Discussion on:

Windows 8 apps for the productive Desktop user

Greg has listed a few useful productivity apps for Desktop users of Windows 8. Are there other Windows 8 apps in the Windows Store that you would consider apps for the Desktop user?

I would recommend the ad blocking and tracking prevention solution for the Windows 8 Desktop users - Diladele Web Safety. It is positioned as "personal web filtering solution for all your browsing needs". Integrates well with Windows 8 network stack (like Microsoft Family Safety) and automatically supports all browsers (including IE). It has recently achieved "Certified for Windows 8" grade from Microsoft. I use it to block all excessive ads and privacy tracking - just do not like when google keeps selling me something my friend accidentally mentioned in his mail

I have been using Windows 8 since the betas and have yet to find a "metro" app that would be my preference on the standard desktop PC with a mouse and keyboard. On my tablet - which I updated to Windows 8 pro - I have a couple that, if forced, I will use. But if my stylus is handy I return to the standard desktop. Yesterday I popped an SD card with some pictures into the tablet and an app appeared to allow me to put the pictures somewhere. But, it had no browse facility - so beyond an educated guess I had no idea where the pictures were going and no obvious option to choose. I couldn't be bothered to investigate, so I just cancelled and used the desktop. These full-screen tiled apps totally suck.

The one thing I really missed on my desktop with Windows 8 was a 'Start' button. I have far too many programs to put them on the task bar so I use Start Menu X. I have found it handy on client's machines when I have to keep going to the control panel.

I learned two things from reading this. Tile a File looks like something I could actually use and I now know how to search windows store. I keep forgetting about that charms sidebar when I work in win 8.

Everything hidden, all sorts of weird new ways to do old things that take more effort, more remembering, more time and steps. And you have to pay for this garbage - they ought to be paying for us to take this nonsense from them.

I have been a staunch Microsoft defender for a long time...but this....deep breath???.this takes the cake. I keep thinking I'll adjust to the new interface, but the more I use it on my desktop, the more I find things I cant believe they didnt fix it before they released it, and the more I hate it. I am hopeful that I will eventually say "Boy, I like Win 8", but so far, its been a battle to not drive to Redmond and throw a brick through their window, then reinstall Win 7. Perhaps the things on my "Why I hate win 8" list can be answered by other readers. If so It will help pull me back from the whole "brick" thing which, while I know it sounds like a bad idea....is somehow appealing.
1. wheres my run bar
2. wheres my recently opened files list
3. What were they thinking when they designed the music interface. If youre a teenager, maybe thats appealing but really, how many teenagers use their own money to buy new OS's? I want to see a list of my music folders. If I want the "Formerly known as Extra Large Icons" view, I'll select it from a list of views. Give me my list! Oh, and all the other stuff that I have purposely put in my main Music folder such as lists of song lyrics and other things that I consider Music related, thanks for making that unavailable Microsoft. I WANT IN MY STINKING MUSIC FOLDER back the way it was! I have to switch to my desktop Where I have put a shortcut to my profile and browse to it. Thanks for that Microsoft!
3a. Where the heck is Windows Media player? If I want to burn some tracks to a cd. I can starts a track playing and that will bring it up, I can stop it, and click the Burn CD tab, but who thought this was better...anybody? this is such a no brainer, Im sure Im missing something. HELP!
4. Lets talk about Internet Explorer. IE launched from the tile is completely different from the one launched from the desktop. The tile launches this full screen versions that apparently, they absolutely do not want you to use. If they did want you to use it, they wouldnt have went to so much trouble to hide your Favorites. Having to use Google to find the lame and insufficient controls that they did include seems a teensy bit counter intuitive to me. Once you find your Favorites however...good luck trying to find the organization that you spent so much time building under Win 7. And if you only want to see a couple at a time, again, in the "formerly known as Extra Large Icons" view, you'll feel right at home. For anyone else???(unless I'm missing something crucial and I'm hoping thats the case)...screw you. You'll look at it the way our focus group decided you will and if you dont like that, go somewhere else for your Browser!...hmmm.....
4a. And while Im on a rant about IE from the tile???.who thought it would be better to remove the resize, minimize and close buttons. I can resize my IE???.sort of???. If I grab the top edge and pull down (and who thought that would be intuitive (thanks again Google)) it will let me drag it to an area about 3 inches wide on the right edge, or the left edge in a top of the screen to the bottom of the screen only view???..thats it??? You want it in the middle? Nope, You want it in the lower left quadrant of your display? Nope! Want it left edge but only from the top to half way down? Nope. Focus group rules! Love it or leave us!
I understand now why Microsoft was selling their new OS for 39$.

I'll pay for the gas and the brick. Go and do it.

I regret to report my disappointment. I was hoping for a list of Metro applications that did things not available on the traditional desktop, something that would give me a reason to stick around in Metro instead of going straight to the desktop after booting.

Three of these are Metro equivalents of conventional desktop apps and functions (OneNote, Tile a File, SkyDrive). I'm a huge fan of OneNote, but I don't see the advantages these have over their traditional counterparts when run on a desktop.

Two are useful to limited audiences ('My Server' for 2012 Essentials users, 'Dynamics Business Analyzer' for Dynamics users). I realize not all applications are going to appeal to all users, but I'm not in the audience for either of these.

I appreciate the search tutorial. Otherwise I guess I'm looking for a 'killer app' on the order of Lotus 1-2-3 or e-mail. Maybe I've unjustifiably set my expectations too high for this new format of applications.

There is NO way Windows 8 systems will be entering our workspace.

One of windows 7 features I used most was drag rapidly one window to the right and the other rapidly to the left and it showed me 2 evenly devided windows (e.g. 2 explorer windows in order to compare visually). All Metro apps open in full screen mode and no way to rapidly throw them to the left or the right with one rapid mouse mouvement.

... where's the "must have" desktop app? Why would I use the Metroized Onenote as opposed to the one designed to use on a desktop? Same with skydrive - I can get there through explorer, drag and drop files, etc. Why would I want a giant window with less functionality taking up my entire screen? (or a sliver on the side, as there's no in between?) Why would I want to do an SQL query or look at "Myserver" there instead of doing it through a full application?

Just saying "Ok, these are here" isn't really enough. Give me a compelling reason to use these or prefer them over a regular, full fledged desktop application.

There's one MAJOR thing you need to add to a Windows8 system, and that's Classic Shell (http://www.classicshell.net). It brings back a sane desktop (as far as anything on Windows could be considered sane), with the start menu and all. It also sets your system to automatically bypass the formerly-known-as-Metro interface. Once you've done that, you can start adding your Firefox, Thunderbird, LibreOffice, VLC, InfraRecorder, and so on.

Naming the new OS Windows 8 is appropriate.
Obviously the "Windows" bit is the superfluous, or joke, bit because it is not a "windows" system.
The reason, I believe, is that eight and zero are the only numbers that allow one to loop endlessly without a break and 8 is preferable to 0 as you can tip it over to represent infinity.
The message, clearly, is you can go around forever and never reach a solution.

I have installed the desktop SkyDrive so I could have it integrated within file explorer, Great work Microsoft! It throws up a kernel event error "skydrivesessionname failed to start!
I have trawled the store to find a decent app or two to give me an reason to use the tiled interface, What a joke! half of the "Apps" are normal Programs, most of the free ones are loaded with ad's! I like the idea of the apps as they are self running and require no real installation.
I have found a great program that enables the ability to run tiled apps in a desktop window.
Check out ModerMix from the stardock makers!

I just bought a Windows 8 with touchscreen and I am in the process of getting used to it. I think it will be great once I learn how to find things. I think of it as being similar to my Android devices, so I know it will come. LOVE the touchscreen! This is a much nicer learning curve than moving from Mac to Win 3.1!

I absolutely love all the lessons on TechRepublic and am heading to find Tile a File right now! I have about 20 tabs set up to read from just this morning's 10-Things in my e-mail and links from that!