Windows 8 -> Windows Blue

[Moonchild]

Although Microsoft is very careful not to release details at this time, it seems they may be going to admit their mistake with making the Windows 8 UI only suitable for horizontal multitouch computers.

BBC coverage on the subject: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22439496

ZDNet's coverage:

In April 2013's Net Applications numbers, Windows 8 barely crept up to 3.82-percent. That still leaves Windows 8 behind Microsoft's last operating system flop, Vista, after seven months in the market.

http://www.zdnet.com/windows-8-microsofts-new-coke-moment-7000014779/

[dark_moon]

Windows Blue is only a update like a service pack with new features, but not much.

Anyway Win8, even with the blue upgrade isn't a OS for normal computers and tablets have problems too.

[Moonchild]

Windows Blue is only a update like a service pack with new features, but not much.

Well that depends on which story you believe right now
Once camp says it's a minor update, another camp says it'll be a U-turn.

[Night Wing]

From what I've heard and seen on YouTube, the tiles on the Start Screen can have the option to be smaller and as for the Start Button, Microsoft will bring back the Start Button, but if you click on it, it just takes to the Start Screen tiles.

As far as I am concerned, if these are the so called "changes", Ballmer can stick these changes up his "you know where" because these aren't enough changes to make me upgrade to Windows Blue.

To put it more bluntly since I have two Desktops and one Laptop; when Windows 8 made it's debut on October 26, 2012, (for me) Windows 8 was DOA (Dead On Arrival) and if the above changes are what is really planned for Windows Blue, when Windows Blue makes it's debut later this year, it will also be DOA (Dead On Arrival).

[lyceus]

Well as people say a lot, this is a New Coke moment.

Trying to not fall in the same stuff that you may read elsewhere, Microsoft was too arrogant to believe that we use our computers like tablets or like visual artists do. Macs and iPride machines are meant for share multimedia (audio, video, photos) and happens to have touch for play games. PCs are where people do office work, code, generate multimedia and lots of other keyboard and mouse tasks. So thinking that you would stop to do your common work for "play with the fingers at the colorful screen" is lame.

They also forget that there are too much legacy systems, heck I even see old MSDOS machines working as supermarket cash machines, just 2 weeks ago. So the people that think that the 80286 is dead, just never leave their home for long time. Not all people will or can change they old boxes to a new & shiny touch screen, few work need touch indeed. What MS can do here is to copycat Coca Cola and bring back "Windows Classic" in a classic way: Windows 7 style at least, usable with keyboard and mouse. So people may at least think on Windows Blue like windows 8.1 and finally migrate. Otherwise they will slip it like Windows ME and Vista.

[Night Wing]

On both of my Desktop tower computers, each one has two hard drives in it. The default drive in each has Windows 7 on it and the second drive in each tower has Linux on it (Linux Mint 14 distro in XFCE flavor).

I haven't been on Windows in about six weeks now. I really like the Linux Mint distro. Although Pale Moon is Windows only, Pale Moon does run in Linux Mint under the Wine application and it installs with the GDebi Package Installer. It runs perfectly too. The only drawback for Pale Moon using Linux Mint, the browser fonts for the Menu bar and the Bookmarks toolbar are very small. I un-installed Pale Moon in Linux because the fonts are just too small for my poor eyesight. I use Firefox when I'm using Linux Mint. Concerning proprietary third party drivers, Linux Mint runs my all in one printer, my old Logitech 5000 external web cam, my stero head phones and also controls the fan speed on my nVidia graphics card so finding proprietary drivers and installing them is no longer a problem like it was years ago when one experimented with Linux.

The problem I see with Microsoft, MS believes a touch operating system is the wave of the future and they are going to try and "wait us Windows 7 desktop tower users out" thinking we'll just give up and eventually start using those tablet style tiles with our fingers. Us Windows 7 tower users won't use the tiles with our fingers because we are mouse and keyboard types and we don't want messy, greasy and smudgy fingerprints all over our widescreen monitors. In our minds for ease of use, we think (know) Windows 7 is easier to use than Windows 8 and/or Windows Blue. Windows 7 will have MS security updates until the year 2020 so "time" is on our side, not Microsoft's. I've also heard through the rumor mill, Microsoft would really like to kill off the Desktop UI in favor of the Modern UI in Windows 9 and I wouldn't put it past the idiot head honchos at MS to do just that. BTW, I used Windows 8 beta for three weeks and it just frustrated me. I never warmed up to Windows 8 and I'm convinced the Modern UI is just added bloatware on a Desktop tower computer.

In closing, I can see myself kicking Windows to the curb. Microsoft only has one more chance to "get it right with us Desktop tower users" and that will be when Windows 9 comes out. If Microsoft is still pushing "touch" for their Windows operating system, then Linux will be my desktop tower operating system for good.

[lyceus]

I use Firefox when I'm using Linux Mint. Concerning proprietary third party drivers, Linux Mint runs my all in one printer, my old Logitech 5000 external web cam, my stero head phones and also controls the fan speed on my nVidia graphics card so finding proprietary drivers and installing them is no longer a problem like it was years ago when one experimented with Linux.

Off-topic about Linux

For the record, I don't use Linux since it has no drivers for several of my hardware, included a Lexmarx printer. When I asked for support in some Linux forums about drivers I got a happy answer: "BUY REAL HARDWARE" and no other explanation. Since then I haven't run a Linux machine for at least 4 years or more and plan to stay in Windows for good or bad. At least Windows toss me a driver.

[Night Wing]

Lobo,

I have an old Canon MP-530 all in one printer. When Windows 8 beta came out, I made sure it worked with my printer and it did. Since I knew I was never going to upgrade to Windows 8, I wanted to try another non Windows operating system. This is why I began to look at Linux. When I was researching a linux distro, some linux users told me to check out Linux Mint since the Mint developers have added a lot of third party proprietary drivers for third party hardware in their distro. Mint listed my printer under their Printers category and installed the correct proprietary drivers for my 530. All I had to do was click on the "Install" button.

Using Windows, you can burn the linux mint iso download to a "live" dvd disc and load it on to your computer with your dvd drive in your laptop and/or desktop tower computer and play with LM. This way, you can see if it'll run your Lexmark printer and you don't have to install LM on your hard drive to do so. This is what I did to see if LM would run my all in one (print, scan, copy, fax) printer with it's Canon proprietary drivers for Windows and it does. Of course, if you're using a netbook, you'll have to load Mint with a USB flash/thumb drive since netbooks don't come with dvd/disc drives.

As for this being off topic since I mentioned linux, maybe slightly, but in my opinion, I don't think so since we're dealing with the ramifications of Windows 8/Windows Blue for desktop tower Windows 7 users like myself.

BTW, if I knew how to make the little blue "Show" button, I would have, but I don't since I'm just a non technical user. You power users on here are head and shoulders above me, WAY above me, in knowledge.

[Moonchild]

OFF-TOPIC:

BTW, if I knew how to make the little blue "Show" button, I would have, but I don't since I'm just a non technical user. You power users on here are head and shoulders above me, WAY above me, in knowledge.

You don't need technical knowledge to use the features of the forum. A basic way of doing things when you write a reply (full editor): You select text, then click one of the buttons lined along the top to apply formatting to it. The "hide" button is conveniently called "hide"
So you can use the mouse to select text you want "behind the button" and then click "hide" on the top toolbar, and there you go! (it will automatically put the correct tags before and after what you have selected). The same thing for other formatting like bold, italic, underline, making something into a block of code, making something into a quote, changing font color, highlighting, etc.

Remember to use the "Preview" button if you're not sure something does what you want it to.

[Night Wing]

Moonchild,

Thanks for the tutorial about the "Show" button.

Now, back on topic concerning Windows 8. I ran across this May 9th, 2013 article this morning concerning the 100 million Windows 8 licenses Microsoft has sold and is happily crowing about.....to the information Microsoft refuses to give out on how many actual Windows 8 users there are. I think you'll find the article in the link below......interesting to read.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2038264/ ... tk.rss_all

[Moonchild]

Yup, 100 million "distributed licenses" means nothing in terms of actual usage.

[lyceus]

Now, back on topic concerning Windows 8. I ran across this May 9th, 2013 article this morning concerning the 100 million Windows 8 licenses Microsoft has sold and is happily crowing about.....to the information Microsoft refuses to give out on how many actual Windows 8 users there are. I think you'll find the article in the link below......interesting to read.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2038264/ ... tk.rss_all

Thank you for the comment about the off topic comment. In topic, please remember that a license also allows to downgrade Windows, so I can have a windows 8 DVD but I can opt out for keep that in the bookcase and install the "old" Windows 7 instead. As several people with netbooks does "under the water" right now. So even licenses do not help for measure how many people really use Windows 8. Maybe the best way to check that is to see who is browsing the net with Windows 8 instead, but even in that case, you can't differentiate who use an original copy and who use a "backup" one.
_^#700

[dark_moon]

It exist a graphic which show the os usage:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/574 ... _April.png

Look at the Win 8 Touch and Win 8 RT Usage. Under 0,1%
This OS totaly fail.

[lyceus]

It exist a graphic which show the os usage:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/574 ... _April.png

Look at the Win 8 Touch and Win 8 RT Usage. Under 0,1%
This OS totaly fail.

Yep, since the tablet look hi-tech Windows 8 and RT lacks of any software, leave apart good software. If Android even today lacks of decent system apps (like a paint and a decent media player) you cannot expect that the newcomer has that trouble solved.

Also for 2000 pesos (180 usd) I got a Polaroid tablet 7" with android 4.0 and a case/keyboard. Windows RT machines aren't even sold in supermarkets or department stores. Windows 8 Starter (max 2 apps open at the same time) netbooks start at 4500-5000 pesos. So why Android tablets sells like hot cakes.

[jumba]

Personally, I like the shift from Microsoft to move their focus also to the tablets. They have made a lot of improvements on Windows 8 over this. Some of them are better energy efficiency that leads to increased battery life and faster start up of the OS. Windows blue may provide even better battery times and other internal improvements. But we all know that they simple got it all wrong by trying to force people to use an UI that does not fit at all to its environment. We have a mouse and a keyboard, where do we need "tiles" or "apps"? Did they hope that developers would develop more Win 8 apps, or maybe tried to make an OS that is "identical" to all devices? Whatever was the plan, it failed badly.

Ps. I'm posting this on my netbook that has windows 8 now with all the 'metro' crap disabled or removed, no returning back to windows 7! I would be using linux on this netbook at any time, but the 3-4 hours shorter battery life stops me at doing it.

[dark_moon]

The fun with the Win 8 apps is: If Win 9 comes out, all Win 8 apps don't work under Win 9
I read this somewhere.

jumba: Why you don't returning back to Win 7?

[jumba]

It's simply better for my netbook, boots up faster, uses less memory, and has some other nice features, like better file copying and task manager, and other internal improvements like the refresh pc feature, you can even create your own "refresh points". I also like the new window theme, it's clean and simple. I disliked the win 7 theme and aero.

If I wasn't able to remove the metro UI and the hot corners, I wouldn't use it! Or if ASUS wouldn't have released drivers for it!

[Evil Moo]

I've seen the task manager mentioned as an advantage for Windows 8 a few times, however I would say that this is irrelevant given the power of Process Explorer from Microsoft's Sysinternals suite, which can replace the default task manager and provide far more functionality and information. If you want a better task manager, that is probably the way to go.

Windows 8 could be a decent choice of OS if they would just trust in the consumer to choose what interface they want in a given setting, rather than forcing some strange and awkward mix between touch and classic desktop interfaces. As it is, the internal improvements and additional features (some of which seem like they should be able to be added fairly easily to Windows 7 and earlier, without needing a full OS upgrade, but oh well) are not enough to make up for the rest of the mess they have made. I have to say, I'm pretty pessimistic about what Blue and 9 are going to do to fix the issues I have with 8, but we shall see if Microsoft comes to its senses.

At this point, the only reason I'm still on Windows (sticking with 7 as long as I can until they realise that a touch interface doesn't work when you aren't using touch) is due to the lack of gaming support on Linux, as well as a few other programs that don't have Linux versions. As Linux seems to be gaining ground somewhat in the gaming domain and more people seem to be asking for Linux versions of applications, I think I'll be able to happily start transitioning to Linux soon (I've been looking at Sabayon as a possible distro of choice, seems power user-ish without being too much hassle like full on Gentoo or Arch), though probably not completely given that older games are unlikely to be ported.

[lyceus]

Ps. I'm posting this on my netbook that has windows 8 now with all the 'metro' crap disabled or removed, no returning back to windows 7! I would be using linux on this netbook at any time, but the 3-4 hours shorter battery life stops me at doing it.

Do yourself a favor and install Classic Shell, this brings all the goodies from Windows Xp/Vista/7 (start button, menus, decent interface) for all flavors of Windows 8 and is free open source! http://www.classicshell.net/ I installed that even on my windows 7 partition and make life easier.

[dudewithit]

It exist a graphic which show the os usage:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/574 ... _April.png

Look at the Win 8 Touch and Win 8 RT Usage. Under 0,1%
This OS totaly fail.

Makes me wonder why mozilla is apending so much time and resources on building a Metro version of Firefox. And they have decided to make MetroFX a "Tier1 platform"