Windows 8 Isn't That Bad

๐Ÿ“… 09 Mar 2013 | โฑ๏ธ ~3 minute read

So I recently mentioned that I would be moving away from Ubuntu in favour of ChromeOS. I chose ChromeOS because I wanted something that would work well, is stable and is fast.

I came to the decision after trying many, many Linux distroโ€™s and none of them worked how I wanted them to work. Anyway, the decision to move away from Ubuntu got me thinking and it occurred to meโ€ฆDo I have to use Chrome OS? What about Windows? I use Windows a lot in work and itโ€™s what my background is in. However, trying the Windows 8 preview was far from a nice experience.

I thought Iโ€™d throw caution to the wind and install Windows 8, except this time I decided to buy a StartIsBack license to give Windows 8 a more โ€œnormalโ€ feel.

Pleasantly surprised

Iโ€™ve been running Windows 8 on my machine now for around 3 days now and it is running extremely well. Itโ€™s fast, capable and pretty nice to look at. Iโ€™m yet to actually use the Metro interface, and I really donโ€™t think I will be using it to be honest (as itโ€™s god awful). My machine boots straight to the desktop and the performance is better than that of Ubuntu 12.04 that I was using previously.

Now some of you may say that Iโ€™m selling out because itโ€™s proprietary software and that I previously said I would be moving to ChromeOS, so let me answer some those questions before they arise in the comments:

Proprietary software โ€“ Yes it is, however Iโ€™ve always said that I will use what I think is best for me. I donโ€™t bear any affiliations with other companies just because I like the way they work or that they have a good moral standing. I need my machine to work and if I can work best in Windows then so be it.

The price โ€“ So what? Iโ€™m happy to pay for the software that works best for my needs. Iโ€™ve said in the past that I would happily pay for any Linux distribution if it met my needs.

ChromeOS cop out โ€“ Somewhat yes, but it occurred to me that I donโ€™t want to spend over ยฃ300 just because Iโ€™ve decided to move away from Ubuntu (especially since my existing laptop is great). I got my Windows 8 license for ยฃ14.99 because my laptop qualified for the discounted upgrade. I may still turn to ChromeOS if Windows 8 doesnโ€™t work out for me over time, but for now itโ€™s doing the job nicely.

What about Virusโ€™s โ€“ Well, in all the years Iโ€™ve been running Windows Iโ€™ve never had a significant infection thatโ€™s affected my data or my privacy. As long as the machine is kept up to date, I have good AV and I donโ€™t go on any dodgy sites then I should be fine.

Is it forever?

Probably not. Iโ€™m sure at some point the lure (and fun) of the Linux desktop will draw me back โ€“ at the very least Iโ€™m sure Iโ€™ll end up dual booting very soon just for fun. But at the moment Windows 8 is working for me. Maybe Iโ€™ll get a Chromebook, maybe I wonโ€™t. Maybe Windows 8 will crash & burn and become the laggy mess that Windows usually is after a few months of use. I suppose only time will tellโ€ฆ

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