Report: Windows 9 Being Prepped For April 2015 Launch

[Triality]

I work tech support for internet users (read: old people that bought new windows 8 computers), and it is a nightmare to tell them how to get around. Now Microsoft wants to make me go through this again with an even more inferior product next year?

I stuck with windows xp for almost 8 years. I'm now 2 years into my windows 7.

Dear Microsoft. You are now the triple-A blockbusters of operating system companies. Just stop while you're ahead.

 

[lacktheknack]

It's also got to stop alienating technically savvy users. The Secure Boot / UEFI bullshit is fine for people who have no interest in getting under the hood, but occasionally I need to boot from an Ubuntu Live USB and I shouldn't have to change four different BIOS options to do that, and then change them back afterwards.

You say this as if it's Microsoft's thing. UEFI is going to replace the standalone BIOS and even then, the Steam OS is also pulling this kind of shit.

Yep. In fact, my motherboard's lack of UEFI (I got it less than two years ago, it was one of the last BIOS only motherboards in the store) is the only reason I'm not running SteamOS.

So... I'm going to install it on an external HDD at a friend's house and see if that works.

 

[Reed Spacer]

Oh christ...Anyone want to start a betting pool on what they'll fuck up this time?

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

All they need to do to Win 8 to fix it is bring back the full start menu so businesses and users don't have to waste time relearning a new system, give us an option to start at the desktop on boot up, make that option the default on ALL non-touchscreen computers, and don't get greedy by making it a closed system like what Gabe and other rightly fear they might do. Win 8 is powerful under the hood, but it's like making a sports car and replacing the steering wheel, pedals and shifter with a game controller. (Why do you think there's still a market for $120 steering wheel controllers that only work for systems that gets 5 years of game support.) I use Win 7 but have to mess with my sister's laptop a lot and Win 8 is a pain to work with if I have to go through Metro to change something. Even she uses desktop mode all the time. When a non computer savvy person chooses not to use your new UI you might have failed majorly somewhere, Microsoft.

Dropping the whole Home and Pro editions and going with one with full features could help. If a company is gonna buy a lot of licenses, they would go for enterprise edition for the premium support anyway. I already bought Win 7 Pro retail boxes for both my mother's and my own pcs that I built back when Win 7 was new and they were cheaper than Home Premium on Ebay! There's nothing extra but some domain services, XP mode, and other bells and whistles most people woudn't use but would be a nice extra for people than might decide to bring their laptop to work or school in the future.

{snip}

I think you may have made a prediction there, friend. The F-35 program has had so many budget overruns and delays and is flawed since they still are working on variants that undermine the whole point of making one mutli-role fighter. It's estimated it costs more to develop and support all F-35 variants than just developing a new plane for each role. Back to PCs, Microsoft is struggling to sell this horrid beast in a market that is shrinking since the induction of Apple and Android tablets. AND Microsoft has developed a Win 8 that runs on ARM tablets, so you can now buy a Win 8 tablet that can't run the typical x86 Windows programs you use on the desktop. Anyone who doesn't know this is gonna be pissed they bought this $400 brick hoping to use it for more than surfing the web and using Office 365 and now can't run their favorite Windows software because of this.

If they really want to copy Apple and its success, they should copy just what you said about OSX and iOS. Otherwise more and more people are gonna move to Android and Apple for tablets and Linux for desktops, and Apple if they start making a decent sub $600 iMac or sub $400 mac mini. It might be time to start learning bash, everyone.

 

[Mad World]

I think that some people just don't like change. Honestly, I use Windows 8.1, and it's fine. Perhaps I am just ignorant of certain functions which I don't use (functions which worked better on 7).

Also, it is MUCH better optimized for running Battlefield 4 than Windows 7.

 

[skutbag]

One thing comes to mind when talking about Microsoft making a big, long term gamble on the move towards touchscreen devices - the Xbox

We get the original Xbox in 2001 - first entry into the console race, generally suffered to the more popular PS2, significantly more expensive at retail, and overall MS loses a whole boat load of money. (also notably, Xbox Live turns up in 2002). X360 appears in 2005, plenty of initial fails, a whole UI overhaul, more focus on general entertainment, sells about 4 times more than the original over its life. Now in 2013 we have the XBONE, which - as many people have mentioned - shares a lot of OS with Windows 8.

What we can see from this, whether you think it's a good idea or not, is that MS is perfectly willing to throw money down a hole for decades if they think something will take off in the long run. What will we be saying in 2023 when we *are* using Minority Report/Mass Effect style devices with holographic doodads and all the rest? What about voice control, let alone touch control? I don't know, at the same time it seems we can just be waiting forever for these things to work in a robust way - fusion power, hoverboards...

Having said this I would still rather have my 'does everything' Ubuntu Phone We could call it a pho-tab-top

 

[Oskuro]

I don't really see anything inherently wrong with Windows 8, it's just that it was made for TABLETS and basically told anyone without one to go fuck themselves.

The real problem is the same as with Windows Vista: Microsoft trying to impose their "vision" on their costumers. The details of what their "vision" is really doesn't matter, people want an OS to conform to their needs, not the other way around.


Regarding the Metro interface, I don't think they were wrong in adding it, as more and more laptops now include a touchscreen and tablets are becoming the standard computing device for a lot of people.

The part of Windows 8 I expect them to drop is their attempt at locking-up the market through their Store (mimicking Apple). If Windows 9 is announced to allow anyone to develop and install Metro apps regardless of whether they were bought through the Microsoft Store or not, I foresee it will be accepted.

Oh, and the "lock out your ability to install other OS" crap should go to.


I'll insist for as long as I can: An Operating System is a tool that must meet the expectations of the user. No matter how good your technology is, if you don't meet that basic criteria, your OS is crap, and should be treated as such.

Besides, the niche for people who like to be told to conform to the wishes of the OS/Hardware manufacturer is already cornered by Apple.

 

[Kahani]

According to a recent Steam hardware and software survey [http://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/directx/], just 11.58% of gamers use a version of Windows 8, and 9.17% a version of 8.1, compared to 65.84% still using a version of Windows 7.

You say "just", but that's actually quite a lot of users. Consider how many businesses, and home consumers for that matter, are still using XP. Until recently it was actually the majority, and that's only changing now because there's a rush to upgrade before MS stop supporting it. The fact is, the vast majority of home users never actually buy an OS. They simply take whatever happens to come with a new computer. Businesses are slightly more complicated, but generally stick with whatever they already know works regardless of how much better a replacement might be. If they don't buy a new computer, they don't get a new OS. Windows 8 is only just over a year old, and PCs don't need replacing more than every 5 or 6 years at most. So having 1/5 of Steam users on Win8 doesn't actually say anything meaningful about the OS at all, it simply tells us that people are only upgrading their PC every 5 years or so, and most of those who do simply take the latest Windows OS along with it.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

I bought a touch netbook to experiment with and I figured if I was using Windows 8 then I might as well get a touch screen right? Except there's literally nothing to do with the touch screen. It I have to do any file managing or typical computer stuff I have to be on the desktop which doesn't work so well when the interface is made to be used with a mouse and tiny cursor. I didn't realize how little I used the touch screen until I installed Android 4.3 for x86 on it. Luckily I bought this computer to learn about Linux anyway. After all the pushy Microsoft account and connectivity bullshit, I doubt Windows 9 would be any different. All aboard the Linux train. Credit where credit is due I guess, they seemed to have removed a lot of the bloat and I only use 700 megs of my 2 gigs of ram so it runs smooth. And I like a few of the tweaks. Maybe if they take a lot of steps back and eat their words ("the start menu isn't coming back") and just make a touch version and keyboard and mouse version we'll have less to complain about this time

Spoiler: edit

Well, right now I'm running windows 8.1 and it's not nearly as bad as people make it out to be.

Have fun if your computer shits out on you. Windows 8 removed booting to advanced start up options by pressing f8 and 8.1 removed system restore so if your computer gets messed up, all you can do is restore it to its factory state. Assuming you can boot it or made a recovery tools disk that is. I couldn't downgrade back to 8 fast enough

 

[Colt47]

I bought a touch netbook to experiment with and I figured if I was using Windows 8 then I might as well get a touch screen right? Except there's literally nothing to do with the touch screen. It I have to do any file managing or typical computer stuff I have to be on the desktop which doesn't work so well when the interface is made to be used with a mouse and tiny cursor. I didn't realize how little I used the touch screen until I installed Android 4.3 for x86 on it. Luckily I bought this computer to learn about Linux anyway. After all the pushy Microsoft account and connectivity bullshit, I doubt Windows 9 would be any different. All aboard the Linux train. Credit where credit is due I guess, they seemed to have removed a lot of the bloat and I only use 700 megs of my 2 gigs of ram so it runs smooth. And I like a few of the tweaks. Maybe if they take a lot of steps back and eat their words ("the start menu isn't coming back") and just make a touch version and keyboard and mouse version we'll have less to complain about this time

Well, right now I'm running windows 8.1 and it's not nearly as bad as people make it out to be.

Have fun if your computer shits out on you. Windows 8 removed booting to advanced start up options by pressing f8 and 8.1 removed system restore so if your computer gets messed up, all you can do is restore it to its factory state. Assuming you can boot it or made a recovery tools disk that is. I couldn't downgrade back to 8 fast enough

...uh... where did you get your information from? I'm looking at system restore right now. I can also make a system image. The only thing that Microsoft messed up on was removing the ability to make a repair disc, so you have to keep the original disc around at all times to use the recovery system. But on a more serious note, your reply implies you actually depend on these tools which is complete madness even in windows 7. It is fully possible for windows to become so corrupt that it's own boot disc can't even recognize the installation (which I have witnessed to my surprise.)

My advice, get 3rd party backup software and make system images using it along with the windows ones. Don't depend on a single solution to protect your system when the inevitable occurs.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

...uh... where did you get your information from? I'm looking at system restore right now.

Well I guess I'm going to have to eat shit because you're right. Searching for how to do a restore in 8.1 always points to "factory reset" and "refresh" and I confused the fact that upgrading removes your ability to use a restore point to go back to 8 on some devices

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

8 was a tablet OS at heart, that's the problem. If your machine doesn't have touch, it's incredibly difficult to use.

Let me clue you in, Microsoft - Apple maintains two separate operating systems - iOS and MacOS. Different systems for different devices. Follow this model - a tablet OS for tablets, and a Desktop OS for computers.

Or at least have the decency to give us the Win7 desktop, with a proper start menu by default if the computer doesn't detect a touchscreen.

I would question the use of the word 'maintains'. Apple has been gradually trying to make OSX more like iOS with every upgrade. Hiding the Library from the user, adding a superfluous way to launch programs that looks exactly like the iOS home screen and has a swipe-like function, making you have to use the App Store for updates, locking program downloads from the net by default... On top of which, they're trying to hasten the demise of the optical drive in laptops.

Make no mistake, Apple wants to be at the same point Microsoft is heading with Metro. They're just a tiny bit more subtle about it.

 

[Church185]

...uh... where did you get your information from? I'm looking at system restore right now.

Well I guess I'm going to have to eat shit because you're right. Searching for how to do a restore in 8.1 always points to "factory reset" and "refresh" and I confused the fact that upgrading removes your ability to use a restore point to go back to 8 on some devices

The OS isn't that bad. As you said in a previous post, it runs incredibly well compared to Windows 7, using up a lot less system resources. The start bar was initially something I took issue with, but now that I have customized the Metro UI to my liking, it is more or less just a full screen start bar. Other than the learning curb, I think the biggest issue with the OS is having to log into that Windows account that I never use for anything.

Tons of hyperbole and crazy reactions in this thread...

 

[Hero in a half shell]

I've been using Windows 8 since it was in beta and never had an issue with it. Granted I'm a fairly computer savy person so I know how to modify the OS to be useable for me.

I would not recommended it for my mother or grandparents.

Maybe Windows 9 will be more layman friendly.

One person is a very small sample size though. I work in IT part time and the ratio I see customers having problems with 8 and more specifically 8.1 as opposed to xp, vista, and 7 are at least a good 4:1 if not 5:1.

It is a very sloppy OS that favors connectivity and style over functionality. OS glitches are common with 8 and especially 8.1, program compatibility is horrid, and even the most basic functions such as powering off or connecting to wifi requires an extra click to three than its previous versions.

The extra clicks really get to me, especially since each successive click is usually deliberately put on the other side of the screen so touch users don't accidentally activate it.

Want to open any program that's not specifically shortcut-saved to your desktop? Well you'll just have to open two successive completely different full screen menus, then pick it out from the huge list of EVERY PROGRAM ON YOUR COMPUTER EVER IN NO CONCEIVABLE ORDER named appropriately "all apps" that you can only see a few at a time of, and have to scroll sideways to view (because vertical scrolling is the devil!)

Spoiler

We have a Windows 8 computer at work. I hate having to use it.

 

[PoolCleaningRobot]

The OS isn't that bad. As you said in a previous post, it runs incredibly well compared to Windows 7, using up a lot less system resources. The start bar was initially something I took issue with, but now that I have customized the Metro UI to my liking, it is more or less just a full screen start bar. Other than the learning curb, I think the biggest issue with the OS is having to log into that Windows account that I never use for anything.

Tons of hyperbole and crazy reactions in this thread...

Its barely usable with 2 gigs of ram and even then, I still had to make tweaks so it would stop sucking up my performance but it still doesn't run nearly as well as Linux distros I've tried. And Windows 7 runs just fine if you have a computer with 4 gigs so that doesn't matter if you already have a desktop or a full blown laptop. Like I said, I do like some of the tweaks to menus and file browser. It's like someone was making an improved OS and someone else was subtly sabotaging it. And I'd would like a full screen start menu to use with my touch screen but that's not how it works. I used Windows 8 for 3 months before I added a start menu and I wonder why I waited. Metro is just not as efficient as using a start menu replacement on the desktop and it never will be. I shouldn't have to "get used" to it. An OS should attractive and intuitive to use and I've found plenty of distros that are more organized, easy to use, customizable, and free

 

[cikame]

I only switched to Windows 7 from XP because i was going to have alot of ram in my new PC, fortunately 7 worked out fine after i got around its minor inconveniences, everything i saw about 8 was everything i hated about what Apple are doing and all i keep hearing is a growing list of games which don't work on it.

The greatest advantage of PC is that it keeps video game history alive, 7 does fail at this but not as much as 8, and i dread to think that more video games may be lost to time due to 9.

 

[Atmos Duality]

The "Odd Good - Even Bad" cycle is bollocks from my experience (and my sad little career in troubleshooting computers).

Spoiler: My take

-Win 3.1: Good ol' DOS with a GUI.
-Win 95: Unstable mess, but a big step up technologically, thanks to MMX processing support.
-Win 98: Complete disaster on launch and one of the most troubleshooted OSes I've ever worked on. Win 98SE was the workhorse of choice, but only because we had to deal with...

-Win ME: If there is any one OS whose shittiness isn't exaggerated, it's this one. Holy hell what a hunk of shit. This didn't need to happen; this shouldn't have happened. Nobody should have greenlit this thing, not even Microsoft.
I don't know why they did, but I swear, it was rushed to market to wring out some last second cash from the market out of fear that the pending anti-trust suit would gut Microsoft completely.

-Win NT & 2000: Essentially paved the way for WinXP. These were business-centric "framework" OSes, so I've seen a lot of them in the shop, but only due to the sheer bulk of them in the business market.

-Win XP: Also a mess on launch; something that people conveniently seem to ignore when sucking XP off. It became a great OS after Service Pack 2, but it was every bit as problematic as its predecessors.

-Vista: Awful, awful launch. Nowhere near as bad as ME, but it was bad. It was GREAT starting around 2009. No, I am not joking. I used Vista personally and professionally until last year and it gave me far FEWER fits than Win 7 has already given me (On vastly superior hardware no less. There are so many workarounds I have had to employ in Win7 just to get it to do multi-core tasks properly; an I issue I never had with Vista).

-Win 7: My current workhorse OS, though I run a dual-boot of Knoppix for when I'm being lazy and just want to check something real quick on the network.

-Win 8 & 8.1: I've had so many issues with this damn thing due to the interface...it's a decent OS apart from that.
Troubleshooting.

Given the direction Microsoft is taking with Windows 8 and their annual-subscription lineup of software, I'm going to hold off on upgrading.

 

[thewatergamer]

Was excited about this until I saw what it looks like... It looks exactly like windows 8...

So yeah... no thanks micro$oft ill stick with windows 7 and wait until some other new OS comes out, the Steam OS sounds promising enough

 

[marioandsonic]

I know I'm going to sound crazy by saying this, but I built my PC back in 2009 with Vista as the OS, and...I honestly had very few problems with it. Maybe that's because I didn't get it until 2009 (giving them time to iron out the bugs), but I still liked it.

It's true that Vista had one of the worst launches ever, but once you install the service packs for it, it's really a solid piece of software. I never had the thing crash or BSoD on me once. No joke.

Alas, because of that terrible launch, the damage was done, and everyone shyed away from Vista and waited until 7.

I didn't even upgrade to 7 until a couple weeks ago because of software compatibility reasons.

You served me well, Vista. *salutes*

 

[blackrave]

It will be interesting to see if it will follow this cycle.

That picture is wrong, its missing Win98 Second Edition, Win NT 4.0 and Windows 2000, though the curve would still be correct for the most part.

That being said, it smells like another case of Vista to 7. So maybe Win9 will be the good Win8 essentially, like how 7 is essentially the good Vista version ;P

Actually Win98SE is the one that was accepted
Win98 was kinda crap.
WinNT was released for servers (I think), so we can skip it from this curve
Win2000 was, um, it was... and lets thank non-existing God for that.