Microsoft's most boneheaded product is about to be killed off

By airedwin
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Grand Master

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The naming format is fine... 

 

Same thing to the vehicles like this:

 

Ford Mustang

Ford Mustang GT

Ford Mustang GT500

 

Ford F-150

Ford F-150 Limited

Ford F-350

Ford F-350 HD  (Heavy Duty)

etc.

 

The companies can name their products whatever they want. No matter that they sound great or odd.

 

 

The problem is the consumer. They aren't that smart. with Computers and I bet are EASILY confused by this name.

 

In fact I did have one customer who was surprised to learn RT wouldn't run any of her old software.

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airedwin

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Why are we comparing windows NT to XP? Windows XP is windows NT just the first consumer version of it

He's trying to argue that because a product shares the same name there is an automatic expectation that they should run the exact same set of applications.

The problem is the consumer. They aren't that smart. with Computers and I bet are EASILY confused by this name.

 

Actually so am I .... RT ... Run time... What?

So are you calling yourself not that smart?

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_dandy_

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Does Windows NT stuff run on Windows XP?

 

This takes me back...but based on my experience, there's probably more software designed for NT that ran fine on XP than not.  All the software I wrote for it back then worked fine without even recompiling.

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airedwin

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This takes me back...but based on my experience, there's probably more software designed for NT that ran fine on XP than not.  All the software I wrote for it back then worked fine without even recompiling.

Perhaps, but not ALL.

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eddman

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Because Windows RT can't run x86 software and Windows XP and Windows 8 can.

The problem is the consumer. They aren't that smart. with Computers and I bet are EASILY confused by this name.

 

In fact I did have one customer who was surprised to learn RT wouldn't run any of her old software.

 

Maybe they should've gone with a different name, but it was still possible to inform the people about the differences, which was mostly the job of tech writers who are supposed to know about such stuff, but what can be done when the majority of them, who happen to be the most vocal, do not posses the slightest knowledge and reasoning to tell the difference.

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airedwin

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Maybe they should've gone with a different name, but it was still possible to inform the people about the differences, which was mostly the job of tech writers who are supposed to know about such stuff, but what can be done when the majority of them, who happen to be the most vocal, do not posses the slightest knowledge and reason to tell the difference.

I was just about to say this.

I was just about to say this.

Basically, they didn't understand something and completely ###### on a good product because it didn't meet their misconceived expectation. Now I'm getting off topic but pretty much the same thing happened with Xbox One =/ Not saying Microsoft can't be blamed, but it's still a tech writer's job to research all the facts and make a solid report.

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HawkMan

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misleading article unless anyone covered this. they're not killing RT. They're just naming it windows. RT will still exist as the ARM and low end tablet version without desktop. 

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Brian M. Veteran

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My 2c.

Ultimately, the average consumer is what matters. The average consumer would walk into an electronic store and realise that an iPad or android tablet won't run the same apps as their computer - because they look and work differently.

With the surface/surface RT - you have two devices which, to a consumer, look identical, one of which will run what they usually do, one won't. And to top it off, both of them use software which looks the same as the software on their computer at home.

Killing the desktop on the RT version is a good thing. It means people will look at it and go "OH that looks like an iPad/android tablet, it must work the same" instead of "OH, that looks like my computer at home, therefore I must be able to install my accounts software on it".

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Eric Veteran

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My 2c.

Ultimately, the average consumer is what matters. The average consumer would walk into an electronic store and realise that an iPad or android tablet won't run the same apps as their computer - because they look and work differently.

With the surface/surface RT - you have two devices which, to a consumer, look identical, one of which will run what they usually do, one won't. And to top it off, both of them use software which looks the same as the software on their computer at home.

Killing the desktop on the RT version is a good thing. It means people will look at it and go "OH that looks like an iPad/android tablet, it must work the same" instead of "OH, that looks like my computer at home, therefore I must be able to install my accounts software on it".

Agreed. There's no need to kill it off, though. Just rename it to something more logical. Maybe go back to the "Windows Mobile" moniker...

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My 2c.

Ultimately, the average consumer is what matters. The average consumer would walk into an electronic store and realise that an iPad or android tablet won't run the same apps as their computer - because they look and work differently.

With the surface/surface RT - you have two devices which, to a consumer, look identical, one of which will run what they usually do, one won't. And to top it off, both of them use software which looks the same as the software on their computer at home.

Killing the desktop on the RT version is a good thing. It means people will look at it and go "OH that looks like an iPad/android tablet, it must work the same" instead of "OH, that looks like my computer at home, therefore I must be able to install my accounts software on it".

 

 

Agreed. There's no need to kill it off, though. Just rename it to something more logical. Maybe go back to the "Windows Mobile" moniker...

 

Agree x1000

 

How about call it Windows ARM ... at least then when someone thinks it will run their Windows software I can say ... Geesh didn't you know ARM isn't compatible with x86 code. ....  Just kidding!!

 

... because with RT it conveys none of that.

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Brian M. Veteran

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Agreed. There's no need to kill it off, though. Just rename it to something more logical. Maybe go back to the "Windows Mobile" moniker...

Yep, no need to kill it completely.

Windows Mobile, Windows Tablet. Even loosing the desktop and having a "Metro only" interface would do IMO. It's about making it look/feel more like a consumers phone than their desktop/laptop computer.

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vcfan

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Wow. This is the "stupidest" article I have ever read.

Serioiusly? How did this make it to CNN?

you're giving CNN too much credit. this isn't the first ridiculously idiotic article they've ever published.

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Max Norris

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There might be a small uptick after Microsoft forced everyone off XP, but overall, the trend is definitely on the decline.

And again, real world numbers say otherwise.

 

Let's be realistic here, most of the software you're talking about (programming, professional graphic design, desktop publishing etc), is niche. And Windows isn't necessary for that either. I can do all of that on my Linux PC.

Again, being highly selective with your choices and ignoring an awful lot of other things. Gaming, applications, multimedia tools, development tools, etc etc.. that niche is rather large. Lets be realistic here, given the choice between a "full" version of, well, pretty much anything, how many people would rather use a lightweight version that does so much less? Never mind, gosh, I can run my "niche" software and mobile software on the exact same system.. convenience level just went wayyy up. Unless of course you're the type that likes having two things to do the work of one.

 

Hardcore gamers who build their own PC's or buy high-end ones, are again a niche market. Lucrative, yet still niche compared with the casual gaming market available on mobile. Even the consoles are getting in on the act.

Yes, "hard core" PC games may be niche. PC gamers in general, not so much. Otherwise, as I mentioned, PC games wouldn't be outselling the consoles. I mean just look at the amount of business gets funneled through Steam.. and that's just one vendor. Niche again? Starting to frequently mis-use that word..

 

Isn't that coming from the enterprise as they are forced to move away from XP due to support cut off? Long term, that's not sustainable.

XP marketshare has gone down a tad, but hardly flatlined.. it's pretty much held steady, or surprisingly in Steam's case, gone up, even moreso than Linux's, which is still barely over 1%. Hardware eventually becomes obsolete and requires a replacement.. it's been like that for decades. Your argument doesn't hold up.

 

And most of those are old devices. No one's buying a new Windows PC every year like they do smartphones and tablets.

Because their desktops aren't obsolete 10 minutes after they walk out of the store, and are easily upgraded. Mobile devices on the otherhand are borderline disposable. They also cost near pocket-change, and greatly expand your productivity when you're not at a desktop, acting as an extension, so yea, obviously they'll sell. Replace? Not so much.

 

I'd like to know how many out of that billion figure Microsoft touted were XP/7 PC's that don't run RT API's or the MS app store. I know I'm running one, so they're counting me. Yet my main system is GNU/Linux. Hardly a good target for would-be Windows developers.

Well it's an easy thing to look up market share, so not sure why you're asking me. However, by going with the "unified platform" approach, developers can now target desktops, tablets, phones and consoles all with the same code base, and yet your "niche" software still works too. Sounds like a pretty spiffy idea overall.
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Dot Matrix

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How is Windows RT "boneheaded"? This author doesn't know his stuff.

 

Windows on ARM was a much needed a logical next step for Microsoft to take.

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chrisj1968

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I'd still think that if a person has a choice to (at install) to install windows 9 and on with either the current experience with the store as is 8/8.1 or install the windows with the desktop look ala' windows 7 would kick every other OS in fourth point of contact seriously.

 

I say this because, besides the tablet like experience which is in the system, having a way to do without the tablet features and have a purebred laptop experience would rock. this would allow laptop users to install the windows 8/8.1/8.2 experience in they like or keep the underlying desktop way of doing things including start button of windows 7. This would give everyone the "option" to have what they want and everyone can be happy. having reinstalled Windows 7 on my OEM toshiba and having it back to the way I originally got it.. I missed windows 7 alot.

 

final thought: the dekstop is still an underlying part of Windows 8.x so it stands to reason, it won't kill anyone if we desktop users could trim off the windows 8 features which, I like but haven't used since Feb 2014.

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airedwin

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I'd still think that if a person has a choice to (at install) to install windows 9 and on with either the current experience with the store as is 8/8.1 or install the windows with the desktop look ala' windows 7 would kick every other OS in fourth point of contact seriously.

 

I say this because, besides the tablet like experience which is in the system, having a way to do without the tablet features and have a purebred laptop experience would rock. this would allow laptop users to install the windows 8/8.1/8.2 experience in they like or keep the underlying desktop way of doing things including start button of windows 7. This would give everyone the "option" to have what they want and everyone can be happy. having reinstalled Windows 7 on my OEM toshiba and having it back to the way I originally got it.. I missed windows 7 alot.

 

final thought: the dekstop is still an underlying part of Windows 8.x so it stands to reason, it won't kill anyone if we desktop users could trim off the windows 8 features which, I like but haven't used since Feb 2014.

Ya, pretty sure that's what the next windows is going to be like.

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vcfan

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Windows is not the desktop and why Windows RT isn't dead

 

So, it's one OS on different devices with different experiences. And it doesn't mean Windows RT is going away. For one thing, RT is the basis of Windows Phone now; it's the NT kernel running on ARM with the WinRT runtime. WinRT is how universal apps get on the Windows Store on x86 devices and on Xbox.

 

http://www.zdnet.com/windows-is-not-the-desktop-and-why-windows-rt-isnt-dead-7000031980/

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