Microsoft unveils "Windows 8"

[TheLaughingMan]

This is now significantly less cool than one of their concept ideas Tom's Hardware showed off about a month ago.

I am sad now cause this is not cool anymore.

 

[Red_Machine]

This OS is the tablet version,designed for touchscreens the real one comes 2 years later

I would agree, but the guy said "This IS the new version of Windows. It will run on laptops, desktops, touch-screen PCs and tablets" or words to that effect. To me, that seals it.

I hate it, I really do. But it's progress. We've been stuck with the same basic UI since 95 came out, it's about time they changed it.

 

[cheesy999]

I would agree, but the guy said "This IS the new version of Windows. It will run on laptops, desktops, touch-screen PCs and tablets" or words to that effect. To me, that seals it.

I hate it, I really do. But it's progress. We've been stuck with the same basic UI since 95 came out, it's about time they changed it.

its the same underlying programming but with a different gui, they are using the same os with a different gui this time round for compatibility reasons

expect to find in the shops

Microsoft windows 8 Home Tablet edition
Microsoft Windows 8 Home PC Edition
Microsoft windows 8 Ultimate Tablet & PC Edition
etc
etc
etc

 

[remixedcat]

if MS would work less on this UI crap and more on getting good features like better security, more recovery options for people getting infected with malware, better performance with hard drives, let the 3rd party themes work without UXTheme hacks, better networking, etc... then people would start to like MS more, but really this is so tiring.

and this metro UI would look downright silly in my house.... I got a dark fancy atmposhere and this interface looks like it belongs in some hipster whitebox "modernist" apartment

and also... we like our "old fashioned" guis they are stable and productive and we are all used to them and have them in muscle memory.... all these damn devs think they have to change them "cause they're bored" is not good! We get good results with our current GUIs.

 

[Captain.Abrecan]

In other words, 90%+ of customers are going to hate Windows all over again. Microsoft has to learn to not f*** with features that aren't broke. If they don't learn, they will perish.

Not really. The business users are what built the empire, I will give you that. In any other decade you would be right regarding your assumptions. However the civilian consumers control the purchasing power now. But there are a few problems with this new consumer base, which I will outline:
People are stupid.
People are very stupid.
People do not know how to use computers.
People do not understand user interfaces.
People are stupid.
By making the system as simple as possible for 1 billion customers who only use their PC for facebook, digital cameras, and youtube they will take the content control steering wheel from Apple. Most of these frigging people don't even create their own content, they just consume it (as has been outlined earlier).

The touch screen + media capable interfaces are not Microsoft's way of fucking with everybody. It is a industry trend. Industry...trend. Everybody is doing it. It works. It has worked since Zune. It is simple, it does not require explanation.

My grandfather can swipe his finger and see the weather. Done. I assume the PC can wake from a swipe, seems reasonable.

Right now, he has to turn the PC on, wait, log in, wait, double click firefox 12 times, wait, search for google in the google adress bar on his homepage, type in accuweather, wait, type in his zip code, wait, etc etc. I tried putting apps in his sidebar, but as soon as they pop up with a notification or "please update adobe" he considers it broken, and walks away. He can't use computers. People can't use computers.
PEOPLE NEED THIS UI.

there are tons of eye-candy and stuff

You are correct. Obviously any moving & scalable interface elements that present real data from files and software, harmoniously, is going to be power hungry. I don't see any eye candy though. The content windows were square, they had no bounding box, they were not transparent. It looks like it was stripped down to be faster.

Going back to the new customer base, I will say that Facebook's load time has little to do with the PC's overall performance. It can, if it is slow, but usually doesn't. If that is the only performance metric that the new user base has, then they won't even notice. Given that, what incentive does Microsoft have to fix your problems? No one else would even understand you if you tried to talk to them about it. "Pagefile? What is that? Have you seen that tweet from so-and-so?"

we all have to wait and see but if windows 8 wants to be more like Apple and i wanted a more apple like interface id just fucking buy apple herp derp lol

Ha ha, yeah. Realistically, this is a industry trend. If anything, the Metro UI was for the Zune, and technically predates the touch iPods. Microsoft released metro on November 14th, 2006. The ipod touch came out on September 13th, 2007. Microsoft Surface also predates the trend, which I believe was the labs child that led to this development.

Give MS all the shit you want, but they are king of the hill whether your head is in the sand or not. [not insinuating that your eyes are closed crazyeyesreaper ]

It's a lot like that pervasive rumor from yesteryear regarding Mac having been the originator for window-based user interfaces. The second part of the rumor was that Microsoft stole it, and we should all be ashamed! (I kid). When, if I recall correctly, Microsoft stole the interface from EDIT: Xerox (TY Red Machine). Who should be the leader in design here, patents be damned.

Most real industry leaders realize that Microsoft was first on the scene with stream lined interfaces that deliver content quickly and easily. You aren't going to see the power players (business customers) suddenly filling offices with Apple computers that can't run Solidworks or Costpoint just because the boss' 16 year old daughter hails the iPad as the pinnacle of Interface Design.

 

[Red_Machine]

if I recall correctly, Microsoft stole the interface from Kodak.

It was Xerox who created the first native computer GUI back in '81 with the Xerox Star. A lot of people (and sometimes even Apple themselves) think that Apple were the company that invented the GUI.

Microsoft didn't steal it from Apple anyway, they were being developed at the same time, Apple just got there first. They even had the gall to sue Microsoft because Windows looked too much like the Mac OS and they were required to remove a few features from it (such as overlapping windows and the ability to refresh background windows in realtime).

 

[hellrazor]

off topic but WTF is this shit? >>>http://tpucdn.com/forums/customavatars/avatar63016_12.gif

I know what you mean, from a guy with the user name of "Pr0n Inspector". Makes me laugh a little though.

 

[AphexDreamer]

It looks like Windows 7 with a new advanced version of Window Media Center embedded in its core functions.

It kinda of makes me feel like a console OS for the PC.

Not to diss it.

 

[remixedcat]

Tiles are meant for floors.... NOT OPERATING SYSTEMS!

 

[Easy Rhino]

sorry but i want a desktop UI, not a tablet UI. i know they will have a legacy version or whatever, but why not just create two different and separate UIs. ugh, i hate this whole tablet BS.

 

[CrackerJack]

sorry but i want a desktop ui, not a tablet ui. I know they will have a legacy version or whatever, but why not just create two different and separate uis. Ugh, i hate this whole tablet bs.

+1

 

[yogurt_21]

there is no way they could expect a business to implement this as their os. My guess is this is the GTX3XX thing with nvidia and windows 8 only goes to mobile platforms with another OS named something else being used for pc's.

 

[Neuromancer]

@D4S4 : You updated your post about 2 seconds before I nuked it.

They are presenting a differnt UI, no more, no less. The detail will come out later.

Microsoft does legacy UI so people can choose when the new OS comes out.
Interestingly, once people get used to the new UI they use it.
Windows 7 UI is far superior to 95,2000 and XP and I, for one, don't want them to go back.
They may not have kept all their lofty promises, but if they do not try to innovate they will die.
They will not survive by sitting on their hands.

Just my opinion.

I agree and disagree.

You make excellent points, static companies disappear.

However one can tweak 7 to make it a usable OS with out resorting to legacy mode. (I forget the couple of tweaks needed, big one for me was the automatic windows resizing when you try and move messenger off the side of your 2nd or 3rd monitor make me hopping mad. )

Also the OS of tomorrow is going to be more cell phone like simply because the kids of today are used to that. I personally find smart phones to be counter intuitive.. but I am looking at it through more than 25 years of PC experience. I understand I will have to adapt, and hopefully will still be tweaking my OS (without resorting to legacy mode) to make it usable in 15-20 more years


I am surprised no one pointed out that Gigabytes new click bios also looks like a cell phone

 

[Kreij]

Depending on the implementation of the tile UI, it could very well be embraced by companies.
If the tiles could be apps (instead of all the social BS they show), then they simply would become icon replacements and may be a lot easier for people in the workplace.

I'm just speculating here as it will all hinge on how they go about making it customizable for the varying needs of computer users.

 

[erixx]

i have a windows tablet and the research is not funny, but quite usefull instead.

of course like one said, you can not compare tablets and pc's. it is totally different

 

[TheLaughingMan]

I want this UI back. This was actually kinda interesting.

http://www.megatechnews.com/microsoft-shows-off-futuristic-new-ui/

No one here wanted Windows Phone 7 on their desktop. I don't like icons cluttering up my desktop, WTF makes them think making the icons 17 times larger would be any better. Its my desktop, I want application, not apps.

P.S. Yeah, it was a shameless plug too, but it was the one place I remembered the video still being linked to. And yes I know the Bubbles Interface is for Microsoft Surface 2, but hell this Metro UI crap is for tablets and smartphones.

 

[Phxprovost]

But it's progress. We've been stuck with the same basic UI since 95 came out, it's about time they changed it.

How is this progress in any way? Increasing your feature set and core functionality is progress, screwing around with a UI that no one asked for is not progress. Even if this is purely for tablets and other mobile devices why would you want it? All the progress that is being made in mobile processors is for what? a shitty UI i would expect on a first generation touch screen device? No thanks :shadedshu

 

[Thatguy]

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2011/06/6-1-11-metro.jpg


Source

I hope they only use this OS UI for tablet and mobile Phones. I doubt microsoft will completely alienate the market with a mobile phone and tablet UI.

Maybe this will finally mark the death of windows and the begining of a diverse software ecosystem in which there are lots of operating systems.

If this is window8, they can keep this piece of shit. I am sure they will find a way to shove more DRM into the codebase to.

What a fucking pile.

Likely ok if you are addicted to squinting at tiny phone screen though.

I want this UI back. This was actually kinda interesting.

http://www.megatechnews.com/microsoft-shows-off-futuristic-new-ui/

No one here wanted Windows Phone 7 on their desktop. I don't like icons cluttering up my desktop, WTF makes them think making the icons 17 times larger would be any better. Its my desktop, I want application, not apps.

P.S. Yeah, it was a shameless plug too, but it was the one place I remembered the video still being linked to. And yes I know the Bubbles Interface is for Microsoft Surface 2, but hell this Metro UI crap is for tablets and smartphones.

Jesus thats even more fucking obnoxious.

A lot of vendors are pushing touch screen home PCs.
For the average user who has a touch screen at home and is into more of a social experience on their desktop, this will probably shine.

For gamers, overclockers and application users, it would probably more of a hinderance which would explain the "legacy" use option.

typing on a touch screen is a bad joke if you want to do it at a reasonable pace. if your a look and peck typist its not to bad.

 

[Easy Rhino]

thatguy, use the multi-quote button.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

lol i love the qoute touchscreen PCs at home... honestly look to your left... now look to your right, now look at the contacts list in your phone?? done yet? good now tell me how many out of the people you know and in your vicinity have a touch screen.

 

[Dippyskoodlez]

This fact is mind boggling. Mac OS X should want to be like Windows because Windows has dominated the market for 30 years changing little. When Windows tries to be like Mac OS X, they bleed customers to Mac OS X. It is a strategy that is doomed to failure yet, it appears that they still pursue it. Mind...boggling.

Really not a great analogy for design intents.

The purpose of all UI design should at its heart be usability first. Otherwise, just use a CLI and save the resources.

Apple would never "want to be like windows", because windows presents a role similar to programs that you purchase: It's design cannot maintain transparency to the user. Apple sells a "machine" of which, the experience is to keep the OS transparent to the user, allowing one to do whatever you are doing. It's a fantastic design IMO.

This is definitely influenced by their Windows Phone experiences, but a panel display like that IMO isn't versatile enough for most users, unless it's a stripped down machine (READ: Tablet). I don't care about my stock rates, because I don't have any! The exact same reason I hide default applications on my iPhone.


Now, this bothers me:

There'll be two kinds of applications for Windows 8, one that runs in a traditional desktop, and the other pseudo-mobile apps based on HTML5 and Javascript...

Apple tried this "web app" idea. It does not work. Stop wasting time now, while you're still in the development phase, Microsoft. Google apps style or native apps only. There is no viable in between, unless you want to run Farmville. These apps do nothing but suck down bandwidth which mobile companies are trying to fight tooth and nail for every bit, provide high computational/battery requirements, and when given the power to properly use hardware, get's full of security flaws.

Back to a UI note, I have noticed uBuntu Unity, Gnome 3, OS X Lion have all been following a glamoury "get to the internet this way" method that I find absolutely disgusting. If this rate keeps up, I'm probably going to be a hardcore XFCE convert.

 

[Thatguy]

lol i love the qoute touchscreen PCs at home... honestly look to your left... now look to your right, now look at the contacts list in your phone?? done yet? good now tell me how many out of the people you know and in your vicinity have a touch screen.

it just makes me wanna jab my eyes out with s screw driver ! fuck a phone, and fuck that couch to. I use my phone to make calls, becuase I don't want to squint at the screen while I am trying to handle a bunch of audio tracks.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

^ i like this guy he gets it lol

 

[Easy Rhino]

If this rate keeps up, I'm probably going to be a hardcore XFCE convert.

agreed. time to start mustering the troops.

 

[Thatguy]

agreed. time to start mustering the troops.

Time to start demanding choice in operating systems. I don't mean just linux either.