Currently the title should be, "Hi Satya Nadella; it's me again." I did, however, started using Microsoft when Bill Gates was still CEO. Like many other people, I started with Windows and worked my way up through the Windows updates until I got to Windows Vista in 2008 with the Dell XPS. In 2010, I bought a Dell mini Inspiron with Windows XP, which I liked more than the Vista environment. Then after several years, Microsoft started sending out articles about eliminating Windows XP on April 8, 2014: no more XP updates nor new virus protection updates. Computers running on XP would be vulnerable to attacks.
I read the end of XP articles as much as I can to learn what options I had. One article talked about people migrating to Windows 7 which was a lot like XP, but eventually Windows 7 would also be axed around 2017 or 2018. I read articles on how to migrate to Windows 7, but it required that I buy the operating system program. I even tried to migrate to Linux, but that didn't work either. And if you were wondering if I thought about switching to Apple, that answer would be, "Hell no, never!" I started getting angry and upset about perhaps having to buy a new computer or being forced to buy the new Windows 8 user interface (UI).
I've read the articles and comments about the Windows 8 UI (Metro). Microsoft was jumping on the mobile bandwagon with Apple and Android. My partner had just bought the new Nokia Windows phone, Lumia 1020 with the 41 megapixel camera. I had also bought him the new Microsoft Windows tablet, Surface. He loved the phone though the tablet he didn't use much--he still preferred using his Windows 7 laptop. For Christmas, my partner and I offered to buy a new laptop for our friend, Rodrigue. Laptops sporting Windows 7 were hard to find especially in the screen size that Rodrigue wanted; so, he jumped in and bought a Toshiba 15" screen with the new Windows 8 UI. I helped him set it up and navigate the system after having watched some YouTube videos to show me how to get around. The Metro UI, with the tile icons, reminded me of my Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet, but they were still very different from one another. Like much of the people who wrote reviews about the Metro UI, Rodrigue switched his new laptop to the desktop view rather than the Metro UI.
After much reading about the pros and cons on the new Windows 8 environment, I decided to jump the Windows ship. I didn't like Windows 8 nor did I like being forced to upgrade to a new computer simply because Microsoft decided to put an end to their most popular operating system, XP. To where or what did I jump? I started reading reviews on the then upcoming Chromebook 2 by Samsung.
As luck, or bad luck, would have it, our apartment was robbed while we were away for the weekend. Both my laptops were stolen--fortunately I had brought my tablet with me. So I was without a laptop until I could get my hands on the new Chromebook 2 which would be available in Canada some time, though I didn't know when. Again, as luck would have it, I would be in California to visit my family in May 2014. Amazon had already made preorders available for the new Chromebook 2. I wanted to buy the 13.3" screen version but it wouldn't have been shipped during my time in Southern California; so, I preordered the 11" version.
The Chrome environment was new to me even though I switched from Internet Explorer to Chrome in my laptops. I got my Chromebook set up and it was easy to get used to the environment. Yes it is true that I cannot save programs on my Chromebook natively, but the whole idea of the Chromebook is about being mobile. The Chromebook is like a big cellphone with a keyboard. I downloaded Chrome extensions so I can use my Chromebook offline (GMail, Google Documents). I'm also able to connect my Samsung Galaxy Note II to my Chromebook via AirDroid.
As I have mentioned before my laptops were stolen. The insurance company finally "paid" us for our replacements, but we had to "buy" the equivalent laptops that the insurance company wanted us to get--there was no monetary compensation as we would have rather bought an all-in-one desktop. Instead, my partner got a new Dell laptop and I got a new ASUS laptop--both with Windows 8. So here I am again with a Windows laptop and a touchscreen. I got my laptop set up, but I started using the Metro UI. I'm an Evernote user and I tried to use Evernote using the Metro UI. This is just my opinion, but Evernote from the Metro UI was crap. Evernote from my cellphone was far superior than on the Metro UI. Eventually I noticed that I was using the desktop version more and more. Then I realized that I was using my Chromebook more than my Windows laptop.
It seems to me that Windows jumped on the mobile bandwagon too late. The applications on the Metro UI didn't seem as refined and user friendly as they were on Android devices--maybe even on Apple but I don't use iOS. Windows would have been better off with sticking to the desktop version on laptops and using the Metro UI on tablets and cell phones; but to have the Metro UI on a laptop is simply awkward and unnecessary.
It's 2014, Mr. Nadella. I hope you listen to your consumers: stick with what you know and know what you do well.
Sincerely,
Happy Chromebook user
I read the end of XP articles as much as I can to learn what options I had. One article talked about people migrating to Windows 7 which was a lot like XP, but eventually Windows 7 would also be axed around 2017 or 2018. I read articles on how to migrate to Windows 7, but it required that I buy the operating system program. I even tried to migrate to Linux, but that didn't work either. And if you were wondering if I thought about switching to Apple, that answer would be, "Hell no, never!" I started getting angry and upset about perhaps having to buy a new computer or being forced to buy the new Windows 8 user interface (UI).
I've read the articles and comments about the Windows 8 UI (Metro). Microsoft was jumping on the mobile bandwagon with Apple and Android. My partner had just bought the new Nokia Windows phone, Lumia 1020 with the 41 megapixel camera. I had also bought him the new Microsoft Windows tablet, Surface. He loved the phone though the tablet he didn't use much--he still preferred using his Windows 7 laptop. For Christmas, my partner and I offered to buy a new laptop for our friend, Rodrigue. Laptops sporting Windows 7 were hard to find especially in the screen size that Rodrigue wanted; so, he jumped in and bought a Toshiba 15" screen with the new Windows 8 UI. I helped him set it up and navigate the system after having watched some YouTube videos to show me how to get around. The Metro UI, with the tile icons, reminded me of my Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet, but they were still very different from one another. Like much of the people who wrote reviews about the Metro UI, Rodrigue switched his new laptop to the desktop view rather than the Metro UI.
After much reading about the pros and cons on the new Windows 8 environment, I decided to jump the Windows ship. I didn't like Windows 8 nor did I like being forced to upgrade to a new computer simply because Microsoft decided to put an end to their most popular operating system, XP. To where or what did I jump? I started reading reviews on the then upcoming Chromebook 2 by Samsung.
As luck, or bad luck, would have it, our apartment was robbed while we were away for the weekend. Both my laptops were stolen--fortunately I had brought my tablet with me. So I was without a laptop until I could get my hands on the new Chromebook 2 which would be available in Canada some time, though I didn't know when. Again, as luck would have it, I would be in California to visit my family in May 2014. Amazon had already made preorders available for the new Chromebook 2. I wanted to buy the 13.3" screen version but it wouldn't have been shipped during my time in Southern California; so, I preordered the 11" version.
The Chrome environment was new to me even though I switched from Internet Explorer to Chrome in my laptops. I got my Chromebook set up and it was easy to get used to the environment. Yes it is true that I cannot save programs on my Chromebook natively, but the whole idea of the Chromebook is about being mobile. The Chromebook is like a big cellphone with a keyboard. I downloaded Chrome extensions so I can use my Chromebook offline (GMail, Google Documents). I'm also able to connect my Samsung Galaxy Note II to my Chromebook via AirDroid.
As I have mentioned before my laptops were stolen. The insurance company finally "paid" us for our replacements, but we had to "buy" the equivalent laptops that the insurance company wanted us to get--there was no monetary compensation as we would have rather bought an all-in-one desktop. Instead, my partner got a new Dell laptop and I got a new ASUS laptop--both with Windows 8. So here I am again with a Windows laptop and a touchscreen. I got my laptop set up, but I started using the Metro UI. I'm an Evernote user and I tried to use Evernote using the Metro UI. This is just my opinion, but Evernote from the Metro UI was crap. Evernote from my cellphone was far superior than on the Metro UI. Eventually I noticed that I was using the desktop version more and more. Then I realized that I was using my Chromebook more than my Windows laptop.
It seems to me that Windows jumped on the mobile bandwagon too late. The applications on the Metro UI didn't seem as refined and user friendly as they were on Android devices--maybe even on Apple but I don't use iOS. Windows would have been better off with sticking to the desktop version on laptops and using the Metro UI on tablets and cell phones; but to have the Metro UI on a laptop is simply awkward and unnecessary.
It's 2014, Mr. Nadella. I hope you listen to your consumers: stick with what you know and know what you do well.
Sincerely,
Happy Chromebook user
Comments
Post a Comment