[psionic]

Personally I'm quite looking forward to Windows 8. Nothing wrong with W7 though.

[TheBigM]

Originally Posted by Magic Cottage

Both! With a relatively small amount of expenditure on apps and desktop add-ins my tech friend soon had us synced with Outlook. Printing from tablets is no problem using Google Drive etc.

Sounds like a small business attitude to IT.

I'm sure there are many rules about things like data security in Enterprise-class situations where a malware-friendly Android tablet would not be suitable.

You can use Google Cloud Print I understand to print, how does Google Drive get involved in printing.

In any case, you're talking about a business that has already made an investment, for those business who have yet to spend the money, I reckon the Windows tablets will be more attractive.

[Magic Cottage]

Originally Posted by TheBigM

Sounds like a small business attitude to IT.

I'm sure there are many rules about things like data security in Enterprise-class situations where a malware-friendly Android tablet would not be suitable.

You can use Google Cloud Print I understand to print, how does Google Drive get involved in printing.

In any case, you're talking about a business that has already made an investment, for those business who have yet to spend the money, I reckon the Windows tablets will be more attractive.

I'm sorry, but we won't be involved in your obvious trolling. There is nothing wrong with our data security thanks.

[TheBigM]

Originally Posted by Magic Cottage

I'm sorry, but we won't be involved in your obvious trolling. There is nothing wrong with our data security thanks.

Ok, so can I ask what you use for your device management?

Also other than email/PIM (implied through connecting to Outlook), you never mentioned what your use cases were?

[Stig]

Win32 code compatibility is massively important to any company that has bespoke applications. iOS, Andriod, or even Windows ARM tablets are not an option in many corporates.

I'm not a massive fan of Windows 8 either, but it bridges the old and the new technologies, and creates a shared platform for traditional PCs, tablets and even phones.

[_SpeedRacer_]

I predict on desktop PCs at least this will be a terrible, terrible failure.

Doesn't help them that Windows 7 is so good. Roll on Windows 9.

[and101]

Originally Posted by _SpeedRacer_

I predict on desktop PCs at least this will be a terrible, terrible failure.

Doesn't help them that Windows 7 is so good. Roll on Windows 9.

I remember people making the same predictions when windows 95 came out and again with windows xp.

[The Rat]

Originally Posted by Stig

Win32 code compatibility is massively important to any company that has bespoke applications.

Which also presents a major problem for Microsoft as Windows 8 paints a picture of a future that could be moving away from Win32. This is all about strategy, for both MS and the corporates.

Dave

[and101]

Originally Posted by The Rat

Which also presents a major problem for Microsoft as Windows 8 paints a picture of a future that could be moving away from Win32. This is all about strategy, for both MS and the corporates.

Dave

Even if they move completely to a different architecture there is no reason why they can't include a win32 emulator. At the moment 32 bit applications run under an emulator in windows 7 x64 so they could use a similar technology on the ARM versions.

[LightningIguana]

Well I'm fairly new to 7 so I won't be upgrading any time soon. Not keen on the look of 8, if I'm honest.

[Stig]

Originally Posted by and101

Even if they move completely to a different architecture there is no reason why they can't include a win32 emulator. At the moment 32 bit applications run under an emulator in windows 7 x64 so they could use a similar technology on the ARM versions.

If MS could have got Win32 apps running under emulation on ARM they would have done it. The have taken a sensible route and started afresh with ARM and phone (WinRT?) and left Win32 on the desktop.

[Helbore]

Originally Posted by Neda_Turk

It's not for the serious computer user over 25.

Well I'm a 33-year-old IT consultant and I've been using Windows 8 for months. I've no desire to move back to Windows 7 now. Windows 8 is faster and has better security than 7. It has lots of under-the-hood improvements that should make it more reliable (like the improved file-checking system). Features like Storage Spaces are fantastic. Heck, I'd pay for the upgrade just for the new task manager! I've yet to use it on a single touchscreen device for more than a few minutes. I'm buying it for the overall improvements to the OS.

So you're wrong.

[tasker]

Originally Posted by wavy-davy

They'd need to pay me to ditch W7 in favour of this heap of tablet obsessed junk.

Glad someone else agrees, i honestly dont get windows 8.

It looks like a 2 year old designed it. Long live 7

[John259]

There are quite a few controversial UI features in Win8 which IMHO should have been made optional rather than mandatory:
Booting in touchscreen/Metro mode.
Unable to uninstall Metro.
No Start button.
The charm bar appears whenever the mouse drifts over one of its hotspots without clicking.
There's a ribbon bar instead of a menu in Windows Explorer.

It's very easy to see numerous significant disadvantages with Win8, and very difficult to see any meaningful advantages for most users.

My guess FWIW is that computer manufacturers, facing catastrophic falls in sales, will force Microsoft to allow them to keep putting Win7 on new computers, and Win8 will die a rapid death. As for tablets, that market is already dominated by Apple and Android with mature hardware, operating systems and applications, so Microsoft are highly unlikely to succeed there IMHO.

[The Rat]

Originally Posted by and101

Even if they move completely to a different architecture there is no reason why they can't include a win32 emulator. At the moment 32 bit applications run under an emulator in windows 7 x64 so they could use a similar technology on the ARM versions.

The question is one of will. Technically it is no doubt possible, but certainly not trivial. Windows NT's versatility in support for multiple architectures and user mode personas is well evidenced from its past.

Dave

[MassiveDynamics]

Originally Posted by John259

My guess FWIW is that computer manufacturers, facing catastrophic falls in sales, will force Microsoft to allow them to keep putting Win7 on new computers, and Win8 will die a rapid death.

Windows 7 retail boxes will remain on sale until 'at least' October 2013 and PC manufacturers will be able to sell new PC's with Windows 7 until 'at least' October 2014.

Microsoft will keep patching Windows 7 until January 2020.

http://www.zdnet.com/how-to-skip-win...-7-7000001734/

I will be able to download Windows 8 from my TechNet account on 15th August but I won't bother. Having evaluated it on both physical hardware and in VM's since the first CP release I find after all this time that I just don't like it - just like I instantly loved Windows 7 and still do.

[noise747]

Originally Posted by tghe-retford

Not going to happen - the tablet market is growing whilst the desktop and laptop market is shrinking. If anything, should there be a Windows 9 in future, I would hazard a guess they'll shift more towards ARM based tablets and eventually drop the standard desktop/laptop interface. Apple has also recognised this and is going the same way. Even Linux desktop environments are experimenting with tablet version of DE's, even though thanks to Microsoft, any Windows 8+ ARM tablet will not allow LInux to be installed on it thanks to secure boot.

MS is not stupid enough to drop support for desktop/laptops in windows 9 or any windows for a few years yet.

corporates are not ready to get rid of their desktops for tablets. sue they may get some tablets for certain things, but they will not replace a normal computer.


I could imagine the place I work at having tablets in the office, it just would not work.

Also Tablets still are not powerful enough to do heavy work and the screens are far too small on them. They have their uses if all you want to do is browse the net, play some music and watch some videos and that is it.

I was going to update this machine with a better video card and other bits, but changed my mind now, going to put the money by and see if I can get a Apple Mac instead. Time for a change.

[noise747]

Originally Posted by _SpeedRacer_

I predict on desktop PCs at least this will be a terrible, terrible failure.

Doesn't help them that Windows 7 is so good. Roll on Windows 9.

That is the problem, windows 7 is pretty good and very few people are going to spend out on windows 8. windows 8 may do ok on new computers, but since the sales of computers have gone down I can't see it myself.

As for tablets, sorry, but Android and Apple have that market, just like they got the mobile phone market, i don't think Ms got much chance to be honest, certainly not with the teens.

MS is worried that window 7 will be another XP i think and will keep going, for years.

[whoever,hey]

The only reason we have used tablets in our work is its handy for putting artwork onto to show people in a meeting.

But that was a couple of years ago when it was a "fad". Its actually crap having to pass the ipad around the room, when you can show it on a massive TV in the boardroom and everyone can see you pointing at stuff at the same time with no passing around!!

[cnbcwatcher]

Originally Posted by Neda_Turk

It's not for the serious computer user over 25.

Erm, I'm 22 and don't particularly like iPads or other tablet computers. I prefer desktops and laptops.

[_SpeedRacer_]

Originally Posted by and101

I remember people making the same predictions when windows 95 came out and again with windows xp.

I remember them doing it more recently with Windows Vista.

They were right, too.

[neo_wales]

Vista was fine on a good machine. Its main problem was its release was ahead of most machines at the time and it struggled to work on them.

[noise747]

Originally Posted by neo_wales

Vista was fine on a good machine. Its main problem was its release was ahead of most machines at the time and it struggled to work on them.

Strange then that Windows 7 will work on some of those machines without the problems that vista had.

My laptop for instance, it had XP on it and I updated to vista as I could buy it for £14, the laptop was as slow as hell with vista. i stuck windows 7 on it a while back to see how it coped and it was fine. Not super fast mind you, because it never was a super fast machine, but it was usable.

Vista goes against those people who say MS does their homework well they did not do it with vista.

Next door neighbours computer now been updated to windows 7 from vista, now that machine is certainly powerful enough to take vista and yet it was still slow, better with windows 7

[The Rat]

Originally Posted by noise747

Strange then that Windows 7 will work on some of those machines without the problems that vista had.

My laptop for instance, it had XP on it and I updated to vista as I could buy it for £14, the laptop was as slow as hell with vista. i stuck windows 7 on it a while back to see how it coped and it was fine. Not super fast mind you, because it never was a super fast machine, but it was usable.

Vista goes against those people who say MS does their homework well they did not do it with vista.

Next door neighbours computer now been updated to windows 7 from vista, now that machine is certainly powerful enough to take vista and yet it was still slow, better with windows 7

Not strange at all. There were dramatic improvements in the Windows Display Driver Model between Vista and 7 which, alongside more mature drivers and the general improvement in specs of the "average" PC, would go along way to explain what you see in differences between the two OSes.

Dave

[JasonWatkins]

Was reading about this earlier and not 5 minutes ago have I seen the RTM version available online to download for .. "free" .. *cough*

Not interested though.