Windows 8

Windows 8 'gripes' and a fix...
In the course of work, I keep meeting people who have recently had computers replaced with new Windows 8 machines, and generally speaking most people seem to hate it! This is basically a fear of something that is different, and also due to the fact that most people didn't use a lot of features that were already available in Windows 7. For instance I was always one for using the Windows 7 feature whereby you pressed the Windows key and then start typing the program name I want to start, and then when the name appears, press the enter key to start it. This is rather than searching for it through all the menus. Most people didn't use this feature previously! This works the same in Windows 8, but you get thrown back into the metro/modern interface whilst you type. This in itself can be quite unnerving for some, but keep on typing and the effect is the same.
Windows 8.1 release date
So Microsoft have finally announced the release date for Windows 8.1, (formerly known as Windows Blue), and they confirmed that Windows 8.1 will be launched at 4am PDT (12 noon GMT) on the 17 October and will be available through the Windows Store as a free download.

The bigger surprise is that they are not allowing an early release to the soon to be discontinued TechNet and to MSDN, which in all honesty is a rather baffling move...