Some people have complained that the desktop windowing theme looks boring and flat, but keep in mind Microsoft needs something to sell you in Windows 9.

Microsoft also removed the Classic theme.

What is old is new again.

One pleasant surprise is that there is still a 32-bit version and it can run 16-bit programs.

With the Windows 1.0 calendar, I don't have to connect to the internet to use it.

Shutting down windows.

To get here you have to click in the upper right corner, select "settings" and then click the power button.

You can also shutdown from the login screen after logging out, or you can press alt+f4 on the desktop.
 

One of the worst parts about Windows 8 isn't even in the software! The "logo requirements"  for Windows 8 require all new machines to ship with a mis-feature called "SecureBoot".

SecureBoot prevents any operating system that hasn't been graciously blessed by Microsoft from booting.

This means that by default no truly open Linux distributions or other third party operating systems may boot on any new PC.

And don't start in on that "oh, it can be disabled" crap. Think about it, how well will that really work in practice?

You: "Hey, I need to boot my Linux USB drive on your computer, is that OK?"
Friend: "Uh, sure, I guess."
Friend: "Uh, it isn't working."
You: "Oh, I need to go in to your bios and disable SecureBoot."
Friend: "Duh, you aren't disabling anything that makes my computer less secure!"
You "but...."
Friend "NO!!!".

And there WILL eventually be desktop machines that do not permit disabling SecureBoot.

Does SecureBoot really make your computer more secure? No. It "secures" Microsoft's operating system marketshare, and  "secures" Windows from methods used to use unlicensed copies.

In a sane world, something like SecureBoot would be illegal.

Is the PC dead? Is the PC dead? Is the PC dead? Is the PC dead? Is the PC dead? Is the PC dead? Is the PC dead? Is the PC dead? Is the PC dead? Is the PC dead? Is the PC dead? Is the PC dead? Is the PC dead? Is the PC dead? Is the PC dead? Is the PC dead? Is the PC dead?

That is what the sockpuppets on the news have been parroting lately.

Ask your local gamer if they can install 8 high end video cards on a cell phone. Ask your local manufacturer if they can run their industrial supply line off of an iPad. Ask a movie junky if they can put their 60 terabyte RAID array in an e-Reader.

Some idiots realized all they ever used a computer for was looking at pictures of cats and random clips from "Family Guy", and replaced it with a mobile device. That does not, by any stretch of the imagination, mean that the PC is dead.

The bare bones custom PC is an enemy of Microsoft because it does not automatically include a Windows license. More than likely Microsoft is paying people to say this.

I am actually pleasantly surprised that I can still walk in to a computer store and buy a bare-bones ATX motherboard, or other generic parts. In the 80's and early 90's it was the budget computer enthusiast driving this market. It is mainly the "gamers" who are keeping this market alive today. I had honestly thought for a while that that prebuilt desktop manufactures would have eliminated the market for this sort of thing. Like myself, gamers nitpick over the quality and ability of individual components. And sometimes the desired parts are not found in common prebuilt desktops. They also lack the ability to rapidly interchange or upgrade components without replacing the entire system.

I will go on to speculate that you MIGHT see some real convergence in the future. A large touch-capible monitor could be mounted at a low angle on a desk so it could be used as both an input and a reading surface. In which case it literally becomes the desktop! The main problem with this approach is it usually requires "integration" with the furniture.

Windows 8 shutting down the entire world! THIS is the future of the web.

In conclusion, the new Windows 8 interface feels like a toy for toddlers. And it creates a confusing mess for those trying to do real work. It is surprising there are so many positive or simi-positive reviews about Windows 8 out there. Most of them are probably getting kickbacks from Microsoft, or threatened with leg-breaking. Well I didn't get a check in the mail. Hey, what is that sudden pain in my legs?