Poll: What is your favorite version of Windows

antspants · Oct 17, 2023

Wynona said:
Since I've tested every version of Windows since Windows 3.1, each new version was my favorite (except for Windows 8). As I got into each new Windows version, the former version(s) receded further and further into the background.

8.1 was OK and kind of saved Eight… No?

Wynona · Oct 17, 2023

antspants said:
8.1 was OK and kind of saved Eight… No?

Yeah, it got better, but I was glad to see Windows 10!

antspants · Oct 17, 2023

Wynona said:
Yeah, it got better, but I was glad to see Windows 10!

Absolutely.

wabbit · Oct 17, 2023

I liked all of them in the poll except for Windows 8. I actually liked Vista and I had the hardware for it. Windows 7 was a streamlined Vista and a slight improvement. Windows 8 was terrible, almost as bad as ME. Maybe they should have named Win 8.1 Windows 9 or something else. When people asked if they should upgrade to 10 from 8, I recommended to upgrade without hesitation. I still run Windows 10 on a few older machines. With the new hardware, I have to say that Windows 11 is now my favorite OS.

TraderGary · Oct 17, 2023

I started with the first version of DOS in 1981 and I've used most every version of Windows. My favorite is Windows 11.

johnlgalt · Oct 18, 2023

antspants said:
8.1 was OK and kind of saved Eight… No?

If by saved you mean it took it from the absolute worst to the second absolute worst, sure.

Microsoft was stupid to try to merge a Desktop OS with a tablet OS. They've tried a few times - instead of realizing that mobile devices are not laptops and desktops. Ergo, it should not be the same.

Even with every single trick I knew on how to use 8 / 8.1 as a desktop OS, it was stupid to see that @# %^@#$%^@$#%^@$^&@$%^@$^&!@ tiles there.

I
Don't
Want
Tiles

In 10 I turned them off by unpinning every single one, then slimming the start menu down so it was only as wide as the list of apps.

In Windows 11, I turned to an app that allows me to put quick-start groups of icons on the taskbar, called TaskbarGroups, to avoid using the start menu and it's BS. I just want a nice, simple, scrollable apps list when I hit start - screw all this search with Bing and AI value added BS (VABS©®™). By the time 11 gets all the features and customizability and utility back that 10 had, it will be expiring (2031).

And I say this even with me using Win11 as my daily driver OS.

Night Hawk · Oct 18, 2023

johnlgalt said:
If by saved you mean it took it from the absolute worst to the second absolute worst, sure.

Microsoft was stupid to try to merge a Desktop OS with a tablet OS. They've tried a few times - instead of realizing that mobile devices are not laptops and desktops. Ergo, it should not be the same.

Even with every single trick I knew on how to use 8 / 8.1 as a desktop OS, it was stupid to see that @# %^@#$%^@$#%^@$^&@$%^@$^&!@ tiles there.

I
Don't
Want
Tiles

In 10 I turned them off by unpinning every single one, then slimming the start menu down so it was only as wide as the list of apps.

In Windows 11, I turned to an app that allows me to put quick-start groups of icons on the taskbar, called TaskbarGroups, to avoid using the start menu and it's BS. I just want a nice, simple, scrollable apps list when I hit start - screw all this search with Bing and AI value added BS (VABS©®™). By the time 11 gets all the features and customizability and utility back that 10 had, it will be expiring (2031).

And I say this even with me using Win11 as my daily driver OS.

Well then you also have to remember Windows Tablet is not Android driven! As far as groups of icons? Multiple toolbars where games and softwares lack the option to pin to the taskbar but still see pin to the Start menu option take desktop shortcuts and drag them into a folder by that name and browse to that folder when going to add on a new toolbar.

Now for which version will see the obvious highest percentage that comes down to the Latest "Bells and Whistles" always seeing 1st place as a general rule of thought. For the serious gamers coming from the previous Vista daze the obviously seemingly faster and lighter 7 became the Lucky Choice! Vista had earned the Bloated OS after Floppy Sloppy XP mares coming up from the FAT16/32 to 32/64 to come days where 98SE saw the Legacy trophies for Stability Vista also earned while 11 now could turn out to be the XP that XP and 8.0 saw? for the 64bit only journey?!

While still somewhat doubtful at this point what comes next or perhaps a few more newer versions will still maintain 32bit support? while all new for 11 and beyond be the work of 64bit program developers at least at the commercial end. But as some are bound to notice 11 has a new Compatibility Assistant added into the mix over simply once again seeing a right click to run in compatibility mode for... 10. 8. 7. Vista without much hope for XP but still having support for a limited number of Legacy software titles?!

johnlgalt · Oct 18, 2023

Night Hawk said:
Well then you also have to remember Windows Tablet is not Android driven!

Pretty sure I know this considering I've been using Android devices since 2009 and Windows devices since 1991 or so. But thanks for the reminder.

I'll try to decipher the rest of that tomorrow when I'm more awake.

Ghot · Oct 18, 2023

Night Hawk said:
Well then you also have to remember...

Have mercy! It's after midnight.

We're mostly old folks...

Which age category do you fall in? - Windows 10 Help Forums

Just curious- I dont think I will win but here goes

www.tenforums.com

antspants · Oct 18, 2023

Ghot said:
View attachment 74584

Have mercy! It's after midnight.

We're mostly old folks...

Which age category do you fall in? - Windows 10 Help Forums

Just curious- I dont think I will win but here goes

www.tenforums.com

Then I suggest…

https://www.amazon.com.au/Metamucil-Daily-Supplement-Smooth-Orange/dp/B076Q6QMYM/

Ghot · Oct 18, 2023

antspants said:
Then I suggest…

LOL I'll just eat some fruit and some Triscuits.

antspants · Oct 18, 2023

Ghot said:
LOL I'll just eat some fruit and some Triscuits.

and a cup of green tea.

Ghot · Oct 18, 2023

antspants said:
and a cup of green tea.

I have a few different kinds of green tea. Although, I'm drinking Mango juice at the moment.

Night Hawk · Oct 18, 2023

Ghot said:
View attachment 74584

Have mercy! It's after midnight.

We're mostly old folks...

Which age category do you fall in? - Windows 10 Help Forums

Just curious- I dont think I will win but here goes

www.tenforums.com

ONLY AFTER MIDNIGHT? IS THAT ALL? :scream:

I seem to be losing some day between night rather then difference between night and day perceptions lately from working with some imaging softwares! Of course work schedules in the past could see that happen as well when you are arriving home and flopping into the sack to get your shuteye and hear the neighbors driving off for work?! Heh? Trying to get some sleep and VROOOM!!! PUT PUT PUT PUT 5minute warmup on a January morning can do that!

Now before 11 entered the picture the Custom themes I would make up would tend to reduce eye strain by not being GLARE IN YOU FACE! but darker wallpapers if not a darker color with not so bright colors for boundries on windows and pages opened up along with trimming the brightness level a bit in the display settings. With fewer options seen in the customization and settings that kind of leaves 11 hanging along with the new dilemna surrounding the fixed inplace taskbar at the bottom of the screen only issue 11 brought with it! Someone at MS PREFERS IT THAT WAY and wrote the new system registy to keep it that way? until maybe enough people complain saying: "What's this now?!"

antspants · Oct 18, 2023

Ghot said:
I'm drinking Mango juice at the moment.

Things are about to get messy lol

IownAmoneyPit · Oct 18, 2023

The best OS that I enjoyed using was Windows 7 when it came out (HUD Machine themes anyone ?) and was a freshly minted member of SevenForums at the time where I started learning how to use the OS, Windows 10 is a close 2nd to 7 (I miss my customized Live Tile Clock), Windows 11 is OK but I am using Start 11 and StartAllBack to bring it a little closer to 10 and I do like the centred Start Menu I just wish $MS would focus on important things like finishing one job before starting another like integrating the Control panel into settings instead of Copilot or Emojis.

wimorrison · Oct 18, 2023

johnlgalt said:
I'll try to decipher the rest of that tomorrow when I'm more awake.

If you succeed, can you tell the rest of us what it means - I can't make sense out of it

jimbo45 · Oct 18, 2023

I just hope that either W11 morphs into the best of both W10 and W11 or Windows 12 (if it becomes a reality) has them too. That's why I like Windows server 2022 LTSC --and have jinxed it to work as a desktop OS -- it really has most of the best features of W10 and W11 in them plus is lean and mean so super snappy.

Ms needs to sort out things properly -- why put some things in control panel, other things in settings and yet more things in Windows Tools -- just put the whole kybosh there, Also for those who still like using desktop icons make it easier to create short cut and sent to desktop for what used to be called "Metro UI" applications" -- I think now called "Modern store apps". I know it can be done but its a pain to do it.

Fix Windows explorer to allow long file and path names (> 266 chars) since windows itself does and allow multi-paning in explorer to be much more user friendly. Getting the basic functionality of the OS is far better than messing around with widgets (which aren't anything like as good as gadgets in W7) or yet more tiles -- I hated those in Win 8 and remove most of them in Win 11.

Cheers
jimbo

callisto · Oct 18, 2023

I usually think the latest version of Windows is the state of the art, period. But Windows 10 was the best IMO, and I still got it in my old machine. If you asked me what I dislike about Windows 11, I wouldn't know what to say, it is a great OS, but I prefer Windows 10.

jimbo45 · Oct 18, 2023

Ghot said:
I liked XP the best.
It should have been x64 from the get go.

I think it was more what an OS should be... just an OS.
It was clean, intuitive and didn't fight with the user 24/7.

I don't know who's designing Windows now... but it NOT intuitive. Every setting is a fight.
Now-a-days, it kind of like... I'm working on someone else's computer, and can't find anything.

It seems like XP just tried to be an OS... and today OSes, try to be everything... which is a mistake.
Windows and ALL software should be like a socket set.
Windows being the ratchet, and all the little everythings should be like the sockets (plugins).

I think ALL developers of all software have gone down the wrong road... or gone down the right road, the wrong way.
Software is getting too hard. Software should be a tool I use... it shouldn't be like undergraduate studies.

We will obviously need to learn how to cook, but we shouldn't have to learn how to use a spoon, again and again and again.

I have the same complaints about Bitdefender, for example. It should be a basic AV/firewall, with plugins for all that other stuff.

All I want Windows to do, is run a few programs of my choice, and go online. The rest should be plugins or even 3rd party solutions.
Developers need to get back to "knowing" how to develop compatible software. That should be their job, not mine.
On my end... things should just work.

I'm a large, loud proponent of backup software, but it has the same problem. It tries to do everything in one piece of software.
Backup software should be... simple. It should do backup/restore, have bootable media, protect it's own backups, and then have plugins for all that other stuff.

Linux has the right idea with their "packages". The only problem with Linux is that it's written in Klingon or something.

Actually most OS's these days can be written in a "Meta Language" which then generates the executable stuff. Even the venerable IBM mainframe system MVS from the 1970's was mostly written in IBM's own "Meta language" called PL/S (note not PL/1 or PL/I) but this was a reasonably "English like" language. Compiler writing wasn't so advanced back then so what this did was convert the Human written code into "Source Assembler language" and then used the system assembler to convert to executable code.

Note - not an interpreter as that "compiles as it goes along" line by line etc -. This system created the executable which was then stored on to disk and run via boot from disk similar to today's OS'es.

The OS was extremely well crafted, mega secure and really robust for its day. Interested people can still get to try this for Free on a laptop using the Hercules emulator (Free) and play around with Fortran, Cobol etc if that is what you want plus tinker around with the internals.

Whether windows is written like that or not I have no idea -- from some of the various spaghetti like convolutions of some of its processing particularly in the behaviour of the screen handling I somewhat doubt it.

Linux if you ignore all the bloat often packaged in modern distros is just basically a small kernel which does the main processing (task management, I/O handling, memory management and interrupt processing such as user input via keyboard or mouse) so the whole thing can be quite tiny. Other things like graphical desktops and applications are basically just added as "modules" which is why for example you can have several totally different desktops (not Virtual desktops but with different GUI's e.g GNOME, KDE etc) and different applications on the same distro and even switch while running without having to re-boot. (In "IBM speak" this was called IPL or Initial Program Load).

Hardware drivers can be loaded dynamically as required etc and the whole thing is designed to be multi-tasking and multi-user from the outset -- as the original OS/2 was designed to be -- but Court battles later -- and the rest is history -- we have Windows now and OS/2 is history. A bit of VHS and Betamax type of thing.

(You can still run OS/2 as a VM though - but it's only of academic interest as I doubt if there's much decent software around for it).

Finally for those riling against XP --even on the 32 bit version there was a "hobble" at least after the SP2 service pack where you could get up to 4 concurrent users on it as it took quite a few components from W2003 or W2K3 server from it. Ms closed that off though with Vista and W7.

cheers
jimbo