Because it solved a problem that did not exist. Literally no one wanted to make the Start menu full screen and make the desktop experience an app. There was nothing wrong with Windows 7 at the time, and Windows 8 offered nothing new worth using at the time. Worth noting that Windows 8.1 was fine. Side note: Vista suffered a similar fate. When Vista came out, nothing was compatible with it and Vista got the blame. By the time Windows 7 was out, Vista, otherwise fine at this point, was just a slightly worse 7 (for example, it had no window snapping) Answer from Deleted User on reddit.com
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Reddit
reddit.com › r › windows8
Windows 8
November 5, 2010 - r/windows8: This community is dedicated to Windows 8 which is a personal computer operating system released by Microsoft as part of the Windows NT…
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/windows › why did windows 8 get so much hate?
r/windows on Reddit: Why did Windows 8 get so much hate?
June 2, 2020 -

As I was creating my video about Windows 8's failure, I came across many reasons why people hated it. I would like to hear some of your reasons as to why you did not like Windows 8.

The video is here: https://youtu.be/ZpYn5Oe4RNg

Edit; I realized I spelled failure wrong in the thumbnail, it has been fixed. If it still displays as "faliure" on reddit, I am sorry.

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Because it solved a problem that did not exist. Literally no one wanted to make the Start menu full screen and make the desktop experience an app. There was nothing wrong with Windows 7 at the time, and Windows 8 offered nothing new worth using at the time. Worth noting that Windows 8.1 was fine. Side note: Vista suffered a similar fate. When Vista came out, nothing was compatible with it and Vista got the blame. By the time Windows 7 was out, Vista, otherwise fine at this point, was just a slightly worse 7 (for example, it had no window snapping)
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Windows 8 was a complete ui overhaul, optimizing for touch interface. It worked pretty well on a tablet or such, but it was quite clunky to use with a mouse and keyboard, which was 99% of the use. In terms of performance it was pretty close or better to Windows 7, but it feels slower for the clunkiness. Windows 8.1 brought back the start button and shutdown icons, I used it while it was around, I actually quite liked it even with keyboard and mouse - the start button and updated start screen was much nicer to use on a normal computer. Windows 10 mixed 8.1 and 7 with tablet mode or start menu, in some ways it makes users feel like they get a win because they are backing off on the tablet interface.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/windows › unpopular opinion (i think): windows 8.1 was the fastest modern windows os
r/windows on Reddit: Unpopular opinion (I think): windows 8.1 was the fastest modern windows os
February 18, 2025 -

In my experience, 8.1 was a godsend for very low specs computers (core 2 duo, 2gb ram), especially when paired with an ssd. It was the best combo between 7 and 10, and it sometimes felt faster than 7 too, while also occasionally using less ram.

If you used open / classic shell, the 8.1 experience was pretty good overall. It's a shame this os lost support, because it was a very efficient one for these old computers.

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It is not an opinion, it is an objective fact. Microsoft did a ton to optimize Windows 8 to run on low end hardware like tablets with Atom and Tegra processors, so in some respects it had lower system requirements than Windows 7.
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I absolutely loved windows 8, and I wish I could still use Metro. I know it was mostly hated, but I really thought it was great. I miss my live tiles. Now I don't even have the classic theme.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/windows › anyone still using windows 8/8.1 in 2025?
r/windows on Reddit: Anyone Still using Windows 8/8.1 in 2025?
January 20, 2025 -

I am just curious if anyone is still using Windows 8/8.1 in 2025 and what’s the experience like?

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There's plenty of people who do. 0.29% of the Windows version market share are 8.1 users. That's a couple million users.
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still using 8.1 it as my primary os
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reddit.com › r/windows › who is still using windows 8 here?
r/windows on Reddit: Who is still using windows 8 here?
January 3, 2022 - I still use 8.1 on a few systems I use for testing hardware, I did use it on my main system until around 2019, I still consider it a cut down Win7 with OpenShell for low power machines ... I didn't know that. Thanks you ... Still have it on one machine, but I've also got one running 3.1.... ... It was an excellent OS, but I had to upgrade to Windows 10 when I upgraded to the Vega64, since AMD didn't release Win8.1 drivers for it.
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reddit.com › r/windows › why was windows 8 so badly designed?
r/windows on Reddit: Why was Windows 8 so badly designed?
August 2, 2024 -

So I was given a hand-me-down Windows 8 laptop and the UI is so bad. Like, I get where they were going with it visually but usability-wise it's counter-productive. It comes across as rushed out and not properly user tested. They fixed it a bit in 8.1 but why was 8 so, strange? I did manage to update the laptop to 10 fortunately.

Compare to 7 which was much better or 10 which was closer UI-wise to 7 less the aero styling.

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The idea behind Windows 8 is that you could pick up your Windows RT Tablet and Windows Phone and it operate very similarly. It just did not translate at all to the desktop without a touchscreen. As for why it feels rushed, Windows 8 was also around the time when Microsoft stopped doing testing on real hardware if I am not mistaken.
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They were trying to share the same UI as Windows Phone so Apps developed for the PC could share the same UI as the windows phone for standardization. But yeah it was shite!
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reddit.com › r/windows › anyone using windows 8.1 in 2022?
r/windows on Reddit: Anyone using windows 8.1 in 2022?
September 28, 2021 -

Just curious want to hear some opinions.

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I have a colleague who has installed Windows 8.1 4-5 years ago and haven't updated or reinstall it since then. Personally, I used Windows 10 for three years and had installed Windows 11 2-3 months ago. It works fine for me.
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Using a 2 in 1 tablet with 8.3 RT, which is more useless than 8.1 ever was. Recieved from one of my IT customers because it had been replaced... just gave it a factory reset. The other 4 laptops have either 7 or 10
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reddit.com › r/windows › "windows 8 is an example of something that failed because it had 'too much" innovation'"-- ex windows chief steven sinofsky
r/windows on Reddit: "Windows 8 is an example of something that failed because it had 'too much" innovation'"-- Ex Windows Chief Steven Sinofsky
October 27, 2022 - Alas, House Redmond learned that the PC users giveth and the and the PC users taketh away. All the good will they had built up with Windows 7 vanished when they tried to spring a shoddy knockoff of iOS. ... It was amazing OS on PC. I have no idea why are people hating it so much. I dislike tiles, but everything 8 did was great.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/windows › windows 8.1 isn't as bad as i thought. it was a really fun experience once you learned how to use it. i even made my start screen setup organized... it's a massive improvement over 8 if you'd ask me, cuz navigating in 8 is really difficult
r/windows on Reddit: Windows 8.1 isn't as bad as i thought. it was a really fun experience once you learned how to use it. i even made my start screen setup organized... it's a massive improvement over 8 if you'd ask me, cuz navigating in 8 is really difficult
September 3, 2022 - 8 does not get enough credit for being the last version of Windows that can run on a mechanical hard drive, is lightweight and completely debloated of ads and any third party junk, and is extremely stable and glitch-free.
Find elsewhere
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reddit.com › t › windows_81
Best Windows 8.1 Posts - Reddit
Do people have trouble with drivers not updating for AMD users? Do all of your games work on Windows 8.1? Basically are there any major cons to using Windows 8.1 for gaming and general use? ... /r/Reddit8/ Subreddit for the development and feature request of the Reddit8 for Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1
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reddit.com › r/windows8 › windows 8.1 support is ending soon. are you going to miss it?
r/windows8 on Reddit: Windows 8.1 support is ending soon. Are you going to miss it?
April 18, 2022 - It may be risky to leave it on 8.1 but i honestly don't care anymore because we barely use it. ... Miss it? Who gives a shit about Microsoft updates. I'm still gonna be running it until it simply gets too old to do so with modern hardware. And even then, I might still use it for legacy purposes later on. ... same here. I tried to run Windows 10 21H2 on my tablet but it was simply too slow and not very responsive.
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reddit.com › r/windows8 › does anyone still use windows 8/8.1 in 2020
r/windows8 on Reddit: Does Anyone still use Windows 8/8.1 in 2020
July 3, 2019 -

I understand that Windows 8 ended support back in 2016 and 8.1 supported until 2023. I currently use Windows 8.1 daily because with classic shell (recommend) it's basically Windows 7 SP2. I upgraded Windows 7 since its ending support in a few days and 8.1 is great. Better then 10 certainly. I was just wondering who else uses it as well?

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Yep using 8.1 with classic shell here too. I tried 10 and hated it, then went to linux, the wife hated that, so i gave 8.1 a shot and it works great. Not sure what im going to do in 2023 though.
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On Surface Pro 3 yup. Windows 10 tablet mode is still terrible.
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reddit.com › r/windows › why people dislike windows 8.1 so much?
r/windows on Reddit: Why people dislike Windows 8.1 so much?
December 15, 2018 -

Hi all :)

Linux user here, been using Windows 8.1 X64 lately and everything is smooth.

  • There are no "forced" updates as in Windows 10

  • System itself is stable (old rag: dual-core CPU @ 2.4ghz and 3GB of ram, Radeon 7470)

  • Updates are still received for this Windows version - updated the system numerous times since installing it months ago, never had any problem

  • You can just "hide" the metro interface by installing OpenShell, which adds a correct start menu

  • No DX12 support but i don't care so much :)

  • Light on system resources and runs great on my potato

  • No intense background (storage) activity as on Windows 10, no background updates etc.

I mean why do people just pass on Windows 8.1?

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It was far superior technically to tired old w7. MS made a big mistake by not having a start menu and by then the high ground was lost in public's mind to extent majority never gave it a fair trial.
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People who dont like Windows 10 new features would generally find 7 better than 8.1. People who likes the 10 new features would generally find 10 better than 8.1. Oh, and WinRT apps ecosystem is dying. And if you dont care about WinRT, then you probably didnt care about 8.1 in the first place and stick with 7. If you do care, then the UWP apps from 10 is the new WinRT. There is nothing wrong with 8.1, but its just quite literally the middle of the road option, out of a polarizing topic where people typically take one side or the other. Most importantly, People who dont have a preference would be better off with 10 since it has the longest support as of now. EDIT: There is also the bad reputation of Windows 8 being a difficult OS to learn and adapt. Similar problem with Vista, once the reputation is there, you are screwed. MS could call 7 as Vista R2 (like they did on the Server variant) but they dont because the public perception was bad.
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reddit.com › r › windows › comments › 14x6y0f › unpopular_opinion_i_miss_windows_81
Unpopular Opinion: I Miss Windows 8.1
October 29, 2022 - Up to about a year and a half ago, if I ever had a PC which needed an OS, Windows 8.1 was my choice.
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reddit.com › r/computers › did anyone of you like windows 8 or 8.1?
r/computers on Reddit: Did anyone of you like Windows 8 or 8.1?
October 3, 2023 -

I'm asking because my first OS was Win 8.1 and I personally love it. I don't know why people hate this OS so much.

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8.1 was pretty alright. i mean, it was no 98 SE, but then, nothing is (sigh)
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I absolutely despised it. Having used windows since I was a toddler banging on my dad's keyboard in windows 3.1... No way, don't mess with the start menu.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/computers › did anyone really fuck with windows 8?
r/computers on Reddit: Did anyone really fuck with windows 8?
July 17, 2023 -

I was just thinking about this today at work I'm on windows 11 and I don't have any issues with it but did anyone really like windows 8?

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Most people just skipped 8 and went from 7 to 10.
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I was a big fan of Windows Mobile and Windows Phone. My first smartphone was a Motorola Q9H Global, then a Dell Venue Pro, then a Nokia Lumia 1020. When Windows 8 came out, I had custom-ordered a touch panel from China so I could turn my desktop into a touch screen PC. Honestly I feel 95% of the change in Windows versions is the Start Menu, and as I mostly use the keyboard it makes no difference to my. For example if I want to open the calculator, I press the start button on the keyboard, type "calc", press enter, and that's it. As a result the aesthetics of the Start Menu from Vista, 7, 8, 10, and 11 never made a difference to me. Likewise for control panel I usuallly either use the search function in the start menu, the search function in control panel, or I just use the run dialog and the Start Menu. That said, I also loved Windows Vista and Windows XP 64-bit Edition. In fact I hated that they got rid of the Windows Experience Index benchmark in Windows 10. It was great having a benchmarking utility in Windows itself to show deficiencies: https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/454063040
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/windows › windows 8.1 working great in 2024
r/windows on Reddit: Windows 8.1 working great In 2024
September 20, 2023 - This community is dedicated to Windows 8 which is a personal computer operating system released by Microsoft as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems. ... This is not a tech support subreddit, use r/WindowsHelp or r/TechSupport ...
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reddit.com › r/windows › beautiful windows 8.1 desktop... and omg, so stable and so fast...
r/windows on Reddit: Beautiful Windows 8.1 Desktop... And OMG, So Stable And So Fast...
July 17, 2022 - Windows 8.1 isn't as bad as i thought. it was a really fun experience once you learned how to use it. i even made my start screen setup organized... it's a massive improvement over 8 if you'd ask me, cuz navigating in 8 is really difficult ... Accessibility Reddit, Inc.
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reddit.com › r/windows › unpopular opinion : i love windows 8 and 8.1
r/windows on Reddit: unpopular opinion : i love windows 8 and 8.1
August 24, 2024 -

the metro ui looks so good i love it what are your thoughts about 8 and 8.1

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I absolutely loved Windows 8 back then… I know the Start menu was a hassle for some people, yet I loved it, the Metro UI was very nice. Edit: I also loved Windows Vista, and I like using Windows 11 😆
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i too love windows 8.1 (haven't tried 8 though) for its performance (still using it as my main os in my multiboot setup)
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/windows8 › i love windows 8
r/windows8 on Reddit: I love Windows 8
January 26, 2025 -

it's unfortunate that so many people missed out on this masterpiece of an operating system.

Once you configure it just right (at least IMO), it's easily the best system Microsoft ever made, hands down. I have very little installed right now, as this is a fresh installation, but with time I'll have tons of stuff installed.

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Completely skipped 8 back then as I moved to Mac OS X … but I recently installed 8.1 on an old machine here.
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How do you secure it re internet? I have a copy of 8.1 embeded that is tricked out with Win 7 aero effects. I have an old dual socket I was thinking of putting back in service...