Windows 8

Are you ready for the newest version of Windows? Maybe you’ve heard a few sketchy things about it that make it less user-friendly than Windows 7 and that scares you a little bit. After all, each new version of Windows brings with it a new look, and different feel and a difficult learning curve for some. So what can Windows 8 offer you to make it more appealing? After a bit of research, here are some of the changes to the Windows you once knew.

The first thing you can breathe a sigh of relief about is that most of the interface is still the same. Windows will still look the same when you open them, the start bar is still at the bottom of the screen—the one where you can choose which open programs to display. Little things like the menu system in My Computer have been expanded with icons to make them more user-friendly. Other little changes have been added to make the browsing experience easier. You need not worry that you’ll have to relearn the basics though.

The major design difference is in the menu system. This interface is completely different. Seemingly foreshadowed with windows phones, the menu system is now called the Charm Bar and it is accessed by either moving your cursor to the bottom right of the screen, or pressing the windows button and “C.” The new Charm Bar is characterized by a block of colored boxes—of varying sizes—with intuitive icons and descriptions. Simply click on the box you want to explore and it will take you back to a familiar scene—a program loading on your normal desktop. There will be a slight learning curve when it comes to manipulating the Charm Bar, but once you have it down, it will be intuitive enough.

Windows 8 was designed for a tablet. The number one thing you need to remember when using Windows 8 is that it was designed to put windows on a tablet—home grown called the Surface. This means one of several things. First, programs are apps now. This tablet is designed to compete directly with the popular iPad and uses the same terminology and features as the iPad. Prepare to use apps, and not programs. Second, when something seems hard to find, try to think how you would find it on a touchscreen tablet, what buttons would you push on your phone or tablet to find something. Would you swipe something down—like the new login screen for Windows 8? Treat it like a tablet, not a PC, and the interface will seem more intuitive to you.

Although this post doesn’t nearly address every change, it addresses some of the most noticeable ones and teaches you how to figure everything else out as you play with it.