Recommended Posts

I know this is old news, but this remains my greatest concern for Windows 8. Unless you have an enterprise license or are a developer, you will not be able to sideload Metro apps on Windows 8.

Yeah... so I guess most consumers don't really care - but I don't want to see Microsoft controlling the entire app ecosystem. I would like to see other stores spring up. I want to run whatever I want, from what source I get it from, on my computer, and Microsoft should not disallow that. These moves towards centralization are destroying whatever last bit of credibility Windows has of being a semi-open platform.

I am fearful for the future of Windows, UI issues with Metro not withstanding.

  • Like 4

You can sideload apps if you install the (free) Visual Studio Express. The average user probably doesn't want to sideload, so it's appropriate that you'd need dev tools to do it.

What you're suggesting would turn Windows 8 into Android, and that's the last thing I'd want to see.

You can sideload apps if you install the (free) Visual Studio Express. The average user probably doesn't want to sideload, so it's appropriate that you'd need dev tools to do it.

What you're suggesting would turn Windows 8 into Android, and that's the last thing I'd want to see.

Sorry but you can install any app you want on Windows now so how is this anything like Android ?

You can sideload apps if you install the (free) Visual Studio Express. The average user probably doesn't want to sideload, so it's appropriate that you'd need dev tools to do it.

What you're suggesting would turn Windows 8 into Android, and that's the last thing I'd want to see.

Windows 8 is a DESKTOP COMPUTER OS... as crappy as its UI is for Desktop computers.. it's not a Tablet OS or a Phone OS. You should not be locked down when it comes to a desktop OS.

Windows 8 is a DESKTOP COMPUTER OS... as crappy as its UI is for Desktop computers.. it's not a Tablet OS or a Phone OS. You should not be locked down when it comes to a desktop OS.

Microsoft are the ones who've done a great deal defining what a desktop OS is in the modern age anyway, and they'll probably continue to do so going forward :p Desktop apps are still la free-for-all on installing, but part of the entire Metro experience is ensuring a safe, worry free environment for running programs - something which is going to benefit a lot of computer users. Which Microsoft don't think you can do with side loading and skirting the approval process - for obvious reasons.

If you want to side load, there are ways with a developer license, or just using good old fashioned desktop apps. But I can't see them allowing side loading Metro apps for the general populace anytime soon.

The average user probably doesn't want to sideload, so it's appropriate that you'd need dev tools to do it.

But what if someone finds out about this great app on the internet & they really want it only to find out they can't get it on the App Store?

Windows 8 is a DESKTOP COMPUTER OS... as crappy as its UI is for Desktop computers.. it's not a Tablet OS or a Phone OS. You should not be locked down when it comes to a desktop OS.

Well, technically it's mostly a Tablet PC OS, (as opposed to an iPad-like tablet OS,) but, yeah, I guess...

Well, technically it's mostly a Tablet PC OS, (as opposed to an iPad-like tablet OS,) but, yeah, I guess...

It's a tablet OS that is from the Family of Desktop OS's (Windows). It's the next iteration of Windows, not it's own new family. Like MacOS Vs. iOS, Chrome OS vs Android.

You can sideload apps if you install the (free) Visual Studio Express. The average user probably doesn't want to sideload, so it's appropriate that you'd need dev tools to do it.

What you're suggesting would turn Windows 8 into Android, and that's the last thing I'd want to see.

You don't actually need VS Express - you can type "Show-WindowsDeveloperLicenseRegistration" into a Powershell prompt

Windows 8 is a DESKTOP COMPUTER OS... as crappy as its UI is for Desktop computers.. it's not a Tablet OS or a Phone OS. You should not be locked down when it comes to a desktop OS.

I agree entirely. I didn't spend ?1200 on hardware for Microsoft to tell me what is and isn't OK to run on it.

Granted, as of now people can install normal desktop apps, but it's clear Microsoft are pushing RT very hard to be the primary platform of choice for applications in Windows, and as far as I'm concerned no company should be dictating what I can and cannot install onto my hardware. That's why I refused to buy a Windows or iOS phone, and it's why even if I do start using Windows 8 I'm likely to stay away from RT as much as possible.

  • Like 1

Microsoft are the ones who've done a great deal defining what a desktop OS is in the modern age anyway, and they'll probably continue to do so going forward

Time for me to change profession ...

You should not be locked down when it comes to a desktop OS.

How about we talk about a real sh*tty change:

I bet everyone cried even more when they were house trained.

Sorry, meant "potty trained".

Such a radical shift in paradigm and thought process....

Mind-blowing... arse affecting....

And how did that work out?

.

How about we talk about a real sh*tty change:

I bet everyone cried even more when they were house trained.

Sorry, meant "potty trained".

Such a radical shift in paradigm and thought process....

Mind-blowing... arse affecting....

And how did that work out?

.

Crappy, I have to go out of my way to be in the right place to releive myself. I need to hold it until it's appropriate. I can't just go when I want, where I want.

Crappy, I have to go out of my way to be in the right place to releive myself. I need to hold it until it's appropriate. I can't just go when I want, where I want.

Are you complaining about not being able to crap your shorts when you want and no one there to clean up after you?

Maybe you should move to San Francisco. It's legal there.

Wouldn't change the fact Windows 8 is being treated less and less like a desktop OS, yet it is a desktop OS in terms of family.

No. It's an interactive operating system with the ability to be used as a traditional desktop system, if the family requires.

Do we need to rehash the same tired arguments over and over? I don't get some of you, you moan that you hate metro and don't wnat to use it and now you also turn around and moan that you hate how the marketplace is "locked down" and you can't side load metro apps which you don't even want to use in the first place? Which is it ffs?

The desktop is open, install whatever you want on it, it's not going away anytime soon, Win9 will have a desktop and support Win32 apps, so will Windows 10 I bet. Since MS is running and managing the store, it sets the rules for apps, it's only logical. Now if after RTM someone makes a sideloading metro app tool then great, but the benefits, specially on Windows, are worth the trade off for many many people out there who somehow manage to totally screw over their systems because they installed x app without knowing better and had it **** all over the place.

  • Like 1

Do we need to rehash the same tired arguments over and over? I don't get some of you, you moan that you hate metro and don't wnat to use it and now you also turn around and moan that you hate how the marketplace is "locked down" and you can't side load metro apps which you don't even want to use in the first place? Which is it ffs?

The desktop is open, install whatever you want on it, it's not going away anytime soon, Win9 will have a desktop and support Win32 apps, so will Windows 10 I bet. Since MS is running and managing the store, it sets the rules for apps, it's only logical. Now if after RTM someone makes a sideloading metro app tool then great, but the benefits, specially on Windows, are worth the trade off for many many people out there who somehow manage to totally screw over their systems because they installed x app without knowing better and had it **** all over the place.

Exactly.

  • Like 1

No. It's an interactive operating system with the ability to be used as a traditional desktop system, if the family requires.

Interesting !!! But I think you forgot business who generally don't want or need an interactive operating system.

Interesting !!! But I think you forgot business who generally don't want or need an interactive operating system.

Unless business wants a tablet for it's work right? And then they can write business specific metro apps for those tablets and side load them and manage/update them on their own etc etc. Sure metro and the start screen is more for casual media consumption etc but there's nothing to stop a business from buying a number of Win8/WinRT tablets and then writing some of their apps over to it so they can be used without issue via touch etc.

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

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • BrowserOS 0.46.0 by Razvan Serea BrowserOS is a free, open-source Chromium-based browser that runs AI agents natively, offering a smarter, more productive browsing experience. It supports Chrome extensions and integrates AI agents to automate tasks, fill forms, and streamline workflows. Your data stays on your computer: you can use your own API keys or run local models via Ollama, making it a privacy-first alternative to tools like Perplexity, Comet, or Dia. With built-in productivity tools and app integrations, BrowserOS boosts efficiency while keeping control firmly in your hands. Being Chromium-based, BrowserOS lets you effortlessly import your bookmarks, passwords, and Chrome extensions in just a few clicks. BrowserOS works with OpenAI GPT models, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, and local AI models via Ollama or LMStudio. You can use your own API keys and effortlessly switch between providers. BrowserOS Agent Your AI productivity assistant that organizes and manages your browsing effortlessly Quickly list, group, or close tabs Save and resume browsing sessions Search your history and organize bookmarks Switch instantly to the tab you need BrowserOS Navigator – Automate web tasks with ease Navigate websites and search automatically Interact with pages without manual effort Handle repetitive tasks in seconds What makes BrowserOS special Feels like home - same familiar interface as Google Chrome, works with all your extensions AI agents that run on YOUR browser, not in the cloud Privacy first - bring your own keys or use local models with Ollama. Your browsing history stays on your computer Open source and community driven - see exactly what's happening under the hood MCP store to one-click install popular MCPs and use them directly in the browser bar (coming soon) Built-in AI ad blocker that works across more scenarios! BrowserOS 0.46.0 changelog: Run Claude Code & Codex right in your browser — We've extended the agent harness to bring full coding agents into BrowserOS. Claude Code and Codex now come bundled and plug straight into the assistant, so you can drive your browser with the agent — and the subscription — you already use. A brand new experience — A redesigned new tab, a calmer composer, and a rebuilt command center for switching between agents. The whole assistant is cleaner, faster to reach, and easier to live in. New MCP tools — We rebuilt the browser tool surface from the ground up — a tighter, more reliable set of tools for agents to drive the browser. Plus one-click install of BrowserOS as an MCP server into the agents you already run, with automatic URL sync. Chromium 148 — Updated to the latest Chromium base with all recent upstream fixes and security patches. Streamlined — We've pulled back a few features that weren't getting much use — Skills, Soul, and Memory — so we can focus and ship better versions of them soon. Download: BrowserOS 0.46.0 | 181.0 MB (Open Source) Download: BrowserOS for macOS | 485.0 MB Links: BrowserOS Homepage | Github | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Microsoft finally admits its default Windows 11 25H2, 24H2 action broke key legacy component by Sayan Sen Microsoft last week released Windows 11 KB5094126 and KB5093998 as the latest Patch Tuesday updates. Following that the company also published the accompanying dynamic updates under KB5094149, KB5095971, and KB5094156. So far the company has acknowledged two known issues that have popped up after the release which include bugged-out Office apps as well as the Recycle Bin; though there could be more at play too. Speaking of bugs and issues, Microsoft seems to have finally acknowledged a problem that probably has been around for close to a year. That's because back in July of 2025 the company made a default change to the latest Windows 11 versions, wherein it switched to JScript9Legacy on Windows 11 24H2 and later releases. Hence following the release of version 25H2 in October 2025, JScript9Legacy also remained default-enabled. As a result there has been a compatibility issue ever since then. For those wondering, by switching to JScript9Legacy Microsoft intended to improve the security of modern Windows PCs by reducing vulnerabilities tied to legacy scripting like cross-site scripting (XSS), among others. XSS exploits can allow cyber-attackers to attach malicious code onto legitimate websites and use them to execute the code when a potential victim loads such a website. Hence the new JScript9Legacy engine enforced stricter execution policies and improved object handling, which should help mitigate such attacks. Microsoft today has published a new support article detailing the problem. Neowin spotted it while browsing. The company says that JScript global definitions and execution context may fail to persist across scripts, potentially breaking older dependent apps and web-based components that relied on this legacy behavior. In the article Microsoft has confirmed that the issue stems from its move away from the older jscript9.dll engine in favor of jscript9legacy.dll. As mentioned above, while the newer engine was designed to address vulnerabilities and strengthen security it also changes how JScript handles execution context. As a result functions and definitions loaded by one script could no longer remain available to subsequent scripts once execution ended. The company notes that some applications worked correctly on earlier Windows versions because the older JScript engine automatically retained global definitions and execution state between scripts. Under the newer model though that behavior is disabled by default causing certain legacy workloads and polyfill-dependent scripts to fail. Microsoft says it addressed the problem via the KB5077241 update though the fix had not been enabled automatically in the following updates. As such admins must explicitly turn on persistent JScript execution context using a Registry setting that the tech giant shared today. The configuration can be applied to individual processes or system-wide through the FEATURE_ENABLE_PERSISTENCE registry key. The steps have been outlined below: Run the following command to create the feature control registry key: reg add "HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_ENABLE_PERSISTENCE" Under this key, create a new DWORD (32-bit) value. Configure the value as follows: To enable persistence for specific processes only: Set the value to 1 for each target process name. To enable persistence for all processes: Add * as the key name and set its value to 1. You can find the official support article here on Microsoft's website.
    • The possibility that milk gathers back into a glass implies that gravity can be 'reversed'.
    • VidCoder 12.20 by Razvan Serea  VidCoder is a DVD/Blu-ray ripping and video transcoding application for Windows. It uses HandBrake as its encoding engine. Calling directly into the HandBrake library gives it a more rich UI than the official HandBrake Windows GUI. VidCoder can rip DVDs but does not defeat the CSS encryption found in most commercial DVDs. You’ll need the NET 8 Desktop Runtime. If you don’t have it, VidCoder will prompt you to download and install it. The Portable version is self-contained and does not require any .NET Runtime to be installed. You do not need to install HandBrake for VidCoder to work. Feature list: Multi-threaded MP4, MKV containers Completely integrated encoding pipeline: everything is in one process and no huge intermediate temporary files H.264, H.265, MPEG-4, MPEG-2, VP8, Theora video Hardware-accelerated encoding with AMD VCE, Nvidia NVENC and Intel QuickSync AAC, MP3, Vorbis, AC3, FLAC audio encoding and AAC/AC3/MP3/DTS/DTS-HD passthrough Target bitrate, size or quality for video 2-pass encoding Decomb, detelecine, deinterlace, rotate, reflect, chroma smooth, colorspace filters Powerful batch encoding with simultaneous encodes Customizable Pickers to automatically pick audio and subtitle tracks, destination, titles and more Instant source previews Creates small encoded preview clips Pause, resume encoding VidCoder 12.20 changes: Updated HandBrake core to 1.11.2. Download: VidCoder 12.20 | 47.0 MB (Open Source) Download: Portable VidCoder 12.19 | 89.3 MB Link: VidCoder Home Page | Github | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      Jordan Smith earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Reacting Well
      BizSAR earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • First Post
      AndreaB earned a badge
      First Post
    • Week One Done
      Huge Trailer earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      Classifyskilleducation earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      590
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      185
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      76
    4. 4
      Michael Scrip
      73
    5. 5
      Steven P.
      66
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!