Is 'Metro' Now A Banned Word At Microsoft?

H

HardOCP News

[H] News
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
0
According to ZDNet, Microsoft is ditching the Metro name over a possible copyright dispute. Don't companies have a department to check this kinda stuff our before they decide on a name for something?

“We have used Metro style as a code name during the product development cycle across many of our product lines. As we get closer to launch and transition from industry dialog to a broad consumer dialog we will use our commercial names.”
Click to expand...
 
They should have banned it a long time ago because that metro crap sucks balls.
 
What are they gonna call it then?

Shitty bunch of squares doesn't have the marketing ring I think they're going after.
 
Microsoft has an issue with keeping a brand named. I swear, bing had approximately 43 million names before that.
 
I don't like the frightening visions of metrosexual hipsters the metro name brings to mind. :eek:
 
Steve said:
According to ZDNet, Microsoft is ditching the Metro name over a possible copyright dispute. Don't companies have a department to check this kinda stuff our before they decide on a name for something?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I guess Microsoft just started using the term like the common word that it is to refer to public transportation which is an inspiration for the design and didn't really think it through. My guess is that they'll have to pay off someone if they want to use the term even if it is unofficial.
 
The banned it because there is so much hate associated with it. It's a desperate effort to clear the name.

If Microsoft wanted it - dispute or no dispute - they would have used it.
 
Metro is an abbreviation of metropolitan, and is the name of many products and services relating to urban areas, especially public transport systems
 
Steve said:
Don't companies have a department to check this kinda stuff our before they decide on a name for something?
Click to expand...
You mean like the world's most successful streaming video company at the time picking the name Qwikster for their now defuct spinoff without realizing that the Twitter handle Qwikster was already taking by a pot smoking Elmo?
 
krogen said:
The banned it because there is so much hate associated with it. It's a desperate effort to clear the name.
Click to expand...

Would it be wrong of me have an abnormally high opinion of human intelligence and say that I think people will choose to like or dislike something based on what it is and not what a company named it?
 
I love how well Microsoft is able to butter a dog turd.
 
SkribbelKat said:
Would it be wrong of me have an abnormally high opinion of human intelligence and say that I think people will choose to like or dislike something based on what it is and not what a company named it?
Click to expand...

I've never used Metro. But people here, whom I trust for the most part, make me think that Metro is garbage.

Thus, when I think of Metro I think of garbage.

Not everyone will base their opinion on their own experiences.
 
face2palm said:
ZDnet? Really?

Credibly level - 0
Click to expand...

Mary Jo Foley. Pretty high credibility for me. She's been wrong in the past, but her track record is very good. High confidence this is a real thing...

Metro stopped being a code name long ago. There are books, articles, videos,etc. talking about the Metro styling, Metro interface, typesetting - all that jazz. I doubt they can just stop using it, even if it started as a code name, it got too big.
 
JokerCPoC said:
And Turkey isn't banned too?
Click to expand...

I wish I could get royalties for any time someone calls something "Phoenix". I'm never consulted. Hell, I even have to tack numbers on the end just to use my own name on this forum. Birds don't have rights in human society though, so what can I do?
 
Phoenix333 said:
I wish I could get royalties for any time someone calls something "Phoenix". I'm never consulted. Hell, I even have to tack numbers on the end just to use my own name on this forum. Birds don't have rights in human society though, so what can I do?
Click to expand...

You should get yourself a lawyer! :D

2208-1785017026.jpg


[COLOR="22222"](Mr. Pheonix wright)[/COLOR] :D
 
If Metro was a codename, no one told their marketing department.
 
Its marketing move. Everyone hates 'Metro', so they'll rebrand the interface so you think you're getting something else.
 
jpm100 said:
Its marketing move. Everyone hates 'Metro', so they'll rebrand the interface so you think you're getting something else.
Click to expand...

There's a lot negative comments about Windows 8 mainly from people that don't use it much and an in particular those who've never used on tablets or hybrid devices. But I would agreed that the name change might be in part to escape some of the negative hype.

The Windows 8 conversation is about to change though as the RTM becomes available and Windows 8 UI Style UI apps (or whatever you're supposed to call Metro now) come online and new hardware is released and I think the conversation will become more focused on facts and positive as all of this completely new stuff starts to come out.
 
heatlesssun said:
There's a lot negative comments about Windows 8 mainly from people that don't use it much and an in particular those who've never used on tablets or hybrid devices. But I would agreed that the name change might be in part to escape some of the negative hype.

The Windows 8 conversation is about to change though as the RTM becomes available and Windows 8 UI Style UI apps (or whatever you're supposed to call Metro now) come online and new hardware is released and I think the conversation will become more focused on facts and positive as all of this completely new stuff starts to come out.
Click to expand...

It isn't the interface on its own that's the problem. Its change for change's sake as far as PC users are concerned. And the fact its imposed, not optional out of the box.

Its like going to McDonalds and ordering a Big Mac and they hand you a Fried Chicken Sandwich because they felt like changing their lineup to match the new successful chicken mcnuggets and because the old double patty burger wasn't new enough to market easily anymore. If I was expecting a burger and got a chicken sandwich, I'd be upset and so would most people. Except with McDonald's, you can go to about 5 different fast food places if you're upset. Here you have one alternative and its pricier.
 
Probably has more to do with how negative the word metro is when associated with it's soon to be released latest desktop operating system.
 
jpm100 said:
It isn't the interface on its own that's the problem. Its change for change's sake as far as PC users are concerned. And the fact its imposed, not optional out of the box.

Its like going to McDonalds and ordering a Big Mac and they hand you a Fried Chicken Sandwich because they felt like changing their lineup to match the new successful chicken mcnuggets and because the old double patty burger wasn't new enough to market easily anymore. If I was expecting a burger and got a chicken sandwich, I'd be upset and so would most people. Except with McDonald's, you can go to about 5 different fast food places if you're upset. Here you have one alternative and its pricier.
Click to expand...



I don't think its like that at all, but I can use your same analogy to show what I mean.

Win 8 is more like McDonalds giving you that fried chicken sandwich, but then offering the big mac right behind it. So while you have to move the chicken sandwich out of the way, you still can have what you want.

Win 8 still offers a desktop that is basically Win 7 evolved, with a list of various improvements/features that a power user might actually use. The Metro side is what everyone wants to bash and focus on, but what boggles my mind is that there is a complete and mature desktop side that works great. I use it everyday, with little or not interaction with the Metro side.

The only change that I notice is if I need to use the start screen, but Win 7 already weened me off of using the start menu (I pin what I need in the taskbar), so I rarely have to go to it. Of course I notice it at startup since it goes to the start screen first, but it feel like a login screen to me, since I just click once and I'm in the desktop.

I really think there are alot of people around forums like this that simply refuse to even explore the software and really see if it works for them. I don't know what other reason there would be to ignore a big part of Win 8.
 
krogen said:
The banned it because there is so much hate associated with it. It's a desperate effort to clear the name.

If Microsoft wanted it - dispute or no dispute - they would have used it.
Click to expand...

Try telling that to the WWF... er... WWE. :) Or any other large company that has attempted to use something they wanted, but failed miserably due to legal disputes.

"Metro" is pretty damn common, I could see them having significant opposition. They replace a lot of code names prior to release--anyone remember Orcas, Longhorn, Frosting, Detroit, Hydra or any of the others? No? Well there's a good reason for that--code names rarely make it on the final release.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Microsoft_codenames

How many of those are in current use? Anyone spouting conspiracy theories about a name change attempting to remove negative publicity associated with the product is speaking nonsense. Codenames are used internally and in tech circles, the released product often has it's own name upon release.
 
jpm100 said:
It isn't the interface on its own that's the problem. Its change for change's sake as far as PC users are concerned. And the fact its imposed, not optional out of the box.
Click to expand...

No, it's change to make Windows more mobile and more capable of working on the fast growing market of touch tablet devices.

jpm100 said:
Its like going to McDonalds and ordering a Big Mac and they hand you a Fried Chicken Sandwich because they felt like changing their lineup to match the new successful chicken mcnuggets and because the old double patty burger wasn't new enough to market easily anymore. If I was expecting a burger and got a chicken sandwich, I'd be upset and so would most people. Except with McDonald's, you can go to about 5 different fast food places if you're upset. Here you have one alternative and its pricier.
Click to expand...

But with Windows 8 you get both a Big Mac and a chicken sandwich, it is a hybrid OS. And I know the standard argument that by coming a desktop and tablet into one UI you lessen both but in my experience that argument isn't holding much weight. When I'm running a desktop app, that desktop app works just like it would in Windows 7 and when I'm using a tablet device with the touch screen Windows 8 UI Style apps work very much like they would on an iPad or Android except the performance for things like web browsing will often blow ARM devices away, but of course these are x86 tablets.

Again, it's all about adaptability. My wife is using Windows 8 now and actually has grown found of it. I did spend some time with her going over not only desktop but tablet operation. She like a lot of people don't really care what they ordered and never even thought about what they were even eating. Click on or tap to do this to do this or that. She never even thought about the missing Start Menu, she just knows that see needs to click on a certain thing and the Start Screen is just how it works now.

I think a lot of technical people have way overthought this and can't see the forest for the trees. Most people just want to use a computer for some give task, they are worried about if it's full screen or a Start Button. If it's pretty easy for them to pick up they just need a little guidance and then they are on their way.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top