Windows 8.1 Rolling Out October 18th

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It looks like the final street date for Windows 8.1 is October 18th.

I know a lot of folks are eager to find out when they will be able to get Windows 8.1. I am excited to share that starting at 12:00am on October 18th in New Zealand (that’s 4:00am October 17th in Redmond), Windows 8.1 will begin rolling out worldwide as a free update for consumers on Windows 8 through the Windows Store. Windows 8.1 will also be available at retail and on new devices starting on October 18th by market. So mark your calendars!
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Are we getting the taskbar and start menu back for sure? And are we going to be able to set our own wallpapers?

If any of these two are the slightest bit mishandled I wont be buying it any time soon.
 
Krenum said:
Are we getting the taskbar and start menu back for sure? And are we going to be able to set our own wallpapers?

If any of these two are the slightest bit mishandled I wont be buying it any time soon.
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8.1 is free if you have 8.0.
 
Krenum said:
Are we getting the taskbar and start menu back for sure? And are we going to be able to set our own wallpapers?

If any of these two are the slightest bit mishandled I wont be buying it any time soon.
Click to expand...

Uh, the taskbar never went anywhere... neither did wallpapers...
 
Krenum said:
Are we getting the taskbar and start menu back for sure? And are we going to be able to set our own wallpapers?

If any of these two are the slightest bit mishandled I wont be buying it any time soon.
Click to expand...

No Start Menu.
 
heatlesssun said:
I'm assuming he means that the taskbar is visible with Modern apps, which is no, not the desktop taskbar.
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I recommend Stardock's ModernMix to alleviate this problem. It runs Metro Apps in a Desktop Window that is resizable/movable/minimizable/etc.
 
Been using the release preview on my lappy since it became available and loving it. Can't wait to implement for my users at my office.
 
Ruuke said:
Been using the release preview on my lappy since it became available and loving it. Can't wait to implement for my users at my office.
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I doubt you would feel this way if you had hundreds of users with computer literacy ranging from brilliant to sea sponge.
 
heatlesssun said:
God won't be necessary, there's a tutorial and some getting stating visual cues when you log in the first time, not the thing that was in the 8.
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Thank you for the clarification Microsoft, I'm sure they'll use the tutorials.
 
"This is not the OS you are looking for"

I had a chance to play around with 8.1 for the last 10+ or so days. And with an open mind. It still doesn't feel right, act right, look right. It's still awkward to use and puts the end user through additional unnecessary clicks and hoops to get things done.

Let's hope they end this Windows 8 experiment sooner rather than later and gets back to the Windows 7 experience feel and look that everyone loves.
 
kirbyrj said:
So much for the "any day now" comments earlier in the week.
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That was referring to the RTM, which oddly enough hasn't been announced yet. But a lot of rumors were saying that soon after 8.1 went RTM is would be available to MSDN/TechNet folks and even general users as a download. The rumor now seems to be that even MSDN/TechNet folks aren't going to get it until October. There's a lot in the release and developers are also going to need the final VS 2013 to take advantage of 8.1 and no doubt Microsoft is scrambling to get this all done.

The Preview was a bit on the buggy and incomplete side, the leak that came out Sunday is much better but still a bit buggy from my testing and that build is only about 3 weeks old, so there's plenty to do it looks.
 
Zepharus said:
peeps resist change. 8.1 is a great OS.

Dont resist change.. embrace it
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Like overbearing, Orwellian governments and societies full of vapid, vainglorious douchenozzles! :D

Oh you just meant within the context of the OS... is anyone who currently uses and hates unmodified Win8 NOT going to upgrade to 8.1 to have it make at least slightly more sense on a desktop?

Even though I expect it will break two of my builds for long enough to update my start menu implementations, (one on Start8 and another on Classic Shell) I'll still be upgrading both.
 
SixFootDuo said:
"This is not the OS you are looking for"

I had a chance to play around with 8.1 for the last 10+ or so days. And with an open mind. It still doesn't feel right, act right, look right. It's still awkward to use and puts the end user through additional unnecessary clicks and hoops to get things done.
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Can you name something specific that requires more clicks and hoops.

SixFootDuo said:
Let's hope they end this Windows 8 experiment sooner rather than later and gets back to the Windows 7 experience feel and look that everyone loves.
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Love the Windows 7 experience and feel? I doubt that applies to many people. I really don't care much one way or the other about the look and feel of Windows. I'm much more interested in functionality and capability which is probably why I like Windows 8 since it does have a great deal more capability beyond the desktop and virtually all of the things I did on the desktop in 7 work just fine and like they always have.
 
Krenum said:
Are we getting the taskbar and start menu back for sure? And are we going to be able to set our own wallpapers?
Click to expand...
- Taskbar never went anywhere, still there in 8.0 and 8.1
- Start button is back in 8.1 (it launches the start screen)
- Desktop wallpaper is selectable in 8.0 and 8.1
- Start screen background allows custom images in 8.1, as well as animated backdrops.
 
To me upgrade to Windows 8.0 or 8.1:mad: is still a major downgrade from Windows 7:D at this point in time even my sister law didn't like it.
The one thing I really hate more then any thing is Windows 8 Metro Apps don't work offline in fact nor dose Windows 8 if lose your internet.
What if I don’t want use Microsoft Live Account well I guest your SOL once again.
To me Windows 8 is major spy ware.
I may as well just deal with Linux if MS doesn't get it head out of you know what in the near future after all I did stick to Windows 2000 for 9 long years in tell Windows 7 come out.
 
shspvr said:
To me upgrade to Windows 8.0 or 8.1:mad: is still a major downgrade from Windows 7:D at this point in time even my sister law didn't like it.
The one thing I really hate more then any thing is Windows 8 Metro Apps don't work offline in fact nor dose Windows 8 if lose your internet.
What if I don’t want use Microsoft Live Account well I guest your SOL once again.
To me Windows 8 is major spy ware.
I may as well just deal with Linux if MS doesn't get it head out of you know what in the near future after all I did stick to Windows 2000 for 9 long years in tell Windows 7 come out.
Click to expand...


Windows 8 does not, and has never, required the use of a live account. It works just fine with local accounts, and works just fine "offline". This isn't ChromeOS we are talking about here.
 
shspvr said:
The one thing I really hate more then any thing is Windows 8 Metro Apps don't work offline in fact nor dose Windows 8 if lose your internet.
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Obviously apps and services that depend on an Internet connection won't work but Windows 8 itself has no intrinsic need for an Internet connection.

shspvr said:
What if I don’t want use Microsoft Live Account well I guest your SOL once again.
Click to expand...

Then you don't have access to any of Microsoft's cloud technology. There's lots in Windows 8 that uses the cloud but they aren't necessary to have a non-cloud experience if that's what one wants.
 
@heatlesssun

Just go do a simple search on the google if you want to find hundreds of thousands of pages from critics, professionals and end users if you are really interested in the extreme dislike most people have for Windows 8.

All you have to do is look at the Xbox One roll-out, back-tracking, etc as a very good example of how Microsoft is out of touch with consumers. Yes, Microsoft released Windows 8.

If that's not enough, look at the entire Windows phone situation. While the Nokia 1020 got a few good reviews mostly on the back of the 41 mega pixel image sensor and not that actual Windows phone OS, sales for the 1020 are still under performing on what most industry leaders consider a dead platform. There is still tremendous pressure from Nokia share holders ( just last week ) to return the company to profitability by embracing Android.

And yes, people love Windows 7. The look, the feel and the experience they get from using the OS. The best OS to date according to just about anyone you ask.
 
SixFootDuo said:
@heatlesssun

Just go do a simple search on the google if you want to find hundreds of thousands of pages from critics, professionals and end users if you are really interested in the extreme dislike most people have for Windows 8.
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And yes I've looked at a lot of this, and a lot of it is just flat out incorrect. Yes, Windows 8 had a some mouse clumsy things like the Shutdown issue, 8.1 has cleaned up most of these things. There are some issues that still need to ironed out like context menus on the Start Screen, Jump Lists, etc. but for the bulk of driving Windows, 8 isn't less efficient than 7, but there are some differences. One thing that I think 8 actually handles better with keyboards and mice is multiple monitors. The Start Screen can be opened on any monitor, Modern apps actually open on the monitor from where the Start Screen is opened, app sizing and snapping is a very user friendly way to mange windows with apps that handle it well.

SixFootDuo said:
If that's not enough, look at the entire Windows phone situation. While the Nokia 1020 got a few good reviews mostly on the back of the 41 mega pixel image sensor and not that actual Windows phone OS, sales for the 1020 are still under performing on what most industry leaders consider a dead platform. There is still tremendous pressure from Nokia share holders ( just last week ) to return the company to profitability by embracing Android.
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Windows Phone is actually gaining traction pretty quickly, still a small market but definitely on the up swing. And as far as embracing Android and watching the money roll in, ask HTC how that's working for them. I'm not saying that Android wouldn't be helpful to Nokia but probably not as helpful as many are thinking especially considering the support that Nokia is getting from Microsoft currently.

The big problem still for Windows Phone are the big name apps. Nokia has complained about it and it is a problem but that too is turning around but not as fast as it needs to be.

SixFootDuo said:
And yes, people love Windows 7. The look, the feel and the experience they get from using the OS. The best OS to date according to just about anyone you ask.
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As with most things Windows, the average person probably doesn't care one way or another, they just want to be able to do the things they want to do and in that regard obviously Windows 8 is a pretty big change. But there are plenty of people that have adapted to the new UI and have moved on and if they saw a Start Menu now they'd be just as confused probably when they first saw Windows 8. That classic UI is fine for average desktop use, but more important than fine it was very familiar.
 
The new start screen button really would be a pretty decent replacement for the start menu if they'd actually let you customize your folders. As of right now you have to go about 10 folders deep in both all users and current users to tame your program folders. If that was easier, Windows 8 would certainly be more comfortable for most users.

I've been on the public preview of 8.1 since its release and it fixes most of my gripes with Windows 8.

The one that they'll be hard pressed to fix relates to the Metro apps in general. They're almost always inferior and questionably functional spins on apps that are already much better on the desktop. However thanks to lousy touch support on the desktop - touch users are stuck with them.
 
I just hope it hits TechNet before TechNet is TechDead.
 
Domingo said:
The one that they'll be hard pressed to fix relates to the Metro apps in general. They're almost always inferior and questionably functional spins on apps that are already much better on the desktop. However thanks to lousy touch support on the desktop - touch users are stuck with them.
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The point of Modern apps at this point isn't to replace desktop apps. Much is said about Microsoft trying to replace desktop and profit from the Windows Store but the bottom line is that the desktop simply isn't designed to work well with tablets. An single sign-on app store with touch capable apps just didn't exist for Windows before last year. While Windows tablets and touch devices aren't doing as well as hoped these devices were almost non-existent last year. Just throwing a pure desktop OS on a touch device like Microsoft did for a decade with Tablet PCs obviously wasn't enough.

I use a mix of desktop and Modern apps. On a desktop typically desktop apps and on a tablet Modern apps. It works out pretty well.
 
heatlesssun said:
Love the Windows 7 experience and feel? I doubt that applies to many people. I really don't care much one way or the other about the look and feel of Windows. I'm much more interested in functionality and capability which is probably why I like Windows 8 since it does have a great deal more capability beyond the desktop and virtually all of the things I did on the desktop in 7 work just fine and like they always have.
Click to expand...

Um, the reason people don't like Win8 over Win7 is because Win7 is far more functional on a desktop computer. Why you always making up excuses for Microsoft's ill will towards PC desktop users? All they had to do was make Metro an option and there would have been no need for you to have to continually defend a bad move by Microsoft. You are a shill, no two ways about it.
 
shspvr said:
To me upgrade to Windows 8.0 or 8.1:mad: is still a major downgrade from Windows 7:D at this point in time even my sister law didn't like it.
The one thing I really hate more then any thing is Windows 8 Metro Apps don't work offline in fact nor dose Windows 8 if lose your internet.
What if I don’t want use Microsoft Live Account well I guest your SOL once again.
To me Windows 8 is major spy ware.
I may as well just deal with Linux if MS doesn't get it head out of you know what in the near future after all I did stick to Windows 2000 for 9 long years in tell Windows 7 come out.
Click to expand...

Pleb said:
Um, the reason people don't like Win8 over Win7 is because Win7 is far more functional on a desktop computer. Why you always making up excuses for Microsoft's ill will towards PC desktop users? All they had to do was make Metro an option and there would have been no need for you to have to continually defend a bad move by Microsoft. You are a shill, no two ways about it.
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Two amazingly FUD-filled posts, all in one thread page! Some of the worst FUD-slinging I've seen, and I've been online since BBS days...
 
Sure, and everything Microsoft tells us is just harmless propaganda. :rolleyes:
 
Pleb said:
Um, the reason people don't like Win8 over Win7 is because Win7 is far more functional on a desktop computer. Why you always making up excuses for Microsoft's ill will towards PC desktop users? All they had to do was make Metro an option and there would have been no need for you to have to continually defend a bad move by Microsoft. You are a shill, no two ways about it.
Click to expand...

I use Windows on desktops as much as anyone, it's where I make my living, though at work we use 7 know for our desktops. I also work on and play on my own Windows 8 systems and they serve the same functional purposes that I use Windows 7 for.
 
Krenum said:
Are we getting the taskbar and start menu back for sure? And are we going to be able to set our own wallpapers?

If any of these two are the slightest bit mishandled I wont be buying it any time soon.
Click to expand...

There is no start menu, there's just a button that teases you thinking it's a start menu but all it does is take you to the start page. That said, programs like classic shell still work to give you a functional start menu.
 
heatlesssun said:
I use Windows on desktops as much as anyone, it's where I make my living, though at work we use 7 know for our desktops. I also work on and play on my own Windows 8 systems and they serve the same functional purposes that I use Windows 7 for.
Click to expand...

What does that have to do with the fact you are a shill?
 
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