windows 8 Windows 8 Consumer Preview: A Call for Common Sense

[KevinN206]

Uninstall all apps from Metro and unpin everything except for Desktop. Also turn off all notifications. Not sure how to remove annoying lock screen. You will have to pin things to Taskbar and make some Desktop shortcuts so you never revisit Metro Start menu while you on computer. It is possible to get around it but it takes time to setup everything.

When you open a file that a Metro app takes over, there should be a notification on the top-right corner telling you that another application can also be used to open the media file. Clicking on that notification allows you to associate Windows Media Player with ALL the music/video files.

I opened an JPEG file, and Windows opened it using the a Metro app. Immediately, a notification on the top-right corner tells me another app can be used to open it. I click on the notification, and it suggested "Windows Photo Viewer." I selected Windows Photo Viewer," and it automatically become associated with Windows Photo Viewer. When I open any JPEG file from now on, it launches the Windows Photo Viewer instead of the metro app.

[Active.]

So if people get used to windows on a tablet, it's not that far fetched to assume that the transition to Win 8 on the desktop is going to be that hard.

They'll still have to learn how to use Metro with a mouse and keyboard, input methods which the interface is not purpose-built for. That you have to right-click to bring up the main app menu, isn't exactly obvious even if you've used Metro on a tablet before.

And why are we assuming people will be getting used to windows on a tablet? It is by no means guaranteed that Metro is going to be a smashing success even in the table market, where it still has to compete against the iPad.

I believe MS is going for one nice consistent UI over a wide variety of devices.

Not only does this totally disregard differing input methods and wildly varying screen sizes (which means there shouldn't be this kind of misplaced consistency with the exact same UI on each device), but by providing Metro in addition to the Desktop on each device, they're actually going for a consistently inconsistent UI.

MacOS hasn't changed much since the 90's, it's had the same layout and fairly similar UI since it's inception when I was in elementary school. To me that is quickly becoming detrimental, to some not so much since it never changes, but as the PC is evolving, I feel the Mac is being quickly left behind. a Mac OSX release isn't as big as say the iPad.

Despite a fairly high amount of UI consistency over time, modern OS X has almost nothing to do with MacOS from the 90s. I suggest you read up on NeXTStep. Of course, when a UI concept works, it doesn't really make sense to throw it overboard just for the sake of change. Change doesn't automatically result in improvement. Also, when you look at the growth of the PC market over the last few quarters, I don't really see the Mac "being left behind" compared to the PC. What is true, is that the iPad, or soon the overall Tablet market, is leaving traditional PCs behind (as in, tablets will soon outsell PCs of the traditional form factor)

[Mazhar]

After reading that blurb, I'd have to say that he's quite an ignorant as*hole. People aren't complaining like crazy for no reason. Plain and simple, it was stupid to make such drastic changes and completely overhaul the Windows we're come to learn over the past 20 years. Microsoft doesn't always know what's right. The users and developers determine that, and we can all see where their standpoint is thus far...

Is it so difficult to understand that Start Menu has been replaced by Start Screen? There is no sense in having both the Start menu and Start screen. If people are so fond of the Start menu, they should not use Windows 8. Or if they want to use it then they have to prepare for some changes and be modern, period.

[Albert]

come on. people. if you don't like win-egg. just give up quietly. like me. no need to whine, demand microsoft to make changes or even be rude. as the title says. use a little common sense. it's your money afterall. as for me, i'm quite happy with os x these days.

[dead.cell]

Windows 8 support will go something like this

<snip>

Jesus Christ, you've got my blood boiling so bad right now! :argh:

[fobban]

Who said shutting down the pc is hard? It's just harder

Windows 7: WIN, click shut down.

Windows 8: Move mouse to lower right corner, wait a sec, move mouse up to Settings, Click power, Click Shutdown. That's how most non-tech-savvy people will do it--if they even manage to find it.

Sure you can do WIN+I, UP, ENTER, U; but still not as easy as windows 7. However, that seems to be their new design guidelines: Do what you did in Windows 7 with a few extra clicks.

PS. I've been running Win 8 Consumer Preview on my host since Feb 29, and still use Metro. I really try to like it. DS.

[Guest xiphi]

What's baffling about the whole shutdown thing is that they specifically made it easier in 7 from what it was in Vista, yet they take a step backwards in 8. It's as if they didn't learn anything from the success they have had with 7.

[Wyn6]

Can you tell me a useful reason for using the start screen other than it's new and pretty?

I. At-a-glance functionality with Live Tiles

As someone mentioned earlier, apps with Live Tiles can simply be viewed without actually opening them. But, allow me to expand on this.

At-a-glance you can see the latest headlines, sports scores, stock prices, emails (which can be partially read), weather, Bills that need to be paid, errands to do, mentions and direct messages from tweets, updates, and uh... whatever a message is called on Facebook, a reminder of time and day of your upcoming television shows, show times of films for your favorite theater, currently or most recent played music artist or videos, calendar events, and at some point SMSes.

The above list is by no means exhaustive as the sheer possibilities of what can be done with Live Tiles on a PC is staggering. All this can be organized into nice neat groups and MANY onscreen at once as opposed to the limits of gadgets and pinned programs (14 at a time?). Not to mention you can turn the live tiles on or off depending on what you wish to see or not see. I generally prefer at-a-glance info so leave all mine turned on. You cannot do this in Windows 7's Start menu.

II. Universal Search

This function allows you to begin typing anything, and I mean ANYTHING, you wish to search for on the Start Screen and be able to search for it be it an App, a Setting, or a File. But, it's universal for a reason. You can also search in Internet Explorer, Dictionary.com, a News App, Email, Facebook/Twiiter (when they arrive) and any other app you have. While on the Start Screen just type what you're searching for (I typed Inception) then select the app you wish to use. Dictionary.com would pull up something different than say IMDB or Flixster (neither available yet) and IE10 would give you a host of things. You cannot do this in Windows 7's Start menu.

III. Groups and Ease of Access

In Windows 7 the Start menu pinned your most frequently used apps so that you could see about 6 or 7 (can't recall right now) at a glance. For others you could either type to search for them or go into All Programs in which case you would need to dig through the folder tree.

In Windows 8 (we've already discussed search functions above, so skipping that) you can group your tiles in the manner that you use them. For example, mine are grouped as follows:

Main (includes, email, IE10, Calendar, People, Skydrive, Desktop, etc.); News & Weather; Web Favorites, Productivity (Office apps, Final Draft, etc.), Entertainment & Games

In All Apps each of the listings are in alphabetical order and are grouped by Metro Apps first, then legacy apps and any sub-folders as well as PC specific controls, tools and commands all alphabetized. In addition to that, the same PC controls, tools and commands pop up when right clicking the bottom left corner of the screen, giving you considerably quicker access to them over Windows 7. What you used to have to click start and begin typing for is a mere two clicks away. You CAN still click start and type if you wish, however.

This is a much better organizational paradigm than what we had in Windows 7. Not to mention, you cannot do this in Windows 7's Start menu.

These are three things in which you either cannot do or are more efficient to do, or faster to do on the Windows 8 Start Screen as opposed to the Windows 7 Start Menu. And, yes, it is more visual and more visually appealing to me than just a group of dead icons on the desktop or pinned to the taskbar.

There are other app management/organizational functions as well as other things I'm sure that I haven't mentioned or aren't aware of yet. But, I hope this answers your question/challenge.

Happy Hunting.

[Wyn6]

Who said shutting down the pc is hard? It's just harder

Windows 7: WIN, click shut down.

Windows 8: Move mouse to lower right corner, wait a sec, move mouse up to Settings, Click power, Click Shutdown. That's how most non-tech-savvy people will do it--if they even manage to find it.

Sure you can do WIN+I, UP, ENTER, U; but still not as easy as windows 7. However, that seems to be their new design guidelines: Do what you did in Windows 7 with a few extra clicks.

PS. I've been running Win 8 Consumer Preview on my host since Feb 29, and still use Metro. I really try to like it. DS.

Allow me to offer you a tip, Fobban. When you go to bring up Charms, don't hover with the mouse or wait a second in the corner. Do one single motion as you swing/sweep the mouse into the corner and up. Bang! Charms.

[Wyn6]

Hmmm. Can't edit my above post. Guess there's a limit. Anyway, in my Start Screen post I said Flixster wasn't available. It actually is but was hidden for me. I just did a random search. Pretty basic at the moment but has potential.

[Daniel_Pooh]

Metro is not an OS Metro is the App, and it has no place in a PC environment I understand including this for tablets and making one OS for everything that' great it should detect during setup if your on a tablet and install the metro extras for a limited computing touch screen experience. But in reality this metro and all of its apps have zero functionality on a PC why anyone would use this who has basic PC skills I have no idea, I don't think anyone will. It just makes no sense to force this ugly piece of **** box screen as I call it on a PC with a keyboard and mouse and a nice big normal screen.

[Steven P. Administrators]

Paul Thurrotts holier than thou attitude doesn't speak for everyone, no matter how he paints it.

[liquidguru]

With the current rate of hardware advances, in a few years time tablets will be as powerful as laptop and desktops. I should imagine that in less than 5 years you will no longer have laptops/desktops but a tablet that you put in a cradle (or wirelessly talks to the monitor at your home/office). Microsoft knows this and have to plan accordingly.

The desktop interface's future in dying. We will start interacting with our devices with touch, gestures and voice. Hard though it may be to believe, the mouse and physical keyboard will come to an end. Windows 8 looks to me like a bridging operating system, between the old and new. I for one cannot wait. I am a Dive Resort Manager and HD video editor. I live in remote places. I love my i7 laptop, but.... I'm looking forward to the day when I can do everything on a small lightweight tablet... and it's not that far off...

[Steven P. Administrators]

snip

This may well be true, but it just goes to show how Microsoft is betting we'll all change well before anyone is ready for it. People forget their expensive and failed attempt to lift the tablet market ten years ago in 2002. Ten years later with tablets only in the past few years becoming popular (thanks in part to the iPad) they are now assuming that the desktop environment has already run its course.

Anyone can see that Windows 8 is no more than an extension to the Windows Phone 7 environment (which works really well on limited screen space), because someone thought it would be a great idea to unify the platform across any device.

I stand by my assumption that Metro doesn't improve productivity on a non touch desktop environment, and Microsoft is wrong to force everyone to think that it does.

[Daniel_Pooh]

With the current rate of hardware advances, in a few years time tablets will be as powerful as laptop and desktops. I should imagine that in less than 5 years you will no longer have laptops/desktops but a tablet that you put in a cradle (or wirelessly talks to the monitor at your home/office). Microsoft knows this and have to plan accordingly.

The desktop interface's future in dying. We will start interacting with our devices with touch, gestures and voice. Hard though it may be to believe, the mouse and physical keyboard will come to an end. Windows 8 looks to me like a bridging operating system, between the old and new. I for one cannot wait. I am a Dive Resort Manager and HD video editor. I live in remote places. I love my i7 laptop, but.... I'm looking forward to the day when I can do everything on a small lightweight tablet... and it's not that far off...

I doubt that there is a reason I spent $150 on a mechanical filco keyboard. I don't want to use my voice that's a lot more work, and the feel of a button is much more satisfying than tapping a piece of glass. I like to get things done on a computer real things not sort through a bunch of full screen tiles to look at photos and IM with girls...

[liquidguru]

. People forget their expensive and failed attempt to lift the tablet market ten years ago in 2002. Ten years later......

And I think this is why it WILL be different. 10 years ago tablets just didn't have the power and mobile internet not the speed to replace your main system. They were nothing more than toys. Now, with tablets already coming out with better screen resolution than many home systems, quad core, 4G round the corner etc etc, this changes are use of these 'toys'. In a few years time will we interact differently with our systems and I hope it will be a better experience for us all. And the operating system has to change to reflect this.

[cork1958]

Mr. Thurrott is hardly in position to propose a convincing argument here. He's been drinking Microsoft's Kool-Aid since 1997.

Have to agree here!!

If MS includes to many new things, which they have with this preview, Windows 8 will be a flop just like Vista. Most people DO NOT want changes like this!! The number of geeks on here, which I know you all are comfortable with the changes, are NOT the general rule or consensus amongst the total population!

Personally,

I DO NOT like the preview edition but I'm not going to complain my a** off yet as it is a preview.

[Active.]

The desktop interface's future in dying. We will start interacting with our devices with touch, gestures and voice. Hard though it may be to believe, the mouse and physical keyboard will come to an end.

A certain percentage of us will be using the mouse/trackpad and a physical keyboard for a long time still. Is it really too much to ask that touch interfaces stay confined to the devices that actually support touch ?!?!

[Steven P. Administrators]

And I think this is why it WILL be different. 10 years ago tablets just didn't have the power and mobile internet not the speed to replace your main system. They were nothing more than toys. Now, with tablets already coming out with better screen resolution than many home systems, quad core, 4G round the corner etc etc, this changes are use of these 'toys'. In a few years time will we interact differently with our systems and I hope it will be a better experience for us all. And the operating system has to change to reflect this.

Lets get one thing straight. I'm not arguing that Windows 8 isn't great for tablets, absolutely not - because it is! :)

Windows 8 isn't great for the desktop. And I think Microsoft has made a mistake by not differentiating the two.

[Mazhar]

I stand by my assumption that Metro doesn't improve productivity on a non touch desktop environment, and Microsoft is wrong to force everyone to think that it does.

Windows 8 Start Screen is far more productive than Windows 7 Desktop screen. You can pin almost anything, you can use Live tiles for a quick glance over things, customization options, and more. I my self was confused at first as to why there are two interfaces but now I am used to it and feeling more productive than ever.

Moreover, by comparing each feature in Windows 7 desktop by Windows 8 Start Screen, it is clear that Start Screen dominates. For example in Desktop screen, you only use Taskbar (for pinned items) and Start menu (if you like to keep your desktop clean without any files and folders), and the whole wallpaper area goes useless. And in Windows 8, you wholeheartedly concentrate on the things you use. Hence, productive, efficient and fast.

[Steven P. Administrators]

Windows 8 Start Screen is far more productive than Windows 7 Desktop screen. You can pin almost anything, you can use Live tiles for a quick glance over things, customization options, and more. I my self was confused at first as to why there are two interfaces but now I am used to it and feeling more productive than ever.

Moreover, by comparing each feature in Windows 7 desktop by Windows 8 Start Screen, it is clear that Start Screen dominates. For example in Desktop screen, you only use Taskbar (for pinned items) and Start menu (if you like to keep your desktop clean without any files and folders), and the whole wallpaper area goes useless. And in Windows 8, you wholeheartedly concentrate on the things you use. Hence, productive, efficient and fast.

Except that in Windows 7 I can press start orb and type anything to find it while not losing the focus of any applications that are opened on the native desktop.

It isn't any more intuitive than the start menu at all, because for one it takes over the environment. The difference is pretty tiles, and focus.

The Charms bar does the same, and maybe they should have left it at that as an update or compliment to the start menu.

[Mazhar]

Except that in Windows 7 I can press start orb and type anything to find it while not losing the focus of any applications that are opened on the native desktop.

It isn't any more intuitive than the start menu at all, because for one it takes over the environment. The difference is pretty tiles, and focus.

The Charms bar does the same, and maybe they should have left it at that as an update or compliment to the start menu.

I am not denying that there are some things that Microsoft should look into but when we see the whole picture, overall, Windows 8 is a huge and wise step both for Tablets and PCs.

[REM2000]

This article pretty much sums up my thoughts on Windows 8,

"Metro is actually a great operating system / UI layer, and Microsoft deserves a lot of credit for innovating in a space that has become somewhat homogenized. It's fast, slick, and fun to use. But if there's one thing I'd like readers to take away from this post, it's this: Metro should not be a a replacement for the desktop, and does not belong on laptop or desktop computers."

http://www.livingdigitally.net/2012/03/windows-8-a-giant-misstep-forward.html

[Ci7]

With the current rate of hardware advances, in a few years time tablets will be as powerful as laptop and desktops. I should imagine that in less than 5 years you will no longer have laptops/desktops but a tablet that you put in a cradle (or wirelessly talks to the monitor at your home/office). Microsoft knows this and have to plan accordingly.

that ain't correct , they would more powerful then the *current* Laptop/desktop

[Osiris]

Alright for a start lets get things straight, it wasnt the UI or the stylus that led to the failure of Windows tablets, it was high price, poor battery life, poor performance, and zero consumer awareness because they were aimed at business.

Tablets have only become an affordable consumer reality in recent years and unfortunately MS was not in a position to capitalise on this as x86 based versions of windows are unable to produce a business days worth of use and Windows Mobile (which could have achieved this) was so ugly and outdated that OEMS spent the better part of its twilight years covering it up with their own UI's (isnt that right HTC and Sony). This all whilst being unable to hit the sweet consumer price point (which x86 win8 tablets will probably not hit either).

Now finally we have an ARM version which will deliver the battery life and the lower licensing and hardware costs will deliver that competitive consumer pricing point. Now the UI definitely plays a role but the factors above is what kept Windows tablets as a niche device which most consumers will have never heard of.

.....

Now I think we can all agree Win8 looks great for tablets, I too do not like the direction of the consumer preview for desktops and may well skip over it as perhaps the largest market since Vista might well too...unfortunately the fact is the OS needed to change as the technology we will use to interact with our desktops and other devices is changing and it takes time and steps to achieve that.

Whilst the mouse and keyboard will always have their places, other forms of input and other devices need to be accounted for and the current UI doesnt allow for that. I am hoping Win9 will see the true metro vision come to life and truly tie in the desktop with windows phone, tablets, kinect gestures, voice and whatever is going on with the xbox as it heads more to becoming an all encompassing home media unit...

wow thats my rant/thoughts....I guess in short I dont think you have to bend over and take it, criticise away and if you dont like it, dont buy it, im sure MS has accounted for lower sales(perhaps hoping to be offset by tablets), but the desktop and OS is changing and that unfortunately you do have to deal with as its a change thats just starting with Win8.