Windows 9 Tech Preview Screenshots

heatlesssun said:
Again, overall I agree with your assessment of the Windows Store and need for more apps. You actually can play Candy Crush just fine on a Windows tablet through Facebook. Even though it's a Flash app, it works perfectly with touch. Microsoft was wise to include Flash support in modern IE. Indeed that support does obviate the need for a lot of apps. Sometimes the Flash app or player may not be the most touch friendly thing but sometimes it would very well.
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We agree but we all know grandma isn't going to run Candy Crush through Facebook running flash when the alternative is just "click the candy crush icon on the home page of your iPad". I know which one I want to help grandma get up and running :D
 
thelead said:
You're right though. The visual stuff definitely isn't added at this stage but I just can't ignore the fact that Microsoft is always way behind on the design front.
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There's difference between beauty and just keeping the grass mowed. If you study all of the thought process behind the modern UI and it's origins, it makes a lot of sense. Sure, you can adorn things to the end of time with effects but what does it really add to an experience? And why add adornments that take away focus from the application?

The principles of modern design are deep rooted and have been applied in lots of areas, particularly signage. Signs have long been "information at a glance" and the use of text and images in them is why they work. I'm not saying that the modern UI is the most beautiful thing in the world. But having tiles on my Start Screen arranged in order and groups displaying all kinds of information is far from ugly. When I'm looking at the Start Screen, it's either to launch something or to pick up a quick piece of info.
 
thelead said:
We agree but we all know grandma isn't going to run Candy Crush through Facebook running flash when the alternative is just "click the candy crush icon on the home page of your iPad". I know which one I want to help grandma get up and running :D
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Go to Facebook.com, Games I may like, type Candy Crush, pin to Start for convenience. I'd be happy to help a grandma with that.
 
heatlesssun said:
There's difference between beauty and just keeping the grass mowed. If you study all of the thought process behind the modern UI and it's origins, it makes a lot of sense. Sure, you can adorn things to the end of time with effects but what does it really add to an experience? And why add adornments that take away focus from the application?

The principles of modern design are deep rooted and have been applied in lots of areas, particularly signage. Signs have long been "information at a glance" and the use of text and images in them is why they work. I'm not saying that the modern UI is the most beautiful thing in the world. But having tiles on my Start Screen arranged in order and groups displaying all kinds of information is far from ugly. When I'm looking at the Start Screen, it's either to launch something or to pick up a quick piece of info.
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You are thinking like a tech nerd and not the average consumer though. Microsoft knows they have most of us in their back pocket. They want that average consumer. That isn't going to happen until they tap into what the average consumer wants and whether you want to believe it or not, how "pretty" the UI is DEFINITELY matters to them.
 
heatlesssun said:
Go to Facebook.com, Games I may like, type Candy Crush, pin to Start for convenience. I'd be happy to help a grandma with that.
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"Heatlessun, why do I see a blank page when I go to facebook?"

"Grandma, did you turn wifi off?"

"Did I turn what off?"

"In the bottom right, do you see little bars"

"What little bars?"

"Grandma, don't touch anything, I'm going to remote into your computer"

"Heatlessun, I don't have a remote for this computer"

Nope, don't want to help with that every 3 days :D
 
thelead said:
"Heatlessun, why do I see a blank page when I go to facebook?"

"Grandma, did you turn wifi off?"

"Did I turn what off?"

"In the bottom right, do you see little bars"

"What little bars?"

"Grandma, don't touch anything, I'm going to remote into your computer"

"Heatlessun, I don't have a remote for this computer"

Nope, don't want to help with that every 3 days :D
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An iPad not connected to WiFi will present similar issues.
 
Oh, and to be honest, I know NOTHING about Candy Crush except for the fact that it is extremely popular. I wouldn't even be able to identify the game by a screenshot.
 
thelead said:
You are thinking like a tech nerd and not the average consumer though. Microsoft knows they have most of us in their back pocket. They want that average consumer. That isn't going to happen until they tap into what the average consumer wants and whether you want to believe it or not, how "pretty" the UI is DEFINITELY matters to them.
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The thing is I think it's a lot of tech nerds judging the beauty of the modern UI when actually it's not anywhere near as ugly or useless as some would proclaim. For instance, the tiles on the right of the Start Menu. Having notifications for Twitter, email, Facebook, etc. in that area isn't going to be a problem for average people, they'll like that.
 
heatlesssun said:
Not really sure what point you're trying to prove. Whenever I have guests at the house and they bring an iPad or other tablet the first thing they are asking for is a WiFi connection.
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My point was that once I install games on my grandma's iPad I don't have worry much about her playing the games (or her messing with system settings). It is infinitely more difficult (and much less intuitive) to play flash games through a browser.
 
thelead said:
My point was that once I install games on my grandma's iPad I don't have worry much about her playing the games (or her messing with system settings). It is infinitely more difficult (and much less intuitive) to play flash games through a browser.
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A lot of those games even once installed will still require an Internet connection. Candy Crush will work offline but does its social and synching capabilities.
 
thelead said:
My point was that once I install games on my grandma's iPad I don't have worry much about her playing the games (or her messing with system settings). It is infinitely more difficult (and much less intuitive) to play flash games through a browser.
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You are missing the point. Candy crush could easily just have an "APP" that does nothing more than put a link to their mobile site on your desktop and your grandma wouldn't have a clue what the difference is given mobile sites can be made to look just like an app and browsers are full screen on phones. On the other hand they could still create an app if they wanted too, to take advantage of running an application on the hardware. They could even get smart enough to allow a local copy of the page to run if you are out of a connection. But the opposite case doesn't exist when flash is not allowed.

The only reason flash was not allowed for apple was because for a good 5 years there they were able to sell people crap that would have otherwise been free for $5 a pop. That is crazy when you think about it. Had nothing to do with simplicity or anything else. It was simply controlling the device just like a console to force people to way over pay for a product.
 
I just hope it is intuitive. I have watched so many people struggle with Win8/8.1 that I just shake my head. These are long time Windows users who are brought to a dead stop. Cant wait to see if Win9 has a user logic built in.
 
What was baffling with win8 is there was no documentation/tutorial, I only learnt from watching youtube videos of others using it or some articles.

The OS itself had no guide or tutorial explaining all the new UI changes.

But even those who learnt it, it was simply less efficient for mouse users.
 
i really liked the uninstall from the start menu, hopefully the next screen reveals size, time installed, etc.

i hate the color scheme, and honestly im getting sick of the tiny static mouse cursor.
 
rudy said:
You are missing the point. Candy crush could easily just have an "APP" that does nothing more than put a link to their mobile site on your desktop and your grandma wouldn't have a clue what the difference is given mobile sites can be made to look just like an app and browsers are full screen on phones. On the other hand they could still create an app if they wanted too, to take advantage of running an application on the hardware. They could even get smart enough to allow a local copy of the page to run if you are out of a connection. But the opposite case doesn't exist when flash is not allowed.

The only reason flash was not allowed for apple was because for a good 5 years there they were able to sell people crap that would have otherwise been free for $5 a pop. That is crazy when you think about it. Had nothing to do with simplicity or anything else. It was simply controlling the device just like a console to force people to way over pay for a product.
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All you said is probably spot on BUT the simplicity is what made people think that the $5 dollars was worth it.

Although, I will say, I am of the belief that a properly coded app/program will always run better than a browser based solution.
 
Unknown-One said:
Half-hearted? The desktop works the same way it did on Windows 7 99% of the time... so are you saying Window s7 had a half-hearted desktop too? :confused:
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Uh, you see where I was talking about 8.0? And no, it doesn not work the same way as win7 99% of the time. It favored the start screen/metro. 8.1 fixes a lot of this but it can still be annoying. 8.0 absolutely was half-hearted towards desktop and it was rather silly because a lot of the time you had to go into that mode to change settings that weren't, eh "touchscreen fluff" settings aka the real control panel.

MS wanted you in their start screen metro touchscreen mode most of the time. Which is fine enough for a touchscreen but not so much anything else. So much for being a hybrid.
 
Ranulfo said:
Uh, you see where I was talking about 8.0?
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Yes, doesn't change what I said...

Ranulfo said:
And no, it doesn not work the same way as win7 99% of the time. It favored the start screen/metro.
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I said the DESKTOP works the same way as the desktop on Windows 7 99% of the time, not the entire OS.

The Desktop on 8.x is still pretty much identical. It still has a taskbar, pinned applications, windows, multitasking, mouse-and-keyboard centric, etc. The DESKTOP remained largely unchanged (and many people argued that 8 wasn't much of an upgrade because the desktop was SO identical)
 
Unknown-One said:
I think the theme needs a little work, but NO WAY do I want them to bring back Aero Glass. It looks garish.
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I think Aero glass is the most elegant desktop that has been released by MS. Metro is the most hideous thing ever on a real screen that doesn't fit in your hand. Again IMO.
 
I just realized, maybe MS doesn't see the need to make the UI work well with a high dpi environment because they're basing the consumer needs on what the Xbox can output. 1080p should be enough for anybody!
 
JayteeBates said:
I think Aero glass is the most elegant desktop that has been released by MS. Metro is the most hideous thing ever on a real screen that doesn't fit in your hand. Again IMO.
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I don't like Aero personally, the effects are cheesy and a waste of GPU resources - i'd rather let it idle. I don't like Metro either, but the "flat" and minimalist design of Windows 8's UI and window scheme I do like.
 
PornoSatan said:
I don't like Aero personally, the effects are cheesy and a waste of GPU resources - i'd rather let it idle. I don't like Metro either, but the "flat" and minimalist design of Windows 8's UI and window scheme I do like.
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I'm going to be honest..That isn't even a valid argument any longer. Computers are so damn powerful at this point that the trivial amount Aero took isn't even worth mentioning. Hell my computer is freaking old by this forums standards and I can run games in borderless windowed and still run max settings without issue.

Now if you don't like it, fine I get that. Some don't like the more flashy UI's and some of us hate the flat and boring. Either way all we want is a choice in the matter. For me Aero was a massive upgrade over the win9x/XP UI and Win 8 was a massive step backwards. A simple checkbox choice solves the argument.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
Now if you don't like it, fine I get that. Some don't like the more flashy UI's and some of us hate the flat and boring. Either way all we want is a choice in the matter. For me Aero was a massive upgrade over the win9x/XP UI and Win 8 was a massive step backwards. A simple checkbox choice solves the argument.
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You know, I've always thought that the vast majority of users don't really prefer a specific OS over another, what they prefer is the actual interface. I've LONG hoped Microsoft would just make their GUI really customizable and open, and simply include their default themes, but allow users to design and download whatever GUI style they wanted. I've never understood the opposition to having a defined standard, but giving people options to do something else. Personally, I think every MS default GUI has been hideous, with Windows 2k being just okay. Some of the nicest looking themes I've seen have actually been for different Linux distros, but I use way too many Windows-dependent programs (like games) to seriously consider a switch.
 
tetris42 said:
You know, I've always thought that the vast majority of users don't really prefer a specific OS over another, what they prefer is the actual interface. I've LONG hoped Microsoft would just make their GUI really customizable and open, and simply include their default themes, but allow users to design and download whatever GUI style they wanted. I've never understood the opposition to having a defined standard, but giving people options to do something else. Personally, I think every MS default GUI has been hideous, with Windows 2k being just okay. Some of the nicest looking themes I've seen have actually been for different Linux distros, but I use way too many Windows-dependent programs (like games) to seriously consider a switch.
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I would agree with this. I don't really care what's going on in the background so long as it is faster and more stable than the previous version. Things like black box and rain meter are vastly better looking ui. I particularly resented win 8 because of how much choice they tried to take away.
 
PornoSatan said:
I don't like Aero personally, the effects are cheesy and a waste of GPU resources - i'd rather let it idle. I don't like Metro either, but the "flat" and minimalist design of Windows 8's UI and window scheme I do like.
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Windows automatically disables Aero when a programme goes full-screen.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
I'm going to be honest..That isn't even a valid argument any longer. Computers are so damn powerful at this point that the trivial amount Aero took isn't even worth mentioning. Hell my computer is freaking old by this forums standards and I can run games in borderless windowed and still run max settings without issue.

Now if you don't like it, fine I get that. Some don't like the more flashy UI's and some of us hate the flat and boring. Either way all we want is a choice in the matter. For me Aero was a massive upgrade over the win9x/XP UI and Win 8 was a massive step backwards. A simple checkbox choice solves the argument.
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In general modern computers are powerful enough yes, but not this Atom based Acer Aspire netbook I have here. But even the netbook isn't a concern to me, I think Aero is too flashy (and a waste of resources). To each their own really. The Windows 8 UI may be more my style but even then it's got dumb stuff on it like the ribbon, and I think they coulda trimmed a few pixels on the overall outline of the theme for each window.
 
PornoSatan said:
In general modern computers are powerful enough yes, but not this Atom based Acer Aspire netbook I have here. But even the netbook isn't a concern to me, I think Aero is too flashy (and a waste of resources). To each their own really. The Windows 8 UI may be more my style but even then it's got dumb stuff on it like the ribbon, and I think they coulda trimmed a few pixels on the overall outline of the theme for each window.
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Well no joke an Atom netbook lacks power. It is nothing more than a glorified web browsing device. We are talking about desktops here, not toys. :D
 
Dekoth-E- said:
Well no joke an Atom netbook lacks power. It is nothing more than a glorified web browsing device. We are talking about desktops here, not toys. :D
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Current Bay Trail Atoms are pretty powerful. I certainly am able to do more than web browsing quite well on my Bay Trail tablets.
 
Still butthurt over the last major MS UI overhaul....
retro-win-311.jpg
 
chrcoluk said:
What was baffling with win8 is there was no documentation/tutorial, I only learnt from watching youtube videos of others using it or some articles.

The OS itself had no guide or tutorial explaining all the new UI changes.
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Resolved in Windows 8.1

All new user accounts are subjected to giant tutorial pop-ups the first time they use the system.
 
Wouldn't it be awesome if every new Windows release contained classic themes that faithfully reproduced the UI from old versions?
 
I think we would all agree the best thing for everyone is choice, choice between win8 flat and win 7 aero then everyone is happy, and even like you said themes for win2k win 95 etc.
 
rudy said:
The only reason flash was not allowed for apple was because for a good 5 years there they were able to sell people crap that would have otherwise been free for $5 a pop. That is crazy when you think about it. Had nothing to do with simplicity or anything else. It was simply controlling the device just like a console to force people to way over pay for a product.
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No, your opinion about this is incorrect.

chrcoluk said:
What was baffling with win8 is there was no documentation/tutorial, I only learnt from watching youtube videos of others using it or some articles.

The OS itself had no guide or tutorial explaining all the new UI changes.
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A tutorial demonstrating the new features occurred during the OS install.
 
mope54 said:
No, your opinion about this is incorrect.
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I think there was some calculation on Apple's part not allowing Flash on the iPad that did consider the App Store. I'm not saying that it was purely evil nor without merit to block Flash on the iPad, Flash does have its problems. But it would have been nice to have it there and support of Flash to this day make browsing web easier, there's still a great deal of Flash content there, HTML 5 hasn't exactly kicked Flash to the curb at this point, though I do expect that in time it will.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
key word there "netbook" it clearly isn't a baytrail. ;)
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Fair enough. But there are plenty of people that think that even modern Atoms are garbage and they aren't. Of all of the problems with Windows 8, inexpensive Bay Trail tablets with 8.1 have been something of a bright spot. They actually perform quite nicely with solid battery life and thermals.
 
heatlesssun said:
I think there was some calculation on Apple's part not allowing Flash on the iPad that did consider the App Store. I'm not saying that it was purely evil nor without merit to block Flash on the iPad, Flash does have its problems. But it would have been nice to have it there and support of Flash to this day make browsing web easier, there's still a great deal of Flash content there, HTML 5 hasn't exactly kicked Flash to the curb at this point, though I do expect that in time it will.
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Jobs stated clearly that protecting the App Store was one factor in the decision not to support Flash on iOS--but it wasn't to sell crappy flash-like games on the App Store like the poster claimed.

Regardless, this point is half a decade old. Even Adobe threw the towel in on mobile flash. Sorry to hear that you're still having problems with Flash and websites. I never have so wouldn't know what that's about.
 
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