Windows 8

Right now I am going to do my own review on Microsoft's new Operating System Windows 8. The recently released OS is nice, sleek, and very very different to its predecessors. However the main problem witht his new OS is that it is mainly designed to be tablet or touchscreen driven. This new operating system is so different that I believe people will have to take classes on how to learn to use a computer all over again. After test driving the WIndows 8 I had major probles figuring out where the basic functionalities were such as My Computer, Control Panel etc. The new tile window is basically the new start menu. The start menu icon is now replaced by the Internet Explorer button. In my opinion the interface for Windows 8 is one the worst interfaces ever designed and not because of the way it looks but because it is too diferent from all other desktop operating system interfaces and it is not very user friendly. The Windows 8 interface would probably be ideal for a tablet or some other mobile device but not for desktops. Companies are going to have to invest a lot of time and money in order to get their employees up to par with this new operating system. When I was using Windows 8 I felt like someone who had never used a computer before. I was basically lost. If I were to rate Windows 8 I would give it 2 stars since it is developer  friendly with the javascript/HTML 5 apps and it is also very fast. Until Microsoft decides to redesign the interface, customers will not be too pleased.

Interacting with Gas Pumps

          An interesting type of system that most of us interact with at least once a week are gas pumps. If you do not go inside to pay cash you will most likely interact with the system that has been put in place for people to use. This system has been designed to allow consumers to pump fuel using a debit or credit card without the need of leaving their vehicle unattended and going inside to pay.  The pump shown in the image above gives the users the option to enter their pin number when using debit, select which type of gas they wish to purchase, select the option of buying a car wash, and also to receive a receipt of purchase.

         Pumps have evolved a lot throughout the years and have been able to give consumers and gas station owners a much more satisfying and less time consuming experience. The interface designed on these pumps are very easy and fast to use. The instructions displayed on the screen are straight forward and does not require a Computer Scientist to figure out what it is asking. Some pumps may be all touch screen, however the one shown above only receives input based on the arrow buttons selected on the sides. An example of how this works is when purchasing a car wash. The arrows will represent a different type of car wash and price. Selecting one of these arrows will add to your total purchase. Overall this type of system is something that we don't generally think as a typical computer that we interact with, but it does take part in our lives whenever we fuel up our vehicles.