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Windows 7 and Windows 8 Differences.

Lamphobic

The Brony
Joined
Oct 23, 2012
Location
The Untied Countries of Earth
I know that there are other OS threads that focus on all the OS's but this is specifically to talk about the upsides and downsides for one vs the other. Not to chose between the two (although you can say that you like one more than the other.)

I don't know much about windows 8 so this is going to be a learning opportunity for me.

Mainly try to focus on the questions that illustrate the differences between the two and this similarities not whether one or the other is "better".

Things like:
What are the differences?
What are the similarities?
What do you like that changed?
What do you wish didn't?
What else would you have changed?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
And anything else like that.
 

Dan

Joined
Sep 19, 2011
Gender
V2 White Male
I could write everything out, buuut I'm gonna be lazy and copy n paste. :P

Windows 8 Start screen

Microsoft the familiar Start menu is a Start screen which features the same kind of live tiles and data as Windows Phone's home screen,

When you open an app that needs the desktop you still get the familiar Recycle Bin and Taskbar, but the Start button - which now only appears when you hover in the bottom left corner with your mouse - takes you back to the Start screen.

The Start Screen can be used as an application launcher for desktop apps, or Windows 8 Modern UI apps (that's what Microsoft is currently calling the new interface).

Better multiple monitor support

Microsoft has decided that, with more of us using multiple monitors on our PCs, that it needed to overhaul its desktop management.

That means you can now have the Start Screen on one monitor and the desktop in another, or choose to have the Windows 8 Desktop and taskbar on both screens.

You can also put a different background on each screen if you have multiple monitors. Windows 8 also enables you to split screen between Modern UI Windows 8 apps, so you can have both your Windows Messenger on a third of the screen alongside your Desktop. This takes a bit of getting used to!

Windows 8 charms

A key arrival for Windows 8 is what Microsoft is calling Charms. These appear when you mouse to the right-hand side of the screen or swipe in from the right on a touchscreen.

They enable you to access the Start Screen on a touch device (although many touch devices will also have a physical Windows 8 button on the bezel of the screen or a Windows key on the keyboard).

The other buttons are Search, Share, Devices and Settings and provide quick access to these functions on touch and pointer-driven displays alike.

As well as searching your apps and folders, charms work across different apps, so for example a social app can tap into the Share charm so you can share files to that app quickly and easily - it's contextual to the app you are using.

The Settings charm gives you quick access to basics such as volume and brightness controls, as well as putting your PC to sleep or restarting it.

The search and devices charms are fairly self explanatory, but the share charm is interesting.

Windows 8 vs Windows 7: 8 ways it's different
Updated A brand new interface, Windows Store, ARM support and more
By Dan Grabham October 25th
5 comments

inShare8

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Windows 8 is a totally new version of Windows that, in addition to the traditional desktop, also includes a new-style interface for use with touchscreens - whether that's on a touchscreen laptop, all-in-one PC or tablet.

And, while not all PCs will be touchscreen when Windows 8 launches, expect more and more devices to have touchscreens towards the new year - even if it's a traditional laptop.

Windows 7 was a big hit for Microsoft, turning things around from the troublesome Windows Vista and reminding people that the Redmond giant was not quite ready to hang up its hat just yet.

The Windows 8 release date is here and the challenge for Microsoft is how it builds on the success of Windows 7 and show that Windows can work on iPad-like tablets. But it still needs to dominate on laptops and desktops.

Windows 8 isn't a phone OS - but does share a great deal of design language and code with its sibling, the new Windows Phone 8.

Here are 8 key differences that Windows 8 brings to the table.
Windows 8 coverage
Windows 8 Metro
Windows 8 reviewWindows 8 vs Windows 7: 8 ways it's different50 Windows 8 tips, tricks and secretsWindows 8 tablets: what you need to knowMaking sense of the Windows 8 versionsAll our Windows 8 content
1. Windows 8 touch

Obviously the most obvious difference between Windows 8 and its popular predecessor is the user interface.

Windows 7 supported touch, but it wasn't ideal - the controls simply weren't good enough. However, things have improved immeasurably in terms of the touch support in Windows 8. First of all, touch support on the Desktop is far, far better and you can even close windows and select menu items without issue - Windows has built-in intelligence to tell it what you are trying to do.

Secondly, the new Start Screen is an interface that's built for touch. That means tiles instead of menus and much quicker ways to get to the programs you want. There's also greatly improved on-screen keyboard and handwriting recognition.

You don't need to have a Windows 8 touch PC - the interface still works on non touch machines, and many trackpads have support for new Windows 8 gestures. There are also peripherals such as touch mice and trackpads from Microsoft and Logitech (among others) that support Windows 8 gestures.

Windows 8 touch

Windows 8 Start screen

Microsoft the familiar Start menu is a Start screen which features the same kind of live tiles and data as Windows Phone's home screen,

When you open an app that needs the desktop you still get the familiar Recycle Bin and Taskbar, but the Start button - which now only appears when you hover in the bottom left corner with your mouse - takes you back to the Start screen.

The Start Screen can be used as an application launcher for desktop apps, or Windows 8 Modern UI apps (that's what Microsoft is currently calling the new interface).

Windows 8 start screen

Better multiple monitor support

Microsoft has decided that, with more of us using multiple monitors on our PCs, that it needed to overhaul its desktop management.

That means you can now have the Start Screen on one monitor and the desktop in another, or choose to have the Windows 8 Desktop and taskbar on both screens.

You can also put a different background on each screen if you have multiple monitors. Windows 8 also enables you to split screen between Modern UI Windows 8 apps, so you can have both your Windows Messenger on a third of the screen alongside your Desktop. This takes a bit of getting used to!

Windows 8 split screen

Windows 8 charms


A key arrival for Windows 8 is what Microsoft is calling Charms. These appear when you mouse to the right-hand side of the screen or swipe in from the right on a touchscreen.

They enable you to access the Start Screen on a touch device (although many touch devices will also have a physical Windows 8 button on the bezel of the screen or a Windows key on the keyboard).

The other buttons are Search, Share, Devices and Settings and provide quick access to these functions on touch and pointer-driven displays alike.

As well as searching your apps and folders, charms work across different apps, so for example a social app can tap into the Share charm so you can share files to that app quickly and easily - it's contextual to the app you are using.

The Settings charm gives you quick access to basics such as volume and brightness controls, as well as putting your PC to sleep or restarting it.

The search and devices charms are fairly self explanatory, but the share charm is interesting.

Windows 8 charms

WIndows 8 Search and Social

With the Start menu gone, search is available not only through the Search charm but also through the Start Screen - just start typing and the results on screen are for programs and files.

As with Share, the Search charm is contextual, so you can search inside any app - for example you can do a web search from here, or look for a destination using the Travel app. Doing a web search is powerful and quick, it's a simple way to launch a browser and search speedily.

As for social, WIndows 8 supports Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter natively, so you can browse social updates within the People app and elsewhere.

Windows 8 search

Windows 8 ARM support

Until now, Windows has only supported x86-based Intel and AMD PCs but that is all changing with Windows 8, which will support devices running on ARM architecture.

British company ARM's chip designs are being used in a growing number of devices, and Microsoft is keen to make Windows as widely available as possible - especially on cheaper Windows 8 tablets to compete with the iPad and Android tablets.

Windows 8 vs Windows RT: what's the difference?

While ARM produce the original so-called 'instruction set' for the processors used in these devices, other people manufacture the chips. So expect to see Windows 8 tablet devices based on Nvidia's Tegra 3 and Qualcomm's Snapdragon to start with.

The version of Windows 8 used on ARM-based devices is actually referred to as Windows RT - this stands for runtime. You can't buy this separately, only with a device.

Windows 8 ARM support

Windows Store

Microsoft's Windows Store is a key part of Windows 8, offering both desktop and Modern UI apps, both free and paid. You can search the Store using the Search charm, as well as browse through the top free or top paid apps as well as look through apps by category.

When apps are updated, you can also download these updates very easily, just as you would on iOS or Android.

Windows 8 Netflix

Windows 8 cloud integration

While Microsoft may not agree with Apple's Steve Jobs that we are in a post-PC era, it is clear that they are keen to make cloud integration central to Windows 8.

That means the potential to sync data to SkyDrive - there's a SkyDrive app as well as the ability to save data to and from your cloud storage. Office 2013 apps have SkyDrive capabilities included, too.

Microsoft also syncs settings your Windows 8 PCs - including your browsing history in IE, for instance. Photos can also be shared across multiple PCs.

Some elements of windows 8 that weren't mentioned there however, are the new start time. It's apparently a whole minute faster, it uses some sort of hybrid hibernate method other os systems use now.
So that's pretty neat.
 
Joined
Nov 1, 2012
I don't use either of these. In fact, I am using the Wii to browse this forum right now! The Wii is far superior to either of them because neither Windows 7, or 8, can play Skyward Sword. FACT.
 
Last edited:
Joined
Jun 20, 2011
I have only had a day with Windows 8, and two years with windows 7 thus far. Therefore, forgive me if I sound unprofessional when talking about Windows 8.
Essentially, the difference is that Windows 7 is based on the desktop. It has the traditional windows and start menu, with the "task bar" at the bottom.
Meanwhile, Windows 8 is based on the start menu screen thingy, hence forth called the SMST. On the SMST, there are icons to launch your applications, including the desktop itself. If you put your mouse in the very top-left or bottom-left corner of the screen(bravo if you are using VMWare), you can switch between programs other than the SMST. If you are on the SMST, you can close all other programs from the top-left or bottom-left corner of your screen.
Windows 8 was designed to have fewer distractions in its Windows 8 interface, formerly known as the Metro style until legal issues happened. The Metro interface looks like street signs you would expect to see downtown - big letters, dull, solid backgrounds and outlines. Drivers are less distracted in their car by these signs(other than ads) and professionals using Windows 8 are theoretically less distracted by the SMST, allowing them to focus on work if they could only find the program they need.
 

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