Windows 8

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

Probably it is too old to be of any use even if I managed the install.

Exactly the conclusion I come to every time think of it .. then it goes back in the drawer till the next time, so I can come to that conclusion all over again

[SeZo]

Apparently 40 million W8 licences sold in about a month but what caught my eye is this(derived from Microsoft's logs):

85%, she said, use the vestigial desktop on the first day. In the first three weeks, the average user adds 19 tiles to the Windows 8 start screen. 25% have added 30. 90% of customers use Charms on the first day they get the product.

My question would be just how have they acquired that data?
Did the users volunteer to share their desktop usage habits or they were tricked to do so?

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

I agree .. I'd also like to know how they are getting usage figures this early.

Not that they mean anything anyway .. all from sales of new PC's on the run up to Xmas, and of course people will experiment with the new interface when they get a new PC ..

a) they have no choice
and
b) a number will be intrigued to see what's there.

Neither suggest they actually like what they see .. only time will tell that story.

What's interesting is that they feel the need to "hype" the usablilty .. I don't remember them doing this with the release of other Windows versions .. at least not this early.

[SeZo]

Neither suggest they actually like what they see .. only time will tell that story.

As far as the usability is concerned 85% on day one gone for the standard desktop is quite telling. 
The other 25% probably never figured out how to break out from Metro (or whatever it is now called)

What I am concerned is how did they get this level of information from their users.
Does Win8 calls home every minute of the day? Chilling....

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

Agreed .. having this level of usage figures this early after release does sound kinda suspect.

[salparadise]

My question would be just how have they acquired that data?
Did the users volunteer to share their desktop usage habits or they were tricked to do so?

Every Windows OS since XP connects to Microsoft when it's online. It reports back what you do, where you go and what you install. I thought this was common knowledge.
They all almost certainly have NSA backdoors in them too. XP definitely does.

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

There's a backdoor to a No Smoking Area in XP ? .. and here's me thinking they just left the Windows open

or

WTF are the Night Stalker Association and/or the Norwegian Shipowners Association doing in my computer ?

Ya gotta love acronyms:
http://www.acronymfinder.com/NSA.html

.

[salparadise]

The National Security Agency

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

Yeh, I know .. but every time someone uses an acronym I can't resist seeing what else is listed for it on acronymfinder .. there's usually a gem in there somewhere

And as usual there IS a gem  .. see if you can find it:
http://www.acronymfinder.com/NSA.html

Let me give you a clue .. you don't need the steady hand of a surgeon for this.
.

[salparadise]

Eek. The National Sunflower Association has backdoors in Windows!

We are undone.

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

I'm kinda scared to mention the National Slag Association and backdoors in the same sentence 

Anyone know someone that's bought a Win8 PC yet ?

.

[Mad Penguin]

Initially M$ ordered 4M "surface" devices from their far east manufacturers, but apparently sales have been so slow they scaled the order back to 2M .. so they've gotta be new machines, and on new machines punters don't get a choice of OS, its "what comes with it". Be interesting to see how many of those machines are still running W8 in three months time.

I seem to recall with previous versions of Windows punters have taken legal action (a) to get their OS money back and (b) to get free copies of older versions of Windows ...

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

Yup I'm waiting to see if I get any downgrade calls .. though the only people I know that have bought new PC's lately bought Win7 boxes..

[SeZo]

Hmm.. I know of one person whom bought a laptop with Win7 instead of Win8 in the last few days
Judging by the reports like this [WARNING Ballmar picture], others might have done the same.

[Mark Greaves (PCNetSpec)]

ROFL  .. glad to see you remembered my request for a warning .. that cracked me up

Some interesting (if not totally surprising) figures in that article.