Negative vibes for Windows 8 this weekend from the San Jose Mercury News, the daily paper at the heart of Silicon Valley .
Columnist Troy Wolverton writes bluntly, " As a PC user, I hate -- a word I use sparingly -- the new interface that is the centerpiece of Windows 8."
The new version of Microsoft's flagship operating system is due out on Friday and Microsoft has "replaced its tried-and-true desktop interface with what it called until recently the Metro interface, " says Wolverton.
"Instead of a start button, taskbar and windows filled with applications and folders, Metro features a screen full of program "tiles" and applications that run full-screen.
"While I think this interface has a lot of promise for tablets, on a traditional desktop or laptop computer, or even on a newer notebook sporting a touch screen, it's clunky and unintuitive.
"Metro often feels like a work in progress, because seemingly obvious features are unavailable. And worst of all, Metro makes it much harder than before to do everyday tasks and real work on your computer."
There is much more.
Wolverton says Metro is not all bad for PC users. There are some things he does like .
"One great feature is that on the Metro start screen, you can search for an app by simply typing its name, no need to click on a search bar or a start button."
Another interesting feature is that the application tiles on the start screen act like widgets, displaying up-to-date information, which makes them more useful than the old static program icons.
But Wolverton concludes, "For PC users, these types of benefits are far outweighed by the regular frustrations of using Metro. If you want to use Windows 8 on a tablet, it's well made for that purpose. But I'd avoid it on a PC."
Microsoft is said to be prepared to spend $1.5 billion promoting Windows 8 and the company's change of emphasis to mobile .
But Business insider says that based on some anecdotal responses from professional reviewers and normal people -it's not exactly love at first sight.
SAI's Matt Rosoff reviewed a preview version of Windows 8 a couple of months ago and found it "needlessly confusing and hard to use."
The AP said the new OS interface "baffles" consumers.
The New York Times's David Gallagher invited five people to try Windows 8 and filmed them while they did so. One of the five liked the look of the design ("Awesome," "This is so cool,"). "But figuring out how to actually go about doing things seemed to confuse the hell out of everyone--including the person who liked the design," said Gallagher.
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