Leaked Windows 9 screenshots show a work still in progress

Internet Explorer 12 is claimed to feature a new Chrome-like look.

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[Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer]

Marcos2247[/url]":1lzflu88]I like the general design philosophy behind Metro.

Microsoft just needs to finally implement it consistently in the desktop environment. The easiest and biggest example of what I mean currently is the folder icons in Windows Explorer. Still those ugly yellow icons that I hated in Vista.

There's tons of other inconsistencies. Windows Explorer looks pretty bad altogether. Calculator is a joke.
Also, while I think the ribbon interface in Office is actually good, I HATE it in Windows Explorer.

But when done right, Metro-inspired Windows can look surprisingly good. Like SublimeText with the Metro theme (if only we could finally get rid of the non-functional title bars).

My major issue with Windows 8 was never Metro, but the idea of a closed-garden app store built into the OS. If Microsoft had allowed side-loaded apps, as Apple does, I never really would have had an issue with Windows 8. It's the major reason why I'm still running 7 on my desktop, though (truth be told) it seems that Microsoft's vision of iOSing their main operating system has not yet come to fruition.

Edit: I'm at 0+/2- right now and I'd honestly, sincerely like to know if it's because I'm not anti-Metro or if it's because I want to use the devices I paid for however the hell I want. I'm perfectly okay with people not liking Metro, but if you honestly think that Windows devices should be more like iPads, I'm genuinely at a loss for words.

Edit #2: I am aware that the closed-garden app store is not the only way to install software on the computer. It is the only way to install "Metro" apps, though, which means half (well, some percentage) of your OS is a walled garden. That's what I object to, on a philosophical level. I do own a Surface Pro (bought during the fire sale) and use a Windows phone, so I'm neither mindlessly hating on Microsoft or talking out of my @$$...

 

[Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer]

drfisheye[/url]":3jymv1ck]

WaveRunner[/url]":3jymv1ck]I think they are fake images. Not only do they look horrible, I just don't think Microsoft would make those changes to WinRT and still expect to compete in the mobile space. Not only that they just go against the WinRT style of things. Looks to me someone edited the start menu, remote desktop'd into Windows 8 and composited everything in photoshop.

WIndows 9 will behave differently on different form factors. On a tablet the desktop will be gone. Only Store apps in full screen or snapped, not windowed. On a laptop/desktop the store apps will be windowed and there will be a start menu instead of start screen. At least that's what the rumors say at this point. What convertibles will do, I don't know.

See, this, I'm not okay with. If I can go in and fiddle with the registry and allow regular apps (at least on an x86 CPU), that's a different story. I really don't like the idea of Microsoft deciding what I can and cannot do with the hardware that I purchased.

Speaking of letting me use my hardware, I'd really like to be able to dual-boot a tablet into Windows 8 and a touch-centric Linux...

 

[Chikahiro]

dribble[/url]":3qv8wc03]Windows 9 and Yosemite 10.10: UIs designed for children.

When can we get a return to UI design for adults?

Either you're over-estimating adults or under-estimating kids. I'm not sure which. OR you work IT and only deal with other computer savvy folks.

 

[polaarbear]

Chikahiro[/url]":2rse0yg3]I'm looking forward to the preview. I'm debating getting a SSD and just doing a complete, total wipe of my computer to go with it...

I love Windows 8, but realize I'm in the minority.

I love Windows 8 as well. It made me learn some keyboard shortcuts that have been around for a LONG time but that I had never used. I really learned to love the Start Screen over time though it was definitely a learning curve, but I would say overall I am more productive with it. The only thing I really hate is that the visuals don't "mesh" between desktop and Metro mode. It still feels like two different OS's to me.

Personally I hope they go with the metro look EVERYWHERE. Start menu, taskbar, buttons, control panel. I really like the flat tiles, the stark colors and contrasts and sharp angles, and I think the Windows Phone look would work GREAT on a large screen. I am happy that they are bringing back the old start button, but I hope they keep on with the fresh new look.

 

[drfisheye]

dribble[/url]":3k1vnwzt]Windows 9 and Yosemite 10.10: UIs designed for children.

When can we get a return to UI design for adults?

Adult design is gray with drop shadows and elaborate fake 3D icons? That's very grown up.

 

[WaveRunner]

drfisheye[/url]":gr1bd5q6]

WaveRunner[/url]":gr1bd5q6]I think they are fake images. Not only do they look horrible, I just don't think Microsoft would make those changes to WinRT and still expect to compete in the mobile space. Not only that they just go against the WinRT style of things. Looks to me someone edited the start menu, remote desktop'd into Windows 8 and composited everything in photoshop.

WIndows 9 will behave differently on different form factors. On a tablet the desktop will be gone. Only Store apps in full screen or snapped, not windowed. On a laptop/desktop the store apps will be windowed and there will be a start menu instead of start screen. At least that's what the rumors say at this point. What convertibles will do, I don't know.

That's the problem though if they are windowed WinRT apps, I think most will either break, or won't be useable. Sounds like a headache for everyone involved. Just imagine you are using a File Picker from a WinRT app in desktop mode, what happens then? Does it snap back into full screen mode? Does it fill the "window" and you have to resize it to fit that page? I'd rather see WPF/Desktop apps use the same XAML controls and not have them be tied to Windows Store apps altogether.

 

[Marlor_AU]

dribble[/url]":wz64ck98]Windows 9 and Yosemite 10.10: UIs designed for children.

When can we get a return to UI design for adults?

Just fire up Emacs and run it full-screen.

 

[brianpmack]

Joriarty[/url]"sopbcy9]I'm a Linux / Mac user, but I am scared that some day even Apple and Linux developers will begin to lose their way. (GNOME 3 looks horrible...)

I like GNOME 3 when I don't have any applications open and I have the dash to dock extension installed. Everything looks so sleek and clean.

I hate the huge, grey, waste of space title bars in GNOME 3, which is exactly what I don't like about these initial pictures of Windows 9.

 

[drfisheye]

Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer[/url]":92cgkz04]
See, this, I'm not okay with. If I can go in and fiddle with the registry and allow regular apps (at least on an x86 CPU), that's a different story. I really don't like the idea of Microsoft deciding what I can and cannot do with the hardware that I purchased.

Tablets with Windows RT / Windows Phone will probably loose the desktop. Tablets with the full blown Windows 9 will probably have the desktop, but it might not be exposed by default. Like the command prompt is still there in Windows 7, but you'll have to look for it. It doesn't depend on it.

 

[xnef1025]

Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer[/url]":2flqo3qy]

drfisheye[/url]":2flqo3qy]

WaveRunner[/url]":2flqo3qy]I think they are fake images. Not only do they look horrible, I just don't think Microsoft would make those changes to WinRT and still expect to compete in the mobile space. Not only that they just go against the WinRT style of things. Looks to me someone edited the start menu, remote desktop'd into Windows 8 and composited everything in photoshop.

WIndows 9 will behave differently on different form factors. On a tablet the desktop will be gone. Only Store apps in full screen or snapped, not windowed. On a laptop/desktop the store apps will be windowed and there will be a start menu instead of start screen. At least that's what the rumors say at this point. What convertibles will do, I don't know.

See, this, I'm not okay with. If I can go in and fiddle with the registry and allow regular apps (at least on an x86 CPU), that's a different story. I really don't like the idea of Microsoft deciding what I can and cannot do with the hardware that I purchased.

Speaking of letting me use my hardware, I'd really like to be able to dual-boot a tablet into Windows 8 and a touch-centric Linux...

If these pictures are real I'm thinking all the reports that they would completely take functionality away have been over-exaggerated FUD. The Start Screen and Charms are both options that can be enabled and disabled on these shots of the tech preview. No reason to think those options won't remain in future builds too.

RT doesn't matter because they are already working to scale up the next version of Winphone to work on tablets and merge the two app stores. RT has always seemed to be more important internally as a proof of concept that MS could work without Intel/x86 if they had to than a real product to push.

 

[drfisheye]

WaveRunner[/url]":ls2lbhr6]That's the problem though if they are windowed WinRT apps, I think most will either break, or won't be useable. Sounds like a headache for everyone involved. Just imagine you are using a File Picker from a WinRT app in desktop mode, what happens then? Does it snap back into full screen mode? Does it fill the "window" and you have to resize it to fit that page? I'd rather see WPF/Desktop apps use the same XAML controls and not have them be tied to Windows Store apps altogether.

The File Picker will be designed to work in a window as well, I guess. Though I'd prefer a powerful and efficient desktop file picker even from a RT app.

 

[drfisheye]

xnef1025[/url]":2w9vhrjj]The Start Screen and Charms are both options that can be enabled and disabled on these shots of the tech preview. No reason to think those options won't remain in future builds too.

According to Mary Jo Foley on ZDnet:

The Charms bar is another example of a feature that's still in flux. While my tipsters have said the Threshold team was (and still is) leaning toward eliminating the Charms bar altogether from Threshold, the Charms are likely to still be part of the Threshold Enterprise Tech Preview that Microsoft is expected to make available late this month or in early October, my sources say. In part, that decision is due to the fact that app vendors haven't yet incorporated some of the Charms functionality, like printing and sharing, directly into their apps.

 

[Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer]

drfisheye[/url]":2tzkpolb]

Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer[/url]":2tzkpolb]
See, this, I'm not okay with. If I can go in and fiddle with the registry and allow regular apps (at least on an x86 CPU), that's a different story. I really don't like the idea of Microsoft deciding what I can and cannot do with the hardware that I purchased.

Tablets with Windows RT / Windows Phone will probably loose the desktop. Tablets with the full blown Windows 9 will probably have the desktop, but it might not be exposed by default. Like the command prompt is still there in Windows 7, but you'll have to look for it. It doesn't depend on it.

Time will tell, I suppose. I like WP8(.1) and I'm okay with it on a device that costs a couple hundred dollars (off-contract...AT&T: give us more information on your release plans for the Lumia 830 right nao!) but if I buy an x86 tablet I good-and-goddamn-well expect to be able to do whatever the f--k I want with it.

 

[Dark Empath]

drfisheye[/url]":1dm9a1n0]Adult design is gray with drop shadows and elaborate fake 3D icons? That's very grown up.

And boobs. Lots and lots of boobs.

 

[PsychoStreak]

If the images aren't doctored, it's not as bad as I was expecting.
I could do without the tiles, but if they only show up in the start menu, I could live with that so long as I can make them small enough to not be in the way, and if the start menu is an actual start menu.

I just don't want to see or interact with any sort of start screen on a device with a keyboard and pointing device. I find it cumbersome and useless.

Sharp edges. All crisp, sterile starkness.

I like sharp edges. Crisp is good. Sterile starkness is fine too, since I'll probably be setting a wallpaper of my own choosing that can be as soft, ill defined and vivid as I want, or I can do both and use a picture of basically any pre or post Diablo era Lamborghini.

 

[Jousle]

I was getting used to the titles interface, it is fun to use.

 

[drfisheye]

Dark Empath[/url]":1p8211vq]

drfisheye[/url]":1p8211vq]Adult design is gray with drop shadows and elaborate fake 3D icons? That's very grown up.

And boobs. Lots and lots of boobs.

Boobs with drop shadows.

 

[drfisheye]

Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer[/url]":4v4yozt7]
Time will tell, I suppose. I like WP8(.1) and I'm okay with it on a device that costs a couple hundred dollars (off-contract...AT&T: give us more information on your release plans for the Lumia 830 right nao!) but if I buy an x86 tablet I good-and-goddamn-well expect to be able to do whatever the f--k I want with it.

At least up till now x86 tablets can do everything desktops can, including disabling secure boot. And since Windows is free for small tablets, Windows RT can't be cheaper!

 

[solomonrex]

The items in the start menu looks out of place, don't they? Sports, Travel, News? I have Windows 8 at home and never noticed and seen these same items on every start screen at best buy, so I guess this looks odd because it's a 'real' start menu? I guess Windows changed so little for so long.

Besides a 'classic' theme, can I ask for the desktop games back? Freecell, Chess, Minesweeper? I mean, we're back to windowing on the desktop, right? Time to dust off some other old stuff perhaps?

 

[SomeRandomGuy]

Joriarty[/url]":20w7hp0v]Why do Microsoft persist with forcing a touch-optimized interface upon keyboard and mouse users?

Metro is actually touch and keyboard optimized. Seriously. In Metro, just start typing to search -- it'll pull up apps, docs, settings, web sites. It's ... stupidly awesome. Otherwise, alt-tab to switch apps, alt-f4 to close them and so on. It's fast once you get it. And it's much faster to find an app or a lost doc with the new search than drilling through nested folders in either Explorer or the Start menu.

But Metro's a UI designed for people who primarily consume media, not people who work on their PCs. It's not adept at handling lots of open windows and apps. But ... if you're kicking back with Netflix or YouTube and occasionally checking Twitter or your email, it is absolutely slick.

Of course, there is a question here, but it's not one a lot of people bother asking. Who solely uses their PCs for media consumption? I don't. And my family watches Netflix on a WiiU hooked up to a big TV. That boat has sailed -- people use tablets, phones, and gaming devices for consumption, not PCs.

FWIW, with 8.1, MS is less pushy about shoving Metro in your face than it was at release. And it looks like 9 will be less so, while adding "advanced" features (virtual desktops in a leaked image) that, according to pwnies (UI designer at MS, posting on Reddit), MS couldn't do before without befuddling casual users.

I also think that MS's largest mistake with Win8 wasn't Metro (I like the idea of different experiences for different users and different uses), it was the OMG stupid blending of the two interfaces. If you open Word from Metro, you're punted into desktop. If you open an image in Explorer while in desktop, you are punted into Metro to see it (you have to manually set the desktop app to be the default viewer). If you checked some math while working in Word, you got to see a 22" four function, full screen calculator pop up.

That's the crap, the senseless bouncing between UIs, that REALLY drove people nuts, not the "OMG, the mouse!" business.

Seriously. How many OSes and interfaces can people use here? Looking back, I can do still do MS-DOS 3+, most versions of Windows from 2 on. It's been a while, but I can probably still navigate Linux via text prompt. If I stretched, maybe Atari and Vic20. Ancient MacOS versions (like, 1987). Android. iOS. Blackberry. And I don't even work in tech anymore. Metro really oughtn't throw tech people for such a loop.

 

[rdamiani]

Static and Noise[/url]":34wdvegv]Personally, I really hope there's a Classic Theme setting, and a Small Icons setting in Windows 9, like in 7 and Vista. Also:

"and while some parts of the operating system do look flat and Metro-esque, others remain lumpy and 3D."

I'll take lumpy and 3d any day over 4 colour screen Metro-style design. Then again, I was born in the early 70s, so the 70s/early 80s flat design with almost no colour has NO appeal to me. It just looks dated by about 35-40 years. It feels a bit like I am looking like a Space Invaders or Missile Command arcade.

This hits the nail right on the head. I knew there was something disturbingly retro about the 'new' flat-look interface in Win 8 and iOS7. It's the same ugliness from the mid-to-late '70s that was essentially an overdone version of the '60s. Ugly cars. Velor leisure suits. Rayon shirts. Collars so big that they went past your shoulders. Corduroy bell-bottoms in primary colors. It's like watching 'The Electric Company' or 'Zoom'.

It was a good time to be a kid, as long as you never had to look in a mirror...

 

[rdamiani]

chbrules[/url]":242j34mn]This reminds me of the "playschool interface" from Win XP. I think it's time to just go to Ubuntu for me. I've been on the edge long enough. I'm not an Apple person, and Windows is great under the hood, but under the hood is not what I deal with day-to-day. I do web dev, gaming, and media. At this point, Windows is dying on all fronts and there is little to hold me back. I've been a linux server admin, and I use centos for all my servers, so what am I waiting for?

WinXP used color badly, but it still had things that looked like buttons that you could interact with and it didn't gratuitously hide things you were working on while you were working on them. Flat-look text hides all of that and results in bizarre and jarring strangeness like you see when trying to 'save as' in Office 2013.

 

[brentrad]

Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer[/url]":fc13ekbn]

Marcos2247[/url]":fc13ekbn]I like the general design philosophy behind Metro.

Microsoft just needs to finally implement it consistently in the desktop environment. The easiest and biggest example of what I mean currently is the folder icons in Windows Explorer. Still those ugly yellow icons that I hated in Vista.

There's tons of other inconsistencies. Windows Explorer looks pretty bad altogether. Calculator is a joke.
Also, while I think the ribbon interface in Office is actually good, I HATE it in Windows Explorer.

But when done right, Metro-inspired Windows can look surprisingly good. Like SublimeText with the Metro theme (if only we could finally get rid of the non-functional title bars).

My major issue with Windows 8 was never Metro, but the idea of a closed-garden app store built into the OS. If Microsoft had allowed side-loaded apps, as Apple does, I never really would have had an issue with Windows 8. It's the major reason why I'm still running 7 on my desktop, though (truth be told) it seems that Microsoft's vision of iOSing their main operating system has not yet come to fruition.

Edit: I'm at 0+/2- right now and I'd honestly, sincerely like to know if it's because I'm not anti-Metro or if it's because I want to use the devices I paid for however the hell I want. I'm perfectly okay with people not liking Metro, but if you honestly think that Windows devices should be more like iPads, I'm genuinely at a loss for words.

Windows 8/8.1, at least the x86 or x64 versions, allow you to install any old applications you want from any source: web, CD/DVD, USB drive, etc. This hasn't changed a bit from how it is in Windows 7. It's only if you *want* to use the Metro-style apps that you have to use the Microsoft App Store to download them.

Windows RT is probably what you're thinking of, but that version of Windows 8 only works on ARM processors. Personally I wouldn't ever buy a Win RT tablet since it would be so restrictive on what you can install, like you say. It's also why I wouldn't ever run iOs. I love that you can sideload apps on Android.

That's probably why you're getting down-voted, because what you're saying just isn't true for x86/x64 Windows 8/8.1.

I build all my own computers, always have, and like you I hate someone telling me what I can and can't install or do on my own hardware. I run Windows 8.1 and like it, but I basically ignore the Metro apps and Start screen, and I have it boot directly to the desktop. The only Metro apps I use are the Weather app when I want a quick peek at the forecast and don't have my Android smartphone handy, and I bought the Asphalt 7 racing game because that game kicks ass and isn't available as a normal x86/x64 PC game (I also have it on Android.)

It's pretty easy to ignore Metro. The desktop parts of Windows 8 are pretty great, although I can understand why some people don't like parts of it. I've always liked trying every new OS that comes out though, and as long as the OS performs well and it doesn't annoy me too much, I'm pretty adaptable.

 

[brentrad]

Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer[/url]":2kwhmzw0]

drfisheye[/url]":2kwhmzw0]

WaveRunner[/url]":2kwhmzw0]I think they are fake images. Not only do they look horrible, I just don't think Microsoft would make those changes to WinRT and still expect to compete in the mobile space. Not only that they just go against the WinRT style of things. Looks to me someone edited the start menu, remote desktop'd into Windows 8 and composited everything in photoshop.

WIndows 9 will behave differently on different form factors. On a tablet the desktop will be gone. Only Store apps in full screen or snapped, not windowed. On a laptop/desktop the store apps will be windowed and there will be a start menu instead of start screen. At least that's what the rumors say at this point. What convertibles will do, I don't know.

See, this, I'm not okay with. If I can go in and fiddle with the registry and allow regular apps (at least on an x86 CPU), that's a different story. I really don't like the idea of Microsoft deciding what I can and cannot do with the hardware that I purchased.

Speaking of letting me use my hardware, I'd really like to be able to dual-boot a tablet into Windows 8 and a touch-centric Linux...

You can dual-boot Windows 8 and Linux, you just need to get an x86/x64 tablet, and make sure it doesn't have a locked bootloader. That's a manufacturer restriction, not a Windows restriction.

 

[68K]

Viking ZX[/url]":2r4xngjf]Egh, that is UGLY! I can understand and enjoy minimalism in certain things, but on most UIs using it these days I find it distastefully bland and horrid to look at. I like the soft curves and smooth look of my current OS, the transparent window bars, and the sharpness to the colors.

This? This looks bad. Minimalism gone wrong. Flat colors that remind me of the DOS days. Sharp edges. All crisp, sterile starkness.

This is minimalism for a desktop. Or this. Or crud, even this.. I know each of these is a far more developed desktop, but even so, there is an aesthetic there that's pleasing.

This build is just not appealing at all.

Edit: Fixed tag.

Are these under Windows? I would love something like this for Window 7.

 

[rdamiani]

Dark Empath[/url]":2b2btsbd]

Static and Noise[/url]":2b2btsbd]

digitaljoel[/url]":2b2btsbd]At first glance it reminded me of Windows 3.1 for some reason.

Windows 3.1 had far more depth and colour.

If memory serves me correctly, back in 1994 I was able to run Win3.1 in either 640x480 with 16 million colours, or 1024x768 with 256 colours (Tseng Labs ET4000 video card with 1MB of RAM!).

I generally ran in 1024x768. So no, my Windows 3.1 didn't have more colour

(Definitely more depth, though.)

I was running OS2 with a Fidonet node in the background on an ATI card who's name escapes me at 1152x864 in 16-bit color on a 15" CRT. I had to hex edit the driver to get small fonts instead of the UI scaling that OS2 wanted to do. Lots of depth and color, itty-bitty monitor.

I don't miss those days at all.

 

[Sekhmet]

This seems like a good glance at Microsoft's design process. By looking at these screenshots it's apparent that instead of starting by first planning a solid grid system with carefully chosen sizes and consistent paddings/spacings, they start by placing things on screen and adjusting (or God forbid, eyeballing) things as they go.

To me this is why Metro ends up looking a little too plain and unsophisticated, instead of the intended "simple and elegant". It also shows why good flat design is actually very difficult to do.

 

[MPerz]

gigaplex[/url]":1syvgumo]

Dark Empath[/url]":1syvgumo]

Joriarty[/url]":1syvgumo]Why do Microsoft persist with forcing a touch-optimized interface upon keyboard and mouse users?

Yes! Forcing! With jackboots and chemtrails!

althaz[/url]":1syvgumo]If you are using the keyboard to shut down, why not use Alt-F4?

Now, come on. Using Alt-F4 to close or shutdown has only been a part of Windows for 24 years, how is anybody supposed to know about that shortcut?

It's also really inefficient if you have apps open. I could press Alt-F4 a dozen or more times before it triggers the shutdown dialog. It's often faster to launch cmd via Win-R then type "shutdown -s -t 0". And before you tell me to minimise to desktop first, that occasionally doesn't work - some apps can still catch Alt-F4 when minimised.

Win + D, then Alt +F4.

 

[JButler]

W9 Start menu/screen in action in this video. Seems highly customizable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--wgAsHWNRE

 

[A314InTheSky]

JButler[/url]":2l12he7g]W9 Start menu/screen in action in this video. Seems highly customizable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--wgAsHWNRE

Thanks! Much more alive than static screenies. I thought I'd never say this but the tiled Start menu in W9 is awesomely well thought out. No doubt some people will hate it but this video made me a believer.

 

[Deeviant]

If they are truly going to double-down on the horribleness of Win 8, they will damage the windows brand forever.

 

[Dark Empath]

SomeRandomGuy[/url]":13do0p1q]Metro is actually touch and keyboard optimized. Seriously. In Metro, just start typing to search -- it'll pull up apps, docs, settings, web sites. It's ... stupidly awesome. Otherwise, alt-tab to switch apps, alt-f4 to close them and so on. It's fast once you get it. And it's much faster to find an app or a lost doc with the new search than drilling through nested folders in either Explorer or the Start menu.

All of which applies to both Vista and Win7 as well. If you were already using your computer properly before, Win8 made absolutely no difference to how you worked.

Metro really oughtn't throw tech people for such a loop.

Even factoring in the greater internet fuckwad theory, no, it really shouldn't have.

 

[divisionbyzero]

deleted my troll-bait

 

[akurczyn]

 

[jdale]

Dark Empath[/url]":3ud0d64c]

SomeRandomGuy[/url]":3ud0d64c]Metro is actually touch and keyboard optimized. Seriously. In Metro, just start typing to search -- it'll pull up apps, docs, settings, web sites. It's ... stupidly awesome. Otherwise, alt-tab to switch apps, alt-f4 to close them and so on. It's fast once you get it. And it's much faster to find an app or a lost doc with the new search than drilling through nested folders in either Explorer or the Start menu.

All of which applies to both Vista and Win7 as well. If you were already using your computer properly before, Win8 made absolutely no difference to how you worked.

As soon as you tell people there is one right way to use their computer (e.g. keyboard) and the other ways are wrong (e.g. mouse), your UI has failed. If the OS is meant to be used by a wide variety of people with a wide variety of skill levels for a wide variety of tasks -- and I would argue Windows is -- it needs to work in a variety of ways.

 

[Marcos2247]

SomeRandomGuy[/url]":wdmoxj0e]Metro really oughtn't throw tech people for such a loop.

A lot of really vocal people in IT are extremely conservative when it comes to their computers. This is more true for Windows-users than for OSX-users, who tend to be more open to change. It's much more worse for Linux-users. And the extreme end are the BSD folks, who for the most part seem to think the mid nineties were the epitome of UI design.

I'm primarily a Mac guy, who has and will continue to use Windows a lot. I consider myself open, even eager to change. I like iOS 7 and can't wait for Yosemite, I am even more excited for Android L and Material Design. And I like the general idea behind Metro.

But the Start Screen is something I will never accept. I know it works like an over-sized Start Menu. But for me, who uses the Start Menu about 800 times per hour, it is too distracting .... intrusive .... attention catching. I don't know.
When 8 hit it was really brutal, 8.1 improved the situation somewhat by allowing the desktop wallpaper to be used, so entering the Start Screen didn't just punch you in the face.

I believe the Start Screen is nice for casual use(rs).
Having Live Tiles for E-Mail, Twitter, Facebook Feed, Weather and other useful stuff right there when you turn the machine on.

Microsoft blew it big time by being so incredibly ham-fisted about the introduction of Metro. And I maintain they did it to leverage their desktop monopoly and push Metro familiarity on the people, so Windows phones stand a better chance in the store.

Had they made the Start Screen optional and enabled a Start Menu (without a 3rd party app) and had they - from the beginning - consistently applied Metro asthetics to the desktop environment, the backlash would have been a lot more moderate. There would have still been enough Status Quo fans to cause a ruckus.

 

[varkson]

[trollhide=trolling]

DOOManiac[/url]":1xlim81k]I like the new look. Hell, I even like the way tiles look on the start menu. I hope full blown tablets still get a start screen though - it really is better for those devices.

I just hope that when you are using the keyboard, the Shut Down button is easy to use. It's ridiculous w/ Windows 8.1, and that's what is keeping me from upgrading to Windows 7. (I love me my Win, left, enter)

Maybe you should just press the power button on your computer.[/trollhide]

 

[varkson]

[trollhide=abuse]

Jackass JoeJoe[/url]":l4kiifyc]Fisher Price color makes it's triumphant return, since they forgot it was done in WinXP.

Flat goes against everything they state to do in UI design for Windows. If Win9 doesn't work like a Desktop OS, I'll skip it just like I did Win8.

Maybe you should skip being alive and just fucking die you scum.[/trollhide]

 

[varkson]

[trollhide=abuse]

RoKphish[/url]":1i30gujs]Looks like I'll be staying with Windows 7.

If I wanted to use my cellphone, I'd pick it up and use it.

Why don't you go back to your precious cellphone then, the true PC users don't want you shitting up our superior OS with your subhuman filth.[/trollhide]