More Windows 8 RTM Screen shots!

[George P Global Moderator]

I don't think that's broken. I think it's scrolling panel and the partial box on the left is another date in the file history.

That's exactly right, the box is the view of the folder with the date at the top, hit the back arrow and you get the next box to the left with older versions.

[Nazmus Shakib Khandaker]

The blue is the default color scheme. However, you can change it. Microsoft cancelled the project to have white window boarder and a taskbar color independent to the boarders. The default is the blue you see, with the background image being the flower. The color of the boarder and taskbar will adapt to the background you pic or, if you choose, can be set to a custom color.

[.Neo]

I'm laughing my ass off all the Windows Vista & 7 styled system icons are still there? Must sting for all those fanboys who kept claiming Microsoft would adopt a new Metro-styled set in the final version to at least partially fix the inconsistent Desktop/Metro mess. It's amazing how Microsoft managed to make the Office 2013 icons look awkward just about everywhere: They clash with Windows 7, they clash with Windows 8's dated desktop icon set - which in turn clashes with new Desktop theme - and they look weird in the Start Screen. Seriously, what a joke! :laugh:

Also, do the Windows and Office team not know how to reach each other to synchronize their interface planning efforts? Apparently each devision was given instructions to somehow apply some sort of Metro look to their respective products. Further communication and overview ceased there.

This is just final proof: Micrsoft's Windows team doesn't know what words like "consistency" and "detail" mean and the company doesn't care about providing a polished experience at all when it comes to their desktop OS. I absolutely love Metro on my Nokia Lumia 900, but what they did to Windows 8 is just bad.

[anidais]

I agree with many that the old aero icons need to go. They stand out and look out of place with the new flat theme. Come on Microsoft, is it really that hard to change them? They can even use Office's icons for the explorer ribbon. At this stage I doubt they will change the icons. It seems with every release of Windows there's something always missing. Vista was the only one that changed mostly everything and felt consistent for the most part.

[Quillz]

I'm in love with the flatter UI. :wub:

I agree, I think it looks great. I've always been a huge fan of minimal UIs, one of the reasons I ran the Windows Classic theme all the way through Win7.

[Ambroos]

What I think is the worst thing is how there is no visual depth at all. When you're working with Windows that can overlap you need to have some visual cues of what is on top of what. Just a very subtle shadow (doesn't have to be as huge as it is in OSX/Vista/7) would suffice for this.

[Quillz]

I certainly don't like the consistency issues, though, as have been pointed out: Office and Windows using different borders and Win8 still using old Vista-era icons that are not "Metro" in any way.

[jakem1]

I have mixed feelings about the consistency of icons. While it might be nice to have Metro icons across the board the reality is that it's going to take years before even a majority of desktop apps come with a Metro-style icon so there's always going to be a mixture of styles. Sure, MS could lead by example but there will always be 3rd-party developers that don't update their icons, often because the same apps will be run on earlier versions of Windows where a Metro-style icon doesn't make as much sense.

For now, I think the non-Metro icons make it clear which apps run on the desktop and which don't.

[The Laughing Man]

0/10 Would not bang.

[Quillz]

I also don't like that I can no longer change the fonts used throughout the Desktop and elsewhere. I can alter the size, but not the actual font. No idea why they took away such basic functionality that has existed since... Windows 1.01?

[abysal]

I've been scrutinizing the Windows 7 Aero theme lately; the rounded corners have been bugging me, as well as the gradients in the title, window boarders and task bar. The new flatter, solid color Windows 8 themes do indeed seem to make the Windows experience nicer looking, except I think they should not have remove transparencies.

[Ambroos]

I've been scrutinizing the Windows 7 Aero theme lately; the rounded corners have been bugging me, as well as the gradients in the title, window boarders and task bar. The new flatter, solid color Windows 8 themes do indeed seem to make the Windows experience nicer looking, except I think they should not have remove transparencies.

I'm not so sure. Transparencies can go, but you need shadows to achieve a feeling of depth. No shadows = too flat.

[bandit_liberty_rumble]

That's one of the problems I still see with Metro. On their 'digital authenticity' crusade Microsoft are actually removing (or aren't considering to include) all kinds of visual clues that help a human quickly understand an interface. Metro supposedly has its origins in print design. But that isn't interactive. It's just the presentation of information. So the question of usability doesn't even come into play, just how well the information can be absorbed?!

[migo]

I certainly don't like the consistency issues, though, as have been pointed out: Office and Windows using different borders and Win8 still using old Vista-era icons that are not "Metro" in any way.

Yeah, more consistency would be better. Particularly I'd like Office's default behaviour when typing to disable the mouse cursor would be a really welcome addition to Windows for all text input boxes.

[migo]

I also don't like that I can no longer change the fonts used throughout the Desktop and elsewhere. I can alter the size, but not the actual font. No idea why they took away such basic functionality that has existed since... Windows 1.01?

I imagine that'll slowly get added back in. They're working on the most important stuff to start (not that fonts are unimportant, but as far as hierarchy goes...), and building up the functionality there. That's better than having all the legacy code sticking around messing things up. Probably also why they're not worrying too much about the icons and are instead focusing on building the Metro UI.

[grayscale]

Hmm, I hope that they do something about the text when a black border is used. It's not a deal breaker, and I'll probably just use a dark enough color but still, a man can hope :D

[Chris123NT]

I'm not so sure. Transparencies can go, but you need shadows to achieve a feeling of depth. No shadows = too flat.

Wait a second, I thought the windows did still have shadows, but AFAIK it's only the active window, I'll have to ask about this, because if there's no shadow then that's a serious usability issue like has been mentioned.

[Anthonyd]

Yeah, more consistency would be better. Particularly I'd like Office's default behaviour when typing to disable the mouse cursor would be a really welcome addition to Windows for all text input boxes.

You can disable the mouse cursor while typing since a while. Go inside the "mouse" option menu and look for it.

[mduren2445]

I have to wonder with the screen shots of win 8 rtm and office 2013 whitewashing everything...is Microsoft going the primary path of download only and cutting back on retail versions of windows? think about it the blah screen shots of win 8 and office would be easier to download because it cuts back on code....Thoughts?

[Noir Angel]

I have to wonder with the screen shots of win 8 rtm and office 2013 whitewashing everything...is Microsoft going the primary path of download only and cutting back on retail versions of windows? think about it the blah screen shots of win 8 and office would be easier to download because it cuts back on code....Thoughts?

I expect they will still offer retail disks, but it makes sense for them to push the digital downloads, it cuts back on costs and allows the user to download the product from the convenience of their own home.

[abysal]

I'm not so sure. Transparencies can go, but you need shadows to achieve a feeling of depth. No shadows = too flat.

You're right about the shadows, I would of liked them as well.

[migo]

You can disable the mouse cursor while typing since a while. Go inside the "mouse" option menu and look for it.

It doesn't work very well. In Office it does.

[.Neo]

They can even use Office's icons for the explorer ribbon.

That means the Office and Windows teams would actually have to plan things with one another. Which apparently is asking for the impossible this past decade.

[BajiRav]

That means the Office and Windows teams would actually have to plan things with one another. Which apparently is asking for the impossible this past decade.

forever actually not just last decade :p

[Ambroos]

That means the Office and Windows teams would actually have to plan things with one another. Which apparently is asking for the impossible this past decade.

That. I really, really don't get why teams within Microsoft can't work together. None of their software products has ever had any sort of coherence with the others. Office, Windows, Windows Live/MSN, Zune, Xbox, ... Lately they have been sharing some Metro ideas (really just the huge light Segoe/Zegoe) but it still all looks completely different. Even Office 2013 doesn't fit into Windows 8 properly. It gets close, but it's just not as it should be.