Windows Server 2012 - GUI a Step Forward or?

[Patrick]

I have a Windows Server 2012 Datacenter test system with the GUI installed. I hate to ask this, but does anyone else think that Windows Server 2012 reminds them of Windows NT with the block - no gradient here Windows and minimize, maximize, and close buttons?

 

[sboesch]

I am not a fan! Windows 8 is terrible as well. I guess I am old school.
I have 2012 installed and am constantly trying to figure out how to find stuff. Same with Windows 8. I have no idea what MS was thinking other than "No one uses the start menu! Everyone pins stuff to the start menu or makes shortcuts on the desktop"

 

[coolrunnings82]

I'm frustrated trying to find things in both Server 2012 as well as Windows 8. It feels like every step we take toward making it easier for the clueless makes it that much harder for anyone who is used to how things work. The Start menu was one cohesive grouping of settings and programs that made Windows unique and I will sorely miss it. The Metro interface would have been much better as an add-on that only enabled if someone had a touch screen or was running Windows 8 on a tablet - at least from my perspective.

 

[zicoz]

My experience with servers are minimal as I only use mine as a media server and for backup so I won't argue anything on that, and design is pretty subjective as well, personally I prefer the non-aero design in Windows 8 over Windows 7/Vista. As for functionality I found the Storage Spaces are a lot easier to set up and manage in Windows 8 then in Windows Storage Server 2012. And I wish they could have done something that looks more like the WHS dashboard.

But when it comes to the start menu being removed it really shouldn't matter to you as it is replaced by the start screen which does anything the start menu did and then some. What exactly are you missing from that you used to be able to do in the Start Menu?

 

[mobilenvidia]

Been using it for a few weeks now, finally got UEFI installed sorted.

One thing, I give it big thumbs up for is boot is quick, LSI stuff still takes it time (even though you can't see any splash screens)
But the desktop pops up with in seconds, shutdowns are quick.
But it feels more like a Mainstream OS, not a server class OS.

Metro I'm getting used, I think any OS with a new layout bound to have criticism as we all don't like change.
No doubt going to XP from Win98 was a similar progression.

For a brand new OS it last night decided it needed 28 updates

 

[Jeggs101]

Automobiles are going sleek after angry toaster period.

Looks like 70's styling without circles.

 

[michaeld]

I'm frustrated trying to find things in both Server 2012 as well as Windows 8. It feels like every step we take toward making it easier for the clueless makes it that much harder for anyone who is used to how things work. The Start menu was one cohesive grouping of settings and programs that made Windows unique and I will sorely miss it. The Metro interface would have been much better as an add-on that only enabled if someone had a touch screen or was running Windows 8 on a tablet - at least from my perspective.

These are my thoughts, verbatim! MS shouldn't have messed with what was working well and had been refined over the years. Make the Metro (or is it "Spaces" now?) inferface OPTIONAL and/or can be disabled.

 

[sboesch]

Here is an article I found, it pretty much describes Server 2012 / Windows 8(ate my start menu).
http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2012/10/early_look_at_windows_8_baffle.html

 

[sboesch]

Patrick, your post made me find this....

 

[Mike]

It's Gnome 2, 3 and Unity all over again
I personally like win 8 a lot, its different but works just fine. Now for server 2012 all we would need are the *nix commands

 

[low858]

been using 2012 for at least a month now...and man, it was terrible in the beginning. ive gotten used to several things which i normally go into often, but its still a learning curve. for the most part its just windows, but them moving things around is driving me nuts!

 

[Patrick]

been using 2012 for at least a month now...and man, it was terrible in the beginning. ive gotten used to several things which i normally go into often, but its still a learning curve. for the most part its just windows, but them moving things around is driving me nuts!

Good feedback. Still not entirely excited about the interface of Server 2012 or Windows 8. Actually, I really like Win8 except for a few ways metro works.

 

[odditory]

Patrick I highly recommend www.StartIsBack.com for Windows 8 -- am liking it a whole lot more now that Metro isn't in my face, ever. Unlike the other "replica" third party Start menus, startisback uses the native start menu code that MS left in win8's explorer.exe

Its not compatible with Server 2012 (that I know of) so do not use it with that.

 

[Patrick]

Patrick I highly recommend www.StartIsBack.com for Windows 8 -- am liking it a whole lot more now that Metro isn't in my face, ever. Unlike the other "replica" third party Start menus, startisback uses the native start menu code that MS left in win8's explorer.exe

Its not compatible with Server 2012 (that I know of) so do not use it with that.

Do you keep the Metro UI also? There are a bunch of useful features there. Finding a few things I like. Windows key plus typing Programs and Features gets me there quickly.

 

[odditory]

Sure, it doesn't kill Metro or remove it from memory or anything - much as I would actually like to do that sometimes- it just makes the windows key bring up the old style start menu.

And my favorite part, it doesn't boot into Metro, it boots to desktop like Windows 7. I'd rather ease into metro gradually as apps worth using become available (which right now is slim to none) than the other way around where I'm constantly having to push it out of the way.

 

[Patrick]

OK... this thing is really cool. I used it with basically all of the Metro (hot corners and etc) stuff on. Only difference now is I'm using Control + Windows key to get to the start menu.

 

[supermacro]

Man... just took 2012 for a spin and... and... I remember when my dad tried to use Windows for the first time (I think late 80's) and he was new to using mouse and GUI interface and quite didn't know where to click for things. Just moving the mouse around on the screen and clicking away hoping it will hit something and I was laughing hard. I couldn't understand why he was so uncoordinated but now I'm doing the same thing and I'm not letting my daughter see me do this. She'll think I'm an idiot, LOL.

Finally figured out how to power off and "show all apps" and that's about it... I don't like it a bit yet but we'll see.

 

[renderfarmer]

I must be the only person that likes the new win8 and win2012 UI. It took me about a week to adjust to things and now I find it hard going back...

I find the traditional start menu to be such a monumental waste of time that I got in the habbit of mapping all of my most used apps to Shortcut Keys. There are however plenty of once a month apps I can't memorize.

I find the new metro start menu to be much better as i can customize it more easily, and find what I'm looking for faster without having to drill down 16 menus or search through a wall of tiny icons and text. I don't actually use any metro "apps", I just treat is as a giant wall of apps and locations.

As for gradients and candy looking graphics; good riddance. IMHO That stuff belongs in 1997 along with the original iMac. The new graphics are crisp, uncluttered, and to the point. I actualluy feel calmer when looking at the metro UI than Windows 7. I applaud MS for doing what I feel is right in the face of what's popular. My only wish if that they pushed the integration even further. Get rid of all of the vestiges of the old windows UI paradigm. For the first time ever I actually feel better about the direction of the Windows UI then I do about OSX's.

 

[Lost-Benji]

Oh come on M$, we don't need a tablet interface on a Server.

The quickest way to manage Server 2012 is put a start menu in and revert interfaces to win7/Server 2008. Now server is manageable.

 

[RimBlock]

Oh come on M$, we don't need a tablet interface on a Server.

The quickest way to manage Server 2012 is put a start menu in and revert interfaces to win7/Server 2008. Now server is manageable.

I would fully agree with this.

Having a disabled 'brightness' button and a UI that screams "tablet" on a server is just annoying.

The best thing about the new interface.... discovering the [Windows key] + [Q] combination.

Under the initial Metro screen the system looks fine, functional and pleasant but I cannot help feeling that Microsoft are trying to push us one more step away from the underlying technology and I prefer a little more control but then I am more from a UNIX world.

Windows 7 is fine for my desktopa nd I see no reason to change unless we end up with touch screen computers which is very unlikely. I can see its value with tablets though.

RB