People demanding Windows 9

[weaverly]

OK... I'm gonna branch out in a weird place here. But seriously, it drives me nuts that the folks who refuse to have anything to do with Windows 8 are demanding they rush out a new version... a Windows 9.

Case in point: Why Isn't Microsoft Talking About Windows 9? -- Redmondmag.com

If you release something new, that's more or less in a beta (how I view metro world of Windows 8), then you're going to build on it and change it based on user feedback. You're not going to sink the ship and replace it with something else, because some people refused it.

I also believe that most folks who knock it never really give it a chance in the first place. Here's a funny story, about 6 months ago someone at work was gripping about how horrible Windows 8 is and how horrible of a job they did. I just bit my lip and figured, "they don't use it, not worth arguing, move on." Now, a few weeks ago this same person praised the wonders of Windows 8 and especially Windows 8.1, because she had recently purchased a laptop with touchscreen and now loves it. She couldn't stop praising it and talking about how she's really come to fall in love with it.

Irony.

Now in some cases, this won't apply, but in some cases it does. Give someone a device that runs Windows 8.1 and see if their mind changes. I can't understand how anyone would view a Windows 8 Pro tablet as anything but fantastic, if you are a Microsoft-centric organization. What could be more amazing than deploying tablets/laptops (all-in-one before the Surface Pro 13, in my opinion) that have Office and everything else? Would this not be an improvement to deploying iPads or Android tablets? Why bother having to create new security measures and other nonsense, when you could deploy the same OS across all devices? Good gravy...

But any rate, I just don't understand why people want Windows 9. Windows 8.1 is amazing, and super fast compared to other tablet OSes. And more multitask intuitive. Why not recognize the pros it has, and quit complaining about it because it wasn't what you expected and demand another OS super fast?

Another story, back in 2004-2005 there was a heated race to be the first prosumer HD camera on the market. When Canon announced that their camera would not have a mini-DV deck, but only SD card option for capturing footage, I knew right then and there I would not be buying one. Why? Because at that time an SD card could only hold 4GB, which equaled roughly 4 minutes of HD footage. It was too early. After they announced this, they rushed it back into the shop after complaints from their fans and added a mini-DV deck. I still didn't get it, because I knew it was added very last minute and I didn't want a buggy camera. If they think Windows 8 is buggy and awkward, how much more buggy do you think a Windows 9 would be if they had announced it a month ago? Good gravy, we've barely gotten our feet wet with Windows 8!

Any rate, that's my two cents (more like a nickel). What say you about this push for Windows 9?

PS--I'm sorry, I felt the need to rant.

 

[mech1164]

There is much to agree with as concerns the clamor for Windows 9. I to think that Microsoft is going to the right places now with 8.1. That said, Microsoft screwed the pooch when they tried to **** kick people to 8. They were totally tone deaf to the beta testers who where screaming about how bad this pile of dong that was being foisted upon us. Most of this blame should and has been laid at the feet of Sinofsky. Now that he is out of the picture, the ship is starting to right itself.

Now yes you give a person a new 8.1 tablet and they would find much to like. Heck right now I'm typing this on my new Dell venue 8 pro tablet. What people are that they want 9 like how Vista was superseded by 7. If Microsoft is smart keep doing dot releases. This way they fix it without people demanding a new revision number before they chance an upgrade.

Basically people want what is familiar. Familiar is a start button and such. People want the obvious, in 8 many of the things that they took for granted were obfuscated to have a cleaner ux. Yes you can go to a corner and get the charms bar. Thing is many can't understand WHY they have to use a charms bar. That is what Microsoft has to get past. Telling people that they will get used to it won't cut it. Let's hope they can get the message.

 

[o0Nighthawk0o]

Most of the people complaining about 8 weren't around when XP first came out.

98 was the OS of choice. MS released Millennium (ME) and it really did suck. Then they released XP which most hated at that time too. It wasn't until service pack 1 that people started warming up to it and then service pack 2 made it an outstanding OS that people loved. Now look how long that lasted and people are still loath to give it up.

Everyone that complains about Windows 8 that I have talked to hate that the start button is gone. What they really mean is the Start Menu. As soon as I tell them that the Start Screen in Windows 8 is just a more customizable, easier to use version of the Start Menu they begin to understand and like it much more.

 

[Christopher Lindsay]

Most of the people complaining about 8 weren't around when XP first came out.

98 was the OS of choice. MS released Millennium (ME) and it really did suck. Then they released XP which most hated at that time too. It wasn't until service pack 1 that people started warming up to it and then service pack 2 made it an outstanding OS that people loved. Now look how long that lasted and people are still loath to give it up.

Everyone that complains about Windows 8 that I have talked to hate that the start button is gone. What they really mean is the Start Menu. As soon as I tell them that the Start Screen in Windows 8 is just a more customizable, easier to use version of the Start Menu they begin to understand and like it much more.

But it's not. The start screen is mostly for apps not programs.

 

[o0Nighthawk0o]

But it's not. The start screen is mostly for apps not programs.

Any application installed, be it modern or desktop, can be pinned to the start screen. Swipe up, or click the down arrow on non touchscreens, and every program installed is visible AND can be sorted by name, category, etc.

 

[WillysJeepMan]

OK... I'm gonna branch out in a weird place here. But seriously, it drives me nuts that the folks who refuse to have anything to do with Windows 8 are demanding they rush out a new version... a Windows 9.

Case in point: Why Isn't Microsoft Talking About Windows 9? -- Redmondmag.com

If you release something new, that's more or less in a beta (how I view metro world of Windows 8), then you're going to build on it and change it based on user feedback. You're not going to sink the ship and replace it with something else, because some people refused it.

I also believe that most folks who knock it never really give it a chance in the first place.

Ah, another "its the stupid consumers' fault" viewpoint.

Although YOU might view the Modern UI as beta, the fact is that Microsoft released it officially. It isn't beta code.

You might give Microsoft a pass on their overreach and heavy-handed release of Windows 8, but they are the primary cause for the response that Windows 8 has received. Microsoft was more concerned with getting the Modern UI out to everyone ASAP than they were for guiding consumers to a new paradigm. They knew that they were behind the curve and didn't want to take the time required for a smooth transition.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that there would be flack from people for putting a UI optimized for touch on devices that had no touch screen. If Microsoft had added logic to Windows 8 to detect the type of screen and only default to the Modern UI when it detected a touchscreen would've been far better received... and might have even encouraged people to upgrade to a system with a touchscreen in order to take advantage of the "latest new thing".

I can't understand how anyone would view a Windows 8 Pro tablet as anything but fantastic, if you are a Microsoft-centric organization. What could be more amazing than deploying tablets/laptops (all-in-one before the Surface Pro 13, in my opinion) that have Office and everything else?

What you are probably missing from your understanding is the fact that there continues to be a lack of Modern UI applications. Even Microsoft's own Office is not available. Without a wide quality and quantity of modern UI applications available, the tablet experience on a Windows 8 Pro device is going to be sub-par.

Would this not be an improvement to deploying iPads or Android tablets? Why bother having to create new security measures and other nonsense, when you could deploy the same OS across all devices? Good gravy...

But any rate, I just don't understand why people want Windows 9. Windows 8.1 is amazing, and super fast compared to other tablet OSes. And more multitask intuitive. Why not recognize the pros it has, and quit complaining about it because it wasn't what you expected and demand another OS super fast?

Any rate, that's my two cents (more like a nickel). What say you about this push for Windows 9?

PS--I'm sorry, I felt the need to rant.

Quit complaining because it wasn't what you expected? Are you serious or just trolling as a Microsoft ******? Whether you want to admit it or not, consumers have a choice. They can choose NOT to buy a system with Windows 8 on it. Consumers who NEED to buy a system now and are faced with buying a Windows 8 system may just find themselves going Apple.

Microsoft believed that they were still the 800 lb gorilla and had the same tight fisted monopoly of the 80's and 90's. They learned that it is no longer true. Rather than continue to make Windows 7 available or an intelligent Windows 8 (that auto-adjusted based on touch availability), they tried to cram their vision down customers' throats... some of those customers threw up.

​Microsoft continues to stumble and fumble... in these highly competitive areas of tablets, smartphones, and hybrids, they can't afford it.

 

[SchlepNT]

Releasing 100% polished products just isn't what Microsoft does. I bought the Surface Pro 2 knowing there were a few things about it that weren't quite right, but the pros vastly outnumbered the cons for me. The Surface Pro 3 is the first in that series that actually seems to have nailed everything.

8.1 was a good upgrade from 8, and I'm sure 8.2 will go even further. The problem, for better or worse, is that Windows is used by so many people and in so many situations that it's hard to push everyone forward. I mean, there's still access to a DOS prompt in 2014 which is beyond absurd, but it's trying to accommodate everyone.

I can assure you if you weren't around for it or weren't paying attention that the shift from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X was an awful mess of incompatibilities, poor design, and short sighted thinking. In the end, though, that transition turned out pretty well for Apple. I don't know how Windows 8 will be looked back on, and I'll be shocked the day MS changes the OS kernel or really makes the push on Windows RT, but changes like this are necessary in a time when most computing is moving to mobile phones and tablets.

 

[WanderingTraveler]

They're probably expecting a Vista/7-style transition if this would happen. After all, 7 was just a minor upgrade to Vista.

And, I don't really understand the people who say that Windows 8 isn't good for non-touch. Windows 8 is friendly for those who love using the keyboard/mouse combo. Why would I go to the corners when I can Win-C to go to Charms or Win-Tab to toggle the multitasking carousel? I'd like to project? Win-P for something that would normally be buried under the Charms. I want to open a program in the desktop quickly? If it's pinned to the taskbar, you can open a program by pressing Win-(numkey), with the number corresponding to the ordinal position of the program. And the list goes on.

8.1 was 7 if 8 was Vista. Threshold should be more.

 

[radmanvr]

So the general consensus is that Microsoft should just release more of the same which is what people are used to. I can agree with that. Start menu was signature and its removal may cause people to dislike it.

Me on the other hand, I just got a windows 8.1 desktop and I am going to see what it is like but I reckon I will like it.

 

[WillysJeepMan]

They're probably expecting a Vista/7-style transition if this would happen. After all, 7 was just a minor upgrade to Vista.

And, I don't really understand the people who say that Windows 8 isn't good for non-touch. Windows 8 is friendly for those who love using the keyboard/mouse combo. Why would I go to the corners when I can Win-C to go to Charms or Win-Tab to toggle the multitasking carousel? I'd like to project? Win-P for something that would normally be buried under the Charms. I want to open a program in the desktop quickly? If it's pinned to the taskbar, you can open a program by pressing Win-(numkey), with the number corresponding to the ordinal position of the program. And the list goes on.

8.1 was 7 if 8 was Vista. Threshold should be more.

All good stuff.

But Modern UI apps don't really make sense for non-touch notebooks and desktops. Space is wasted in the sparse designed-for-touch Modern UI when displayed. Unless there is a setting that I overlooked, I see no way to get more data (when using Modern UI apps) on the screen if the screen has a higher resolution (or if a keyboard and mouse are used).

 

[o0Nighthawk0o]

All good stuff.

But Modern UI apps don't really make sense for non-touch notebooks and desktops. Space is wasted in the sparse designed-for-touch Modern UI when displayed. Unless there is a setting that I overlooked, I see no way to get more data (when using Modern UI apps) on the screen if the screen has a higher resolution (or if a keyboard and mouse are used).

There is a setting that will allow more apps to be displayed on the Start Screen. There is also one that allows more apps on the apps view as well. Both of these settings reduce the size of the tiles so that about twice as many are visible on one screen.

 

[weaverly]

Boy, just coming back to check in on this thread. Didn't realize this much had taken place since posting.

No, I don't believe in trolling. I do believe when folks get something they don't expect (something new or different), they have a tendency to react as opposed to adapting.

I believe Windows 8.0 was Windows 7 in desktop mode, the only thing missing was the Start menu. But since I only used that wretched menu for search, it was a welcome change to get the start screen with search and customization. And 8.1 is still pretty much Windows 7 in desktop mode, so I still don't understand why people freak. For those who want Windows 7 back, go to your desktop mode and you're good to go.

I also like metro apps even on non-touch screens because it expands the concepts of productivity and snapping in 7 to a higher level.

I don't know, I'm definitely not a ******, or at least wasn't when I first started with 8.0 but I adapted quickly and loved it. And then the hate came down like Thor's hammer. I agree a lot of people wants 9 like 7 away from Vista, but there were actual major issues with Vista that 7 addressed. If anything, I think 8.1 addressed optimization issues as the worst of 8.0's evils. But the irony was that 8.0 was better optimized to start with than 7.