How would you fix Metro on the desktop? My list:

By XX55XX
in The Fast Ring (Insider Previews)

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XX55XX

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Metro is broken on the desktop. Here's how I would fix it:

1. Put a search box in the top right hand corner by the user's avatar.

2. Include "shut down" and "restart" options in the menu that pops up in the top right corner when you click on the username.

3. Give every Metro application a big X in the top right hand corner so that Metro applications can be closed more easily.

4. Make it easier to access both the Charm bar and the application switching bar for better multitasking and such.

5. Have the tiles be arranged in such a fashion so that the user scrolls up and down, not left to right.

6. Create defined boundaries between groups of tiles. Every group of tiles should be a page, not a continuous flowing piece that keeps going when you scroll right.

7. For Metro IE10, put the address bar at the top, not the bottom.

8. Make sure that desktop Metro apps still have menus when big productivity apps (like Adobe Premiere, Microsoft Visual Studio) get ported.

9. For the sake of consistency, port over every Windows application over to Metro. That includes the Control Panel, Explorer, etc.

  • remixedcat, d4rk5ky and TheJudge
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Stetson

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Posted

1) Bring back the start button almost exactly as it existed in the Developer Preview builds.

2) Have Metro apps show up in the taskbar, or at least have this be an option.

Basically my issue is with the reliance on mouse gestures / hot corners as the primary method for some very fundamental parts of using the OS. I've been using Win8 as a primary OS for a week now and I still find them awkward.

Apprentice

ChronKee

Posted
Posted

I dunno, think title should be "how would you "CHANGE" metro" on the desktop".

I'm not saying I'm a fan... it's a mixed bag. I don't really care for the desktop environment but managing VM custers on W8 Server in our test evironments from my slate is pretty slick.

Ultimately? It should be the users choice. The server management piece is GREAT from a mobile platform but from my laptop i find it clunky. Let me manage my devices how I choose and mr microsoft, you've got it JUST right.

BTW, LONG time lurker, but felt it was time to start posting. Flame away neowinians, I'm sure I deserve my newbie flogging. :)

Experienced

Wyn6

Posted
Posted

Metro is broken on the desktop. Here's how I would fix it:

1. Put a search box in the top right hand corner by the user's avatar.

2. Include "shut down" and "restart" options in the menu that pops up in the top right corner when you click on the username.

3. Give every Metro application a big X in the top right hand corner so that Metro applications can be closed more easily.

4. Make it easier to access both the Charm bar and the application switching bar for better multitasking and such.

5. Have the tiles be arranged in such a fashion so that the user scrolls up and down, not left to right.

6. Create defined boundaries between groups of tiles. Every group of tiles should be a page, not a continuous flowing piece that keeps going when you scroll right.

7. For Metro IE10, put the address bar at the top, not the bottom.

8. Make sure that desktop Metro apps still have menus when big productivity apps (like Adobe Premiere, Microsoft Visual Studio) get ported.

9. For the sake of consistency, port over every Windows application over to Metro. That includes the Control Panel, Explorer, etc.

As someone who likes the Metro design language and the direction of Windows 8 in general, I wouldn't call it broken. However, it can certainly do with a few changes, adjustments, tweaks and polish.

1. A search box isn't a bad idea but I'm not quite sure about this one. Universal search is one of Windows 8's strongest points. I think searching by simply typing would be a tic faster. Albeit, a search box only requires a single drag and click.

2. I can certainly go along with this one.

3. I can go along with an "x" in the corner. But, I'm not opposed to closing out the apps by right-clicking the thumbnail in the corner. Though I find myself drag-closing them more than the right-click option

4. I was thinking about this. Maybe dragging the mouse to the bottom of the screen causes these menus to pop up. Or, right-clicking as you do in apps. Perhaps, moving the Charms Bar to the bottom of the screen and Preview Pane to the top. Or, alternatively making the Charms Bar and Preview Pane show by default with the option to Auto-hide them like the current taskbar. In the same vein the All Apps button can go on Preview Pane. It doesn't seem right at the bottom as the sole button there.

5. I definitely don't want to see tiles scrolling up and down. That's cool for my phone but would seem out of place for a computer screen. I get that it would have similar behavior to websites but... I don't know. I think this is all right as is. However, I'd like to see being able to change the colors of tiles and/or specific groups of tiles.

I can find things on my Start Screen easy enough and in the groups I have them in. But, I could see the Work/Productivity group being all red, for example. Entertainment being all green, and so on. Not sure if that really improves anything or not.

6. Not sure if I get you here. There are boundaries/borders between groups. Maybe I'm not understanding what you're saying.

7. I, personally, prefer the bar at the bottom and the option to hide it or keep it showing. Gives me more real estate.

8. I think those apps will have to have some sort of menu. Now, whether that's drop-down or an equally new paradigm as the Metro UI, I don't know. Something similar to the new office 15 apps menus. I could see something like that.

9. I fully agree here. All menus, system tools, accessories, and the desktop need to be Metro-fied. I have a hunch they may be working on this. But, it may be a matter of whether they have the time or not. I hope so.

10. Open desktop programs appear as individual thumbnails in the Preview Pane if you have the desktop snapped. If you click a thumbnail it jumps straight into that app. Which is nice. But, if the desktop is not snapped, only a thumbnail of the desktop shows. What I would like to see is each program that's open in the desktop to show up as individual thumbnails when you bring up the preview pane just like Metro apps. I think this would make multitasking quicker.

I didn't offer my own list so much as I amended yours. Again, I really like 8. Been using it as my main OS since it dropped. That doesn't mean that I don't know some things could use a bit of shine or another coat of paint.

I understand that this is a beta and things will change and I expect them to. If MS makes all of, some of, or none of the changes above, it won't matter for me. As long as the proper polish is put on the OS and the apps are up to snuff with or exceed their mobile counterparts, I'll be good.

Yo ho ho! A Metro life for me. Wait... that didn't come off right.

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migo

Posted
Posted

1 and 2 couldn't hurt.

3 is a bad idea, that just takes up space that could be used for something more important, not to mention mousing over there could easily bring up the charms bar. Now being able to close an app from the charms bar instead of having to drag down would be nice.

4, it's pretty easy to access them already. The corners are dead easy to get to on purpose but pretty hard to get there accidentally, as long as you don't stick some UI element in the corner.

5, aside from more consistency with Windows Phone, I don't see how this is of any benefit.

6, again, no benefit, although what you're describing is more like the new Xbox 360 dashboard, so that wouldn't hurt for consistency's sake.

7, I like it better at the bottom, you just want it at the top because that's what you're used to.

8, not something MS can control, that's up to devs.

9, yeah, the best thing for Metro is to have everything Metro so you don't need to go into the legacy mode if you don't want to.

Grand Master

devHead

Posted
Posted

I have to say that I am starting to get used to the Start screen, but I still installed Start8 from Stardock and think it's the best of both worlds. I unchecked the option to show all Apps when just using the menu, and I've moved Office and Desktop applications to the left so they're the first thing I see. I do think the Explorer ribbon needs to be updated to look more Metro-ish; some of the icons they're using are from XP I think.

Mentor

myxomatosis

Posted
Posted

Microsoft won't listen to us users, so I suggest we talk with our money. Don't buy Windows 8... when they realise this joke of an OS is a flop, they'll start to listen to what us users need and want.

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Grand Master

Mando

Posted
Posted

Microsoft won't listen to us users, so I suggest we talk with our money. Don't buy Windows 8... when they realise this joke of an OS is a flop, they'll start to listen to what us users need and want.

nice idea and would work if it wasnt for every PC will be shipped with W8 COAs/OEM and as a result the "figures" will show it as a success for the majority (sadly us private builders and power users are the minority)

Grand Master

Vice

Posted
Posted

If it was me I'd have Metro become the new background of the desktop. So instead of launching the start screen to access Metro it would always be there in the background.

Imagine how cool this would be: http://i.imgur.com/Fsr5p.jpg

That is an image from an article posted on Neowins front page a few days ago asking for compromise.

That would be so awesome to have metro on the background like that to give us weather or maps or whatever we need while still using our main apps on top of it. They could include a swipe motion or a button to hide all open windows too for when you want to interact with Metro without anything else.

And of course the start orb in the bottom left would still provide the start menu from Windows 7. This would be a much better evolution of the desktop in my opinion.

Proficient

psreloaded

Posted
Posted

My opinion is

1. The control panel should be able to configure all options and not have to jump between PC Settings and Control Panel while on desktop.

2. Bring back the old start menu is some form for the desktop.

3. The Start page can be made accessible from the charm bar as it can be now.

This way we don't need to go into metro if we don't wan't to.

Also in metro,

1. Introduce a file browser of some kind so that metro users don't need to jump into desktop.

This would be perfect for me.

Grand Master

Calum Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

[. . .]

But the best would be an option in windows install to choose Metro or Desktop.

Metro = as it is now

Desktop = Metro opens on the Desktop.

I would at least prefer an option, rather than Microsoft completely removing the Metro experience from versions of Windows that are used on desktop PCs (which is what some people are suggesting should happen). If I use Windows 8, I'll be using the Metro experience as much as possible over the Desktop experience.

Grand Master

Dot Matrix

Posted
Posted

My opinion is

1. The control panel should be able to configure all options and not have to jump between PC Settings and Control Panel while on desktop.

2. Bring back the old start menu is some form for the desktop.

3. The Start page can be made accessible from the charm bar as it can be now.

This way we don't need to go into metro if we don't wan't to.

Also in metro,

1. Introduce a file browser of some kind so that metro users don't need to jump into desktop.

This would be perfect for me.

What you ask of the Start Menu would be just as archaic as having two control panels. There's no need to have two "Start menus".

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Grand Master

Astra.Xtreme

Posted
Posted

nice idea and would work if it wasnt for every PC will be shipped with W8 COAs/OEM and as a result the "figures" will show it as a success for the majority (sadly us private builders and power users are the minority)

Yup, that will definitely be true. But I think a big reason why Windows 7 was a success, was that a lot of businesses upgraded to it really quickly. Many of them were still on XP, skipped Vista, and then were long due for a quality upgrade. I really don't see why any business would be crazy enough to upgrade to Win 8, so it should at least throw up a flag that 8 is useless in the business environment. And since business equates to productivity, maybe Microsoft will get the hint.

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xWhiplash

Posted
Posted

They may force it, but doesn't mean you HAVE to use Metro at all.

Yes you do. The fact that the Start Screen is based off the Metro UI means you will always need to use it in order to open a program. Also, the charms bar will be needed if you want to shut your computer down. So yes you HAVE to use the Metro UI

Community Regular

butilikethecookie

Posted
Posted

No more hidden options. Why the %^&* do I have to swipe up to skip a track in music. While on the subject--- why don't the multimedia apps have volume sliders and why don't they respect ID3 tags that are there? I have a Slipknot album with a Billy Idol cover. :huh: I don't even have that sh&* in my library! Tags are correct in Foobar2000, MP3 Tag, and MediaMonkey. Believe me I checked. :angry: Can anyone help me fix it? I already removed it and readed it, rebooted, etc. B$ on steroids.

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XX55XX

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Yup, that will definitely be true. But I think a big reason why Windows 7 was a success, was that a lot of businesses upgraded to it really quickly. Many of them were still on XP, skipped Vista, and then were long due for a quality upgrade. I really don't see why any business would be crazy enough to upgrade to Win 8, so it should at least throw up a flag that 8 is useless in the business environment. And since business equates to productivity, maybe Microsoft will get the hint.

It's possible, that with proper refinements, that Metro can generate better productivity than the old start menu and taskbar.

Grand Master

TCA

Posted
Posted

Yes you do. The fact that the Start Screen is based off the Metro UI means you will always need to use it in order to open a program. Also, the charms bar will be needed if you want to shut your computer down. So yes you HAVE to use the Metro UI

I was meaning OS wise, lol

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