Bits What's coming in Windows 8?

[StoneyMahoney]

As good as a new version of Windows ever looks in a presentation, there are *always* some howlers in the interface design that you don't find until they're staring you right in the face. We all have our own personal examples, decisions that just can't be rationalised in any way shape or form. I suspect Windows 8 will have an awful lot of these, what with two interfaces for them to screw up simultaneously.

[phuzz]

I'm assuming there'll be a new version of Windows Server (2012?) released around the same time and based on the same kernel, and that certainly won't have a flash new interface, so don't worry folks, you'll still be able to run a nice old school grey UI.

(o/t I'm 30 and I still find it pretty easy to pick up new interfaces. Is there a cut off point?)

[runadumb]

I think Microsoft did exactly what they needed too do. For everyone saying "just give us the old ways" you seem to miss the point that the traditional PC is dying. For most people now PC's are just a gateway onto the internet which is where the real interest now lays. We can access the internet in a growing number of ways that are easier than on a normal PC. The learning curve is low and the experience is fast (if somewhat more limited).

The startling rise of tablets has proven that people just want a streamlined experience. I still can't get over the success of the ipad, which, at least at launch was pretty ****. I still wouldn't even consider buying one or any other current tablet for that matter. However Windows 8 may change that due to it's adaptive potential.

Now I wonder if you showed someone an Ipad 2(3?) then a windows 8 device which one would hold the most interest? Considering that windows 8 should allow for form-factors that change depending on use (like the asus transformer) i would hope most people would swing back towards a real computer with it's added flexibly.

Why buy an Ipad/android tablet that's just a tablet when you can buy a laptop that's a tablet, that's a PC just by changing a dock?
Although as windows 8 is at least a year away maybe the mobile OS's will grow enough that people simply don't care and the current PC model will be completely dead.

I think Microsoft nailed it with this design, and while I doubt I will be using that overlay on my desktop PC, it has so much potential a tablet/laptop device. I can't wait too see more.

[S1W1]

I would welcome the evolution of an already good OS (Windows 7) to become even better and more refined, but I just don't see the point of a complete revolution of an already very successful and user-friendly OS. I'm sure the new interface will appeal to a basic user who just uses his PC to browse facebook and write the odd word document, but for an enthusiast, a gamer or anyone who uses the PC for work/more complex programs the current style layout is superior in so many ways.

It's hard to see what Microsoft were thinking: "over 90% of computer-owners choose to run our OS, so we must need to completely and radically change our product..."
WHY?

I think the best thing Windows could do if they want to introduce this new interface is produce "Win 8 home" with the simplified, tablet interface seen above and also produce a different win 8 proffessional (or something like that) with a refined version of the current interface.

That way Micrsoft could steal some of the users who just want siplicity (i.e. mac users) whilst keeping hold of the massive segment of PC users who either use the PC for work or who use it for gaming and more complex programs and treasure the old interface.

[Evildead666]

Looks like i'll be sticking with Win7 for a loooong time then.
MS haven't got a clue lately.

Win7 is doing great, people like it, so they announce Win8, based on a Tablet interface. wtf.
ARM is a potentially huge market, so they will release a very restricted OS for it. w.t.f.

I think its about time DirectX was prized from their monopolistic hands, and distributed to the other OS's.
Who will be king of the hill then eh ?

Win7 was the first time I didn't have Classic view.
I've had touch screens at work on my desktop, great fun, but completely useless. It just looks like MS is jumping on a certain iOS bandwagon, and blurting out that they are doing Apple-style, but better .
(I don't have any Apple devices or a smartphone)

[Adnoctum]

Wow, way to go Microsoft. You have made Ubuntu's new Unity UI look intelligently thought-out and well implemented.

The problem with this W8 UI (and to a lesser extent Unity) is that in the search for a unified OS UI that crosses all platforms they have created desktop disasters to cure tablet problems. If you think that tablets are going to be the main way we work with computers, then fine. But I don't think pecking at 7-10in touch-screen is going to replace a KB+M any time soon, and this UI is useless with a KB+M.

I keep seeing these fantastic futuristic UI or input methods and thinking "That looks slow" or "That looks tiring" or "That looks painful". Don't these "designers" ever talk to the productivity or biomechanics researchers any more?

[yakyb]

Microsoft have actually released one hell of a lot of really good stuff recently

Windows 7 was the start
Silverlight is actually really good (although isn't likely to really catch on as it should)
WP7 is fantastic
XNA is great
Azure has been around for some time now
and windows Live is actually pretty cool

The only issue is they have no idea how to market any of this. and make it appear as one system if they can get this right with Windows 8 (and if it follows WP7 it will) then we are looking at a greet system

presonally i will probably not use the touch interface much (unless i buy a tablet) but if i do it looks pretty cool

[Xir]

Originally Posted by runadumb

...the traditional PC is dying. For most people now PC's are just a gateway onto the internet which is where the real interest now lays.

And for home use, I agree.
For work...

I use 33 PC's regularly.
30 aren't connected to the internet, don't need to, they run machines that need to do the exact same thing for 10 years on end.
one of these 3 would benefit from the new UI...all others wouldn't.

[Adnoctum]

Originally Posted by runadumb

I think Microsoft did exactly what they needed too do. For everyone saying "just give us the old ways" you seem to miss the point that the traditional PC is dying. For most people now PC's are just a gateway onto the internet which is where the real interest now lays. We can access the internet in a growing number of ways that are easier than on a normal PC.

Touch-screens make access to the Internet easier ONLY if you don't have a KB+M. It is ludicrous to think that most people prefer to use the Internet on tiny devices and screens over a desktop/laptop.

Originally Posted by runadumb

The startling rise of tablets has proven that people just want a streamlined experience. I still can't get over the success of the ipad, which, at least at launch was pretty ****. I still wouldn't even consider buying one or any other current tablet for that matter. However Windows 8 may change that due to it's adaptive potential.

No, it just means that a new device is filling a previously unfilled need, not that such growth is sustainable. Come back with this comment when people start replacing their desktop/laptop with a tablet.

Originally Posted by runadumb

I think Microsoft nailed it with this design, and while I doubt I will be using that overlay on my desktop PC, it has so much potential a tablet/laptop device. I can't wait too see more.

I think you haven't read the article properly. THIS is the UI for W8, not an overlay. It is the UI for all W8 devices, including desktop. Even if you have a 30in monitor. It is the "traditional" UI that is the overlay. How enthusiastic are you now?

[Ayrto]

Windows 7.2?

[SlowMotionSuicide]

Originally Posted by phuzz

(o/t I'm 30 and I still find it pretty easy to pick up new interfaces. Is there a cut off point?)

Mine was somewhere around 25, so I guess your mileage may vary. I despise change when it is just for the sake of it.

Also, I'm not in a hurry to blow another 200€ to an OS. 7 is just fine tyvm.

[pullmyfoot]

Originally Posted by r8bwp

i`ve used windows from the day of its birth, some transitions have been inspired from what was, others well the screams of WTF have you done could be heard miles away.

I am not against change but Microsoft does have good record of bloopers especially in their operating systems. Some of them I hated so much, sometimes returning to the previous version. I have only recently laid to rest my XP PRO (cautiously) for WIN7. We all know the bloopers and the taste it left in our mouths and the hole it left in our wallets.

I`ll not be changing in a hurry to win8, Microsoft should bear in mind that the older generation doesn`t like constantly relearning or searching for the item (icon) file folder. Well it used to be there, where have they put it now. As you get older you like change less and less.

All very well for the tablet and the Iphone generation and the throwaway tech who can adapt to the change quickly, at 47 I`m starting to appreciate knowing where everything goes.

If the keyboard was drastically changed in its layout, remapping the keyboard would be a nightmare in my head (fighting to two layouts, well it used to be there! AARRGGHH)

On the other hand it took me a long time to switch to win7 64 ultimate and it was a lot less painful and worrysome than I had expected (THANKS VISTA!!! PIECE OF S*IT. I WANT MY MONEY BACK!!!!).
Having said that I quite like win7 64 ultimate and has been very stable with very few glitches(My opinion and my needs).
PHEW!! that was a relief.

I suppose what I`m trying to say is:
i`m getting older(sniff, grumble ,moan)
I don`t want to be searching for something when I knew where it was or how it worked.
Deciding if a new operating system is a white elephant and a waste of money.(can i have my money back. NO!)
I don`t own a console and never will.
I don`t own a tablet and never will. I`m sure RSI will be an issue at some time for these people.
My mobile is a samsung D500(OLD)
I`ll upgrade the hardware every 3 yrs but the operating system, well thats a different matter.

I respect that I am biaised from my own perspective, experiences and my needs are different from other users.

Im 20 and I also very cautiously moved from XP to 7.
Ive never owned a console.
I like to overclock my computer and stuff it with high performance parts.
I upgrade every 2+ years.
I dont own a tablet and never see for now why I will need to.

I have one computer with Vista and one with 7. I dont love the Vista but I dont hate it either. Becasue of this I cant be bothered to change it to 7, but its something I wish I didnt do but can live with. I love my W7 PC.

Youre not that old after all

[Madness_3d]

They better not make Win 7 EOL... Not liking all this business

[Mentai]

I'm pretty sad about the lack of legacy support. Decent legacy support means the difference between a system that can do everything and one that relies on an app store that competes with iOS. MS should be playing to the strengths of a PC based tablet system instead of trying to copy Apple.

In terms of the UI, the obsession with unified UI across all platforms is stupid and I hope all companies get over it soon. Congrats on coming up with the perfect UI for tablets, I'm not letting that crap touch my PC.

[jrs77]

Leave my desktop alone. I don't need any of those craptastic interfaces on a machine that's ment for doing real work.

Microsoft should simply develop a mobile OS and a leave the desktop UI like it is. Cramming all into a single OS is the worst idea they could've come up with. They should leave this crap to Apple, who are starting to do exactly the same with MacOS X Lion and it's dashboard and Apps etc.

[r8bwp]

@phuzz (o/t I'm 30 and I still find it pretty easy to pick up new interfaces. Is there a cut off point?)

I have had to fix/repair/reinstall so many computers with different operating systems each with their own different menus layouts flaws and pitfalls.

Is there a cut off point, sure(47 for me) when the operating system keeps changing and it alienates or makes life harder for the user. When keeping up with the latest gadget isn`t the be all and end all of your life beacause you:know your old one better, it does what you needed it to do, with as little fuss and stress possible.

I have city and guilds advanced diploma in IT(not the highest qualification by a long chalk) and as such i get asked to fix computers. I hate the fact I have had to learn and discard different operating sytems with different flaws different menus/layouts.

Todays society thinks its ok to put out broken software. Oh there might be a patch if enough people complain.
But hey who cares, we`ll just put out another crap operating system in another five years(more money).

At 30 your at your peak give or take two years, down hill from there. As for me as I get older I want to spend less time on learning YET another platform and its flaws(to be discarded in the future) and get on with the more important things life.




Guess i have to laugh I was 30 once too, lol.

As much as I loathe Bill Gates for his flawed operating systems, I have to admire the man for putting computers into every home.

The point being, not everyone is tech savvy, or wants to spend hours learning a new operating system that used to take 5 mins to get the job done. At some stage time becomes precious,or just cant be bothered Learning and discarding new operating system has become a pain in the butt(from 3.11 to win7 (in how many years)). I love nothing better than killing a zombie in left4dead but rarely play left for dead2 just because i don`t like it., the same goes for operating systems.

Another Marmite moment!

[runadumb]

Originally Posted by Adnoctum

I think you haven't read the article properly. THIS is the UI for W8, not an overlay. It is the UI for all W8 devices, including desktop. Even if you have a 30in monitor. It is the "traditional" UI that is the overlay. How enthusiastic are you now?

You may want too re-read it yourself or even watch the video. The normal desktop interface is but a mouse click away. The desktop experience is still there for those that want it, ie, probably anyone not using it as a tablet.

[LJF]

I'm amused by some of the negative comments here. It's as though folks think Microsoft don't have an R&D department. I'm fairly sure that all the concerns people are raising here will be (or have been) raised during design and development process.

I personally like the 'tile' approach. It's appears to be a more unified and stylised system that incorporates widgets and shortcut icons. Basically it does away with desktop backgrounds, which for all intents and purposes, are simply useless pictures. (but like in WP7, you can assign a picture to a homescreen tile if you're desperate for some stimulus while you sit and stare at length at the home screen).

I'm pretty sure that it will be adaptable to suit standard desktop needs - resizable user definded tiles would be the key. A small tile that opens a programme is exactly the same as an icon on windows 95 desktop. If you want a data feed or some further information from that 'tile' make it slightly larger to show it and it is essentially a widget.

As technology advances and devices become unified this adaptive UI will probably be context sensitive. Much like you can use time rules and gps locations to determine the ringtone and other settings on a phone already.

MS probably know people don't want to lean over and maul their monitor to open microsoft word to type using a physical keyboard. So by docking your tablet you're interface would adapt to use the most obvious input. I'd go as far as to say you may be able to define your set up based on the context.

If I was carrying my "imaginary-portable-personal-cloud connected-tablet computer" around in my pocket it's unlikely that I would want to use microsoft excel in this state for instance. That icon or link tile wouldnt even appear on my screen but I would still be able to access it. It would show me, news feeds, weather reports, emails, facebook etc. If i connected it to a tv/hi-fi, the UI would detect this and reorganise - the media player would be the key feature.

Then If I docked the computer to a mouse and keyboard, based on my preferences, it would bring up productivity tiles, excel, photoshop, cad etc. arranged in an easily accessible manner like the desktop icons I currently have on screen now.



...Sorry for going off on a bit of a flight of fancy there, i'm making sweeping assumptions there, I know, but these are the kind of things I would like to see implemented...

I agree it might be tricky to get used a new approach but things change. I think we should embrace it. If it doesnt work, things will revert back to the way they are now, i'm fairly sure.

[r8bwp]

@Pullymyfoot

Thank you lol.

[Tattysnuc]

Could work if MS implement this guided by the users, as opposed to telling the users how they should use it.

IF this is something that is configurable so that it can be used SEAMLESSLY with the exiting OS front end, then this is great move forward. Otherwise people will hold back from upgrading "en mass" like they did with Vista....

Maybe MS need to split their model into Kernal and front end, and then let the user choose/configure how the front end is set up and interacts rather than forcing their design decisions onto us...