Windows 8 Rumors

[KeypoX]

People will prob hate it like tehy hated vista, then love windows 9 which is just windows 8 remix.

http://www.redmondpie.com/windows-8-codename-wind-user-interface-details-emerges/

Windows 8 will be 32 / 64 bit and have two user interfaces.
The main interface (codenamed Wind) will require a dedicated video card and 170 MB of video memory and will be meant for high-end desktop computers and notebooks only.
Wind interface will only activate on 64 bit version of Windows 8 copies and will have complete 3D capability.

 

[TheStu]

I am not sure how I feel about them yet again having 2 different UI styles. Frankly, I would love to see Redmond make a clean break OS. They will never, ever, ever drop the Windows name, so I can't hope for that, but make a new Windows, drop legacy, and identify a minimal level of hardware required to run it (anything above an Atom lets say) and then stick to that. Say that anything older or slower is NOT going to work, don't bother trying, and make it as fresh a start as possible.

XP Mode in 7 was a step towards that but it wasn't enough. Emulate Apple with their Classic mode and Rosetta, get the word out to driver makers and OEMs and software makers. Provide incentives for developers that get Windows New software out the door quickly.

 

[theevilsharpie]

What we have to come to learn is that this next generation of Windows will have a dynamic user-interface which will adapt to users’ habits, adjusting icons, shortcuts as per your usage...

Oh Jesus, not this shit again D:

Didn't they learn from their mistakes with Office 2000/2003's personalized menus?

 

[RebateMonger]

Didn't they learn from their mistakes with Office 2000/2003's personalized menus?

LOL. Jeez I hate those things.

Along with the Office 2007 ribbons. I used MS Office components since Word 1.0 and I really have no desire to relearn the menus. I've been using Office 2007 for a couple of years now and I STILL have no idea how it works.

 

[Nothinman]

I am not sure how I feel about them yet again having 2 different UI styles. Frankly, I would love to see Redmond make a clean break OS. They will never, ever, ever drop the Windows name, so I can't hope for that, but make a new Windows, drop legacy, and identify a minimal level of hardware required to run it (anything above an Atom lets say) and then stick to that. Say that anything older or slower is NOT going to work, don't bother trying, and make it as fresh a start as possible.

XP Mode in 7 was a step towards that but it wasn't enough. Emulate Apple with their Classic mode and Rosetta, get the word out to driver makers and OEMs and software makers. Provide incentives for developers that get Windows New software out the door quickly.

Impossible, MS actually tries to support their customers. Apple was able to do that because their install base is so small and there was no huge, fortune 100 companies or gov't agencies relying on their software. People are still crying about the lack of 16-bit app support in 64-bit Windows, blindly dropping support for newer stuff will cause even more havoc. And frankly I don't see why they need to anyway, Win7 runs just fine with all of the legacy support in it. It's install footprint is larger than I think is necessary, but it works and it works pretty well.

What we have to come to learn is that this next generation of Windows will have a dynamic user-interface which will adapt to users’ habits, adjusting icons, shortcuts as per your usage...

Terrible. I mean it sounds good on paper, but it'll create a support nightmare. It's already difficult enough dealing with all of the different SKUs of Windows, add in a dynamic interface where some icons don't show up because the user doesn't touch them regularly will make telephone virtually useless. Remote control will be come essentially required for even the smallest problem.

 

[Zargon]

^^ that

 

[lxskllr]

Terrible. I mean it sounds good on paper, but it'll create a support nightmare. It's already difficult enough dealing with all of the different SKUs of Windows, add in a dynamic interface where some icons don't show up because the user doesn't touch them regularly will make telephone virtually useless. Remote control will be come essentially required for even the smallest problem.

It doesn't even sound good on paper. I've mentioned in other threads that I'm very visual with my computer usage, and relate functions according to their icon, and proximity to other icons. It would be infuriating having stuff appear, disappear, and move according to what I use most. Just because I don't use something often, it doesn't mean I don't know exactly where it's at, and what it's next to :^S

 

[hectorsm]

I don't like the idea of a dynamic interface either. Hopefully there will be a way to dissable this garbage.

 

[Nothinman]

It doesn't even sound good on paper. I've mentioned in other threads that I'm very visual with my computer usage, and relate functions according to their icon, and proximity to other icons. It would be infuriating having stuff appear, disappear, and move according to what I use most. Just because I don't use something often, it doesn't mean I don't know exactly where it's at, and what it's next to :^S

The Win7 start bar is already kinda like that, the list of things you don't pin changes depending on your usage. I pin most things I use regularly to the taskbar and use the search dialog on the star bar for the rest anyway so it's not that big of deal to me.

 

[lxskllr]

The Win7 start bar is already kinda like that, the list of things you don't pin changes depending on your usage. I pin most things I use regularly to the taskbar and use the search dialog on the star bar for the rest anyway so it's not that big of deal to me.

I didn't care for the Win7 taskbar. I set it up so it was like the classic task bar(icon+text, grouping only when full). I seldom fill my taskbar with a 24" monitor, so the Win7 method added steps to finding the correct window I wanted.

 

[bigboxes]

LOL. Jeez I hate those things.

Along with the Office 2007 ribbons. I used MS Office components since Word 1.0 and I really have no desire to relearn the menus. I've been using Office 2007 for a couple of years now and I STILL have no idea how it works.

I installed a free patch a year ago that made a tab with all the classic menus called English UBitMenu. It works with Office 2007/2010. There are others out there too, but they cost $$. It works for me. Of course I rarely use it because I learned how to use the ribbon. It's still nice to have "just in case". 🙂

 

[Modelworks]

I wish MS would just give me an OS that is flexible enough to allow me to decide how I want the desktop, icons and overall look to be without having to resort to hacks.
I want my OS to be something other programs run on top of, not something that tries to replace those programs.
currently running win7 with classic desktop and all the fancy effects crap turned off.

 

[tommo123]

i want one that actually lets me have some control

a program accessing something over a network freezes and task manager will not let me close it. i disconnect the drive and then it closes.

delete a file in use by explorer, nope. i run a chkdsk and force a dismount. then i can delete it.

a fail during dvd burning (bad disk) and the drive/program locks and won't let me close it. this is why i use external burners now - i can just power the thing off. windows doesn't have a choice then.

fixing little things like that would go a long way to making it more usable IMO

 

[Nothinman]

i want one that actually lets me have some control

a program accessing something over a network freezes and task manager will not let me close it. i disconnect the drive and then it closes.

delete a file in use by explorer, nope. i run a chkdsk and force a dismount. then i can delete it.

a fail during dvd burning (bad disk) and the drive/program locks and won't let me close it. this is why i use external burners now - i can just power the thing off. windows doesn't have a choice then.

fixing little things like that would go a long way to making it more usable IMO

Most of your "fixes" for those things are bad ideas and probably leave kernel resources in limbo until you reboot. That may not have an immediate affect on you, but eventually it will bite you in the ass.

 

[tommo123]

never had a problem though and have the PCs on for weeks at a time.

 

[stevech]

I guess Microsoft's Windows has become like automobiles: change the body styles and colors frequently enough to keep the buyers going for the glitz thereby preventing a big decline in revenue.

Next, Microsoft will learn what the major appliance vendors have learned: It's bad business sense to build 30 year washing machines. In computers, this takes the form of bloated object oriented programming which always outpaces the CPU speed du jour.

 

[Gamingphreek]

never had a problem though and have the PCs on for weeks at a time.

If that is on a corporate network or anything other than a home system, I'm sure all the System's Administrators are not thrilled with your presence...

At any rate, any chance we will ever hear the glorious news that Microsoft has decided to nuke the whole concept of the registry? Please?!

-Kevin

 

[Gamingphreek]

I guess Microsoft's Windows has become like automobiles: change the body styles and colors frequently enough to keep the buyers going for the glitz thereby preventing a big decline in revenue.

Next, Microsoft will learn what the major appliance vendors have learned: It's bad business sense to build 30 year washing machines. In computers, this takes the form of bloated object oriented programming which always outpaces the CPU speed du jour.

While Win2000/WinXP and WinVista/Win7 are both similar I think you missed A LOT that went on underneath the hood. There was a lot more than "[changing] the body styles and colors" in all the releases. A LOT more. I would argue that outside of the Win9x -> WinNT Kernel switch, the move from WinNT (XP) -> the Server 2003R1 Kernel base is one of the best things that could have possibly happened.

I'm not sure what you are talking about in your second paragraph at all. I would venture a guess that you don't either.

-Kevin

 

[Nothinman]

At any rate, any chance we will ever hear the glorious news that Microsoft has decided to nuke the whole concept of the registry? Please?!

-Kevin

The concept itself is fine, a central database that anything can use to store configuration information is a good thing. It's just their implementation that sucks.

 

[hoorah]

What we have to come to learn is that this next generation of Windows will have a dynamic user-interface which will adapt to users’ habits, adjusting icons, shortcuts as per your usage...

Reminds me of those silly joke programs from 1995 where you could click "Yes" or "No" but if you tried to click "No" the button moved all over the screen every time the mouse got close to it.

 

[spikespiegal]

the move from WinNT (XP) -> the Server 2003R1 Kernel base is one of the best things that could have possibly happened.

Then explain why the 2003 Kernal has no desktop counterpart? I still have a desktop running Win2K Server I use for Photoshop and heavy photo editing, and other than it's inherent memory limit it 'rapes' all the newer OS's in terms of response speed.

I've deployed about a dozen 2003 based citrix servers and they all seemed a bit more sluggish than Win2K. For other I/O intensive back end applications 2003 has a bit of an advantage. 2008 is a pig. I'm sorry, but software and application needs will dictate the need for 64-bit migrations if I want to be steadily employed - not hardware vendors and VARs. I also find it sad that I'm able to increase client load by using Vmware and create more logical servers to partition off these fat OS's bloated with legacy sub systems.

Frankly I'm finding little if any difference between Vista and Win7 in terms of speed or reliability. Both hog your first 1.5gig and do a terrible job allocating resources to what foreground app they determine you are using.

The concept itself is fine, a central database that anything can use to store configuration information is a good thing.

Ditto. Perhaps he'd prefer we use an external SQL database for such things.