Why are people so confused on Win8?

[Dot Matrix]

I don't understand why people are so up in arms about Windows 8. Change is good. However, it appears most of us can't handle it when Microsoft changes something drastically. This is why Apple succeeds IMO, they do small, incremental updates that contribute towards the bigger one, so that people aren't confused when it happens. Subtly.

I don't think there is any subtle way of introducing a new Start menu implementation. After all even as subtle as the new XP menu was, it was still met with pitchforks and torches. Hell, it was even hated by few up until and including Windows 7's release.

[redvamp128]

I don't think there is any subtle way of introducing a new Start menu implementation. After all even as subtle as the new XP menu was, it was still met with pitchforks and torches. Hell, it was even hated by few up until and including Windows 7's release.

What do you mean-- ? I thought all the fuss was when all the icons moved from the desktop to the start menu (Windows 3.x to Windows 95) , wait now the start menu is the desktop and my icons are back. Oh look you added the functionality I used to have on XP back in 2000 with sideshow to show me my websites, stock prices, and my weather... neat (being sarcastic here a bit) .... but I guess all ideas do come full circle in time.

[Stoffel]

I think people don't want to see the bigger picture about Win8

The new start screen is just a tiny bit of everything that is new in Win8

If MS succeeds in their setup you get an amazing platform where you write an app once and can distribute it to anything from a phone to a tablet, to a laptop/pc to a tv with XBOX.

The other cool new thing for me is the sharing charm so apps can share any kind of information between them without knowing about the other app.

[PGHammer]

I'm also a run box ######. If I want to get to a location on my hard drive I don't search for it and I don't go click click click click click click click click click ...I do a windows key + R type were I want to go and press enter. For some of the more popular folders I even have an app which lets me create hot keys for certain folders. For instance

my d:\video folder is Windows key + alt + V

downloads directory is Windows key + alt + D

Then for websites like Amazon I have Ctrl + Windows key + A and BOOM i'm at Amazon.

Then for an outlook template I created for things like "Payment received" I just press ctrl+ shift + P

warwagon - if anything, I'm a bigger Runbox ###### than you (thanks largely, oddly enough, to Windows 2000 Professional and the integration of Index Server into the OS core).

That's right. A PRE-XP feature.

Oddly enough, despite running Windows 2000 at home for nearly a year before my first experience with it in an enterprise setting, it was in the enterprise that the Runbox whoring really took off - way too many enterprise/business applications to put a crapton of desktop shortcuts on the desktop.

And all the Runboxing I learned to leverage with Windows 2000 has worked with every OS since. It pretty much makes the extended Start menu (in Vista and 7) moot for a keyboard jockey.

Sheesh.

[techguy77]

I think people don't want to see the bigger picture about Win8

The new start screen is just a tiny bit of everything that is new in Win8

If MS succeeds in their setup you get an amazing platform where you write an app once and can distribute it to anything from a phone to a tablet, to a laptop/pc to a tv with XBOX.

The other cool new thing for me is the sharing charm so apps can share any kind of information between them without knowing about the other app.

What kind of information you are talking about?

[Stoffel]

What kind of information you are talking about?

Metro apps can incorporate contract, to share certain data and consume data.

So if you write a metro app that can consume different thing, like pictures, contacts, or anything else you can come up with.

Other apps can actually consume that data as long as they incorporate a contract for that type of data.

This is a pretty cool feature because people can develop apps independently and still share common data

[techguy77]

I agree but you really don't need Metro interface on both platforms for such thing. For example i can sync my Windows Phone using iTunes or Windows Media Player and it works perfect. Another example would be like Facebook Contacts or Outlook Contacts. PC feeds itself with that information without need to be synched with the Phone, again even Phone does that on its own because the source of information is not PC nor Phone but Live Account, Facebook, or any other Server. Again sharing pictures between two devices PC and Phone for example can be done via Sky Drive or by connecting Windows Phone to your PC but again you don't need Metro for it (I should say Metro App). It does sound all cool but in my mind it is all duplication. Let's say i Install Windows 8, i will still sync my mysic between Phone and PC using Windows Media Player launched from Desktop without involving Metro App.

From my understanding MS goal is to remove Desktop from PC and everything run in Metro interface probably with Windows 9, essentially locking PC users from things like browsing Windows Folder and looking at individual files. Role of OS is going end up serving Apps through which you can only manipulate files appropriate for that App. I believe that is an approach MS taking in the future.

Windows 8 is like hybrid between Windows 7 and what we had so far and future Windows where everything will run in Metro. Obviously they couldn't remove Desktop just like that, it would too much of change. I bet in $100 that Desktop interface wont exist in Windows 9. It is not necessary bad because at least i will be in same visual flow.

Windows 9:

Desktop inteface gone

Windows Explorer gone

Concept of C, D, E ... drives gone

Users are going to be locked from doing anything to Windows even accessing registry

Only way to manipulate with folders and files will be through Metro App itself. Each Metro App is appropriate for certain file types like Word for doc, Powerpoint for ppt and any other type shared between.

Mouse and Keyboard will be around for long time

System Updates and Driver Update will be done through Metro Update App. No control over it like we do now. However, there should be no failure point.

Complete UI consistency between all devices running Windows

You start computer and you see Metro and apps in there and that's all you gonna see

In order to create account you will be prompted to provide or create Live account.

Live account is going to be your login account for PC, Tablet, Phone, Cloud Storage, Email etc

To save file (let's say from Word), you can do in three possible location. Sky Drive, Media such as USB/DVD, local storage. You wont be able to choose location on your local storage infact you wont be even prompts to browse for such location because concept of Windows Explorer is gone however Windows will save it to dedicate partition or location in your drive for specific file type.

Only way you can access files is again using appropriate Metro app which wil be capable of sharing any content with other Windows devices using same or similar interface adjusted for the nature of very device.

Anything you save locally can be saved to Sky Drive and synced to other devices

Games will be downloaded, installed and launched from Metro. It wont matter if you are PC, Console or Phone user you will be able to play against each other and share game information between.

DX11 API will run on all platforms. Graphic Settings and Quality will be adjusted according to hardware specs of each device.

Sounds pretty clean and cool to me but i will be on Linux at that point. I like freedom :)

[Dot Matrix]

Techguy, I HIGHLY doubt the desktop is gone completely in Windows 9.

[techguy77]

Techguy, I HIGHLY doubt the desktop is gone completely in Windows 9.

The reason i am saying is that very little is left on Desktop. Taskbar is duplication of Metro Start Menu which let's you pin things. I believe that Windows Media Player we know will be gone from Windows 9, replaced by Music/Video in Metro etc. I also believe that WordPad from Windows 9 will be gone replaced with something similar as part of Windows Live Package and so on. I think people misunderstood me here. I don't mind Metro as long as classic Desktop is gone but i also don't mind classic Desktop as long as Metro is gone :)