Windows 9 wishlist

[CSMR]

What is missing from Windows at the moment? What do you want from Windows 9?

My list:

1. Windows Store for desktop applications, allowing:
- Clean install, uninstall, trial, automatic updates
- Choice to install for all users or single user
- Gradated security (app privileges)
- Easy searching
(This is in addition to current methods to install desktop applications of course.)

2. Ability to run WinRT+WinPhone apps on desktop

3. Phone capability (mobile, data, SMS, VOIP)

4. Per-screen DPI settings

5. Color management of all applications that come with windows (including IE)

6. USB audio class 2 drivers

 

[owensdj]

1. An easy way to remote control any machine with an Internet connection, regardless of NAT or firewall use.

2. Ability to put any app, especially web browsers, into a "sandbox" mode that makes malware infection impossible.

 

[denis280]

We should merge your thread with mine.http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2349038 and i will add. having a OS that you can adapt to your choice.

 

[glugglug]

Edit: Looking at my list, I realize things really fall into 2 categories, truly new features vs fixes to regressions going from 7 to 8. Splitting the list accordingly.

Features:

• The "compressed memory" feature of the new MacOS Mavericks is more awesome than people realize, even though it isn't actually a new idea. Connectix had a product in the 90's called "RAM Doubler" that did exactly this. This was long enough ago it is probably now off patent, hence it getting added to the MacOS. This will be an particularly huge deal for mobile devices, which have less RAM and slower flash (vs. desktops/laptops which should have SSDs). It would mesh super well with the way Win8 idles Metro apps.
  
• Home users are more likely to need constant support than Pro and other versions. Some remote access tool should be standard even in the home edition. Hell, Windows 98 had NetMeeting using basically the RDP protocol in a console-only mode -- something like this should still be there in home editions, with it easier to set up to always allow an authenticated connection. Even better if they add a remote access tool with a web-based client.
  
• Multiple desktop support. I don't mean multiple monitors. I mean like is standard in most Linux GUIs, or can be added poorly with NVidia/ATI drivers. Apple used to have the best implentation of this ("Spaces"), and were complete idiots for getting rid of it in 10.7. This would be especially awesome on Surface.
  
• More "unraided" drive pooling, meaning more like the style WHS used to have, or StableBit, etc. Storage Spaces is really lame in comparison.
  
• Bring back Safe Mode/VGA mode/network only mode etc. on the UEFI boot.

Fixes:

• StartIsBack should be built in.
  
• Either fix the built-in generic drivers for things like USB to really be compatible with all chipsets, or stop discouraging vendors from making their own drivers available.
  
• Either return of real WMC support, or better yet, make a viable replacement using what is becoming industry standard DTCP-IP for copy protected recordings/streams, which has cheaper licensing for clients than WM-DRM. Hell, make it a metro app, this is one of the few applications that would be appropriate! It goes without saying this would/should include making the XBone a Win9 extender, but really, by following DTCP-IP standard, it should be possible for a Playstation (3 or 4) to be an extender as well.
  
• All built-in control panel settings should be accessible from BOTH Metro (for tablet users) and as desktop apps (for everyone else). It should never be preferable for RT users to go to the desktop, or for desktop users to run something full screen other than a game or video player, ever.
  
• Bring back Aero without the need for 3rd party add-ins. The idea that the "clean" interface has any relevance to performance on today's hardware (even cell-phone/tablet hardware) is bullshit. Exception: aero-peek is a memory hog for something on mobile scale. But that was could always be disabled separately from the rest of aero in Vista/7, and could be disabled by default on mobile. Of course, this would be included by the first thing on the list: "StartIsBack should be built in".
  
• The new task manager/resource monitor combo looks awesome, but some functionality is gone that was there since NT4 or 2K, like selecting other columns to view for example. There really isn't a reason we shouldn't still be able to do this.

 

[Chiefcrowe]

Multiple Desktops would be awesome and people have been asking for that for a while!

I like the idea of a more customizable task manager also.

Better DPI scaling/management.

Easier ways to centrally manage 3rd party software updates.

 

[denis280]

Multiple Desktops would be awesome and people have been asking for that for a while!

I like the idea of a more customizable task manager also.

Better DPI scaling/management.

Easier ways to centrally manage 3rd party software updates.

+1:thumbsup:

 

[BrightCandle]

- Changes to DirectSound and the sound API to both support hardware acceleration again and to support sound coming to the Audio solution such that the true 3d position is available along with world details so sound placement can be done correctly. The current implementation involving 7.1 as the output is awful and a massive step back from what Aureal was doing in 2003.

- App updater. Unlike others I don't really want a windows store but I do think we need a better update process that allows applications to register their own update URLs so that the app can manage all the downloads but developers do not have to hand over the choice of what and when to upgrade to Microsoft.

- I want my start menu properly back if I choose to use it. I don't dislike metro and I don't find it less productive but its not a net benefit either.

- A much improved task manager that allows us to look at threads so we can start to dig into performance problems a little better.

- Something needs to be done about the problems with performance around multiple monitors. We can't continue to have both AMD and NVidia having different but still issues with rendering multiple monitors at high refresh rates. That has to be partly Windows fault since they both show problems.

- Not necessary Windows 9 but in some future version I want heterogeneous core support. This means CPU and GPU cores are both available in task manager and kernel managed and can potentially have code run on them. Either GPUs become capable of running x86 (like the Phi) or we get HDSL applications natively so we can write programs almost exclusively for the GPU cores that can themselves interface with the Windows API so they can do basic things.

- Multiple desktop support ala Linux would be really nice.

- Something needs to be done with graphics performance settings. Its kind of ridiculous that both AMD and NVidia have applications that go about setting game settings to match the card. I think Microsoft missed a trick where they could have tested GPU performance at granular levels such that games developers could use the information to choose default settings that worked pretty well. This ship has probably sailed now but its still a better solution than what they are doing today with cloud sourcing or just having the manufacturer have to do the work to find the optimal settings.

 

[Pardus]

Wish List:

Office Pro, Firefox and Chrome built in, not separate
Avast Anti-Virus built in, scrap MSE
Should have some type of desktop environment to run mac, linux and android apps side by side with Windows apps
Should have some type of backup program to create system images to another drive
The option to turn Metro off for desktop users.
The ability to mount a cd or usb as a virtual drive
The ability to stream anything from windows to a tv/tablet/phone/etc.
Needs to be sold on flash drive only, no more optical media.

more stuff i cant think of atm.

 

[CRCSUX]

Wish List:

Office Pro, Firefox and Chrome built in, not separate
Avast Anti-Virus built in, scrap MSE
Should have some type of desktop environment to run mac, linux and android apps side by side with Windows apps
Should have some type of backup program to create system images to another drive
The option to turn Metro off for desktop users.
The ability to mount a cd or usb as a virtual drive
The ability to stream anything from windows to a tv/tablet/phone/etc.
Needs to be sold on flash drive only, no more optical media.

more stuff i cant think of atm.

I dont know office pro but I dont want firefox built in.
I dont want avast.
A windows that can run mac apps? that may push up the price of windows plus its not going to happen.
In 8.1 metro is basically off for me.
You can mount .iso`s already

Id love for it to be on a flash drive.

 

[sandorski]

Save Windows Store Login information, keep Logged in, or eliminate it altogether. I don't use the Store much, partly because I can never remember what my Login info is and I feel that I shouldn't even need to, it should be tied to my Windows Login.

 

[glugglug]

Save Windows Store Login information, keep Logged in, or eliminate it altogether. I don't use the Store much, partly because I can never remember what my Login info is and I feel that I shouldn't even need to, it should be tied to my Windows Login.

I don't want this for much the same reason I insist on having my local login NOT be a Windows Live account. I can't actually think of a more obvious vector for malware to end up profitable.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I want to download the update digitally and let me create my own CD or USB install without needing an MSDN etc account.

 

[CSMR]

Good suggestions here. I like the ideas of heterogenous cores support, multiple desktops, better remote control, complete control panels in both desktop and tablet interfaces.

 

[Underclocked]

A refinement based upon Windows 7. A true desktop OS. Pitch windows 8's Metro crap into the fires of hell.

 

[postmortemIA]

A refinement based upon Windows 7. A true desktop OS. Pitch windows 8's Metro crap into the fires of hell.

+1
Either metro or windows will go away.