Report: Windows 9 Being Prepped For April 2015 Launch

[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.

 

[Ace O'Hagen]

oh god, Windows ME. I had that on an old HP laptop and it was nothing but a rolling BSoD. It was the Aliens: Colonial Marines of operating systems

 

[Do4600]

Well, from my perspective Windows 8 was worse than Windows ME and Windows Vista put together and multiplied by eight. Why? Because they assumed I use Windows because I actually want to use OSX. Fuck that.

If they want me to even consider Windows 9 as a option they will have to make something not meant for iphones.

 

[viranimus]

ABORT! ABORT! ABORT!

Here it is, Microsoft doing exactly what people told them they do not want. They said they want to aim for yearly release development cycles and simple fact is people do not, nor should want to have to pay a yearly tithe for their computer. PC users already have too much expense maintaining updated hardware, software should be the least of their concern. Is there any realistic need to have upgraded to Win8? Is there anything to legitimately justify win 9? Honestly the only thing that genuinely justified Win7 was DirectX. Had DirectX 10,11 been viable in XP environment you would still see people on XP.


In fact MS is painting themselves into a very dangerous corner. The more they keep pushing things they want but know no one else does, the more they push their users away straight into the welcoming arms of Linux. Hell wasnt a chunk of the reasoning for the SteamOS rooted in how Valve really was not happy with how MS was dictating too many things with Windows 8 and basically said "Pfft... we print money , we don't need you any more"?

So there is no rational (or hell even a manufactured one like DX for that matter) reason for there to be a windows 8 yet, much less a windows 9. Well unless the reason is they are determined to break the Even curse by releasing another OS far too soon no body has any reason to want, under an odd installment.

 

[Suave Charlie]

I liked vista, loved 7 and adore 8.1. Don't treat metro like a desktop, treat it as the start menu.

Then again others not liking whatever is running on my desktop doesn't ruin the experience for me.
People still swear that xp was a gift from god so I see no reason to try and debate the positives and negatives of an OS.

I likes it.

 

[AstaresPanda]

Ill stick with 7. I was still with XP untill about 2 years ago. Seems abit soon for windows 9 but then again 7 came out not too long after the pile of crap that was vista.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

I'm an IT expert and PC gamer. I built myself a new gaming pc last September with an i7 Haswell and gtx780. I spent hours researching win 7 vs win 8 for my OS and opted for 8.

My reasoning was that I wanted to use the latest OS rather than a 3 year old one. Though I loathe the metro interface I use Start8 which returns the start menu, disabled all the gestures and'hot corners' and I never have to see the tiled metro screen ever.

While I do admit to missing the lovely transparencies from win 7, in all other ways my win 8 install behaves just like 7, except that it's much faster. It uses less overhead, boots faster and does everything quicker. I've had no issues with any games or software. I like the new task manager, have DX11.1 (though I know of no games that use it) and feel like I have a new pc.

There's not really a benefit to upgrading from win 7, but anyone getting a new pc should get 8, then use Start8 to bring back the start menu and disable the tablet interface.

 

[grigjd3]

I use Windows 8.1 at work. From a technical standpoint, it does many good things that Windows 7 handled worse. The user interface on 8 was clearly designed for handheld devices though and is not very good at all for a desktop/laptop configuration.