If you got to add,change,etc anything in Windows 8 what would it be?.


Recommended Posts

Give me the option of Metro or a more traditional desktop setup.

Let me as the consumer choose my interface.

As is being discussed in the "tablets/desktop PC" news story right now, they are two devices with two functions. They can and should communicate, synch, etc, but if I want pretty colours and boxes and an interface designed for a touchscreen, I'll use the tablet. I need my desktop to behave like a desktop.

Agree with the above basically. Ability to have it feel like Windows 7 (with new copy paste, speed improvements, etc) on Desktop if I so choose. Which to me means no Metro, No Tiles, standard start, etc.

Start Button returns even if it just takes you to start page.

Complete elimination of the Prev App bar and return to app switching of Windows 7.

New nice icons throughout system.

Native ability to select custom icon for any icon in system, including library icons.

Ability to move Charm bar as you can move taskbar

Ability to turn off Charm Bar and use traditional start button to go to start page.

Option to boot directly to Desktop.

Option to "not" add icons for new app installs to Start Page.

Consistent and hiccup free scrolling in all Metro apps

Ability to change Start Page background to wallpaper or show desktop behind Start Page.

iTunes comparable app for Windows Phone/Zune/Tablet Devices - A metro app will be fine.

Better Media Player.

Native Facebook Metro App.

In-place context sensitive menus in native Metro Apps.

Native Metro Fitness app to log diet/exercise with a Windows Phone companion app with GPS recording.

More Stable USB 3.0 Drivers for NEC, and TI chipsets.

Native Thunderbold support.

More GPU-acceleration wherever applicable.

More utilization of multiple cores.

More utilization of memory for systems with 16-32GB.

Metro Geometry Wars, bundled.

Metro Lode Runner, bundled.

Metro I made a game with Z0mbies, bundled.

Purchase and play all XBLA games on Windows 8.

Full Bitlocker (TPM Support) in ALL versions of Windows 8.

Native Blu-Ray playback support (MS subsidizes license fee for codec :)

Bundled DivX, Xvid, and native MKV codecs/playback support.

Program desktop apps using WinRT.

Not necessarily the same apps you use when full-screen, but...expose WinRT for desktop apps, so that developpers could make desktop apps which are sandboxed, do not leave junk behind on uninstall, and can be updated through the Store.

Disabling Metro : Not gonna happen. That would make no sense at all considering Microsoft's future plans - the only way they'd do it is if they have a WinRT desktop ready, and even then the Start Screen would probably stay.

The resources involved in creating the Windows Runtime and the whole Metro UI/UX are too high IMHO to leave room for another huge project, especially with Sinofsky's "if it's not ready, leave it out" philosophy.

Couple of other ideas for application sold on Windows 8 store (where MS can enforce some rules like Apple does).

No more saved games outside of My saved games folder or the game/service root folder tree itself.

No more app settings in My Documents or User root folder.

No more DRM softwares installed as hidden device drivers and not showing in add/remove programs (all drivers should be drivers or you are stuck out of Windows 8 store).

When i choose to un-install a program everything the program installed should be removed unless some components show in the add/remove program seperately.

Disabling Metro : Not gonna happen. That would make no sense at all considering Microsoft's future plans - the only way they'd do it is if they have a WinRT desktop ready, and even then the Start Screen would probably stay.

The resources involved in creating the Windows Runtime and the whole Metro UI/UX are too high IMHO to leave room for another huge project, especially with Sinofsky's "if it's not ready, leave it out" philosophy.

Hey this is just a list thread. Let us dream. :)

I'd like to see the metro essentials apps built out a lot more and for them to be much more comparable (functionality wise) to their desktop equivalents. Also, for the desktop UI, I like the way they are taking it (flatter as in the other thread) however, the opacity of the windows do not match the superbar. They're whiter and more opaque.

1) A resolution independent desktop (read: support for high-DPI displays).

2) Bring Metro to the desktop (checkout this mockup).

3) Cloud support for saved games (no more having to mess around with hidden folders like AppData and ProgramData).

4) Skype integrated by default through the Windows Live login (read: communication revolution).

1) A resolution independent desktop (read: support for high-DPI displays).

2) Bring Metro to the desktop (checkout this mockup).

3) Cloud support for saved games (no more having to mess around with hidden folders like AppData and ProgramData).

4) Skype integrated by default through the Windows Live login (read: communication revolution).

#2 Nice

Stop the user experience torture started with Vista and keep it all consistent and make incremental UI changes, instead of constant overhauls.

your beloved XP was actually worse than Vista.

Couple of other ideas for application sold on Windows 8 store (where MS can enforce some rules like Apple does).

No more saved games outside of My saved games folder or the game/service root folder tree itself.

No more app settings in My Documents or User root folder.

No more DRM softwares installed as hidden device drivers and not showing in add/remove programs (all drivers should be drivers or you are stuck out of Windows 8 store).

When i choose to un-install a program everything the program installed should be removed unless some components show in the add/remove program seperately.

Don't worry, WinRT apps can't do anything like that. In fact, they can't write anything to the disk apart from their own temp and data folders, and can't read anything unless the files are explictly specified by you using a file picker dialog.

@MorganX : Well, I think it'd be more interesting if we said realistic stuff...

I'm not even going to bother with it until a few things are changed.

1) Get rid of the desktop as anything other than a "legacy" mode. Yes, I don't like Metro as it is. I also don't think the desktop or the start menu are the future.

2) Have the guts to make all your own apps Metro ONLY Microsoft! If you can't do that then identify and fix the issues in the Metro UI that prevent you from doing so.

3) Add a "productive" UI mode. This "rearranges" the UI to make it more suitable for non-tablet interfaces, similar to the way responsive web design works (single website, but it serves a different style according to the device). If websites can respond to a device, why shouldn't the OS? Would fit perfectly with the "dockable tablet" hardware idea I've seen thrown about.

4) This goes with 2 - add some definition. I get that Metro is supposed to be "chromeless" but I think it has been taken too far. The screenshot of OneNote posted on the frontpage a few days ago looked such a mess and the "tabs" of the ribbon were just floating randomly. The only reason I could identify them as tabs was because of previously using Office 2007. Could easily be solved by a single 1px purple border running underneath all the tabs. The reliance on whitespace is the major problem with Metro IMO. It works fine for low density presentation of information (same as the web), but as soon as you apply it to a complicated program it looks a mess.

5) Consistency. How long until MS decide we need yet another UI, then start adding elements of that to Windows 8 to continue the hodgepodge of UIs that is Windows? Seriously, pick one Microsoft and stick with it for more than two releases...

I still think MS are focusing too much on tablets at the expense of their existing strengths.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Internet Download Manager (IDM) 6.43 Build 2 by Razvan Serea Internet Download Manager (IDM) is a tool to increase download speeds by up to 8 times due to its smart dynamic file segmentation technology. Unlike other download managers and accelerators, Internet Download Manager segments downloaded files dynamically during download process, and it reuses available connections without additional connect and login stages to achieve the best possible acceleration performance. Comprehensive error recovery and resume capability will restart broken or interrupted downloads due to lost connections, network problems, computer shutdowns, or unexpected power outages. All popular browsers are supported IDM integrates seamlessly into Google Chrome, FireFox, Microsoft Edge, Opera, Safari, Internet Explorer, Maxthon and all other popular browsers to automatically handle your downloads. You can also drag and drop files, or use Internet Download Manager from command line. The program supports proxy servers, ftp and http protocols, firewalls, redirects, cookies, authorization, MP3 audio and video content processing. IDM includes web site spider and grabber IDM downloads all required files that are specified with filters from web sites, for example all pictures from a web site, or subsets of web sites, or complete web sites for offline browsing. It's possible to schedule multiple grabber projects to run them once at a specified time, stop them at a specified time, or run periodically to synchronize changes. Easy downloading with one click When you click on a download link in a browser, IDM will take over the download and accelerate it. You don't need to do anything special, just browse the Internet as you usually do. IDM will catch your downloads and accelerate them. IDM supports HTTP, FTP, HTTPS and MMS protocols. Changes in Internet Download Manager 6.43 Build 2: Resolved the problem that caused a "403 Forbidden" error when downloading some files Fixed a problem causing IDM download panel not to appear on some websites Fixed a bug that caused a crash when converting some TS files to MP4 Download: Internet Download Manager 6.43 Build 2 | 11.9 MB (Shareware) Links: Internet Download Manager Website | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • I am not a US citizen nor a Trump fan. Respect to both left and right. But I will, for the sake of fun, predict something for my own. There will come a day when the US and China will collide like titans ( over Taiwan or anything else ). Then, on that day, some people in this comment section will realize how good an idea it was to become independent in areas like that. ( Or atleast try )
    • Microsoft Edge gets tons of security features, including AI model that can see your screen by Usama Jawad Microsoft Edge may not be the most popular browser out there, but it does receive quite frequent updates that sometimes bring surprising new features and axe others that are not as popular. Now, Microsoft has detailed some of the new security enhancements that it has introduced in Edge for Business, typically used by commercial customers. Microsoft has emphasized that security features are baked into Edge for Business and offer native integration with security and governance tools like Defender and Purview. Browser sessions are governed by default on managed devices but can also be governed through dedicated work profiles on unmanaged devices. An important aspect in this area is controlling the use of shadow AI. We have talked about this before, but it essentially restricts employees from using unsanctioned AI apps through data loss prevention (DLP) policies, with Edge redirecting them to trusted AI services like Microsoft 365 Copilot. This feature, available as a pay-as-you-go (PAYG) license, ensures that confidential data never exits AI boundaries set by your organization in Purview. Additionally, Microsoft also has strong DLP policies for contractors. Contractors leveraging a Entra ID-joined work profile provisioned by their contracting company on a device managed by their actual employer can be restricted from downloading files locally. In such scenarios, the file is saved on the contracting firm's OneDrive rather than being downloaded locally. Another useful Edge security feature disallows copying and pasting from unmanaged locations and apps. Similarly, DLP policies can be configured at a granular level to restrict screenshots or downloading of files from certain locations. In the same vein, IT admins can block the installation of extensions, hosted apps, themes and scripts, and control if users can install extensions from external locations. They can also enable the installation of specific extensions and allow users to request access to certain extensions, so that they can be managed on a case-by-case basis. Finally, Edge for Business now has an on-device AI model that uses computer vision to see what's on your screen and block potentially malicious content immediately. This does not rely on site reputation, as it simply monitors what is being displayed on your screen, which means that it is effective against malicious content that takes over your screen and employs scareware tactics. Since this is an on-device AI model, it does use your system's resources, so it's enabled by default only on devices with at least 2GB of RAM and four CPU cores. You can find more details in the Microsoft Mechanics video here.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Dedicated
      Zeynel earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • One Month Later
      JKR earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Dedicated
      Asgardi earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Conversation Starter
      jessse3334 earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • Reacting Well
      JuvenileDelinquent earned a badge
      Reacting Well
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      495
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      247
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      154
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      86
    5. 5
      macoman
      65
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!