Windows 8 Discussion

[Amaris]

oh god, i'd completely forgotten about the AOL disaster lol

M

So did I. Wow. That's both hilarious and bone chillingly awful at the same time.

In any case, does anyone who has used it know if you can have multiple windows/programs up on your screen at once? That's pretty crucial to what I do at work, since I typically have 4 or 5 (or more) different things going at once.

You can choose "Desktop" from the Metro window and then you'll have a regular Windows desktop which looks pretty much like that of Win 7 (at least that was possible in the developers version). It might also be possible to deactivate the Metro thing at start-up with some messing around in the innards of the system but I can't say for sure. I don't plan on getting it, anyway.

Yeah, I wouldn't get it. I figure the new Windows 8 slogan should be:

"Windows 8: Just Like Windows 7! Now with more obstacles!"
or maybe:
"Windows 8: Get less done in more time!"
Perhaps:
"Windows 8: Setting Your UI Back to 1996!"

 

[Methos]

as far as i can see from the RC, there isn't a full way to disable the 'metro' interface... and even in 'desktop mode', explorer is pretty hideous to use now it's been stripped and gutted...

M

 

[Amaris]

as far as i can see from the RC, there isn't a full way to disable the 'metro' interface... and even in 'desktop mode', explorer is pretty hideous to use now it's been stripped and gutted...

M

One of the first things I did was root around for the Metro interface and I couldn't find any way to disable it. Windows 8 makes the explorer look like nothing more than a mini-app. On a desktop computer, making the usable point and click interface secondary is a stupid idea.

 

[Methos]

yeah... i suppose i had a slightly better experience with the Metro interface because i have a touchscreen monitor at my disposal, but i can't see myself adapting to it fully... just couldn't get my head around it properly...

M

 

[Amaris]

yeah... i suppose i had a slightly better experience with the Metro interface because i have a touchscreen monitor at my disposal, but i can't see myself adapting to it fully... just couldn't get my head around it properly...

M

It's because nothing is intuitive and you have to take extra steps just to do simple tasks. This OS isn't made for desktops, and they're trying to shoehorn it in there, anyway, and then charge you $100+ to do it.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

The Metro interface looks absurd for a desktop PC, or even a laptop. Perfectly fine for a tablet or phone, though.

Microsoft will have to put in a way to disable Metro or at least hide it, otherwise they will never get businesses to buy it. Corporate users hate having things changed for no benefit. Corporate rejection is why Vista failed, for that matter--Microsoft had to extend XP support and offer downgrade rights to keep business customers happy! But now, adoption of 7 is going quite well, because they got all the kinks worked out and it's pretty easy to use more or less how you used XP (but with the benefits of 7.)

I suspect 8 will be more like Vista, and Windows 9 will be more like 7.

Still can't figure out how the hell they did the numbering, though. Is it like this?

Windows 7
Windows Vista (6)
Windows XP (5)
Windows 95/98 (4)
Windows 3.x (3)
Windows 2.x (2)
Windows 1.x (1)

(Hey, if I were MS, I'd want to pretend Mistake Edition didn't happen, too! In addition, it's sort of amusing that the internal name of 7 is NT 6.1 to Vista's 6.0. Stupid marketing nonsense.)

 

[Methos]

bit more convoluted than that actually...

20 November 1985 - Windows 1.0
9 December 1987 - Windows 2.0
27 May 1988 - Windows 2.10
13 March 1989 - Windows 2.11
22 May 1990 - Windows 3.0
6 April 1992 - Windows 3.1
27 July 1993 - Windows NT 3.1
21 September 1994 - Windows NT 3.5
24 August 1995 - Windows 95
24 August 1996 - Windows NT 4.0
25 June 1998 - Windows 98
5 May 1999 - Windows 98 SE
17 February 2000 - Windows 2000
14 September 2000 - Windows Me
25 October 2001 - Windows XP
31 October 2002 - Windows XP Media Center Edition
12 October 2004 - Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
30 November 2006 - Windows Vista
22 October 2009 - Windows 7
6 April 2011 - Windows Home Server 2011

M

 

[Robert Maxwell]

bit more convoluted than that actually...

20 November 1985 - Windows 1.0
9 December 1987 - Windows 2.0
27 May 1988 - Windows 2.10
13 March 1989 - Windows 2.11
22 May 1990 - Windows 3.0
6 April 1992 - Windows 3.1
27 July 1993 - Windows NT 3.1
21 September 1994 - Windows NT 3.5
24 August 1995 - Windows 95
24 August 1996 - Windows NT 4.0
25 June 1998 - Windows 98
5 May 1999 - Windows 98 SE
17 February 2000 - Windows 2000
14 September 2000 - Windows Me
25 October 2001 - Windows XP
31 October 2002 - Windows XP Media Center Edition
12 October 2004 - Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
30 November 2006 - Windows Vista
22 October 2009 - Windows 7
6 April 2011 - Windows Home Server 2011

M

Yeah, thanks. I know the actual version of history of Windows, you know. I was trying to figure out how they arrived at "Windows 7," but clearly it's an arbitrary designation because it doesn't appear to be based on the genuine version history and doesn't take into account that the DOS-based line was superseded by the NT line. Most users probably have no clue XP has a completely different architecture than 95/98/Me did.

 

[Methos]

yeah, there's no actual common sense to the naming whatsoever...

figuring they just went with "7" for the current one, and decided to go from there

M

 

[Santaman]

I have machines with Win 3.0, 3.1, 95, 98SE, 2000 and 7 running, guess why there's not one with ME or Vista..

 

[RAMA]

exactly... i don't understand why they've decided to remove DVD/BluRay playback from the system... it just doesn't make sense in the long run unless they're going to release their own 'media player' system on the market for an upgrade price... and even then, it's just an idiotic idea...

i'm definitely sticking with 7... don't see Windows 8 offering me anything that i can't already do on 7

M

They're convinced that optical discs are going the way of the dinosaur...and they are right, but this may be too early to abandon the built in support for it.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Doesn't basically every DVD/BD drive come with player software from the OEM anyway? And that typically includes codecs, which Windows Media Player will be able to use just fine (even though they aren't included with the OS.) In other words, end users will likely never notice this omission because manufacturers will make sure there's appropriate software to go along with the optical drive, pre-installed.

 

[CorporalClegg]

One big item not on the list is WinRT: the new api.

Microsoft has finally found a universal api--basically their holy grail since 3.1.

They came close with the WinFx in Longhorn, but of course that was eventually scrapped.

It's one of the biggest "under the hood" advancements in a long time, if not ever. It is HUGE for developers and could potentially launch app development in so many new directions.

There's a good possibility that a lot of companies will start going to rolling releases for their most popular software. Companies like Adobe might actually start favoring develping for Windows over MacOS.

It's too bad it has to come on such a shitty interface.

I can't honestly believe they did any real market research on it.

I have yet to meet one person who thinks it's a good idea.

In fact just last week, my dad tried it at work. All five people in the IT department hated it. So for a little experiment, they installed it on a few more computers and had everyone else in the company (bout 300 people) come down and try it.

Not one person like it and everyone pretty much just hated it.

And I still don't understand why they continue to try and jam that stupid ribbon down our throats. It's had nothing but five year's worth of bad press--not to mention all the hacks and alternative front-ends people have devised in order to rid themselves of it.

Really Methos? I used Win2000 for a good 5-6 years. It always struck me as one of the more stable versions. Agree on the rest though.

To date, Win2k is easily the best OS to ever come out of Redmond.

In terms of stability, functionality, and forward thinking it blows XP and Win7 out of the water.

They're convinced that optical discs are going the way of the dinosaur...and they are right, but this may be too early to abandon the built in support for it.

Not really.

It's expensive to develop and how many people actually use native support? Exactly.

I mean find me one person who doesn't immediately install VLC, MPC, or some similar third party movie player.

Besides, Windows could never play Bluray movies natively anyhow because of the DRM restrictions.

Frankly, I'm surprised it took them this long.

 

[sojourner]

Yeah, sorry Methos, but win2k is one of if not the best OS's MS has ever produced. Did you have some weird experience that turned you off of it early? Heck, Windows XP is basically just a gussied up version of Windows 2000.

 

[Methos]

yeah i had a lot of problems with Windows 2k back then... must have just been me

M

 

[Amaris]

I remember using Windows 2000 back when it was released, and was rather impressed by it's stability. When XP SP2 came along, I felt that it was the best of both worlds: The stability and flexibility of the powerful Windows 2000, but the visual appeal of a home consumer OS.

 

[Colonel Midnight]

The more I read about Win8, etc., the less I want to use it. Just what I want -- shiny big kindergarten/cartoon icons a la Metro.

Thanks, MS.

Downloading Precise Pangolin as I type this to try out, via a USB stick.

Is there enough of a Linux presence on the TrekBBS for a Linux thread -- a calm discussion one, vs a "Linux sux, Mac is better, Windows yadda yadda" flame-fest type?? Coincidentally, I've been toying with the idea of starting one in hopes of the former, following the release of Precise Pangolin...

Thoughts?

Cheers,
-CM-

 

[Methos]

don't actually know how many linux users we have here...

i bounce around on it from time to time, but use Windows as my primary system for everything because all my work software is Windows based, so can't move entirely to linux...

curious now how many people do use it though

M

 

[CorporalClegg]

TNZ experiences fairly frequent NIX discussion in the various BS threads there.

 

[SeerSGB]

I have friends that are trying to stock pile copies of 7 and Vista. They figure there'll be a huge market for the older OSs once 8 drops it's load all over new PCs.. Me, I'm just going to switch over to Linux when we get the next rig; gaming is going to be the only issue. But fuck it if I have to I'll just stack a extra drive, set it as the default boot drive and only dick with windows when I game.