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Microsoft's clear goal here is to push everybody toward Metro apps. Thus far, Microsoft's biggest downfall in the tablet market has been the lack of tablet-specific applications available for platforms like Windows Phone 7 as compared to the thousands available for iOS. Microsoft thinks if they can force a tablet interface on everyone, developers will be required to write tablet apps, allowing Microsoft to make further inroads into the tablet market. This is a big gamble but that is the direction MS is going right now. Office 2013 is going to be partially in Metro and I imagine the next office, if Windows 8 is a success, will be entirely in Metro.
Obviously Microsoft is trying to push people towards Metro, just like Apple is trying to push people towards iOS. But neither Microsoft or Apple has ever indicated that they plan to have Metro replace the desktop experience. That is speculation on your part.
Your imagination is way out there. I highly doubt Microsoft will move completely away from their desktop experience.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bchris02
And yes, this is the biggest change to Windows since Windows 95, and not change in a good way unless you have touch screen. Windows 8 NEEDS to fail, forcing MS to release Windows 9 making Metro optional or even a service pack to Windows 8 allowing you to disable it. So what if its easier for grandma who has never touched a computer to figure out, Metro is a HUGE fail with a keyboard and mouse for business users or anybody who has had any computing experience. Under the hood, Windows 8 is an improvement and if it wasn't for this horrid, all-encompassing interface thats impossible to disable, I might consider upgrading.
How is adding Metro to what is essentially Windows 7 the biggest chance since Windows 95? New technology was a much more significant change than this.
How is Metro a huge fail with keyboard and mouse? Metro is just a fullscreen start menu. Everything else is just like Windows 7. Grandmas also aren't the people that Microsoft cares about. Grandmas are already used to the Windows 95 interface and hate change. Old people hate change. That's not who they are targeting.
I'm not saying you should upgrade.... but your assessment of what's going on is completely wrong.
Users spend so little time interfacing with the OS. We launch applications (taking less than a second if you are familiar with any OS), then spend hours (days) interfacing with the application.
There's a good paper by Jared Spool on UX & OS's that basically contradicts what you said. Users are switching from app to app more with shallow involvement. Less and less people go to work, open up an application and spend all day in it. He presented his research and findings at Bloomberg not too long ago: NYC UXPA - It
It should be published and accessible through ACM soon.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Asheville Native
W7 and pinning apps to the task bar is a great way to launch apps and easily launched via the keyboard, or mouse for the slave to the GUI. The less used apps, I launch with the keyboard, just a few keystrokes.
Agreed. All of which is still available in Windows 8.... and with even more convenient ways to launch apps. While most users aren't into keyboard shortcuts, Windows 8 has taken it to a new level for those who are.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Asheville Native
What I do expect from an OS, managing all hardware resources, file storage, memory management, etc., W7 does very well. Add any new hardware installed or connrected (internal or external) it is recognized, configured and becomes available.
W7 is a efficient and rock solid 'foundation' to run my apps. An upgrade or OS change merely replaces the foundation, to run the same apps, not worth the $$ or the time to do so.
Since Windows 8 is basically a minor upgrade to Windows 7, it's not worthwhile for most people to upgrade if they have to pay for it. Most of the enterprise who are on Windows 7 will likely skip it anyways whether it had Metro or not. The enterprise doesn't upgrade each time a new OS comes out... they usually skip around.
At home, I'll likely use Windows 8 because it comes with the computers I buy. I don't own a retail copy of Windows 7 and don't plan on shelling out for one if I already have a Windows 8 license on my computer.
The Surface tablet was a necessary evil. OEMs were releasing horrible products. Microsoft is releasing the Surface to up the quality of products OEM produce.
Intel had the same issue with the same OEMs. So it's not just Microsoft being a prick. Intel implemented a strategy to get OEMs to product higher quality PCs. Now Microsoft is doing the same thing.
How is adding Metro to what is essentially Windows 7 the biggest chance since Windows 95? New technology was a much more significant change than this.
The switch from desktop to metro is very jarring. If you click the start button in any version of Windows since 95, it comes up in the corner of the screen. Want it to go away, just click somewhere outside the start menu. Want to make the Win8 start screen go away to get back to where you were? Well, that's not obvious.
Click a PDF in Win7, Acrobat opens in a window on your desktop on top of what you were doing. Want to close it? Just click the X. Click a PDF in Win8 and the Metro reader opens? Want to close it? Well, that's not obvious. In fact, they're deprecating the whole concept of closing apps, just like iOS. Just let the OS decide what to keep running and what to close! Hey, Microsoft, its MY computer and I have 8GB of RAM. I'll decide what gets closed and what stays open.
The switch from desktop to metro is very jarring. If you click the start button in any version of Windows since 95, it comes up in the corner of the screen. Want it to go away, just click somewhere outside the start menu. Want to make the Win8 start screen go away to get back to where you were? Well, that's not obvious.
Click a PDF in Win7, Acrobat opens in a window on your desktop on top of what you were doing. Want to close it? Just click the X. Click a PDF in Win8 and the Metro reader opens? Want to close it? Well, that's not obvious. In fact, they're deprecating the whole concept of closing apps, just like iOS. Just let the OS decide what to keep running and what to close! Hey, Microsoft, its MY computer and I have 8GB of RAM. I'll decide what gets closed and what stays open.
None of this really responds to the post of mine that you quoted. Changing the start menu is such a minor change compared to new technology. Thus saying that Windows 8 is the biggest change to Windows since Windows 95 is fairly ridiculous.
I'm running Windows 8 on my main laptop (the one I'm using to type this). When I click a PDF, Acrobat opens on my desktop just like it used to when I had Windows 7 on this laptop. When I click the X, it closes (unless I've made changes in which case it asks me whether I want to save). The experience it the same.
The opening and closing apps and keeping things running ONLY applies to Metro apps. Don't like how Windows handles Metro apps, don't use them. I have a touchscreen on my laptop and never use Metro apps. The Metro apps provide no value to me. All the desktop apps (including Acrobat) function just like they did in Windows 7. You can close them.
Also, you can officially close Metro apps from the Metro taskbar (or whatever it's called).
Location: Mableton, GA USA (NW Atlanta suburb, 4 miles OTP)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by K-Luv
An OS has to modernize.
Operating systems have to modernize. Most companies and other organizations do that by making incremental changes to the kernel and filesystem(s) and leaving much of the UI alone. You don't keep business customers long term by jerking the rug out from under them every few years just to be different.
Sadly, most of the Windows changes are changes to the shell, not the OS, and most of the changes appear to have been made for Microsoft's benefit, not for the benefit of the desktop end user.
How is Metro a huge fail with keyboard and mouse? Metro is just a fullscreen start menu.
Because it sucks. You said you're using 8. Did you give Metro a try? I did. I really like parts of it. They would rock hard ON A TABLET. The weather app? Beautiful. News app? Gorgeous.
But... but... it sucks with a touchpad. My laptop has the latest touchpad technology. You can pinch to zoom, double tap to grab or scroll left or right or up and down. Fired up the News app.... and the scroll touch feature is not recognized. Huh? It works great in Win7. But this is Win7 with goodies on top??? I was like "oh this will be cool!". Try scrolling. Nothing. Huh?
So to use the news app to scroll I have to go to the bottom of the screen and find this microscopic scroll bar to scroll to the right? Fail...
Yea yea "it's not final" I hear you mutter... but shouldn't that part be working already in the CONSUMER PREVIEW? Especially since the driver support is already in Win7?
As an IT Manager I will need to know Win8 very well. But for me it will be virtual. Period.
Did you really get into using Metro?
Install some apps and set them on the Metro desktop? Yuck.
Select SHOW ALL APPS. Yuck.
And MS isn't trying to kill the desktop? Then why is Office 2013 "Metroified"?
By Windows 10 there will be no traditional desktop.
I hate the idea behind it. The "Applification of Microsoft" of the "Googleificaton". Pick your term.
But this is going to work. This is the beginning of the end of Apples dominance in tablets and phones.
In 5 years I predict tablet marketshare to be at least a 3 way split with MS, Apple and Google. At least. In 10? Apple will be back to its traditional nichey status and MS will have at least half...
Because it sucks. You said you're using 8. Did you give Metro a try? I did. I really like parts of it. They would rock hard ON A TABLET. The weather app? Beautiful. News app? Gorgeous.
I've used Metro with my laptop. I like it quite a bit as a replacement for the start menu. I feel the Metro apps, however, do not add any value on my laptop. It's cool to swipe around the finance app and weather app with the touchscreen on my laptop, but I still think it's easier to load up weather.com or finance.com since I have a keyboard on my laptop.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peregrine
But... but... it sucks with a touchpad. My laptop has the latest touchpad technology. You can pinch to zoom, double tap to grab or scroll left or right or up and down. Fired up the News app.... and the scroll touch feature is not recognized. Huh? It works great in Win7. But this is Win7 with goodies on top??? I was like "oh this will be cool!". Try scrolling. Nothing. Huh?
So to use the news app to scroll I have to go to the bottom of the screen and find this microscopic scroll bar to scroll to the right? Fail...
Yea yea "it's not final" I hear you mutter... but shouldn't that part be working already in the CONSUMER PREVIEW? Especially since the driver support is already in Win7?
But you're talking about a touchpad. Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, etc ALL suck with a touchpad. A touchpad is such a horrible pointing device. I can't people still use it. With my laptops trackpoint and a mouse, Metro is a really good experience. With a touchpad, it's as horrible as everything else with a touchpad.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peregrine
As an IT Manager I will need to know Win8 very well. But for me it will be virtual. Period.
Did you really get into using Metro?
Install some apps and set them on the Metro desktop? Yuck.
Select SHOW ALL APPS. Yuck.
Yes, I've used Metro. I don't like the apps. I only like how it replaces the start menu. You can use Metro as a start menu and not use any Metro apps... and it will be a good experience.
"All Apps' is very cluttered, but I don't see why anyone would need to go that screen regularly. I never need that screen. That's like the expanded start menu screen in Windows 7 - also something one would rarely need to go to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peregrine
And MS isn't trying to kill the desktop? Then why is Office 2013 "Metroified"?
By Windows 10 there will be no traditional desktop.
Speculation on your part. 2013 has some Metro components to it, but it's not removing the desktop experience.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Peregrine
I hate the idea behind it. The "Applification of Microsoft" of the "Googleificaton". Pick your term.
But this is going to work. This is the beginning of the end of Apples dominance in tablets and phones.
In 5 years I predict tablet marketshare to be at least a 3 way split with MS, Apple and Google. At least. In 10? Apple will be back to its traditional nichey status and MS will have at least half...
Ok.
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