Windows 8.1 is Out

I’ve been optimistic about Windows Blue when it was announced so when the open beta Started, I got myself copies of the 32 and 64-bit versions. I have the 64-bit version installed (in dual boot with Windows 7) on my secondary desktop PC (with a 22-inch monitor) but I don’t use it. My 12-inch netbook (also in dual-boot with Windows 7), however, boots to Windows Blue 32-bit

I found Windows 8.1 as a possible saving grace for Windows 8. It is, after all, still Windows 8. People liking it because of the return of the Start Button but still hate it because of the Start Screen. Let’s face it, the Start Screen interface and the Modern Apps are more for tablets.

Lookback on Windows 8 Preview

I tried the Windows 8 betas on my desktop (with a 20-inch monitor) and 10-inch netbook back then. I concluded it was definitely not ok for a desktop PC. It would have been great for 10-inch netbooks, but metro apps don’t work on the common 10-inch resolution of 1024x600. Netbooks were getting phased out then so I guess it wasn’t such a big deal.

Good and Bad About Windows 8.1

Best thing about Windows 8.1 is the quick Startup. This is something that improved significantly from Windows 7 to 8, but it appears to be even better. I also think the welcom screen is has a good appeal. I don’t have a touchscreen PC so I don’t get to use the pattern login (?). I don’t think it is my cup of tea so I wouldn’t have used it anyway.

There were hacks during the beta phase of Windows 8 that allowed the users to jump straigth to the desktop. The possibility was blocked in the official release. It’s nice to know that Windows 8.1 now has the option to do so and it’s even native to the OS.

The Start Screen also now has an option to have the same background as the desktop wallpaper. It can also display an all programs list instead of the tiles. It still covers, the whole screen, though. Some time after the release of Windows 8, I thought, the Start Screen could work for me if it was transparent. That way, when I press the Start Key on my keyboard, I won’t be taken to totally different environment. With the desktop background on the Start Screen, it more or less gives the same feel. But still, the active windows would still be totally covered.

Windows Aero is gone. The transparent glass effects were actually cool and I prefer it over the solid colors of the new modern design. Having the title bars of windows with solid colors are still ok but it really grinds my gears that the taskbar is always left transparent with no option to make it have a full, solid color. It has the impression that it isn’t there. there is an implication of insignificance when it is very important.

I honestly haven’t used the multi-tasking in the Modern UI because I can do much more on the desktop environment. I found it silly how having multiple apps open at the same time is treated as a new feature when Windows has been giving us that option from the start. Well, until Windows 8.

When the box design of the retail versions of Windows 8.1 appeared online, it showed the base edition’s blue and white box while the Professional edition’s violet and white one. Plain as opposed to the artsy boxes of Windows 8. I prefer the new box designs and might even go buying myself a copy of both editions just to have those boxes on my shelf. Well, ok, not just for the boxes but also because of the performance improvements. It’s a first for a windows retail box to be violet and the base edition is back to being blue since Windows 98 I think. I remember liking the Windows 98 box a lot. Simple things.

Recommendations

I’m considering getting myself a copy of Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 Pro. I’d install the base edition on my 12-inch Ion 2 netbook and the Pro edition on my backup desktop PC. Maybe I can just buy the Pro edition and install it on my netbook. I’m giving myself until January to decide since that is when the beta expires.

My main PC will stay on Windows 7 Home Premium because I still find the desktop environment much more efficient and usable. An upgrade installation is also less appealing but a clean install would be the better option, but I’d have to reinstall. I could dual-boot but that would be wasteful. So yeah, this PC is going to have Windows 7 for a longer time. Windows 8.2 / 9, let’s see if this PC is getting a upgrade then.

Windows 8.1 is very much recommended for Windows 8 users. I don’t think it’s an automatic update but it surely is free for those with Windows 8 already installed.

For Windows 7 users (and Vista users, assuming there are still Vista users by choice), the experience on a smaller mobile PC is ok and pretty good. On larger, more powerful laptops and desktops, the performance gain over Windows 7 can be a deciding factor but the Start Screen experience can still be a dealbreaker. One can always download a 3^rd party start menu. It’s going to be a matter of choosing the best 3^rd party start menu for you. That would actually make Windows 8.1 a recommended upgrade.