Windows 8

[Ray!]

Judging by what it's going being reported about Windows 8, I think I'll be holding on to Windows 7 for quite some time:

“…information I’ve received that Microsoft has been furiously ripping out legacy code in Windows 8 that would have enabled third parties to bring back the Start button, Start Menu, and other software bits that could have made this new OS look and work like its predecessor. In fact, I’ve seen that several well-known UI hacks that worked fine with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview are no longer functional in the coming Release Preview. And those with hopes that Microsoft would allow businesses, at least, to boot directly to the desktop should prepare for disappointment. That feature not only isn’t happening, it’s being removed from Windows Server 12 (Windows 8′s stable mate) as well.”

http://www.gizmodo.c...s-a-start-date/

Windows 8 looks like a mobile phone interface (which it is, as Microsoft is trying to unify the OS) and I simply don't like it, and I'm pretty sure that many others won't either, especially in the corporate sector. I tried the preview version and didn't like the experience. Yes, you could get the traditional desktop view, but you couldn't escape the Metro interface entirely, there were things that required you to go back to the Metro interface (can't remember what they were). It may be fine in an environment where you use gestures, but in a keyboard/mouse environment, it simply sucks, even though it will work with those peripherals.

Not like:

I'll bet a $1 right now, that a more traditional interface will be provided at some pint in time, as it becomes patently evident that a very large number of people will not be happy with the Metro interface. I like my desktop background and do not want to see that stupid cluster of candy squares all the time on my screen.

Like:

Cheers

Ray

Edited June 1, 2012 by Ray!

[heyhey]

It has been said from day dot that Win8 will be interfaced completely different to the Win95-Win7 layout. Looks like you'll be learning again Ray, might have to jump ship now to save face!

[Ray!]

It has been said from day dot that Win8 will be interfaced completely different to the Win95-Win7 layout. Looks like you'll be learning again Ray, might have to jump ship now to save face!

Yeah, but it will be some version of Linux before a rotten Apple.

Cheers

Ray

[dronus4x4]

I tried win8 also as a key came with my tech net subscription. I didn't like it and found myself switching to the normal desktop pretty fast. If I remember correctly its the control panel or desktop settings which is permanently in the Ghey interface which is annoying.

Luckily I just spun it up as a VM on the work hosts and San so I reakon I've deleted it already...

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

Edited June 1, 2012 by dronus4x4

[admin]

I think the metro interface will come into its own once 50% or more of your apps are metro based. The desktop will only be needed for more serious productivity apps. But of course this can't happen till lots and lots of awesome metro apps are built. It will take time to get used to, but in a few years i think it will be something we won't want to go without.

[admin]

I think the biggest issue facing Microsoft is the lack of windows phone market share. I can imagine having both a win 8 pc and a windows phone would provide some really good integration - but while everyone has an android or iPhone Microsoft will find it hard.

[Glort]

Metro Interface??

Why the hell are they so hell bent on turning the world into faggots?

I'm pretty happy with the " Hetro" Interface i'm using now.

I have a really bright although completely out there idea.....

How about making the program so YOU can choose how you like it to look/ work?

Ya know, for people over the age of 15 that want their computer to look like a computer you could choose the " Traditional" interface. For kids who can't process any thing that dosen't look like a phone or they can't operate with their 2 thumbs, They can choose Metro AKA Faggot mode.

Now how is that for radical, out of the box thinking eh?

Oh, it seems like that had that now they are taking it out so you are forced to be annoyed with the way they demand you have to use the thing.

Can't have been nearly as awsome idea as I thought then!

Bet they will have the facility to make the appearance any one of 400 different colour schemes which no one ever uses and incorporate a bunch of meaningless visual tweaking ability but the oprion to make the thing look and work like what your used to, sorry ol chap, can't have that now can we? You have to waste your time coming to grips with this new metro faggot way of doing things.

7 annoys me enough that's why I run server 2008 wherever I can. Looks like I'll be like others and running the unfashionable "Hetro" software for a bit yet.

[Tonka]

Recently switched to apple after 20+ years of owning pc's. Im very happy with it

[Ray!]

I honestly don't think that there's a great deal of difference nowadays between a Windows PC and an Apple, as far as the user interface goes. Other differences exist, but I have programs that run only on Windows and, while you can run them on a Mac with appropriate software, I don't see the point in buying a Mac and then effectively running Windows anyway. That's why I gave up on Linux; it too can run Windows programs using Wine, but there are issues and complexities that defeat the purpose, especially when you already have a Windows OS.

I've owned Nissan Patrols for 30+ years, I know them inside out and I'm very happy with them.

Cheers

Ray

[heyhey]

Since AutoCAD was released for Mac I've had no use for a Windows emulated environement or starting up in Windows. Well, at apart from one Uni assignment that required me to install RobotC for programming, but they ended up lending me a Laptop to do it on anyway because I refused to buy Windows because they didn't specify it in the course requirements. I hate programming as I have other skills I'ld rather learn so most of my computer use is documents, media, drafting and internet. Mac can do all that, and do it in a very user friendly way. But alas, Windows can too.

[Ray!]

When it comes to applications, be it just your browser or office applications, multimedia etc, the OS doesn't really have anything to do with the user experience, it's the application that delivers that experience. In the past, Macs had an processing advantage over Windows when it came to multimedia and graphics applications, such as Photoshop, video editing etc, but that also has disappeared. Here's an interesting take: http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/windows-8-vs-windows-7-vs-os-x-lion-1026401.

Cheers

Ray

[Rumcajs]

I use Linux because I refuse to submit to the rule corporations and theirs EULAs and SLAs no matter how much they try. I simply don't agree so what are my choices? None so to speeak when it comes to these so called leaders in software development so I use the software made by the people who have nothing better to do in their spare time .

Underlying tech is still a crud and pathetic mess no matter what. The future MS® and Apple megalomaniacs envisage is where they fully control what one can do or use while the users are paying through to nose for the privilege. No, thanks. I prefer the choice and freedom to use the computing my way....and on my terms!

So I don't particularly care what W8 looks like TBH, I just laugh when I see/read the responses to the "new directions" OS interface. The idiots from Redmont have been at it before, "Vista" debacle anyone.

Cheers

Edited June 2, 2012 by Rumcajs

[Ray!]

That's probably why Linux has lagged so badly in the desktop environment; to be a serious alternative, it needs full time support and funding. Surprisingly, some of the Linux derivatives are indeed funded by coorporations and they derive benefit from doing so. No one should fear end user license agreements, few in fact even read them to be honest and even Linux has them.

Actually, Linux is considered to be the real mess because it's so fragmented and in many respects disorganised, that's why organisations like Canonical have been developing Ubuntu, so that it can become a coherent system. Also, your choice and freedom is only as good as that provided by those Linux developers, unless you're a software engineer yourself and can work around the code. And the applications that run on Linux are purely under the control of the developers, whether they come free or paid for.

So at the end of the day, most of us are a slave to one OS or another. It just depends on what your needs and prejudices.

As I still haven't found an answer to the problem I was having with Ubuntu 12.04 and getting two screens to work properly ie extended rather than mirrored, I've been searching for posssible solutions on various Linux forums. It appears that I'm not the only one with this problem and it seems that the Ubuntu developers have actually ignored this feature, to a large extent, in the belief that people for some reason don't need this feature. The same applies to the new Unity interface (a change like Metro in Windows 8), which appears to be universally loathed. Some interesting comment on both issues on this Linux thread: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1940304&highlight=ubuntu+12.04+dual+monitor+support.

Cheers

Ray

Edited June 2, 2012 by Ray!

[Ray!]

This truly made me laugh, the interface of the future:

Cheers

Ray

[cairnsGU]

The unity was developed solely for the run of little 10 net books that were the rage a couple of years ago and was a good UI for them.

I played with the rc release of windows 8 last night and I hated it. Lol. I see reasons for it but its not for me I think...may be great on a tablet.

You sound like steve jobs when talking about fragmentation Ray. Lol

Linux is excellent and I don't understand why there is a problem with u and a second monitor. I'll have a dig around.

There's not going to be much choose in having a current style os as its only a matter of time till the Mac has iOS on it

Dan

[cairnsGU]

Ray what computer are you using?

Does it have at I video card ?

[Ray!]

The unity was developed solely for the run of little 10 net books that were the rage a couple of years ago and was a good UI for them.

I played with the rc release of windows 8 last night and I hated it. Lol. I see reasons for it but its not for me I think...may be great on a tablet.

You sound like steve jobs when talking about fragmentation Ray. Lol

Linux is excellent and I don't understand why there is a problem with u and a second monitor. I'll have a dig around.

There's not going to be much choose in having a current style os as its only a matter of time till the Mac has iOS on it

Dan

If you're referring tom the Unity interface in Ubuntu, it was only released at version 10 and became the default interface in version 11, I believe, and is considered the future of Ubuntu. However, it appears to be universally loathed by the Ubuntu crowd, which is why most revert to the older Gnome interface.

Everyone talks about fragmentation, but it's most evident with Linux. That said, that's why iOS and Windows 8 are following similar pathways, in future, both OSes will deliver a similar, if not the same, user interface regardless of the device that you may be using. That is, for Apple users, you will see the same interface in iPod, iPad, iMac and whatever. The same applies to Windows phone, tablet, PC. They all want to have a universal OS that delivers the same user experience via apps.

Linux is very, very, good, depending on what you want from it. I'm not disparaging Linux whatsoever, but it doesn't fulfill the requirements of the vast majority of computer users and it's being left behind rapidly compared to Apple, Android and even Windows (8 or whatever). Ubuntu, for example, has only about 2 million personal users worldwide (that's from the Ubuntu website), compared to the billions using Windows/Apple, and Ubuntu the most popular Linux derivative for personal computer use worldwide.

Ubuntu version 12.04 does not support dual monitors with differing resolutions and provide extended mode at individual screen's native resolutions. I can run Ubuntu 12.04 with dual screens, only in mirrored mode, at the lowest screen's resolution, but not at the native resolution of each screen. It's a noted issue, but there appears to be no solution. It's a frustration for many Ubuntu users, but it appears that Canonical doesn't consider this an issue.

Cheers

Ray

[Ray!]

Ray what computer are you using?

Does it have at I video card ?

I'm using a Dell XPS whatever, with dual 23" monitors (one Dell, one Viewsonic) and I'm able to run each monitor at it's native resolution with Windows 7. Not only that, both screens have been colour calibrated using an X-Rite screen calibrator, so that I can match screen colours to X-Rite calibrated print colours. Both screens display the calibrated colours. This is another thing that Linux cannot do.

Cheers

Ray

[cairnsGU]

Bloody spell check.

What graphics card does it have. Is it ati or nvidea

[Ray!]

Bloody spell check.

What graphics card does it have. Is it ati or nvidea

ATI Radeon HD 4800 series.

Cheers

Ray

[admin]

I've been around - since before windows and every release we get the same people saying the same crap about windows - how it sucks, how it will never sell or take off, etc etc. There has only been two windows release duds - WinME and Windows Vista - which they eventually fixed via service packs. Windows 8 will be better than all the previous releases and the Metro UI will grow on people over time. Not everyone will like it but it will succeed.

[cairnsGU]

Fragmentation is not only Linux. Have a look how many variations of windows there is or has been at various release cycles.

As you know I'm a big Linux and osx fan and I loath iOS .

I really think that a lot of people do not understand the importance / attraction to Linux. There's a lot of things that people use on a daily basis that has a Linux kernel and don't even know it.

I for one do not like to be dictated about doing this or that. Hence why I hate iOS .

Linux has come along way and is not for lazy people who like to click .exe files and sit back. These people don't need a PC they need an iphone and be like all the other zombies around.

Dan

[Murph]

Happy with my Mac, still running XP on one of my work PC. Vista was a shocker and made me change.

[Ray!]

Yes, there have been many variations of Windows, but that is not fragmentation, they are simply incremental updates more to do with the user interface and underlying processes, the same applies to Apple. By Linux fragmentation, I mean that there are hundreds of different versions available, each of which works differently and has been developed by different indivuduals/groups. The only thing that is controlled with Linux is the underlying kernel, the rest is up to anyone to play with and produce what they want, with no guarantee that it will be compatible with what you want to use it for. With Windows and Apple, everything is rigorously controlled and everything is unified.

After using Ubuntu for some time now, in most respects it works like Windows when it comes to updates (of which there seem to be many every week) etc, you just click the install button and sit back. Why would anyone want to use a program in this day and age that requires you to go to a text screen and input code to do updates and whatever? Ony a select few I would suspect.

Cheers

Ray

[GPSTI]

The fact that Linux is a failure as a desktop OS just proves that people don't care if something is free - if it won't do the job, free is expensive.

Windows is dominant and is not free. People are happy to pay for the facility to get done what they need done.

I've been playing with PCs since the Commodore 64 was replaced with the x86 and DOS. Multimate and Lotus 123 were the killer apps. Then Windows 3.0 came on the scene, followed by Word and Excel, and Microsoft was on a huge winner.

Then along came Windows NT and WFWG and the end of Netware was secured.

I dragged myself into the smartphone world last November (HTC Sensation) when my Nokia died, and I immediately loved the ability to sync my calendar between the phone and desktop, the ability to read emails while out and about, and being able to do money transfers and pay the CCard bill while not at home. I don't love the insecurity of the android devices, so need to beware of saving passwords to banking sites, and some may not like the location services tracking where you go and what you do. But the authorities track everyone's phone calls anyway, even if you run an old dumbphone.

I haven't played with Windows 8 yet, but I suspect that the integration between devices will be a major winner once the glitches are ironed out. There will be the usual driver pain when third party vendors of gadgets can't program properly, and the same will apply to 3rd party Vendors of such things as Quickbooks/MYOB which are fundamental apps to many people.

The success of Android in phones and tablets is testament to how many people hate the financial bite of buying an Apple. Although Google has no desktop OS, it does have a massive cloud, and there are many businesses using Google Apps. But it's still incomplete without the local desktop/server solution that only Microsoft supplies.

So, IMO, Windows 8 will filter out into the business world - the imminent death of Blackberry will leave a large market looking for a unified product. The only one that has the potential to fill it is W8 - they won't move to Apple; they could have bought it already and didn't.

At first look the interface is ghastly to my eyes, but if the whole shebang does the job we'll all adapt to it.