Microsoft again. Now with Windows 8

I have stopped using Windows on 2011 and since then I have been using exclusively Mac OS X and Linux but on October 2013 I have started a new job, and I have been given a Dell Inspiron with Windows 8. The company I work for uses Exchange server so Windows and Outlook is something very usef ul. Well I have started using it with some bad feelings I must admit that I am biased against Microsoft, being a Linux advocate for years I simply do not love Microsoft product s.

The truth must be said, Windows 8 is not a bad OS at all, it is definitely not as good as Mac OS X or Linux if you are a developer, but if you just need to: - work with documents - read emails - surf the web

And so on, it is a good OS. Sure you can do the same with Linux, Mac OS X or even Chrome which is also great for all tasks listed above. The only advantage of Windows is that it is fully compatible with Microsoft Office, and can run Outlook (if you need it) and a lot of other software like AutoCad. Microsoft Office is still the world standard specially in the corporate world, and Exchange is still the "the facto" email server in the corporate world.

I am enjoying working with it, and it runs smooth and fast enough in the Dell Inspiron 14 with an Intel core i5 microprocessor. I have been using it for two months already and I have not yet seen the blue screen, I have still did not have any halt of the system.

Some apps I really enjoy of it, are:

• Music
• Email
• Calendar

All of them very minimalistic and easy to use, email and calendar work great with my personal Office 365 account.

The Music App does not have a lot of features, surely not even near to iTunes, but it does what I want, plays my music while I am working, the app itself is fast and light weighted.

The calendar app is easy to use, intuitive, and I just miss the possibility to move an appointment using the mouse, you have to edit it and change the date in order to move to another date or time.

The email app, lets you work while off line with your email, the bad thing is that you have to have an Outlook.com account in order to use it, but once again it is very light, and intuitive.

I do not miss do not having a menu button, having being working with Mac and OpenBox for Linux as well as Unity on Ubuntu I really do not need a start button. I like the way to find my programs, I just move the mouse all over the right of the screen and then using the magnifying glass, and start typing the name of the program.

The same magnifying app search for emails if you are using the email app, and for movies if you are using the Netflix app. Talking about Netflix I really like having it as an app instead of using my browser.

I am now really thinking about buying a Nokia Lumia with Windows 8 OS, in order to better use my productive apps (read Microsoft Office apps)

I have ditched Google Apps and mainly all Google services in favor of Microsoft ones for my personal account, because I prefer to work with a standard instead of the proprietary services of Google (Imap, Active Sync on G Apps just do not work as they should), I do not like labels on my email, and lots of other things, but just will be another post.

Finally, I want to say that my personal laptop is still a Macbook Pro, and it will continue that way, my personal phone is a Blackberry, and I may change it for an iPhone in the future.