Scott Hanselman's Posts on Getting the Most from Windows 8

[mouser]

A nice set of posts by Scott Hanselman describing how to be productive with Windows 8.  I've been hard on Windows 8 preview but some of this stuff looks pretty good.

... However, once it's installed, it's initially confusing but I have been using it every day all day since it was released and have got myself productive again. Here's what I ran into and how I realized that there's less reason to freak out than I originally thought.

http://www.hanselman.com/blog/Windows8ProductivityWhoMovedMyCheeseOhThereItIs.aspx

See also: http://www.hanselman.com/blog/PinningUsefulAndObscureStuffToTheWindows8StartMenu.aspx

[40hz]

It might be appropriate to note Scott Hanselman does work for Microsoft as part of their Web Platform Team. From his blog's "about" page:

My name is Scott Hanselman. I'm a web technologist and teacher. I work out of my home office in Portland for the Web Platform Team at Microsoft, but this blog, its content and opinions are my own.

Not to say his comments shouldn't be taken at face value. Or that his opinions should be automatically dismissed. It's just that his relationship with Microsoft should be noted and taken into consideration when reading his blog.

[barney]

Not to say his comments shouldn't be taken at face value. Or that his opinions should be automatically dismissed. It's just that his relationship with Microsoft should be noted and taken into consideration when reading his blog.

Yeah, it's getting more difficult to trust anything on the Web.  But I've seen enough of his comments, not always MS favorable, to rely upon his statements being as accurate as he can make them, and not be a Microsoft shill.

[Renegade]

Hanselman had been blogging for a long time before MS picked him up. From having read a lot of his stuff, he's pretty level. He commented a ways back when he was picked up by MS, and talked about how he had "the talk" with MS about his opinions and how he didn't want interference there, etc. etc.

But it was a good article. Makes W8 sound pretty decent. But, I still find no compelling reason to upgrade, other perhaps than to develop for W8.

[barney]

But it was a good article. Makes W8 sound pretty decent. But, I still find no compelling reason to upgrade, other perhaps than to develop for W8.

And therein lies the quandary.  Been playin' with the demo version, and I flat don't like it.  Haven't had opportunity to try it on a tablet, where 'twould seem better suited, but current technology simply does not allow reasonable development on a tablet, just for a tablet.

Best I can see for Win8 is that it's OK for consumption, but not for creation.

So, while I do respect Hanselman's  opinion, I still have to question the efficacy of Win8 as a production/business/non-consumption OS.

[Stoic Joker]

Nice HotKey list he's got there. I'm always looking for new keyboard shortcuts.

Haven't jumped to 8 on a primary machine yet ... But I'm thinking about it. Just can't decide which one to sacrifice (home or work) to the cause first.

[shanselman]

Thanks. I don't hide that I work for Microsoft (for the last 4 years) but I don't work for Windows and I don't have a horse in this race. My opinion isn't colored by a paycheck I don't need. My focus is the web, angle brackets and curly braces. I've always said use whatever OS makes you happy.

My point with the point was that I was very down on Win8, but after a few weeks of using it and learning some hotkeys, it's basically just Windows 7 with some nice polish and some new features. It's not the scary drama that some tech reviews imply it is.

[mouser]

Welcome to the site Scott -- great to see a post from you. 
I hope you'll also continue to write about Windows 8 -- it's good to read a developer's perspective on it.

[shanselman]

Pleasure. BTW, big fan. You know I love all your stuff.

[Josh]

My point with the point was that I was very down on Win8, but after a few weeks of using it and learning some hotkeys, it's basically just Windows 7 with some nice polish and some new features. It's not the scary drama that some tech reviews imply it is.

I just moved to Windows 8 last week and I must say that I am thoroughly enjoying the transition. Your article is one of the greatest resources I have found for useful Windows 8 information. The Winkey+X is my new favorite toy in Windows. I need to find a way to customize it. I am sure there is a way, we just have to dig it up.

Thanks for the outstanding article, Scott! It is great to see someone who can appreciate what Windows 8 has to offer. I have nothing but good things to say about it since I've installed it. I am still working on a way to transition my wife to it (MSI uses proprietary AMD drivers, so I have to see if a hacked version exists for her laptop).

Thanks again!!