Friggin' Gamersgate

junk2drive · March 08, 2013, 11:45:49 AM

Quote from: LongBlade on March 08, 2013, 09:38:50 AM
My gaming laptop is in the shop right now.

I'm working off Daughter #2's laptop, which uses Windows 8. Initially it's counter-intuitive. It's Windows suddenly woke up with the idea that it wanted to become a bad imitation of Apple.

After using it for a while I have learned how it works. Even so, it still does dumb stuff. When I view an image it takes three mouse clicks to get back to the desktop. Dumb.

Getting to the control panel is a PITA. I still haven't figured out how to do simple stuff like pull up the Accessories folder and get to a calculator. The startup tiles screen is something I ignore at every opportunity.

Given the choice I'd go with Win 7. But if my gaming rig gets replace I may not be given the choice. So far I can say I've found a single feature on Win 8 that I like better than Win 7, though the laws of random chance mean I'm likely to eventually find something.

Search online for the list of W8 hotkeys. The windows key (next to crtl) + Q will bring up the search screen. Type calc and you will see the calculator.

Then you could also install any of the start menu programs to give you a W7 style start button. I use Classic Shell.

Nefaro · March 08, 2013, 01:22:26 PM

Quote from: Staggerwing on March 08, 2013, 09:36:13 AM
What about buying a Macbook or MacMini there and installing Win7 through Bootcamp or Parallels? What is your budget?

LOL!

Better yet.. just get a Windows machine, and buy an OEM version of Win7 to install on it. Problem solved.

No need to throw an excessive amount of money to the apes at Apple.

I ordered my notebook PC from Newegg a couple months ago, and they still had some that came with Win7, anyway.

tgb · March 08, 2013, 04:09:29 PM

Quote from: Ubercat on March 08, 2013, 11:42:34 AM
isn't that what "writing support" means?

It is. I finally heard back today from someone who could only confirm that the link I was being sent was bad, and then pass me up the chain to someone who will get back to me next week. >:(

Staggerwing · March 08, 2013, 04:17:09 PM

Quote from: Nefaro on March 08, 2013, 01:22:26 PM
Quote from: Staggerwing on March 08, 2013, 09:36:13 AM
What about buying a Macbook or MacMini there and installing Win7 through Bootcamp or Parallels? What is your budget?

LOL!

Better yet.. just get a Windows machine, and buy an OEM version of Win7 to install on it. Problem solved.

No need to throw an excessive amount of money to the apes at Apple.

I ordered my notebook PC from Newegg a couple months ago, and they still had some that came with Win7, anyway.

I think his concern was that a new Win8 machine's hardware would be incompatible with Win7 due to lack of existing win7 drivers for components made specifically for Win8. Apparently there are some Win8 Pro installations that come with a retrograde option as part of the license but installing win7 is said to be tricky.

There are, of course, still plenty of Win7 boxes for sale at various on-line sites.

Huw the Poo · March 08, 2013, 05:24:26 PM

Quote from: junk2drive on March 08, 2013, 11:45:49 AM
Search online for the list of W8 hotkeys. The windows key (next to crtl) + Q will bring up the search screen. Type calc and you will see the calculator.

That's a retrograde step though, isn't it? Having to type to call up an application? What's wrong with clicking accessories -> calculator, or (as I do) have it pinned somewhere?

Isn't typing to call up applications something Windows users constantly take the piss out of Linux users for? :-\

Martok · March 09, 2013, 09:20:54 AM

Sorry you're having issues with GamersGate, tgb. I've yet to have any issues with them myself, but I know that doesn't make your own problem go away. :-\

As for Win8, I'll cheerfully skip it in favor of the next iteration. Microsoft has long since established that only every other OS is any good anyway -- sort of like the Star Trek movies (minus Nemesis <sigh> ).

tgb · March 09, 2013, 11:01:14 AM

Two pieces of good news:

1) I finally got my password reset today and

2) I got my new Windows 8 system last night, and I don't hate it at all. 8 has some annoyances, but it's not the steep learning curve I was expecting.

solops · March 09, 2013, 09:15:52 PM

The problem I have with MS is their attitude. I was part of a successful busines and the old saying is true: The customer is always right. If he wants Win7, let him buy it! Don't tell him he can't...how stupid! Let him know it is an obsolete product that will see dimishing support, but if he wants to give you $$$, then for Heaven's sake, LET HIM and give him what he wants! Instead, MS has the attitude "You vill buy zis Win8 und you VILL LIKE IT! Ve are Microsoft and you vill buy what ve tell you to!" That is no way to treat customers. That attitude cannot help but drive some angry customers into the waiting arms of Apple and others whom the customer would not have seriously considered if MS had been friendly and agreeable and taken his money in return for what he wanted. Dumb, dumb dumb...however dominant they may be it is bad business to feed the competitor, however small.

jomni · March 09, 2013, 11:27:34 PM

I recently bought a Win 8 ultrabook and it's really nice once you get used to it.
Some operations are faster and the touch pad operations has vastly improved (the second point does not matter for keyboard mouse users).

jejo68 · March 10, 2013, 05:55:04 AM

Quote from: solops on March 09, 2013, 09:15:52 PM
The problem I have with MS is their attitude. I was part of a successful busines and the old saying is true: The customer is always right. If he wants Win7, let him buy it! Don't tell him he can't...how stupid! Let him know it is an obsolete product that will see dimishing support, but if he wants to give you $$$, then for Heaven's sake, LET HIM and give him what he wants! Instead, MS has the attitude "You vill buy zis Win8 und you VILL LIKE IT! Ve are Microsoft and you vill buy what ve tell you to!" That is no way to treat customers. That attitude cannot help but drive some angry customers into the waiting arms of Apple and others whom the customer would not have seriously considered if MS had been friendly and agreeable and taken his money in return for what he wanted. Dumb, dumb dumb...however dominant they may be it is bad business to feed the competitor, however small.

Yeah except apple has the exact same shitty attitude, so your screwed no matter what.
Except if you start using linux ofcourse, then you can always hope your games will work otherwise your screwed there too.

Huw the Poo · March 10, 2013, 08:32:23 AM

Quote from: jejo68 on March 10, 2013, 05:55:04 AM
Yeah except apple has the exact same shitty attitude, so your screwed no matter what.
Except if you start using linux ofcourse, then you can always hope your games will work otherwise your screwed there too.

This is precisely the reason that Linux is my main OS. I like to do whatever the hell I want with my own PC, not what some corporation thinks I should be doing.

You're right about games, but gaming on Linux is in the middle of a quantum leap forward, mostly thanks to indie devs and partially thanks to Valve (loathe though I am to admit it). In fact, since I'm currently taking a break from Guild Wars 2, I've been doing all my gaming in Linux for the past week. It's only going to get better, too.

Linux is free by the way. ;)

Staggerwing · March 10, 2013, 10:16:07 AM

Are you using WINE or primarily gaming with Linux based games and ports? I tried to get stuff to run under WINE but never had much luck.

Huw the Poo · March 10, 2013, 02:27:20 PM

Quote from: Staggerwing on March 10, 2013, 10:16:07 AM
Are you using WINE or primarily gaming with Linux based games and ports? I tried to get stuff to run under WINE but never had much luck.

The latter. Like your good self, I haven't had much luck with WINE. Thanks to indie devs, Desura and now even Steam, everything I've wanted to play recently - with the exception of Guild Wars 2 - has been available natively in Linux. :)