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Bought a new computer. Compelled by Microsoft. 
I guess that's the deal here too.
But, honestly, all the whining from people about 8.1 was unnecessary. Maybe Windows 8.0 whining was okay, I don't know.
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And you do no want to compelle a second time...
But seriously - 8.1 was a good fix fo 8, which was terrible...
Windows 10 is even better fix for 8...But if it works for you, do not upgrade...
Skipper: We'll fix it.
Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this?
Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.
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Have to agree 8.0 was a pile of steaming ... 8.1 fixed the really bad bits to make it usable.
I may have to hang my head in shame, but I quite like 8.1
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No shame there - you have all the right to like what you like and do what you do. Do not hurt others...
Skipper: We'll fix it.
Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this?
Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.
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Don't feel bad, I agree with you. 8.1 is solid, there's really nothing wrong with it.
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I also really like Windows 8 and am wondering if there is any good reason to upgrade...
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I'll offer a non-hater answer;
There's nothing wrong with 10 at all. Windows 8-8.1 was the major revamp to Windows, for better performance, security, awesome features like drive-pooling, Client-side Hyper-V etc.
Windows 10 is "mostly" a UI revamp, you get all the benefits of 8.1 plus a swishy new UI.
EG, even though there was nothing bad about the windows 8 startmenu (Yes I said it, I'm not a mindless hater drone, I see it's value), they did actually improve it by not having it fullscreen anymore, and integrated Cortana, which offers serious value btw.
There is also Virtual Desktops similar to what's existed in Linux for a long time. You can literally have multiple desktops, and switch between them with a key combination.
There is also new apps that are incredibly useful. I use the new XBOX App, it allows me to connect to my Xbox One downstairs and play games directly on my PC monitor. I'm almost always on my PC doing something so I don't really get to play my Xbox much. It's awesome doing the usual PC chores on one monitor, and have Halo or Peggle 2 on the other
There's also the new MS Edge browser. It's brand new and has nothing to do with IE. There is a huge performance difference compared to chrome and FF, and it takes much less battery compared to those two browsers as well on a tablet or laptop.
Finally, there's no driver issues at this time in win10. Even if you had hardware from a crappy vendor that didn't make their win10 drivers; It doesn't matter as every windows 8.1 driver is fully compatible with 10.
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I do not hate! Windows 8.x. I just think it was a bad move - and Windows 10 is only an upgrade for that (means removes some wrongly forced features)...
All I say, that there is nothing in Windows 8.x or 10 that justifies an upgrade (not to say 3 version numbers)...
Greyze wrote: It's brand new and has nothing to do with IE.
Except of course the rendering and JavaSCript engine...Those are not more than forks and updates of Trident and Chakra...
Skipper: We'll fix it.
Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this?
Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.
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I've realised that the one "good", one "bad", version of windows is actually quite a smart little marketing ploy by Microsoft. Fair enough the 8.0 was bad and needed 8.1, but I think that
We all know lots of people hate change.
So when MS need to move the tech behind windows on, it's always going to meet with a lot of resistance, be that founded, or as usual totally unfounded. Now what do MS do, the roll out a new version that takes the tech (and UI) changes to the extreme, the vocal change haters jump up and down and declare it the worst move ever. Shortly after, out come the next "all new" version of Windows, which is pretty much the same tech everyone hated, but with the changes reigned in a little, and now everyone loves it.
Voilà, MS gets their tech upgrad out, and most people are happy with it.
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Totally right...The only problem lately is that people have the choice...so if Microsoft pushes too far it can lose a lot...Users may convert to other OS or stay with the still working previous version...In both cases Microsoft lose all the money invested into a product no-one wants...
Skipper: We'll fix it.
Alex: Fix it? How you gonna fix this?
Skipper: Grit, spit and a whole lotta duct tape.
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I don't like tiles with a Desktop OS. Hence, I loathe with passion, Windows 8.1. I think Windows 10 gives you the ability to opt out of the Tiles UI - I could be wrong on this.
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I hated the idea of the tiles also when I first saw Windows 8 (pre 8.1) but those things don't bother you at all in Windows 8.1, I promise.
As a matter of fact, the new system of finding programs installed on your computer is better than the Start Menu...All Programs... deal. I didn't think so at first either, but it really is.
Microsoft did not market this portion very well howeve. And the initial Win 8 thing with no desktop was a terrible marketing fiasco.
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Yes, they damn well do! 
I have to deal with an old ladies laptop on Win8.1, and she (an XP user) and I (a Win7 user) loathe them with a passion. They take too much space, they intrude, you can't see what you're doing elsewhere while you use them, they make the computer look suitable for a preschooler, etc. 
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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You can use 8.1 without going anywhere near the tiles. I've been using it at work for months. No different than Win 7. I don't miss the start menu. Never used it much with Win 7 anyway.
Kevin
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I have learned to work with Windows 8.1 without seeing tiles for most of the time. I am also getting used to searching for apps/programs, which is good, as long as you know the name. I just hate tiles period. I think they are stupid, but that is just me.
I still see tiles when I want to go to the applications list.
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Many say the tiles are good when using Windows as a tablet. There are some who like this while hating them when they rear up in desktop mode, which they can do occasionally.
I have a Windows Phone and I like them in that context but don't much care for them in desktop mode. I'm typing this on a Win 8.1 laptop but pretty much avoid the tiles altogether. I did play with them a bit when I first got it. But I don't really use it in tablet mode. I have a separate (non-Windows) tablet for such things.
Kevin
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I'm with you Kevin. In Win8.1, I boot directly to the desktop and then have the Windows icon show the Apps screen rather than the Start screen. It's Win7 but with better response and more security. What more could you want?
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I like a few of the features of a "classic" menu (ability to send items to the desktop, overall organization, etc.) For 8.1 I just installed an item called "Start8" from Stardock. All of $5 and works flawlessly. I see the "Metro" screen only when I want to which is usually to start up a game of "Words with Friends" or something.... otherwise the thing is Win7 improved and the slightly flattened GUI isn't any problem. Starts at desktop. Solid release. Sticking to it.
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So it sounds like everyone's argument for why Win 8.x is great is because you can ignore all the crappy 8.x features and treat it like Win 7. It's like saying spinach is great because you don't have to eat it.
If you ever do want to use an app built for Win 8.x, you better have a lot of spare time. Since solitaire is basically a time killer anyway, I guess it shouldn't matter that it take 10 tries and 30 minutes just to open the app.
And they should have named it Window, because you can't have more than one. If you toggle away from a Win 8 app and try to go back, that app will crash.
I'm just hoping Win 10 is to Win 8 as Win 7 was to Vista.
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Member 8234661 wrote: So it sounds like everyone's argument for why Win 8.x is great is because you can ignore all the crappy 8.x features and treat it like Win 7. It's like saying spinach is great because you don't have to eat it.
Not quite. It's more like this...
My meal plate has steak, potatoes, mixed vegetables and spinach. I like the first three and not the last, so I just eat the first three. Maybe the spinach should not be there but I can ignore it. But if the spinach was "mixed in" with the other three then it would be a major regression.
Kevin
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No, there are no benefits. Take my advice, do not upgrade until Windows 10 is (at least) 6 months old. There are many drivers missing, many drivers crash and much more.
Just don't.
The sh*t I complain about
It's like there ain't a cloud in the sky and it's raining out - Eminem
~! Firewall !~
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That is exactly what I was curious about. Drivers!!!
I figured it would be like this.
I remember O/S 2.0. It beat Microsoft Win95 to market by at least 8 months maybe a year and did true pre-emptive multitasking and was a nice O/S, but hte problem... no drivers for your CD-Rom, no drivers for your sound card, no drivers.
Sorry had a slight flash-back there for a moment and almost lost my cool. 
Thanks for mentioning these woes. I was planning on waiting a while... or forever.
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The big problem with OS/2 wasn't the drivers - that could have been sorted - it was the "lock-in" to IBM PS/2 instead of being usable on "any PC" as DOS / Windows was.
And given the price difference between a clone PC and a Genuine PS/2...people stayed away in droves!
Bad command or file name. Bad, bad command! Sit! Stay! Staaaay...
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OriginalGriff wrote: the "lock-in" to IBM PS/2
I don't remember that. We had it installed on IBM clones here. I'm talking about OS/2 2.0 Warp.
Warp haha, that was supposed to be cool.
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OS/2 ran on any PC. I ran it on a Dell 486DX PC with 16MB of memory and 1GB of disk space (a powerful computer in its day).
The PS/2 computers differed from PC clones in that they had a protected-mode BIOS (the ABIOS) that provided some features that supposedly helped OS/2 run better. As it turned out, drivers for other PCs simply implemented the same functionality in the driver, rather than the BIOS.
If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
--Winston Churchill
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