Windows 8 UI Is Chromeless

[Ci7]

The next generation user interface of Windows 8 will be chromeless at core, Microsoft said during its Worldwide Partner Conference 2011.

Users that have been watching the evolution of Windows are undoubtedly well aware of the fact that the Windows 8 UI has suffered a major overhaul, especially when the operating system is running on next generation form factors such as Tablet PCs or slates.

Essentially, the old GUI, Windows Aero for example, although still in Windows 8, will be swapped for the new UI on non-traditional form factors. There?s no Taskbar, no Start button, no notifications area, and no desktop. Chromeless.

?Apps are certainly an important part of the Windows 8 plan. And when Windows 8 ships, developers will already know how to build great apps,? said Tami Reller, Corporate Vice President and CFO, Windows & Windows Live.

?The Windows 8 UI is chromeless, and it's clean, and apps can take up the entire screen. Every single pixel on the screen is there to represent your information. As an app comes to life, Windows quickly fades to the background. The apps are beautiful; they're designed for touch and work well with a mouse and keyboard, too.?

Reller is talking about the new HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript applications that developers will be able to build and have them run directly on top of Windows 8.

Read more at source: Softpedia.com

Edit:

Article UPDATED: Changes for clarity. The chromeless UI in Windows 8 refers only to copies of the OS running on next generation form factors.

Edited July 14, 2011 by Ci7

[Ayepecks]

Pretty sure this is just referring to the start screen, since we've already seen the desktop, which still has all of those things, as it should. Kind of a late article to talk about the UI :laugh:

[Ci7]

honestly i am confused :wacko:

Aero is *boof* ??

i thought they would be side by side or something

[Ayepecks]

honestly i am confused :wacko:

Aero is *boof* ??

i thought they would be side by side or something

I think the article is just flat-out wrong. It's poorly researched.

[Elliott]

I think the article is just flat-out wrong. It's poorly researched.

Exactly.

Because if it's right, Microsoft is screwed. :p

[Knife Party]

^ I want my Aero!

[neufuse Veteran]

someone see the tablet UI and get confused? :laugh:

[SoyoS]

The article says nothing new that wasn't already mentioned at D9 and Computex.

[etempest]

Except the "classic" aka Aero interface is still there.

[Axel]

I really don't know how I'm gonna take to the new UI experience. I'll probably get a touchscreen but I can see my arms aching by the end of the day! I can certainly see an advantage when paired with a mouse but not exclusive use of touch on a desktop. Tablet, purely touch for sure!

[kawasabi]

Metro pffff, first thing i will kill!

[bjoswald]

No taskbar or Start menu, no purchase. I have no interest in the tablet fad.

[ThePitt]

is not a tablet UI. Its a phone UI and it sucks

[statm1]

People, this article reads as if someone saw the start screen and assumed everything else was gone.. Theres no reason to listen to it so stop freaking out that Aero is gone..

[x-byte]

No taskbar or Start menu, no purchase. I have no interest in the tablet fad.

You can go to the full desktop by clicking the start orb. Not sure about for tablets though..

is not a tablet UI. Its a phone UI and it sucks

It's more of a tablet UI than iOS for what I can see. I feel iOS is just a simple mobile OS that have been ported to tablet. While Windows 8 tablet UI is much more designed with tablets in mind.

[Denis W. Veteran]

Does anyone really expect Microsoft to suddenly make almost 99% of today's applications incompatible or run in maximized mode only when Windows 8 retails?

Like they've done with Windows 7, any major UI shift is gradual with compatibility fallbacks. Take the classic Start Menu as an example. It was deprecated in Windows XP and continued to exist until Windows 7. That's almost eight more years for a menu that was no longer the default app launching mechanism since 2001.

[Pygmy_Hippo]

Does anyone really expect Microsoft to suddenly make almost 99% of today's applications incompatible or run in maximized mode only when Windows 8 retails?

Like they've done with Windows 7, any major UI shift is gradual with compatibility fallbacks. Take the classic Start Menu as an example. It was deprecated in Windows XP and continued to exist until Windows 7. That's almost eight more years for a menu that was no longer the default app launching mechanism since 2001.

+1

Didn't Microsoft do the same with DOS? Through Windows 3.1 through 95, 98 and ME it was gradually moved further away from the user so no-one would suddenly notice and be flummoxed when support was dropped altogether.

The Start Menu will be with us for a few more product cycles, but it's card is marked and days numbered.

[fix-this!]

^ I want my Aero!

they won't do away with aero.

[Pygmy_Hippo]

^ I want my Aero!

Mmmm...don't blame ya :D

[KingCrimson]

Looks like Windows 8 will be a true tablet UI.

[episode]

What the heck does 'chromeless' mean anyway?

[Viper550]

What the heck does 'chromeless' mean anyway?

No taskbar/system buttons/etc.

[ViperAFK]

The full aero interface is still included... Did this article do any fact checking?

[Zain Adeel]

i think microsoft needs to end all confusion. We need to know what they are planning to do about AERO..

[KeeperOfThePizza]

Okay. From the video's it looks like the Windows Phone 7 interface(or Zune), once exited from that it looks like Windows 7.. No big deal really and I dont understand why theyd say its Chromeless.. Wait is Aero even chrome? I thought it was transparent

Another thing, I wish Microsoft would be cool and not use numbers. Okay 95, 98, 98se?, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, now 8.. I wish you'd just use the god damn codenames as they sound better.. I love XP, Vista, Seven, but I wish they'd come up with more interesting names as the label. I feel like using just numbers is boring.