No, I'm not lost - just loading up Windows 8 to make it semi-useful

Question Everything: Who picks the picture that gets used on a new operating system for its desktop background? And what makes that idiot think we all love childish portrayals of a fish? And what do fish have to do with a wannabe operating system that Microsoft hopes will save its ass from beautiful downtown Oblivion?

I had a positively shitty day! Can you tell? I started downloading the ISO of this long-anticipated public beta of Windows 8 at around 7:00 AM this morning, and here it is 8:00 PM and I'm finally able to say I've downloaded and added to it enough other programs that it is now semi usable enough at least to go on line and write this blog entry. This is a hell of a change from the Developer's Preview, and not as user-friendly as it needs to be if it's going to catch the fancy and the wallets of the PC crowd who have until now been firmly enamored with their keyboards and mice. 

When I ran off the DVD from the ISO image, I made an extra and took it down the street to Dwight, who owns his own computer business. He had opted to download it directly from the web, and wasn't impressed by it taking 2 hours plus. I told him I couldn't improve on that, because the ISO image took about that same time, and then I had to burn it onto a DVD for another few minutes. But the good news there is that I've got the DVD handy in case of unforeseen disaster, and now so has Dwight at his shop. Speaking of 'unforeseen disasters' I had made two partitions on this drive so Windows 8 could go onto the empty one and not wipe out my Windows 7 ($120.00 worth!) and guess what? Windows 8 installed in record time, about 23 minutes, but the bad news is, it wiped out my Windows 7 on here because it (a) didn't ask me where I wanted to put it on this two-partition drive (like the Developer Preview did) and (b) it seemingly couldn't tell there even was an empty partition available. So I had to wipe all that off and use Easeus Partition Master to Merge the two partitions, and then re-install the Windows 8 onto the now-one-piece drive. And that whole thing is why I've had such a shitty day, Folks.  Which I hasten to add was probably my own fault, for giving that empty partition a premature name, instead of leaving all that blank. Windows 8 did actually ask me the second time around where I'd like to put it, now that the drive is only one partition again and there's no choice anyway........ See what kind of day this has been?

And Dwight, who is famous in these parts for his knowledge of and ability with computers and their care and feeding and has been selling them and fixing them for years said this afternoon while we were comparing notes in the back room at his computer business "This isn't nearly user-friendly enough and I'm not nearly as impressed by it as I had hoped I would be. It looks like it needs a lot more work. There's too many obstructions in the way for desktop users to get to where they want to go." And I added, "Too many hoops to jump through!" and he replied, "Exactly!" And there you have it, Folks. First Impressions - and to our beloved Mr. Microsoft may I say "You don't get a second chance to make a First Impression!"

I may yet get to love this newest brat on the block, but it sure as hell won't be easy! Not nearly as easy as it was with Windows 7 - which, thankfully, is still very much alive and well on my other desktop - no thanks to this Consumer Preview. Color me disappointed. I'm trying very hard not to make comparisons here with (Ugh!) VISTA, that goddamned mess some idiot called an Operating System - remember that one? How could we forget??? These things are supposed to make our lives EASIER, not more difficult. And if Microsoft thinks the keyboard or mouse is obsolete, they'd be wise not to bet their asses on that one. Even all-in-ones with multi-touch enabled still need keyboards and mice to make them completely useful. Throwing obstacles in the way of those isn't smart. Put that on your mobile phones and tweet it using your thumbs instead of your  common sense.