Win8's Metro interface

hedron

hedron

Limp Gawd
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Apr 24, 2008
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Now, I'm not the biggest fan of it, but I think it's being unfairly derided at many places. I think it's about time MS did something about the awkward and outdated Start menu and the Metro interface is a decent substitute. I'm really looking forward to upgrading.

Maybe they could have made it more suitable to a laptop/desktop, but unless someone has a better idea I don't see what the fuss is about.
 
better idea could be what they have used for ages, the start menu, for desktops i dont see taking up the entire screen to just find an app as being the best idea (and yes i have been using Win8 for over a month now on my laptop). I will be staying with Windows 7 for the foreseeable future for that reason alone.
 
W.Feather said:
better idea could be what they have used for ages, the start menu, for desktops i dont see taking up the entire screen to just find an app as being the best idea (and yes i have been using Win8 for over a month now on my laptop). I will be staying with Windows 7 for the foreseeable future for that reason alone.
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How much attention do you pay to background windows while launching a program?
 
quite a bit, since i use the machine for class work, and it is a convertible (2740p), since I use the pen 90% of the time, touch is disabled and metro is a PITA to navigate with just a pen, as compared with just booting to my desktop where i had short cuts. Only still running win 8 because i havent had time to change it over.
 
hedron said:
I don't know, I'm glad they got rid of it. This isn't 1995 anymore. :p
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Yet cluttering up the whole screen with every app you have installed just to remove the start menu is forward thinking?

Maybe it's the minimalist in me, but no. I'd rather have the 17 year old start menu and be able to key through and launch apps quickly through start than having 30+ icons on my desktop, taskbar, or Metro UI.

But hey, whatever floats your boat. I suppose the next version of OS X will launch without Finder, and instead the whole screen will be replaced by the dock. :rolleyes: No. Apple's not that dumb.

I have no use for Win8. None. I don't like Metro on a desktop. I wouldn't put Win8 on my Kindle Fire even if I could. I'd rather start learning Fedora, Mint or Ubuntu from scratch if I have to rather than give up Win7 or use Win8.
 
^^ What zero said, the start menu may nto be the best alternative (I honestly prefered Gnome 2.x on linux as an environment more than windows start menu). But filling up an entire screen with what I once had in at mos 1/4 of the screen.... just not very efficient for me..
 
zero2dash said:
Yet cluttering up the whole screen with every app you have installed just to remove the start menu is forward thinking?

Maybe it's the minimalist in me.
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I think the metro interface is more minimalist than the start menu. You can edit the content of the metro interface, so it doesn't show all your programs. But it doesn't even show all your programs to begin with. Just because it is physically smaller doesn't make it more 'minimal.' The start menu has always been awkward to use. Those pull out menu's are so friggin annoying and I can't fit all the programs I want to in the link section. And forget about organizing the programs the way I want to, if they could even fit to begin with.

I'm not saying it's perfect. But I'll be glad to say goodbye to the start menu. But, for all you people who can't stand change, I'm sure someone will figure out a way to get the start menu back. I'm sure WIn8 is just a registry key away from 1995.
 
I'm still getting used to Metro. I have it on a daily use laptop. It's kinda growing on me but I don't see myself "upgrading" from Win 7. If I was running Vista I would run to it.
 
hedron said:
The start menu has always been awkward to use. Those pull out menu's are so friggin annoying and I can't fit all the programs I want to in the link section. And forget about organizing the programs the way I want to, if they could even fit to begin with.
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You don't need to.
I can type the first three letters of any program I want to use in the Start menu's Search bar and the app pops up as the first choice, automatically highlighted for me, at least 80% of the time. If it doesn't, I can type a 4th or 5th letter and it does the job.

Old Start menu, at least through XP? Not intuitive at all; I agree with you there.
Honestly it's been too long since I've used Vista to say whether or not that one was much better, but the Start menu in 7 is absolutely brilliant. No need for keyboard shortcuts, macros, or extra apps like Launchy required.

The other thing absolutely brilliant in 7? Jump lists. I could not live without jump lists at this point.

7 was such a great leap forward in intuitiveness; I can't believe they are essentially scrapping everything just because they think tablets actually matter that much. Tablets are selling, and tablets have their place....but there's no way in bloody hell that a tablet will ever take the place of a full desktop computer for anything other than email, chat, and surfing. You'll never see a pro, any pro, who relies on a pro level app to make a living - whether it's a Creative Suite user, a Final Cut Pro user, any 3D/drafting user, or a ProTools user....those systems will never be replaced with tablets. Ever.

Win8 would be less frowned upon if they didn't force Metro on everyone. They are, so it is. The fact that they're also removing methods to circumvent their force of Metro makes them look even worse. (IMHO)
 
The talk on the Web is that Microsoft is going to strip out as much legacy code as possible to prevent you from resurrecting the old Start Menu. Registry hacks and the current third party apps supposedly won't work in the finale release. I'm posting this from Windows 8. I'm not fussy for the Metro Start Screen but I've got mine customized so its usable. The more I use Windows 8 the less it bothers me but I won't be in any hurry to upgrade from Windows 7 on my desktop or laptop. Not unless things change. Windows 8 isn't that user friendly on none touch devices. There are some things I like about windows 8 like being able to span your taskbar across multiple monitors. And finally being able to put a different wallpaper on each monitor. It's still not enough to make me cough up any money to upgrade though.
 
I'm currently at TechEd 2012, and this topic has gathered a lot of audible groans. The "start" menu is mostly gone, but the usefulness for the power users is still there from the Win7 interface presentation at the bottom-left corner context menu.

A few points made during the keynote speech and some developer sessions are worth passing along:

1 - You (as in most of the [H] community) are not the target audience of the metro design. It's clearly aimed at users that have grown up expecting a slick user experience, and is oversized to accommodate touchscreen (and motion, perhaps?) control interfaces. Power user toolsets will likely go unchanged -- currently Office, SSMS, and Visual Studio have no plans on "metro'ing" themselves, as it just doesn't lend itself to touchscreen interfaces.
2 - For those with the experience or age, they will remember hearing the same groans when Win95 was introduced. "What happened to 'File Manager' and 'Program Manager'??" and "What is this giant grey 'Start' button cluttering up my screen?"

Honestly, I haven't really dived into Win8 yet. I've got a few machines, of varying hardware power, that I'm interested in seeing how it runs. But it is a very bold move, and presents some very compelling integration capabilities that you just don't get with current OSes. If you do want to watch the keynotes, then watch the one from today (June 12), and watch the NewEgg "metro" app integration and data sharing -- Very, very slick stuff.

And finally... This post isn't meant to persuade anyone's opinion. I'm not looking for an argument, just wanting to post another perspective to the thread.
 
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PTNL said:
Power user toolsets will likely go unchanged -- currently Office, SSMS, and Visual Studio have no plans on "metro'ing" themselves, as it just doesn't lend itself to touchscreen interfaces.
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Obviously.
But then again you could also say that desktop computers controlled by mouse + keyboard with no touch screen functionality whatsoever shouldn't have been "metroized" in the first place....but that certainly didn't stop them from [strike=]doing[/s] forcing it to anyone who buys a new PC preloaded with Win8.

Again - the thought of tablets or touchscreen devices replacing keyboard + mouse is one of the most absurd viewpoints I've seen going around ever since Metro was demoed. However that hasn't stopped MS from ripping out the Start menu and forcing people to adopt even though there's no reason to have done so. "It would have split the userbase", no it wouldn't have. They should have left the option there and given the end user the final choice, at least on the desktop level.
 
I've heard the argument, that if they gave you the option to have the Windows 7 start menu, people wouldn't upgrade they'd just stay with Windows 7. Windows 8 would appear to the same as Windows 7 so why upgrade at all. It would hurt Windows 8 sales. Well if people don't buy because they don't want Metro and that's the only option, isn't that also going to hurt sales?
 
PTNL said:
It's clearly aimed at users that have grown up expecting a slick user experience, and is oversized to accommodate touchscreen (and motion, perhaps?) control interfaces.
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The users I know who appreciate this "slickness" have pretty strong loyalties to non-microsoft brands and I don't see that changing.
 
geraltofrivia said:
The users I know who appreciate this "slickness" have pretty strong loyalties to non-microsoft brands and I don't see that changing.
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.. and that's who MS is going after.


zero2dash said:
Obviously.
But then again you could also say that desktop computers controlled by mouse + keyboard with no touch screen functionality whatsoever shouldn't have been "metroized" in the first place....but that certainly didn't stop them from [strike=]doing[/s] forcing it to anyone who buys a new PC preloaded with Win8.

Again - the thought of tablets or touchscreen devices replacing keyboard + mouse is one of the most absurd viewpoints I've seen going around ever since Metro was demoed. However that hasn't stopped MS from ripping out the Start menu and forcing people to adopt even though there's no reason to have done so. "It would have split the userbase", no it wouldn't have. They should have left the option there and given the end user the final choice, at least on the desktop level.
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The "metro-ization" isn't (at least initially) for the majority of apps. There's a lot out there on interface design, and thinking beyond the "what users have come to expect" mindset that has been historically associated with most enterprise apps thus far. The problem is that software designers have been setting a lack-luster bar, which is well below what the newer (and, arguably, more savvy) users entering the community have come to expect. If you really want to deep-dive more on this, then I'd highly recommend researching and watching the many talks from Billy Hollis.
 
zero2dash said:
Again - the thought of tablets or touchscreen devices replacing keyboard + mouse is one of the most absurd viewpoints I've seen going around ever since Metro was demoed.
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I don't see how doing away with a mouse and keyboard is absurd. It's just different. You can do everything you want to do with a computer without a mouse and keyboard. I remember when my parents first got a Mac and I was used to the C64, I had no idea why anyone would want to use a mouse. I thought the idea of using a mouse was absurd. Anyone who had half a brain could just type 'LOAD "*" 8,1' Right? Of course, I also scoffed at the internet and email as well. :eek: ... but that's another story.

There's also some device, if it isn't fake, that I saw on engadget that tracks the movement of your hands and fingers to control computer operations. So, I think the days of using a mouse and keyboard are just beginning to see the end. Here's the device: http://www.leapmotion.com/
 
hedron said:
I don't see how doing away with a mouse and keyboard is absurd. It's just different. You can do everything you want to do with a computer without a mouse and keyboard.
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Sure you can. You also either take longer or filth up the screen with fingerprints.

I'm a graphic designer. Nearly 20 years now from high school to professionally. I live breathe eat sleep Adobe. You're never going to get me to drop a keyboard and mouse for a touch screen or tablet. Ever. I like my keyboard. I can hit my 100 wpm on my keyboard. I can do fairly good vector drawings using my mouse. Sometimes I use my Wacom tablet (primarily in Photoshop), but otherwise I rely on Illustrator to do some of the more intricate work for me. No way in bloody hell I'm going to attempt to use Illustrator on a tablet or touch screen.

You could buy me a Cintiq 24HD and I'm still not going to quit using a keyboard + mouse. I hate typing on a touchscreen, even on a larger one (again - we have a Kindle Fire).

I would argue that anyone else who relies on a keyboard and/or mouse in their line of work is going to say the same thing. Programmers, 3D renderers....not going to stop using a keyboard.

Tablets and touch screens have their place; they work for most things. But there's some things they will not replace.
 
zero2dash said:
Tablets and touch screens have their place; they work for most things. But there's some things they will not replace.
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And while we can debate the efficacy of Windows 8 with keyboards and mice there's nothing in Windows 8 that requires touch, it all works with keyboards and mice. Now there are certainly some apps that will be much better suited for touch but even those will work with keyboards and mice.
 
^^^ Agreed; it'll work with any input device whether traditional or touch based.

Given that I'd rather not use Metro with a keyboard+mouse though, and with my preference for the Start menu (specifically that of Win7) - makes my decision easy.

I still think they're making a mistake by ripping out any trace of the Start menu, but only time (and sales figures) will prove whether or not that was a mistake or not.
I understand why they're doing it, and can certainly appreciate the idea that leaving the Start menu in 8 for a user to use gives you incentive to upgrade from 7.....however I also think that in the end that will probably hurt PC sales even more than they already are (unless they offer the downgrade, similar to when desktops shipped with Vista and people wanted no part of it and they opted for XP).
 
I think you guys missed my bit about leap motion. You can't tell me that keyboard and mouse is in anyway superior to that for anything. I'm sure people will be able to type 1000 wpm with that thing. Drawing objects in whatever program would be far superior than any track pad or tablet (but isn't that the same thing as touch screen just without the screen? anyway...) I would say drawing with that thing would even be superior than paper and pencil. I'd pre-order it if I wasn't so sceptical.

I think they might need to redesign Metro a bit just for leap motion. But it's a big step in the right direction. I don't understand why people always have such resistance to change.
 
Windows since XP has supported digital pens and that support has been improved slightly in each subsequent release of Windows and is quite a bit better now. Pen support is a one thing that Windows is clearly better at then iOS and Android and while I understand it's niche it's a pretty big niche that this can appeal to. Students, the education market, people that need to write and draw things, and that's a LOT of people. I see a lot of people with Galaxy Notes these days, pen and ink technology is a decent sized market.

My main attraction to Windows 8 is that it's SOOOO much better on Tablet PCs. Going from keyboards to mice to track pads to touch to pens, it does work. I guess I can understand why people would say it feels disjointed but those people do move between form factors and input methods freely.
 
My Start Menu is on the left. I have all my favorite programs "pinned" to it and it works very well. It only covers a portion of my screen. I've never had a problem with it.

And then we've got the Metro Start Screen on the right. Boy... that will take some getting used to...

DJcav.png
 
MScrip said:
And then we've got the Metro Start Screen on the right. Boy... that will take some getting used to...
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So the default Start Screen vs your customized desktop. Which would still be there in Windows 8. Do you just have the Start Menu open like that a lot? Cause you can't do anything else while it is.
 
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heatlesssun said:
So the default Start Screen vs your customized desktop. Which would still be there in Windows 8. Do you just have the Start Menu open like that a lot? Cause you can't do anything else while it is.
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I open a lot of apps all the time.

The point is... the Start Menu is a thin menu that pops up to open a new app... versus a full screen menu to open a new app.

I realize the desktop is still there in Windows 8. And I'll be spending most of my time on the desktop because that's where ALL of my programs are.

It just seems a little excessive to jump to the full-screen Metro Start Screen just to open a new app.

Maybe I need to find a quick little app launcher for the Windows 8 desktop...
 
MScrip said:
I open a lot of apps all the time.
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As do I, I was just making the point that I don't really ponder the desktop while opening them. Until Windows 8 in face I've NEVER heard anyone make the point that they had to see their desktop while opening an app. I still have no idea what importance that would have. This is a point that I've really looked into because it is a noticeable difference between Windows 7 and 8, what does being able to see the desktop functionally change about the experience of opening an app. I've looked into the matter a lot and there's just nothing about seeing the desktop that matters. I can guarantee that Microsoft looked into this and yeah, they obviously noticed the difference but it seems they also noted that it just doesn't seem to matter. The Start Menu takes ones focus though it's not full screen just as much as the full screen Start Screen and because it's much easier to launch applications with something that size versus the teeny tiny Start Menu probably just figured the Start Screen was fine. But not only that, it can serve as a decent notification center.

So sure that Start Screen is jarring and takes the full screen. It's also easier to see, works MUCH better with touch and includes notifications. At best a wash, if teeny tiny static icons are ones friend. I simply haven't seen any functional advantage to the Start Menu versus the Start Screen other than the rarely used last documents and programs feature. I admit that it would totally cool if there were some type of title that implemented this things but they are pretty rarely used.
 
heatlesssun said:
As do I, I was just making the point that I don't really ponder the desktop while opening them. Until Windows 8 in face I've NEVER heard anyone make the point that they had to see their desktop while opening an app. I still have no idea what importance that would have. This is a point that I've really looked into because it is a noticeable difference between Windows 7 and 8, what does being able to see the desktop functionally change about the experience of opening an app. I've looked into the matter a lot and there's just nothing about seeing the desktop that matters. I can guarantee that Microsoft looked into this and yeah, they obviously noticed the difference but it seems they also noted that it just doesn't seem to matter. The Start Menu takes ones focus though it's not full screen just as much as the full screen Start Screen and because it's much easier to launch applications with something that size versus the teeny tiny Start Menu probably just figured the Start Screen was fine. But not only that, it can serve as a decent notification center.

So sure that Start Screen is jarring and takes the full screen. It's also easier to see, works MUCH better with touch and includes notifications. At best a wash, if teeny tiny static icons are ones friend. I simply haven't seen any functional advantage to the Start Menu versus the Start Screen other than the rarely used last documents and programs feature. I admit that it would totally cool if there were some type of title that implemented this things but they are pretty rarely used.
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Yeah... I was more speaking to the jarring aspect of going from your desktop... then to the Metro Start Screen... then back to the desktop. It's not that I need to see my desktop while I open another app... it's just that the old method wasn't broken for me. I use my Start Menu as an app launcher... and I am perfectly happy with it. I never asked for anything new.

I totally see what Microsoft is doing, though. They are unifying the UI across desktops and tablets. And that's great.

But I don't even own a laptop at the moment... let alone some kind of touch-enabled computer. I also have no problem clicking on teeny-tiny icons now... nor did I for the past 20 years.

Those 800% larger tiles are kinda wasted on me and my mouse ;)

And yes I know some tiles are used for notifications. But I've gotten notifications in other ways long before Windows 8. Again... it's not something I was clamoring for.
 
sorry, but none of you are paying attention to the rest of the screen while you are launching programs in the start menu
 
MScrip said:
But I don't even own a laptop at the moment... let alone some kind of touch-enabled computer. I also have no problem clicking on teeny-tiny icons now... nor did I for the past 20 years.
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And sure, the Start Menu works ok with a mouse. You do see the point of the Start Screen and that's fair enough, I do understand why people who don't use or care about touch wouldn't particularly care about the Start Screen.

Having used Windows on tablets for a long time I've waited many years for a replacement to the Start Menu, it should have been either redesigned or replaced a decade ago with the launch of Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.
 
MScrip said:
My Start Menu is on the left. I have all my favorite programs "pinned" to it and it works very well. It only covers a portion of my screen. I've never had a problem with it.

And then we've got the Metro Start Screen on the right. Boy... that will take some getting used to...

DJcav.png
Click to expand...

I operate in a similar fashion and I'm finding the same frustrations you are. I've only been playing with Windows 8 for a few days now on my desktop PC but I've been using Windows Phone 7 for just over a year now so I'm very familiar with "Metro". With Windows 8 I feel like I'm operating my smartphone on my computer (yes I understand the goal to unify platforms) and it feels very odd. Within my desktop pc/laptop environment I don't need large text! I don't need large icons!

I would say I am a semi-power user. I use certain short-cuts here and there, other times I'll navigate through the start menu, all depends what I need that day. I like my "clean" icon-less desktop, and jumping to the visual chaos of the start screen in Windows 8 then back to a "clean" desktop is really where I feel I get lost. For instance, opening calculator. Well, if I'm in the desktop, navigate to the start screen (now in a completely different visual environment) and type "calc", and the program opens back into the desktop. Why not just let me use the same search function in the start screen right in the desktop? Negate even having to go to the start screen?

I also am having problems with understanding why a program may have an "app" version and "executable" version of a program. IE launched from the start screen is different from IE launched from the desktop. The "app" version is best suited for phones/tablets, I don't want to use it on my desktop/laptop. Of course, nobody on a phone/tablet wants to use the "executable" for the desktop. With programs there is a differentiation being made to clearly provide for a better touch/small form factor experience, yet maintain the familiar experience within a desktop environment. So why would this not translate to the way software is launched? Why default to one style to launch the software? Keep in mind I understand you can pin program to the taskbar within the desktop, but again I like(d) my desktop clean so I keep very few programs pinned to the taskbar, the rest I use through the start menu.
 
Paully's5.0 said:
I also am having problems with understanding why a program may have an "app" version and "executable" version of a program. IE launched from the start screen is different from IE launched from the desktop. The "app" version is best suited for phones/tablets, I don't want to use it on my desktop/laptop. Of course, nobody on a phone/tablet wants to use the "executable" for the desktop. With programs there is a differentiation being made to clearly provide for a better touch/small form factor experience, yet maintain the familiar experience within a desktop environment. So why would this not translate to the way software is launched? Why default to one style to launch the software? Keep in mind I understand you can pin program to the taskbar within the desktop, but again I like(d) my desktop clean so I keep very few programs pinned to the taskbar, the rest I use through the start menu.
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In the case of IE there's a lot of times actually where even on a touch screen one would want to use the desktop version, namely for plug-ins. While a Flash player is built into the Metro version of IE, it doesn't work with everything or all sites. Desktop IE uses the same renderer as the Metro version, while the shell isn't touch optimized, the browser actually is and there a couple of touch optimized shells for IE desktop. At any rate you have choice of which programs you want to use and it really doesn't matter if you want to use a Metro app with a keyboard and mouse or even a desktop app with touch. Though touch isn't usually going to be good across the board with desktop apps there are a decent number of desktop apps that can function better than many think with touch. And there's no reason why a desktop app can't be touch friendly, I would suspect that a lot of even desktop applications will become more touch friendly as the universe of touch capable Windows devices grows.
 
I watched a bunch of demos at TechEd 2012 & found that Metro is a whole lot more touch oriented than through mouse & keyboard (which I know many have pointed out). I have attempted testing out what they've shown with the mouse & keyboard. It does work pretty well but there's still a phantom feeling of certain functions that are no longer available. I'll keep testing it out & maybe gain a better grasp of Metro.

I still miss Aero Glass & the 7 Start Menu though.
 
The main things missing from Windows 8 that I can think of is Recent Items and folder structures in Start Screen when the Start Screen is compared to the Start Menu.

The Start Screen balances out touch with keyboard and mouse. In the end for average people there's going to be little functional difference in most day to day operation. The Start Screen is bigger and they may mean more mouse travel but with a keyboard and mouse I find that the mouse travel versus the quicker targeting balances itself out and with a track pad with gestures the Start Screen might prove to be superior to the Start Menu.

If touch and Metro apps become a major factor in the lives of daily Windows 8 users, and it would seem logical that the vast bulk of Windows 8 users will use touch and/or Metro apps, then Microsoft is doing the right thing with a single UI. When you add Metro apps to the equation and most of them will work with keyboards then the Start Menu only serves to break Metro apps.
 
heatlesssun said:
If touch and Metro apps become a major factor in the lives of daily Windows 8 users, and it would seem logical that the vast bulk of Windows 8 users will use touch and/or Metro apps, then Microsoft is doing the right thing with a single UI. When you add Metro apps to the equation and most of them will work with keyboards then the Start Menu only serves to break Metro apps.
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Are we to assume that Metro apps will one day supplant desktop-style apps? Will Microsoft take it so far that desktop-style apps will be prohibited? :eek:

Some Mac users are becoming worried that iOS will replace and/or ruin OSX. Should Windows users be fearful of the Metrofication of Windows??

And what would a Metro version of Filezilla even look like? Or any of the countless little programs I use on a daily basis?

I can get used to the Metro Start Screen... it was just a little jarring at first. As an app launcher it's fine.

What I'm worried about is all my programs being forced into the MetroUI for no other reason than the sake of change. (especially if I'm not using a touch-oriented tablet)
 
MScrip said:
Are we to assume that Metro apps will one day supplant desktop-style apps? Will Microsoft take it so far that desktop-style apps will be prohibited? :eek:

Some Mac users are becoming worried that iOS will replace and/or ruin OSX. Should Windows users be fearful of the Metrofication of Windows??

And what would a Metro version of Filezilla even look like? Or any of the countless little programs I use on a daily basis?

I can get used to the Metro Start Screen... it was just a little jarring at first. As an app launcher it's fine.

What I'm worried about is all my programs being forced into the MetroUI for no other reason than the sake of change. (especially if I'm not using a touch-oriented tablet)
Click to expand...

That's pretty much my worry as well. Maybe it will be time to finally switch to Linux if ever this happens. :D
 
I really have no idea why people think Microsoft is trying to kill the desktop. The desktop is one of Microsoft's greatest competitive advantages. Windows 8 really is about both desktops and tablets. It makes much more sense when you've used Windows 8 on both a desktop and tablet.
 
The various demos at TechEd on or involving Visual Studio 2012 were done on Windows 8 machine, but the demo'ers were showing it in the "Windows 7 View" mode. I forget the correct name, but just understand that there still is a Win7 view layer with a "Start" menu simulated from the bottom-left corner context menu.

Metro may be the primary design layer and has some compelling plumbing that is available and accessible from apps written in XAML and HTML/JS, but there is no hint at power user apps (ie: Office, Visual Studio, SQL Server Management Studio, Expression Encoder, etc.) being turned into metro-style apps... primarily because none of those kinds of apps are designed for simple interfaces; they are geared toward a much more power-user person.
 
heatlesssun said:
I really have no idea why people think Microsoft is trying to kill the desktop. The desktop is one of Microsoft's greatest competitive advantages. Windows 8 really is about both desktops and tablets. It makes much more sense when you've used Windows 8 on both a desktop and tablet.
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My concern is that the Metro design language will eventually take over... and all apps will be Metro apps.

That's fine for some things... and I think the way Metro handles multitasking is pretty innovative. (like having your Twitter stream snapped next to a browser window as seen in the picture on the left)

But everything else I do is with good ol' desktop programs. I've become very accustomed to having multiple windows open to drag stuff to and fro.

I realize the desktop is still there... but for how long? What was the point of radically changing the UI of Windows if developers don't have to use it?

Will Windows 9 be Metro-only? That's my fear...

NuJvx.jpg


EDIT: Good insight, PTNL. I hope power-user apps don't get sucked into Metro :)
 
Again, it simply makes no sense that Microsoft would want to get rid of on of its greatest competitive advantages, the desktop where it beyond dominates. There are literally millions of programs that run on that desktop with many of them having no equivalent on any other platform.

Metro is new thus Microsoft's focus on it in Windows 8 and Microsoft really has put a lot of work in keeping the desktop pretty stable.
 
Cause you had to make ye ANOTHER thread on this... couldn't of just posted in one of the many others already out there.....
 
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