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Holy Tablet OS... I mean Windows 8

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Proin Drakenzol:
I would be very surprised if Windows 8 didn't allow a "classic" or "aero" (preferably both) view for desktops. The one thing I'm hoping for now is that Intel's new mobile-chips crush ARM and make x86-64 the unified computing architecture.

@iindigo: still at Temple University Tokyo?

iindigo:
Well, the current build of the Windows beta completely removes the classic start menu in favor of the metro start screen. The result is this big awkward screen flashing up any time you need the start menu, even in desktop mode.

@Proin: No, I've been back in the US ever since the earthquake. I'll probably be back in Tokyo to help my old roommate with a business venture in a month or so, though.

FlyinPenguin:

--- Quote from: iindigo on March 16, 2012, 01:52:48 AM ---In a nutshell, Linux isn't a fit for general consumers until:

1) You guys agree on some standards. Variety is good, but it's possible to have too much of anything.
2) You no longer need to use the command line for anything, ever. Period. I don't mind CLI and use it all the time on OS X, but to the general consumer it's just that scary thing hackers use on bad computer movies.
3) You no longer have to go diving for random config files when something breaks.

And while it isn't strictly required, gaining widespread support from commercial software vendors would do wonders for the adoption of various Linux distributions.

--- End quote ---

Well, Linux is able to run the $200 plus software developed for Windows using Wine and VM, which actually isn't that complicated if one reads the basic tuts. Linux has the advantage of running equivalent software for free without having to learn anything relating to hacking and customization. IMOP that gives Linux a huge advantage but it has to deal with the fear mongering put forth by Windows fanboys who don't want to admit Linux is no t only capable of running their software but also can run equivalent software with a lot less effort.

I do understand your point though. Most people look at the box for supported OS when they buy software/games from Wal-Mart/Best-Buy/etc. Let's not forget  that Microsoft is actively putting pressure on both software AND hardware manufacturers NOT to support Linux. For a brief period Dell was offering its Netbooks with an option of either Windows XP or Ubuntu. Microsoft pressured Dell to drop its Linux support. No surprise since a substantial amount of customers actually requested the cheaper OS (free) (Ubuntu).

lapa321:

--- Quote from: FlyinPenguin on March 07, 2012, 08:33:10 AM ---Well, first of all as far as the network integration, of course a full fledged OS has an advantage over a mobile OS.
--- End quote ---

Not quite sure what that has to do with anything. It's just a matter of network protocols being applied right? Is there anything stopping them from implementing the full suite on the mobile? Is there anything keeping them from implementing Network Printing? Having network browsing integrated into the file system? (neither Android nor iOS lets you do that). There are apps that do it, so it's not like it's a limitation of the OS.

Anyway, my thoughts.

I managed to free up a spare laptop harddrive and tried it today on the Atom. The taskbar is still there and it seems to still work the same way. The only major change if seen so far that would affect me is that of the Start menu being replaced by Metro. The application icons on the taskbar still stack.

Activating the Start menu is still the same for me. I don't actually click on the start button. I've always dragged the mouse all the way to the left corner and clicked. To minimize everything,  drag to the lower right and click. On the new interface, the left side of the taskbar is the new 'start' button, and the right side is the usual minimize button.

Since Windows7 when i started pinning everything to the taskbar, the start menu has become a mess. I used to keep everything in folders inside the start menu so i can have easy access from Win95 to XP, but Win7's ability to pin meant i just use the application once, and the pin their taskbar icon to make them stick there permanently.

The middle button functionality on the taskbar got passed on to metro. Using notepad as an example, if you were to pin its icon to the Win7 taskbar, middle clicking it would launch a new instance of it. So if you middle click notepad three times, you end up with three notepads on your desktop. If you hover over the notepad icon, thumbnails of the three apps would appear above the icon, and if you middle click those, that instance gets closed. I first learned this on the webbrowsers (It's always been "middleclick link = launch new instance" and "middleclick icon/tab = close instance") before i started doing it to the desktop applications too.

The desktop is still intact, so the new interface does not affect your productivity wise. Programs are still running in windows. You can still have a little video players on top of the spreadsheet you're working on.

The main thing that would affect me is that i'll likely move most of the pinned shortcuts on my Win7 taskbar to Metro.

To Launch on the Different OSes, this is how i used to go through to launch Firefox as an example:

WinXP:
Click Start -> Click 'Communications' folder -> Click 'Firefox'

Win7:
Click Start -> Click 'Programs' -> Click 'Communications' folder -> Click 'Firefox'

Win8:
Click Start -> Click 'Firefox'


If you look at Metro as an enhancement of the Start Menu launcher, rather than the entire Win8 (It still primarily uses Explorer.exe). It does have potential. I'm a web developer and i do a lot of multitasking. So i'm always looking at devices on how useful, detrimental, or adjustments they are to my work. From what i'm seeing so far, i think i'll have no problem working on this. The Win7 taskbar is the one thing that i really appreciate over WinXP. Metro seems like a good way to act as a drawer for my commonly used programs. I have to minimize everything to access the desktop icons, and the task bar isn't big enough to house everything, so this is a good alternative.

BTW, i have not yet watched any Win8 video, article, or reviews, i just downloaded it and exploring with no prior knowledge on where everything is. I've only googled twice. The first was the error i kept getting while installing (Recommendation is to install Win7 first since it has working drivers, and have the Win8 installer run off that), the second was when i was looking for the shutdown button. The rest was just applying how i used the Win7 Taskbar (Corners, middleclick, tabs, etc.). Configuring it was identical to Win7 since the Control Panel and Desktop were still intact.


After using it for a bit. I really don't get the hostility towards metro. Right now on Win7, i have to click the Start button and browse through the dozens of folders and links to get at the program i need.  Metro basically has all the commonly used applications in big icons right in the middle of my screen when i press the start button. The unnecessary ones i simply unpin (Metro links are also 'pinned' like in the taskbar, they are not individual links) and the metro can tone down on the clutter.

Hadouken:
I don't mind the metroUI much tbh. The IE app is pretty cool and I hope mozilla does something like that for windows 8.

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