Microsoft Making Waves With Tile-Based Interface in Windows 8

[Kenjitsuka]

Dumbing down desktop interfaces and making them more "user friendly" is not the way to go. Ugh. This looks absolutely terrible, and I truly hope it bombs. Really, ultimately, so long as it can be disabled (as shown in the video) and I never have to even pretend the tile-based crap exists, I'm fine, but I see them eventually forcing it as the new standard, which is what worries me.

All in all, at least M$ is consistent with one thing: they've maintained that every-other-release-is-shit standard for quite some time now.

I'm a thousand percent behind this!
Dumbing down is not the way to go, ever!!!!
Educate the dumb users instead...

 

[Jake the Snake]

*Sigh* Microsoft, are you blatantly TRYING to make your new OS work like shit? This is such a terrible idea. There's nothing fucking wrong with the current desktop system, even fucking Apple knows that. Jesus.

 

[The Lugz]

Windows 8 puts the tile in infantile.

hehe, nice.

i plan to use windows 7 until i see an os that is clearly better, nd from what i see ms are just making a tablet / pc / smartphone of the future os that's so generic it cant tell what it is any-more

i reckon people are right on the money, windows 9 will probably be the next good upgrade for desktop users

and i don't care what Steve jobs does, he still runs a cult so i wont be buying anything from him.

or, possibly Linux or chromium in the future if ms can't make something decent.

 

[ionveau]

Its true consoles are winning Soon thanks to all the sheep buying restrictive hardware like phones and consoles every company will restrict their product to only run software that they allow, meaning you will need to buy everything.

I really want to slap everyone with an iphone right now

 

[NickCaligo42]

I really don't want to buy a 3D touchscreen computer monitor just to use this "service". Because that's what it's gonna require if someone uses this for a PC.

I don't disagree with you, I just wanted to point out that it's very ironic that you should be smashing on a luxury item when your icon is Rarity. XD

Yeah, though, this seems pretty much like the worst idea that Microsoft has ever had. I have no bloody idea what they're thinking. It's nice that they're experimenting, but "Windows 8" seems like it's not the place to do that...

I mean, I think of the people I know who primarily depend on Windows, people like... software developers... 3D modelers... graphic designers... filmmakers... And I can't see them running Visual Studio, Maya, Photoshop, Sony Vegas, or really anything heftier than a pocket calculator on this thing. It just seems like a needlessly inconvenient interface for anybody who has to manage file structure beyond simple one-file operations, especially when so many programs are incredibly picky about where you put them in order to make things work. Then I think about all the services and custom settings, particularly with respect to security...

I understand where the market for this product exists--I really do. But a huge portion of Microsoft's user base needs to manage a lot of shit manually and can't afford to hope that this thing understands how to do it for them.

 

[PxDn Ninja]

Hell, I use windows 7 and just getting a quicklaunch bar at the bottom of the screen was more trouble than it should have been, and if I want the old start menu, I have to download a third party mod to get it. Small things, but still prime examples of the heart of the issue.

right click on any program running. choose "pin this program to the taskbar".
now throw out that silly third party mod.

Problem with that solution is it keeps your "closed" programs mixed with open ones on the task bar. (btw, Quick Launch isn't third party. The system still supports it, but you have to go through 4 menus to make it active, and none are very clear.).

The whole "pin" mechanic is interesting, and I know many that use it, but I like my bar organized from left to right: Start Button->QuickLaunch->Open Programs->System Icons. Windows7 does not allow that set up without a lot of research on where they buried options that were normally a rightclick away.

Getting the old Windows XP Start menu (when you click start) is what requires a third party mod.

i kind of get that it's annoying, the mixed stuff. but you know, sometimes you have to sacrifice some.

The person you quoted is me. However I don't have a 3rd party quicklaunch.

 

[PxDn Ninja]

Hell, I use windows 7 and just getting a quicklaunch bar at the bottom of the screen was more trouble than it should have been, and if I want the old start menu, I have to download a third party mod to get it. Small things, but still prime examples of the heart of the issue.

right click on any program running. choose "pin this program to the taskbar".
now throw out that silly third party mod.

Problem with that solution is it keeps your "closed" programs mixed with open ones on the task bar. (btw, Quick Launch isn't third party. The system still supports it, but you have to go through 4 menus to make it active, and none are very clear.).

The whole "pin" mechanic is interesting, and I know many that use it, but I like my bar organized from left to right: Start Button->QuickLaunch->Open Programs->System Icons. Windows7 does not allow that set up without a lot of research on where they buried options that were normally a rightclick away.

Getting the old Windows XP Start menu (when you click start) is what requires a third party mod.

i kind of get that it's annoying, the mixed stuff. but you know, sometimes you have to sacrifice some.

The person you quoted is me. However I don't have a 3rd party quicklaunch.

wow Oo you just made it very clear to me that i need to get to bed xD

Hah! I feel that. Sadly I'm stuck at work and can't go to sleep. But tonight..me+bed=it's on.


Wait...

 

[Zulnam]

They're called PROGRAMS! FRIGGIN PROGRAMS! Not Applications, not apps, this is a OS for PC's you're promoting not a God damn Iphone!!

Jesus Christ it's like everything's wrong today. I accepted Windows 7, but this is -too- much! The whole two-PROGRAMS thing also sounds like it will eat a load of resources, and they didn't say anything about mouse and keyboard except that "oh, and those old things will work too". So what, if I use a mouse+keyboard I don't have access to all this fancy "touch left side of screen and scroll" thing?

 

[MorsePacific]

It looks like their horrendously designed Windows Phone 7 interface. I'll be sticking with Windows 7 for a while, I think.

 

[ZeZZZZevy]

last time I checked my computer didn't have a touch screen

...and I'm pretty sure it's gonna stay that way.

 

[Wes1180]

Going by this video I am quite dissapointed at one point he mentioned tabs being better becuase they take up more space, I have small icons on my desktop for a reason, so it's not cluttered.

Basically it looks like they are trying to make a tablet os that they can also sell for desktops.

"You can also use a mouse and keyboard"... Should be you can also use your fingers...

 

[Roxor]

One more reason to hope the ReactOS [http://www.reactos.org/] team get to Beta soon.

 

[Nouw]

Well at least I now know that upgrading to 7 is going to help in the long run!

Still using Vista.

Fuck yeah.

 

[Vie]

Microsoft Bob, all is forgiven.

 

[Hachura]

No sale. Not buying an OS where I cannot hide my pr0n in plain sight in a folder with an ambiguous name.

 

[Bigsmith]

For the people who don't like the tile set, here is a video of the Copenhagen release of windows seven. I think you may like it. I no I certainly do.

 

[geizr]

Wow! So much rage and venom in this thread. It seems these days there are three things in which it is not possible to have a sane, rational conversation: religion, politics, and computers(Mac vs. PC, PC vs. console, "hardcore" vs. "casual", GUI vs. command-line, etc.). Some of you all sound like octogenarians complaining about the changing times. Honestly, guys, cool your nerd-rage for 5 minutes and let your brains actually do some work.

Making computers easier to use is the entire point of advancing technology. We make machines and technology to do work for us and make the work we have to do easier, not puff our egos to make us feel smarter or somehow more superior than some other group of people(join an organized religion if that's the kind of effect you want). If you are the one doing the calculating, searching, or manipulating data presented by the computer, then you don't really have a computer; you have a virtual collection of sheets of paper that also use a lot of electricity and cause unnecessary stress.

Creating a unified work-flow, as Microsoft is apparently doing with Windows 8, is actually a good thing from a usability perspective. My only disagreement with Microsoft on this point is that a single monolithic OS(one OS to rule them all) for every device and situation may not be the best strategy due to constraint differences in different operational conditions and use-cases. I could see this approach resulting in either more bloat than ever trying to be a single OS for everything or an even greater level of matrix confusion of which version of the OS is appropriate for a particular use(feels like Windows is more fractured than Unix). Essentially, the idea is a great one, but it may not be entirely practical. However, it certainly does not warrant the complete condescending venom, disdain, and vitriol displayed by some in this thread.