Microsoft Set To Do A U-Turn On Windows 8

koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
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http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/microsoft-announce-windows-8-rework-in-biggest-product-uturn-since-new-coke-8605776.html

It is good that they admit they've gone wrong with this Operating System, trying to force the Metro UI onto people who didn't really want it.

Also removing the Start Button for no good reason.
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Comments

  • SnowStorm86SnowStorm86 Posts: 17,273
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    If this is true, it is fantastic news. Listen, Windows RT is probably a great OS for mobile/tablet platforms but it has no place on a serious Desktop environment. I'm sure Microsoft could still find a way to incorporate their "app store" onto a Desktop OS without it being shoved down our throats in such an aggressive way as the Metro start screen did.
  • newda898newda898 Posts: 5,464
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    Haha, fantastic.

    Reminds me of Vista and the over the top UAC that was irritating beyond belief. At least in 7 they've softened it and I don't mind it.
  • jonner101jonner101 Posts: 3,410
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    If this is true, it is fantastic news. Listen, Windows RT is probably a great OS for mobile/tablet platforms but it has no place on a serious Desktop environment. I'm sure Microsoft could still find a way to incorporate their "app store" onto a Desktop OS without it being shoved down our throats in such an aggressive way as the Metro start screen did.

    It's just a plain fact that business users won't move to windows 8 in it's current form, so they really haven't had much choice.

    An app store on the desktop is a great idea, but they need to do it properly and include the ability for installing proper desktop apps like on the mac. I don't know why they struggle and it has got a bit better over time but it always seems to take an age to install any Microsoft application.
    ( I remember the hours it took installing visual studio 2003 )

    If its an app that is on the metro and desktop like Skype it should install both versions.
  • IvanIVIvanIV Posts: 30,301
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    It's still not clear how much of U-turn this will be. I do not care either way, start button or not I am used to it now and it won't be a challenge to go back to how it is in W7 or not.

    As for Windows RT, I have Surface RT and it's really nice, but it's still in the middle of the road. There's a desktop part that looks just like the big WIndows desktop, one has to revert to when there's no Modern UI for a particular functionality. Office is not RT, it's native ARM, too, so it needs the desktop. They either have to implement the necessary functionality in Modern UI and remove the desktop or make it more useful. It looks unfinished.
  • GroutyGrouty Posts: 33,943
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    Rofl.
  • James2001James2001 Posts: 73,419
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    Anyone could have told them forcing a touch interface on desktop users was a very bad idea...
  • StigStig Posts: 12,446
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    Why didn't they listen during product testing or during the consumer previews?

    Like many here, I've been in IT for many years. I accept that change must happen, and at times it's painful. However, it soon became obvious to me that the metro/modern UI is tricky to learn as it's not intuaitive. It's a shame as the interface on Windows Phone is brilliant.
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
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    If this is true then it's good news. They had it right with W7 and it works fine for people, so why did they have to fix what wasn't even broken in the first place? The W8 interface is probably fine if you're on a tablet or smartphone but on a computer it looks garish and ugly and it looks like some children's game. Forcing a tablet OS onto desktop users was a big mistake. Yes, I know you can get programs like Classic Shell to bring back the Start menu but most people don't want to faff around just to get some work done. Who thought Windows 8 was a good idea?
  • DotNetWillDotNetWill Posts: 4,564
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    I think people should hang off before celebrating or mourning too much. This article is completely devoid of any facts or new information. There has already been reports that in Windows Blue there appears to be a reg key to bypass Metro at start up so this could be all they mean and you will still have no start button and the full screen launcher.

    I can see options to use all desktop apps by default and bypassing Metro but the default will still be Metro and Windows Store Apps.

    Seriously poor "journalism".
  • John259John259 Posts: 28,322
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    DotNetWill wrote: »
    This article is completely devoid of any facts or new information.
    I agree that it is all extremely vague, but for MS to openly admit that W8 is difficult to learn is a new development I think.

    From the article:
    "Microsoft's head of marketing and finance, Tammy Reller, confirmed the plan in an interview with the Financial Times, admitting that many users had struggled to master the new operating system. “The learning curve is definitely real,” she said."
  • Zero gravitasZero gravitas Posts: 12,368
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    James2001 wrote: »
    Anyone could have told them forcing a touch interface on desktop users was a very bad idea...

    Just about everyone did.:D
  • IvanIVIvanIV Posts: 30,301
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    I think the person leading now Windows division at MS after they fired Sinofsky is responsible for UI changes in W8. It was probably a clash of egoes and she had won.
  • James2001James2001 Posts: 73,419
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    Just about everyone did.:D

    And they stuck their fingers in their ears while going LA LA LA LA LA.
  • IvanIVIvanIV Posts: 30,301
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    Will it be like W7 and Vista all over again? They will change a few things and people will welcome Windows Blue as the Second Coming :D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,583
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    I am going to buy 7000 copies and give them to the homeless.
  • ChickenWingsChickenWings Posts: 2,057
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    Sounds like a good idea, I do some work in schools and colleges (not in IT, just generally) and Windows 8 was just never, ever going to work in those kind of environments or other business/corporate environments etc.
  • 1saintly1saintly Posts: 4,197
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  • OrbitalzoneOrbitalzone Posts: 12,627
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    I bet even MS joke to themselves about the odd/even windows releases where every other release is good ./ bad.........oohh it's the odd one, let's make this really suck.

    Imagine after surviving Vista and making W7 they all patted themselves on the back then they all went back to their drug induced sessions for W8. I guess they're back in rehab now ready for a clean go at W9/ Blue or whatever they'll call it.
  • koantemplationkoantemplation Posts: 101,293
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    I bet even MS joke to themselves about the odd/even windows releases where every other release is good ./ bad.........oohh it's the odd one, let's make this really suck.

    Imagine after surviving Vista and making W7 they all patted themselves on the back then they all went back to their drug induced sessions for W8. I guess they're back in rehab now ready for a clean go at W9/ Blue or whatever they'll call it.

    They'd better not call it blue, as it reminds me of 'Blue Screen of Death'.
  • cnbcwatchercnbcwatcher Posts: 56,681
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    Sounds like a good idea, I do some work in schools and colleges (not in IT, just generally) and Windows 8 was just never, ever going to work in those kind of environments or other business/corporate environments etc.

    It's probably the laughing stock of the business world. Everyone I know in university who has the misfortune to use W8 hates it. I recommended Classic Shell to some of them. My university doesn't support Vista either and they never did. Even my mother, who is not the most computer literate of people, says it's rubbish and she's glad she managed to get a computer with Windows 7.
  • call100call100 Posts: 7,264
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    Nothing new in any of this and certainly nothing substantial or certain.....Just looks like some desperate people jumping onto any little hope that W8 will be changed so that they can use it.
    Hopefully those struggling with the desktop will get their wish, but, I think it might be best to wait until something new is reported.before the glee club meets.
  • jonner101jonner101 Posts: 3,410
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    call100 wrote: »
    Nothing new in any of this and certainly nothing substantial or certain.....Just looks like some desperate people jumping onto any little hope that W8 will be changed so that they can use it.
    Hopefully those struggling with the desktop will get their wish, but, I think it might be best to wait until something new is reported.before the glee club meets.

    You have to be kidding, when the head of markting for windows is directly quoted as saying

    “The learning curve is definitely real and we need to address it,”

    Then you know there is a problem.

    I suspect they haven't fully worked out how to address the issue fully yet so there may be scant details on the update for a little while yet.
  • John259John259 Posts: 28,322
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    call100 wrote: »
    Nothing new in any of this
    I'd say Microsoft openly admitting that Windows 8 is difficult to learn is both new and significant:
    "Tammy Reller, head of marketing and finance for the Windows business, announced a retreat, admitting that the software had defeated many users. “The learning curve is definitely real and we need to address it,” she said."

    The extent of the media condemnation of Windows 8 today is also on an unprecedented scale for a computer-related product.
  • TheBigMTheBigM Posts: 13,125
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    John259 wrote: »
    I'd say Microsoft openly admitting that Windows 8 is difficult to learn is both new and significant:
    "Tammy Reller, head of marketing and finance for the Windows business, announced a retreat, admitting that the software had defeated many users. “The learning curve is definitely real and we need to address it,” she said."

    The extent of the media condemnation of Windows 8 today is also on an unprecedented scale for a computer-related product.

    It's not at all new - Sinofsky mentioned repeatedly that there would be a learning curve and they would need to do user education campaigns etc.

    He likened opposition to the metro UI to opposition to the mouse when it was first introduced to windows. He spoke of the learning curve for people going from 3.1 to 95 and they put a big arrow pointing to the start button.

    When you make a drastic change instead of a gradual one, there will always be a learning curve. People don't seem to mind undergoing some tutorials when they switch to Mac. Apple's One-to-One and group tuition offerings are seen as a positive not as a sign OS X is terrible.

    It's not necessarily bad for there to be something of a learning curve as long as the education is put in place. The issue was that the education wasn't put in place - the tutorial video on Windows start-up was rubbish and easily missed. The OEMs didn't really put any effort in on this front either. The retail staff were, as always, poorly trained (though it does seem to be getting better).
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