ByeBye, Windows 8.1 (T_T)
Half a year ago, on January 10, 2023, Microsoft officially ended support for Windows 8.1. I still remember that news clearly — it just sat quietly among countless tech headlines, yet it somehow hit me hard. For years, Windows 8.1 had been my companion, the door I walked through into the digital world. And now, it didn’t even get a proper goodbye — just left behind like it was nothing.
Honestly, my reaction went way beyond disappointment — it was more like a quiet sense of loss. Windows 8.1 wasn’t perfect, I knew that. But there were things about it that I genuinely loved. Like that Start screen full of colorful live tiles — I know a lot of people trashed it, said it broke the traditional Start menu, called it a disaster. But to me, those tiles felt alive. Weather updating in real-time, news scrolling by, photos from recently just flashing up there. That feeling… was nice. Like the operating system was breathing, not just sitting there dead and static.
And the design language — those soft gradient blocks, clean typography, the rounded Aero corners that Microsoft later ditched in Windows 10. Windows 8.1 had its own personality. It was different from everything else. It wasn’t trying to copy macOS or follow any trend. It was Microsoft’s bold experiment — flawed, sure — but I just appreciated that boldness.
I still remember the first time I used it. Sliding from the classic desktop into the Start screen, swiping from the edge of the screen — everything felt so natural, almost magical. Fresh, you know? For someone who’d only used Windows 7 before, this was brand new. And it wasn’t even that hard to learn — the transition just felt natural.
And now, it’s gone. Not literally gone — I can still boot it up if I want. But that feeling of being left behind by the times — nothing remains. Using an unsupported operating system now feels like wandering alone in the dark.
The timing couldn’t have been crueler. By June 2023, I’d already switched to Linux — Manjaro, specifically. But back in January, I was still wrestling with the idea of saying goodbye to Windows for good. The news of Windows 8.1’s end of support was exactly the push I needed. It forced me to let go.
Windows 7 said goodbye on January 14, 2020. Windows 8.1 followed on January 10, 2023. Goodbye, Windows 8.1. You weren’t perfect. But you were mine.
半年前，2023年1月10日，微软正式终止了对Windows 8.1的支持。直到现在，我还清楚记得那条新闻——它安安静静地混在无数科技快讯里，却莫名地戳中了我。多年以来，Windows 8.1一直是我的伙伴，是我进入数字世界的那扇门。而如今，它连一场像样的告别都没有，就这么被留在了身后。
说实话，我当时的感受远不止失望——更像是一种淡淡的失落。Windows 8.1并不完美，这我知道。可它有些地方，我是真心喜欢。比如那个布满彩色动态磁贴的启动屏幕——我知道很多人骂过它，说它打破了传统的开始菜单，简直是场灾难。但对我来说，那些磁贴是有生命的。天气在实时更新，新闻在滚动，最近的照片会悄悄闪过。那种感觉……很舒服。好像这个操作系统是活的，而不只是死板地躺在那里。
还有它的设计语言——那些柔和的渐变色块、干净的字体，以及后来被微软在Windows 10里抛弃的圆角Aero效果。Windows 8.1有自己的脾气。它和别人不一样。它不学macOS，也不追什么潮流。它是微软一次大胆的尝试——虽然有缺陷，但我就是欣赏这份大胆。
我还记得第一次用它时的样子。从传统桌面滑进启动屏幕，从屏幕边缘往内一划——一切都那么顺手，几乎有种奇妙感。对只用过Windows 7的我来说，这太新鲜了。而且学起来并不难，几乎是自然而然就过渡过去了。
如今，它走了。倒不是真的消失了——想用的话，我还能把它打开。只是那种被时代甩下的感觉——什么都没留下。用一个不再受支持的操作系统，现在感觉就像一个人在黑夜里游荡。
这时间点也残忍得让人无奈。到2023年6月，我已经投奔了Linux——具体说是Manjaro。但在一月份那会儿，我还在犹豫要不要彻底告别Windows。Windows 8.1停更的消息，正好推了我一把。它逼着我放手。
Windows 7在2020年1月14日说了再见。Windows 8.1在2023年1月10日紧随其后。再见了，Windows 8.1。你不完美。但你是属于我的那一个。
Written on the Twenty-Third Day of the Sixth Moon, in the Gui-Mao Year of the Water Rabbit