Discussion on:

First Look: Windows 8 Consumer Preview simple and slick

There is a learning curve to everything new in life. BTW: It is hard to teach an old dog a new trick.

I think at 62 I "qualify" as an "old dog" and I'm learning this quite handily, as well as keeping up with other trends in IT and society. Just remember when you make rash statements like that, boatov, what Mark Twain said:

"No generalization is worth a dam*, including this one."

Here, here! 8-{>

Yes, these OS developers have spent too much time at playing LEGO! Rename the UI to MS-LEGO as I said in another post.

Yes, I'm an IT professional. So don't insult me, either. There is no logic to a 'one size fits all' o/s. Pair tablets, phones, and other small devices and keep the desktop out of the 'toy' category. Since we're playing with blocks, let's continue the analogy by saying what this is trying to do is pound square pegs into round holes. And it's telling users who still need a device to work in the most efficient way to go pound rocks.

And are they still going to call apps like the Desktop 'charms?' Do I need to go to the Dollar Store and get a bracelet for them? Maybe that's already in the toy box with the blocks. Let me go look ..........

Mmmm - keeping an open mind on "Windows 8" 'till I have had a chance to play, but MS got it right when (way back) they made the basics and interface of NT Workstation and NT server the same, with huge amounts of shared code. (It was the virtual death sentence for Novell Netware). Aiming for a "one size fits all" will be attractive to some, if not many.

Ad hominem adds nothing to the discussion....

What you say sums it up. A 5 year can use it. Great... We now have on OS perfect for beginners and children. Eaglewolf is right... MS is trying to make one OS fit too many platforms. What I do on my desktop is vastly different than what I do on mobile devices. I think desk tops and mobile devices should be able to work together.... I just dont think the same OS is the way to achieve that.

Now is clear. Microsoft is showing an OS easy to use by kids, beginners, and mobile devices fans; but unappealing to the eyes of old-school IT veterans.

But there is something almost certain that will happen (as it always has happened before): The new computers will come with Windows Color Blocks (I mean, Windows 8) pre-installed (as happened with Windows Vista and Windows 7), without option of changing to older versions. If the final product results as bad as Vista, that will be very inconvenient (to say the least).

My point was, things are changing fast in the IT world. We may not like the direction everything is going in but we can not change it. Pretty soon MS will be making their major products for the cloud first, including sharepoint, outlook, lync, etc.... The "dumbing down" of the systems is what the end users want, and they are the ones that push the direction. My guess in about 5 years you will not be able to buy physical copies of software but need to purchase on subscription base only. That is where everyone is heading.

I respectfully disagree. Perhaps you may not be able to change it, but I refuse to insult you believing that. You probably just like it the way it is, or are simply not willing to bother making a difference.

So, people should not be challenged to become better than they are? We should make things so easy that they forget how to think? That way lies the idiocracy we are well on our way to becoming.

Are YOU an IT professional, or some clueless Microsoft sycophant who applauds every idiotic thing the company does, no matter how insanely retarded it may be?

The fact that you actually believe that Windows 8 will be successful because "it will work across all platforms" speaks volumes as to your level of expertise, or lack thereof. That's actually the main thing that will doom Windows 8 to failure. There's no such thing as "working across all platforms". Platforms are DIFFERENT. That's why they're called platforms. You can't have one magic pill to just make "everything work". We have 15 years of proven evidence with Java as to what happens when you try to make something work across all platforms. You end up with something ugly, slow, and laughable.

Furthermore, the fact that you actually believe that people will "operate" their computers with hand movements and voice commands is the final layer of icing on the idiot cake. Using voice control has been possible for 20 years already. I guess the fact that it never gained momentum wasn't a big enough clue for you? And don't even get me started on your "hand movement" lunacy.

You need to step back into reality, and come to terms with the fact that just because you see something in a sci-fi movie or TV show doesn't mean it's automatically "the future".

The interface of Windows 8 will go down as one of the biggest flops in Microsoft's history. Wait and see.

sit in the corner 'till you learn how to behave child.

give you 4 or 5 "plus" votes. But 1 will have to do.

... and if Microsoft cares about its bottom line, it never will.

"You like something Microsoft did, you OBVIOUSLY work at Microsoft"

Just because you don't get it, doesn't mean that everyone else is equally stupid. I'm USING it across all platforms. It works better than our iPads that we've been trying to deploy for 3 months now with significant issues. Windows tablet satisfied all business requirements OUT OF THE BOX with no need to buy additional software.

PC interface works well too. You have to open the mind and try it before you'll understand.

Also, I am glad you are the exception to the rule with your really narrow view of how computers will work with Kinect. Here's a nugget for you: Kinect is hooked up in a conference room to a laptop. The laptop is hooked into Active Directory and can see the calendar so it knows who is supposed to be in the meeting. Upon sitting down, Kinect recognizes everybody in the meeting and marks them present. It then begins taking notes of what everybody says during the entire meeting as it can see who is speaking and recognizes their voices, keeping a full transcript of the entire meeting. The meeting ends and before the employees are back at their desk, they've got an email with a link to the transcript on sharepoint of the entire meeting at their disposal.

You need to expand OUT of reality. Living in the box gets boring. Things will change without you and you're going to be that old dog struggling to learn new tricks.

Microsoft has a LOT more software skill than even Sun. And OS is exponentially more complex than a program like Java. Besides, building an OS from the ground up for all platforms does not inherently make it bloated. It may increase the size in bytes of the OS, but the amount of current processing power being used can be directly linked to the specific processes that the OS is calling at one time. If you don't have a touch-capable PC, then the touch code won't be loaded. And so on.

I seriously don't get the Windows 8 bashing going on here. It is an incredible OS to be able to be compatible across all of these platforms and still work well. I do have my pet-peeves, of course, but overall it is an extremely polished OS. There is STILL desktop mode for those who want it. Do not say that it is pointless, because you don't have a start menu - by pinning things to the taskbar and creating Desktop folders you can do basically anything you could do before just as efficiently (if not more so).

The Start Screen really is quite efficient for displaying information, and it isn't that cluttered. I'm using the Consumer Preview right now, and it all works quite well together.

Also, his point about operating devices with voice is quite valid. Stating that we have had the capability for 20 years is not a valid argument, as the general consumer populace would want a command structure that is reliable and accurate. Voice control has only advanced to this level (and even now, not completely so) recently.

Hand commands could very well be useful in many situations. For example, on an HTPC; sitting on a couch and pointing to select a specific show, to play or pause, or to skip to the next episode. NOT for workplace documentation work, but for many other purposes.

Picking at some points (however valid they may be) without looking at the breadth of the various applications for the technology just doesn't work in the end in my opinion..

Kinnect is not for everyone, but in same occupations it will be very helpful. Microsoft is providing a way to create different environments for the industry you work in. For example in healthcare the small tablet form will be the most successful because of size, and capability. Physicians do not like using computers period. They will however like to use tablets to take images of specific soars, and send the image to compare to their image db, while dictating their note in the devices. You may not believe this but it is happening today.

This OS will give a company the ability to use multiple different types of input methods that can collaborate together. Developers are already creating applications to work with the technology. It may not be something people use right away, but the way you think of computers is changing due to small super chips being created today. This is not hard to comprehend for most of us...

That remains to be seen on desktops and laptops. It may run on those tracks, but like a greyhound or a three-legged mutt?

Interfacing through Kinect may work effectively, but no one wants to interact that way through an eight-hour workday. I can hear the workman's comp ambulance chasers already planning their TV ads. "Hi, I'm Doug, and I have repetitive stress injury. If you or someone you know has suffered workplace injuries while using Windows 8..."

to defeat the US attorney in court. A few more curs from the pack will only be a minor annoyance. And the juggernaut rolls on.

Just try it first!

... there should be at least SOMETHING to entice me about it. The way it is, it's going to break everything I use my computer for.

Sorry, but you're asking me to try a frontal lobotomy to see whether I'd like it. No, thanks.

Aesthetically, it's a quantum leap backwards.

"The first full functional OS that works across all platforms" equates to the "Lowest Common Denominator". So I have a big-screen with a desktop graphics processor and I have to use crayon-mode graphics so the OS would be compatible with an iPhone, Blackberry, or Droid?

No thanks.

"The future is here?" I think Microsoft said that about Bob, too.

LOL
Bob, indeed.
That was a classic case of Microsoft "innovation" if I ever saw it.
Honestly, sometimes I feel like Microsoft NEEDS to do utterly stupid things once in a while just to have a chance to regroup and come back to the real world where sane people still live. Windows 8, without a doubt, is a perfect example of that.

I really thought that after the Vista fiasco, they wouldn't put out another lemon quite so quickly. I was convinced that it would be at least 2015 before we saw the next major blunder, but it seems Microsoft was in a hurry.

Agreed.... Well said!!!

I haven't read a single comment of yours yet where you did anything else. No opinion of why you think W8 is good. No support provided for those who are having trouble with W8. Just name calling. That's not going to convince people of the value of the operating system (or anything else).

"Remember this OS will the first full functional OS that works across all platforms. This will work on computers, tablets, and phones, and many other devices."

No it won't. Look at the resources available on a phone vs. a tablet vs. a PC. How well do you think an iPhone 4 would run Windows 7? Imagine trying to manage your corporate file server with a tablet, even. This makes as much sense as replacing every tool in your garage with a single screwdriver.

"Windows 8 will be able to run real apps on small devices."

Because it's a CPU multiplier? The iPhone kernel is based on OS X. Android on Linux. Yet, they still don't run the same apps as the full fledged product. There's a reason for that.

"Microsoft will also soon launch Windows Kinnect that will give people the ability to operate the computer with hand movements and voice commands."

How well do you think that'll work in a cubicle? On an airplane?

"The future is here, if you don't like it well then keep using Windows XP"

I do. My home workstation is XP, as is the VM on my Linux box.

"Or if you want your shortcuts go get a Mac now"

I did. It runs real-time audio software a lot better than Windows does because it has fewer parasitic processes eating away my CPU time in the background. I imagine Windows 8's constant attempts to update my non-existent Twitter account, and telling me the temperature in Redmond, will probably not help with all that.

I have installed Windows on a desktop PC, and tablet, and an ultrabook. I used the same USB flash drive for each install. They all run Windows 8 just fine. It may be surprising, but it does work.

I find the ribbon interface in Office 2007 and 2010 is much more logical and easier to teach than the previous drop down menus. However, surprise surprise, those who learnt the earlier versions cannot see the benefit. If Microsoft can pull off an interface that is intuitive to use for the average new user and one that works across all platforms, then good on them. Power users will always survive.

First, I regard Metro as a more radical change from Aero than the difference between the Ribbon and previous Office menus.

Second, you refer to 'intuitive ... for the average new user'. All those 'new' W8 users are existing WXP, Vista, or W7 users, and they're going to bring their learned behaviors with them. There's little intuitive about computer use; it's mostly what we've been taught and assimilated. 'Hot spot' activated menus, for example, violate everything we've been taught about using buttons, links, or some other visibly identified activation area. Without being taught, the average Windows users won't even know to move his cursor into those corners.

I would say that your response supports my original proposition: many people think that the old ways of doing things are better because they are familiar with them even to the extent that for a brand new user the new way is better.
Secondly, you state that "All those 'new' W8 users are existing WXP, Vista, or W7 users.." Where ever does that come from? Perhaps that reflects the narrowness of this forum's target audience. Most of the people I work with do not know even know what an operating system is yet they can use a desktop/laptop ( W7 or osX), a smart phone and a tablet (ios or android) in no time flat to do what they want to do. They pick up new standards and conventions e.g. those required for touch screens (which were certainly not learnt in WXP, Vista). That is what I mean by intuitive. These are the people you see on the bus, the train, the shopping mall and McDonalds operating their smart device. These are the new users. They are what I would call the consumer market. They are not the enterprise market and I think Apple, Google and Microsoft understand that better than most.

I am not opposed to change or true innovation. What I want is form that meets function without all the bugs, flaws, and other crap MS is famous for. I dont want another Windows ME or Vista experience. Seems like Windows gets every other operating system right.... 98 \ME BAD/ XP \VISTA BAD/ Windows 7. Following that previous pattern this does not look good for Windows 8... I hope I am wrong. I just pray they Beta Test the crap out of it before they unleash it on the masses.

True. It was much the same with MSDOS. If I remember rightly the rule was "don't use an even-numbered version". Doesn't bode well for "Windows 8". Has anyone checked to see what version of NT it is? (Still waiting for download to finish).

(except for Nemesis, which was even-numbered).

Now, not only is the UI just a ****** paperish cartoon, Microsoft has gone further to fix stuff that ain't broken. Hohoho, here comes Vista 2

I'm pretty sure I saw this interface on an Atari in 1982. I can see some benefit to 16 color blocks on a 3 inch touch screen but why would I want 5 inch solid color buttons on my desktop? I installed and have been searching the net ever since for a way to configure a usable GUI - no luck so far.

I've been steady falling in love with Ubantu over the past few years. Looks like my last Windows machine will die running Win7.

Windows 9 will be put on an urgent fast track for release after the epic failure that Windows 8 will surely be.

You think Windows 7 was a quick release after Vista? Just wait...you ain't seen nothing yet.