Wondering What The Pros and Cons of Windows 8 Are?
The Windows 8 release slated for 26th October, 2012 is one of the most anticipated releases of the year. It’s been three years since the last Windows iteration (Windows 7) hit the market, and Windows aficionados are eagerly waiting for the upcoming new release. Microsoft has offered a couple of sneak-peak previews of its much talked-about operating system through a Consumer Preview and official release preview. A few notable pros and cons of the Windows 8 system can be pieced together from the sneak-peak previews.
Pros of the Windows 8 System
From what can be gathered so far, Windows 8 is presumably going to be the first desktop operating system to support mobile computing. The question of how desktop can be integrated with mobile has been buzzing in the technology world since the emergence of mobile computing. With Windows 8, Microsoft seems to have provided a fitting answer, and whereas it remains to be seen whether it will really succeed, there’s no denying that it is a bold step forward and a very welcome move at that.
For developers, Windows 8 is going to make it easier to build Metro apps for the system. In essence, a developer will only have to know web scripting and formatting languages, such as CSS, JavaScript, and HTML5. It will make for a quick, simple, and more efficient development process.
Microsoft will also be releasing its own App Store with Windows 8, which will basically provide developers a central hub where to distribute their apps from. Again, it remains to be seen whether Microsoft’s effort will be a success this time around as it has attempted a similar thing in the past and it failed dismally.
Another major advantage is that the Task Manager has been revamped to best cater to the needs of the regular user while still providing enough sophistication for the power user. When launched, the window will only display a list of running applications and those that are unresponsive. There is a ‘More Details’ option for power users that displays the Services, Processes, Performance, and Networking tabs.
Cons of the Windows 8 System
While there are a number of new features that are undeniably intuitive in Windows 8, there are some downsides too. Notable among them is the new user interface that is not only hard to navigate to the desktop, but also very confusing to find a way back to the Start menu. While it’s quite intuitive and ambitious, average users will likely find it hard navigating.
In the same regard, the new interface design feels like it was created for tablet computing rather than for the desktop. It is primarily a touch-based interface and although it supports keyboard and mouse use, people that are so used to the keyboard style will find that it doesn’t flow well on Windows 8.
In all, Windows 8 promises to be an ambitious step into the future, but it will take some time for average users to get used to the confusing interface design. It makes it easier that Windows 7 apps will be supported.
