missed in their zeal to move forward. It's nice to see the return of the Start button even if it's not linked to a menu. Maybe 8.2.

Color me sticking to Win 7.

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 Post Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 5:18 pm 
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Looks interesting, I find I'm using my Windows 8 machine more than my Windows 7 one so I look forward to seeing how much difference it makes to this machine. :)

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 Post Posted: Fri May 31, 2013 10:45 pm 
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As odd as this may sound from me I'm not sure what I think about the return of the Start Button... The current lack of the thing just proved how little I actually used it.

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 Post Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2013 1:44 am 
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Yeah. I'm glad it isn't the Start Menu. This is just the Start Charm replacing the weird pop-up icon of the Start screen that people kept trying to click on. <g> Now they can click on the Start Charm to their hearts' content. :)

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 Post Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2013 6:25 am 
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As a windows 8 user, I would rather not see the start button. Once you've used Windows 8 for an hour or two you really see there is no need for it.

But we will see

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 Post Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2013 12:11 pm 
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Ditto, Michael.

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 Post Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 10:00 am 
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Well, now you can color me Win 8.

My laptop died and I had to buy another one [Asus R700V] which, of course, came with Win 8.

So I'm navigating OK but it's still a little frustrating. I'll play around with it some more but it just more clicky to move around.

What's that Start button add-on that brings it back and can we get the Aero theme back on? I'd like this to be a little prettier.

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 Post Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 11:38 am 
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Manny, give it two weeks, will ya? Customize it using Windows 8 tools only, use it that way, then see what you think. ;) You can put any program or shortcut you want on the Start Screen. You can sort those items into groups of your choosing. You still can pin things to the taskbar, or put shortcuts on the desktop. You can still use desktop themes. You can pretty it up, it is possible.


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 Post Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 11:54 am 
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By the way, that is just one shot from a theme I've created called Portland Spring. What a glorious spring it was too!

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 Post Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 6:54 pm 
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That's a lovely cherry tree. It's too bad I can't say the same about 8.

I've pretty much got it like you said and I can get around in it but gosh darn I don't see any of the new stuff as all the efficient. I guess I'm just an old curmudgeon but I'll give it a chance for a while. I put the desktop toolbar on the taskbar and that makes up for a lot. But frankly, I liked the aero eye candy and that's mostly gone. I just see no reason why Win 8 can't also be pretty if you want it that way.

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 Post Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 9:47 pm 
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Probably has to do with unified code base, and the ability to run on low-power devices with ARM processors.

That's a dogwood tree. ;) First time in 3 years it has blossomed. Just awesome. It was like that all over Portland. Never seen a spring like it.

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 Post Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 11:16 pm 
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I should have looked closer at that tree and the label :mrgreen: Whatever kind it is, it certainly was pretty in all its glory.

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 Post Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 11:39 pm 
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Thanks, Manny. :)

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 Post Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 11:45 pm 
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It did get a little bit fuller. At full bloom it becomes a very white pink. Here's the full bloom photo.


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 Post Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 10:12 am 
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We also had a nice spring but that is just absolutely gorgeous. It must have been lovely driving around.

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 Post Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 10:57 am 
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That's gorgeous Patty, like Manny when I first saw it I thought it was a Japanese Cherry tree, we see a lot of those over here and they are beautiful when first blooming but the mess when the blossom falls and the leaves appear. :roll:

I like the speed of 8 and I'm still playing with things putting apps where I want and pinning things to the Taskbar. Because this is on my new Asus Notebook I've starting using it as an e-reader as well. I downloaded the Kindle app and have a few books downloaded, started with a free one and went on from there, having a book this way is so much cheaper as well plus you don't have to find storage room for them. ;)

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 Post Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 11:43 am 
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Thanks, both of you. I have posted a bunch of these photos to my Skydrive. Let me know if you'd like a link.

Joan, I know what you mean about petals, but... ;) My neighbors tell me that the prior owner of this house always cut the dogwood back so it never flowered and he didn't have to deal with the leaves. He told me that when we moved in was the first time he'd ever seen this tree in bloom - and thought it was stunning as well. We have never cut it back, except to trim the branches that hang over the sidewalk. I think it is happier now. :)

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 Post Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 3:33 pm 
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Oh I agree Patty, it looks happy now and it was meant to bloom and certainly does you proud giving you a spectacular display in thanks. ;)

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 Post Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 2:57 am 
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You ALL knew that, sooner or later, I'd just have to jump in here... ;)

Manny, I just don't understand exactly what you mean by making Win 8 pretty. If you really mean the translucent window title bars and such from Aero they are a total waste of system resources.

Let's talk realistically about Aero... In my opinion it is the ONLY thing wrong with Windows 7. If you will remember way back when you and Patty had to just bout beat me over the head to get me off of Win 2000 and up to XP. At that time, as far as I was concerned, Win 2000 was the best OS MS ever put out. I have changed my opinion and now consider Win 7 the best. However... I think that Win 7 DOES have one major fault. That fault is Aero. Sigh, my laptop is an Asus with an I5, 1.6gig video, 1TB drive, 8gig RAM. This is a pretty strong system. You know that I don't hold a lot of stock in the 'experience index' numbers but just to use what the system puts out I score a 6.2 for gaming in Win 7 yet only a 5.9 as to Aero. This MUST indicate that Aero is putting more of a strain on my video than a game. That just isn't right. Seems to me that this would put Aero on about equal footing with Norton as to hurting system performance.

As far as outright desktop appearance there is no difference as to what you can have in Win 7 or 8. Here is a SnagIt capture of both of my Win 8 displays side by side. Pardon the 'white space' in the left as the displays are different as to resolution.

You may or may not like the 'neon light effects' but what is not pretty?
Attachment:
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 Post Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 9:21 am 
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Jay, that's assuming you care about system resources. ;) I do not.

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 Post Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 9:52 am 
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jaylach wrote:
You ALL knew that, sooner or later, I'd just have to jump in here... ;)

Manny, I just don't understand exactly what you mean by making Win 8 pretty. If you really mean the translucent window title bars and such from Aero they are a total waste of system resources.

Aero is exactly what I mean. I like to waste my system resources in nice rounded corners, translucent title bars and things like that. They riped most of that out of the code. I like all the eye candy and would love to have the option of using it. I already brought some of it back with the aero "lite" theme that comes with it but frankly I can't make some of the changes I've been able to since the Win 95 days. For example, I hate the stark white background in the standard window. I've always put a little yellow in it but now - it's their design or their design. They have taken the personalization features out.

This should be a personal computer. If you don't like aero you aren't forced to use it but for me, someone who does, I no longer can and 8.1 I don't believe is bringing it back. Yes, the neon lights are pretty but that's your photography which Win 8 allows you to used as a background and has nothing to do with the built in eye candy that is built into 7. And it's true my old Dell did get a little flustered at times with it but I forced it my way. I'd like to force my new super duper I7 the same way.

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 Post Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 11:24 am 
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Understood and it would be nice to have the choice.

Of course each of us is different but I don't find myself missing Aero any more than I do the Start Button which I don't. ;)

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 Post Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 3:04 pm 
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Manny Carvalho wrote:
What's that Start button add-on that brings it back and can we get the Aero theme back on? I'd like this to be a little prettier.

Manny, i'm not sure what (if any) Aero options you'll get but the freeware utility Classic Shell will at least give you a decent Start button very similar to Win7's:
http://www.classicshell.net/


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 Post Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 4:10 pm 
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Oh, ya, there was a request about the Start Button... ;)

Don't know what the latest is like as I no longer use it but I looked at Vistart for a while and it seemed pretty decent.
http://www.lee-soft.com/vistart/
My personal opinion is to give yourself time to get used to the button not being there. If that does not work out this is one of probably several worth looking at.

;) Hey, if drivers are available, you could always drop back to 7. :)

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