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Microsoft Demos Metro UI For Enterprise Apps 116

Posted by Unknown Lamer from the it-looks-pretty-but-does-it-work dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Microsoft has demoed a working prototype of Microsoft Dynamics GP (an ERP package) running on Windows 8, with a full Metro UI. This is the first example of an enterprise app for the Windows 8 metro 'wall.' The one hour keynote is available online behind a short registration form ... (demos start around 40 minutes in). Screenshots available at source."
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Microsoft Demos Metro UI For Enterprise Apps More

Microsoft Demos Metro UI For Enterprise Apps

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  • Looks a bit like Powerpoint. (Score:5, Funny)

    by SuricouRaven ( 1897204 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2012 @01:06PM (#39429303)
    I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.

    • Re:Looks a bit like Powerpoint. (Score:4, Interesting)

      by thend ( 88894 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2012 @01:40PM (#39429845)

      The entire MetroUI looks like Powerpoint in my opinion. At first I thought it would grow on me. Seems like it's growing like a tumor though and it's completely useless. RDP in Metro isn't my idea of how I want to manage multiple servers. This is a huge step back and like a commenter below said, very much like DOSSHELL.

      Who decided "full screen apps" was the way of the future again?? Could we please hop in the Delorean and take care of them??

      • Re:Looks a bit like Powerpoint. (Score:5, Insightful)

        by shutdown -p now ( 807394 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2012 @01:54PM (#39430087) Journal

        Who decided "full screen apps" was the way of the future again??

        That would be all the people who rushed like mad to buy iPads.

        • Re:Looks a bit like Powerpoint. (Score:4, Insightful)

          by RazorSharp ( 1418697 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2012 @02:48PM (#39431101)

          It makes sense for a tablet. I even like the way that Lion does it because it's just like an expanded maximize that's useful in certain situations - gesture controls on the trackpad are integral for the way OS X does it, though, and I don't know if that feature will ever appear on non-Apple computers.

          But I think that Microsoft's Windows 8 strategy is a big mistake. For all the reasons the marketing people can come up with to make the tablet and desktop OS the same OS, there's a technical reason why the synergy people are wrong. The differences between the ARM and Intel versions are one example.

          Hopefully, for my sake, Apple doesn't go overboard in their blending of iOS and OS X. Fortunately, I like what they did with Lion. I don't really use Mission Control, but I like the way they've done full screen apps (allowing you to jump in and out of full screen mode). It'd make me sad if the next big cat went the way of Metro (which it doesn't look like so far). I find it strange that Microsoft didn't see what happened with Unity and heed the warning.

          • Re: (Score:1)

            by toastar ( 573882 )
            M$ Technical: I'm telling you we can't put Windows 7 on the tablet. ARM just isn't powerful enough
            M$ Marketing: What about bringing windows phone 7 to the PC?
            M$ Technical: Well I guess we could, But wh...
            M$ Marketing: Excellent we launch in 6 months, better start coding.

            • You do realize that Win8 actually is Win7 put on an ARM tablet - even with the original desktop UI still there?

              • Of course it looks like Powerpoint.

                These are examples of applications designed by management - for management.

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by Anonymous Coward

        Who decided "full screen apps" was the way of the future again?? Could we please hop in the Delorean and take care of them??

        The only way to fight the plague of failed web developers ruining otherwise-functional interfaces is to shun them [slashdot.org].

        Otherwise, it's back to the derp [youtube.com]. Computers are used to analyze data and produce content, and need flexible and customizable UIs with lots of knobs to tweak, and lots of data to give us feedback on what's going on. Tablets and mobile phones are used to consume content

      • This is a huge step back and like a commenter below said, very much like DOSSHELL.

        This is a change for Quarterdeck to resurrect DESQview, cool way to stack and tile your new W8 apps. Think of the possibilities!

      • Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)

        by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2012 @03:01PM (#39431327)
        Comment removed based on user account deletion

        • Hell I wish I could find the video again from the little Yahoo shill girl, they give her any crap product and she is always "You should buy it! Buy it now! No seriously you should go out and buy it now!" and when they gave her Windows 8 her video was "Uhhhh...maybe you should wait until you get something with touch before you buy Windows 8? Yeah that's what you should do, buy a tablet and THEN buy Windows 8!" which for her is "My eyes! The goggles they do nothing!". I mean that's fricking sad when the girl that got giddy over a universal remote can't even muster enough perky to shill for your product and has this kind of...lost and confused look on her face through the entire video, damn it was funny!

          TRULY ROFL!!! Thanx, Hairyfeet!

          As a dyed-in-the-wool Apple enthusiast, I can only say: Go, Metro, Go!!!

          If they keep pushing this butt-ugly, real-estate-wasting, six-year-old's version of a UI (might be ok for a tablet; cannot believe they are pushing it for the desktop!), Microsoft will, over time, become seriously marginalized in "Business". OS X is already making serious inroads in that regard, and as soon as someone (anyone?!?) comes up with a reasonable Exchange/Outlook killer, they're toast!

          Assu

          • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

            by account_deleted ( 4530225 )
            Comment removed based on user account deletion

            • Sorry friend but Apple doesn't have a prayer, and here is why: Jobs made it VERY clear years ago he had no desire to sell to the "poor unwashed' and that has carried over to this very day. I just recently sold yet another monster Windows PC, you know how much it cost INCLUDING my profit margin, which wasn't light? $520. That's it, for SIX cores, EIGHT gigs of RAM, 500Gb HDD, DVD Burner and Win 7 HP X64. Now you can't even get a machine half that powerful for $1000 in Apple land and that is how they LIKE it. Now frankly it doesn't matter if YOU think its cheap, the average person in America is making around $37k, don't take my word for it BTW, ask those you are in line with at the grocery store or the bank what they make a year, most will be happy to tell you. When you make $37k or less you simply aren't gonna spend a grand on an underpowered machine and NO the iPad can't replace the desktop for a good 85% of the population and NO the iPhone don't cut it either, as there is always ONE application they consider a "must have" that don't run on Apple, be it Quicken/QB, the app that came with their printer, hell I even have one customer I had to keep a NOS 2GHz PC running for as he slowly converted from Xres to Corel Draw.

              Look I'm not saying Apple is bad for this, in fact I'd argue its a damned smart move. look at what happened when Porsche tried to sell a Camaro priced Boxster, it damned near killed the company as it killed the "cool" factor of owning a Porsche. If you could buy an Apple desktop for the same price i can whip off a monster, or even for roughly the same price you can get one at HP or Dell THEN you might have a point. But that will never ever happen friend and you know this.

              In the end da Feet can tell you the future, just let me dig out my crystal ball.....OEMs demand Win 7 downgrade rights, MSFT caves to keep them from bolting to Android or buying their own Linux distros, Win 8 fizzles on tablets but nobody cares because Windows 7 is supported until 2020 and moreover "just works" with all their stuff so to Joe consumer nothing has changed. In fact all Win 8 has done is made guys like me more money as consumers get spooked and have me build a monster so they can ride out the Win 8 crapfest without needing a new PC. In fact I've done well enough that after I get done setting up my dad's new router tomorrow I'm buying a new 6 core for the oldest to go with the quad i just built for the youngest. I figured with one on Hexacore and the other on quad I and myself on hexacore we can just ride out Win 8 while still gaming and having a great old time. Don't worry about us MSFT, you keep pushing that cell phone UI, and i'll keep making money off those that don't want it, deal?

              Sorry friend but Apple doesn't have a prayer, and here is why: Jobs made it VERY clear years ago he had no desire to sell to the "poor unwashed' and that has carried over to this very day. I just recently sold yet another monster Windows PC, you know how much it cost INCLUDING my profit margin, which wasn't light? $520. That's it, for SIX cores, EIGHT gigs of RAM, 500Gb HDD, DVD Burner and Win 7 HP X64. Now you can't even get a machine half that powerful for $1000 in Apple land and that is how they LIKE it. Now frankly it doesn't matter if YOU think its cheap, the average person in America is making around $37k, don't take my word for it BTW, ask those you are in line with at the grocery store or the bank what they make a year, most will be happy to tell you. When you make $37k or less you simply aren't gonna spend a grand on an underpowered machine and NO the iPad can't replace the desktop for a good 85% of the population and NO the iPhone don't cut it either, as there is always ONE application they consider a "must have" that don't run on Apple, be it Quicken/QB, the app that came with their printer, hell I even have one customer I had to keep a NOS 2GHz PC running for as he slowly converted from Xres to Corel Draw.

              Look I'm not saying Apple is bad for this, in fact I'd argue its a damned smart move. look at what happened when Porsche tried to sell a Camaro priced Boxster, it damned near killed the company as it killed the "cool" factor of owning a Porsche. If you could buy an Apple desktop for the same price i can whip off a monster, or even for roughly the same price you can get one at HP or Dell THEN you might have a point. But that will never ever happen friend and you know this.

              Man, why with the strawman arguments?

              First, I never mentioned an iPad nor iPhone for a business desktop replacement. Even Apple would argue that was silly.

              Second, I was talking about BUSINESS, not HOME. So, your $37k (which is way high for an average pay, BTW) is irrelevant. And that also means we aren't talking about playing Crysis (or whatever this year's GPU-Killer game is). We're talking about what 99% of desktops and laptops are used for in 99% of businesses; which you and I both know leaves ANY mo

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by slapout ( 93640 )

          I played with the Consumer Preview the other day. Me and my boss couldn't figure out how to shut it down and ended up just pressing the power button.

      • I agree. I tried the Developer Preview for about 2 hours and didn't like it. I decided to give the Consumer Preview a shot as well. That's when I decided I probably won't be trying the final release. It also made me decide to spend some more time completing my migration to Linux so some good is gonna come of it at least.

      • When you're using a smartphone or other small-screen device, full-screen is the only way for an app to be. There isn't enough room to have multiple windows.

        Because of this, and because the UI "experts" have all collectively decided that it's "too confusing" to have different different UIs for different devices, they've all decreed that we must all be happy with having all applications run full-screen all the time, no matter how large or small your display is.

      • Who decided "full screen apps" was the way of the future again??

        Most people where I work already run their "apps" in full screen mode. With relatively small monitors, it makes sense to have as much screen space as possible for Excel or Outlook and just flick between them.

        I know everyone on slashdot has a three 24" monitor set up with dozens of programs running in various sized windows, but most people don't use computers like that, especially at work. So I don't see that this new Windows 8 interface will appear that odd to most enterprise users.

      • > Who decided "full screen apps" was the way of the future again??
        > Could we please hop in the Delorean and take care of them??

        back to the time of Windows 2, right?

    • I wondered how many Google searches I needed to do to resolve all of the acronym soup this article contains, and determined that it was too much work. The overpaid government-types must love this shit.
  • This actually looks nice for a prototype! The data is well laid out. This is probably the first app that convinced me that Metro might work out in the end.

    • Re:I like this (Score:5, Insightful)

      by h4rr4r ( 612664 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2012 @01:12PM (#39429401)

      Too much wasted real estate. Why all the pictures of people?

      This is one of those things the MBAs will love to waste everyone's time with, and other than look shiny offer nothing.

  • hp Dashboard (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    First thing I thought of was "huh, they re-implemented hp Dashboad for Unix from the 90's".

  • Metro UIr (beta)! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ebunga ( 95613 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2012 @01:15PM (#39429443)

    So it turns your zillion dollar ERP system into a Web 2.0-style interactive infographic that makes USA Today look information-dense?

    • Re:Metro UIr (beta)! (Score:5, Insightful)

      by glassware ( 195317 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2012 @01:35PM (#39429749) Homepage Journal

      Yep. Demos sure look clean if you remove A) all the necessary controls that allow you to do useful work, and B) the context that helps the human eye figure out how data point relates to the overall picture.

      This is much more a "dashboard demo" than an "application demo". But dashboards are hot right now; everyone wants one. Certainly no harm in offering appealing dashboards except that they obscure how much work is required in order to make a dashboard show something useful in a relevant context.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by h4rr4r ( 612664 )

        That and the fact that about 90% of the time the only thing the dashboard does is mean that those few metrics that are easy to put in the dashboard are improved at the cost of those that do not show up very well in a dashboard. Its easy to measure stuff, it is hard to measure the right stuff.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by jd2112 ( 1535857 )

      So it turns your zillion dollar ERP system into a Web 2.0-style interactive infographic that makes USA Today look information-dense?

      perfect for the CEO, useless for anyone below a VP.

  • I remember when Vista with new Outlook interface (ribbon?) was pushed down in the previous company I worked in, and for a common worker those changes weren't so pleasant to say the least. One guy bugged local IT department for two weeks regarding missing stuff. Wonder what will happen if he's forced to use metro...

  • Just what we need (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    More charts & graphs for the MBAs to dick around with all day so they can micro-manage everyone who's actually useful.

  • Frozen Cosmopolitan (Score:3)

    by fermion ( 181285 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2012 @01:34PM (#39429735) Homepage Journal
    So was this the one where Metro froze [theregister.co.uk] to the point they had to use the extra tablet. I know this is just beta, but entering data is not an experimental feature. It is not like were playing Angry Birds. I hope that these things are cheap enough so firms can purchase a Redundant Array of Tablet Devices. Can't imagine what will happen when one freezes at a sales meeting, though.

    • Can't imagine what will happen when one freezes at a sales meeting, though.

      Derisive laughter. Couldn't happen to a better bunch of people.

  • Sound of Jaws Music... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by macs4all ( 973270 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2012 @01:43PM (#39429929)
    I am a developer working for an ISV selling third-party enhancements to MS Dynamics NAV (formerly called Navision). My bosses are at Convergence right now.

    I certainly hope that MS doesn't roll this shite out to the rest of the "Dynamics" family. They have already hamstrung layout and created ridiculous UI faux-pas-es enough with their "Role Tailored Client" (tell me WHO else makes the default for deleting records be "YES"?!?!?).

    This is just hideous. And I fear it is a-comin', like the shark in Jaws....
    • So our solution is a SCUBA tank and a Highpowered rifle?
      But how do get monkeyboy to open wide?

      • So our solution is a SCUBA tank and a Highpowered rifle? But how do get monkeyboy to open wide?

        LOL! I'll hold him down...

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by jd2112 ( 1535857 )

        So our solution is a SCUBA tank and a Highpowered rifle? But how do get monkeyboy to open wide?

        Balmer isn't a shark, he's the world's biggest Apple fanboi.

  • My God, it's full of bars! (Score:3)

    by scorp1us ( 235526 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2012 @02:06PM (#39430323) Journal

    As someone who dabbles in UI design, I've seen us go from orthogonal by necessity, to round by revolt, and now we're back to orthogonal again. How much of this is a passing fad. Never mind that the damn tiles UI is more about wasting space than putting display space to good use. I predict the DPIs will go higher the panels bigger, just to accommodate this lousy aesthetic.

    Microsoft shouldn't be in the position to push aesthetics anymore. At one point they needed to push usability, but this goes far beyond that, resulting in something less usable. I rather like the special effects for movies, which I find are logical and innovative. At most Mocrosoft should support some skinning interface the way Qt apps do so that the USER or VENDOR gets to force their design on something. Given that MS still has lousy fixed-geometry windows all over in Windows 7, I vote no confidence in MS to deliver anything really usable.

    Windows Phone will fail (sorry Nokia) and Win 8 will fail. It's not your call anymore Microsoft. And what you are pushing is too different. Remember the XP backlash of GREEN start button and RED [X]? That at least could be argued as usability enhancements. Now Metro goes the other way and decreases usability.

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by bkaul01 ( 619795 )

      I think a key thing they're focusing on that you might not be is optimizing the UI for touch, rather than keyboard/mouse user inputs. On traditional desktop/laptop form factors, I would agree that Win8 would not be compelling, and Win7 is probably preferable. On a touch-capable device, though, the pendulum swings the other direction.

      I think Win8/WP8 (or their successors, at least, possibly Win8.5/WP8.5) stand a real chance of succeeding. The Metro UI is stark and the aesthetic isn't immediately appealing to

      • I think a key thing they're focusing on that you might not be is optimizing the UI for touch, rather than keyboard/mouse user inputs. On traditional desktop/laptop form factors, I would agree that Win8 would not be compelling, and Win7 is probably preferable. On a touch-capable device, though, the pendulum swings the other direction.

        Yes, because we all know that using a touch interface for an accounting/data entry application makes so much sense. Bookkeepers, payroll, receivable and payables clerks do regular data entry. Is Microsoft really saying that moving hands from a keyboard to the screen and back again is the most efficient way to do that? This is an accounting application for mid to large businesses. Tablet and touch interfaces are fine for consumers of data, but by it's very nature, this is a producer of data.

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by bkaul01 ( 619795 )

          Yes, because we all know that using a touch interface for an accounting/data entry application makes so much sense. Bookkeepers, payroll, receivable and payables clerks do regular data entry. Is Microsoft really saying that moving hands from a keyboard to the screen and back again is the most efficient way to do that? This is an accounting application for mid to large businesses. Tablet and touch interfaces are fine for consumers of data, but by it's very nature, this is a producer of data.

          No, but the desktop UI is still present (except on WOA tablet/mobile devices); the only major change when you're using desktop productivity software (e.g. x86/64 Office instead of WOA "Metro" Office) is that the start menu is full-screen when you hit the Windows key, instead of filling only a portion of it. The desktop UI is still keyboard/mouse focused (though touch-enabled just as Win7); Metro UI is touch-centric.

          I imagine touchscreen laptops will become a bit more commonplace once Win8 hits the market th

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by bkaul01 ( 619795 )
            (Also, I actually do sometimes use Excel on my Windows Phone to enter values of measurements into a pre-existing spreadsheet I've got sitting on SkyDrive when out in the lab, instead of lugging the laptop out there. I then do whatever analysis I want to on the laptop, with the bigger screen and keyboard/mouse UI)
  • Surely its perfectly cromulent fo tag this article as such.

  • Or maybe it will just be their Gnome 3.

  • I find it telling that the only screen shots they include in the article are ones of report screens. I don't see any data entry, you know the 99% of work people do in an ERP system. My guess is the interface for that is pretty much the same forms app look Dynamics has always had and or its awful to work with and they hope they can just distract procurement people with shiny until the check is signed.

  • You mean like LCARS?

  • Flushing 25 years of UI research down the toilet (Score:3)

    by BenJeremy ( 181303 ) on Wednesday March 21, 2012 @04:17PM (#39432557)

    I thought I'd give Metro a try, and while this UI makes sense for a tablet, it's complete CRAP for a keyboard and mouse (let alone trackball). Gestures have never worked for the desktop, and a UI that offers ZERO visual cues tot he user is beyond useless.

    I'm baffled that Microsoft has essentially tossed decades of research into the trash in favor of a Tablet-centric UI. There is a reason why we have desktops and tablets... they are considerably different in form and function. Unifying the interface is an incredibly stupid move.

    Mark my words, Windows 8 will be shunned worse than Vista on the desktop.

    Sadly, Microsoft will probably consider it a success when it sells millions in the tablet and phone market.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by fwarren ( 579763 )

      Why would I want this on a tablet?

      Remember there will be two types of Win 8 Metro tablets: ARM and Intel

      The ARM tablet will have metro apps, a web browser and Office. No compatibility with almost 30 years of DOS/Windows software and from the looks of it, will not be able to join a domain. That is the low end tablet market. Where it will have to compete with $200 Kindle Fires and Color Nooks. It does not offer any real advantages there once you figure out it SUCKS trying to use Office on touchpad

      The INTEL t

      • They're betting the farm on the fact that the only device 70% of users might need in 1 year is their phone. Seriously, think about that.

        They want a compute continuum. You can just use your phone and plug a keyboard, mouse, monitor into it and it's a pretty fast Atom chip with SSD storage, 2 gigs of ram, and whatever monitor you want. Then you unplug it and it's a phone, same computer though. Maybe they sell a "laptop" with nothing but a keyboard and monitor and you slide the phone into it - instant port

  • Nice looking useless display forms. The real question is how the heck do you do full Order Entry with all the millions of controls and options? For that matter how do I run these on my iPad or iPhone?

  • This is Dynamics GP we're talking about. The UI is so horrendous that pretty much anything would be an improvement. Even giving it the Hot Dog Stand theme.

    (I hope they fired the idiot that decided to change the MDI application to SDI without making a single change to the interface, so you have to constantly deal with your data entry windows falling behind the main window.)

  • I'm not one to give Microsoft a break, but I do give credit where credit is due. Im glad they are taking an initiative in moving away from the Frankenstein WIMP model that has plaqued even the best of programs out there. The first release of metro May be a little rough, but what do you expect? People bitch when Microsoft copies (when everyone else does it just as much) but when Microsoft actually tries to spearhead something new, people still bitch. It's not even the end of Q1 2012, and they are expecting t

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by fwarren ( 579763 )

      Metro is not a better metaphor for someone using a mouse and keyboard with multiple 23 inch monitors.

      Saying give them a break because it may be a little rough on their first try is like saying give the doctor a break the first time he tries curing cancer by shooting the patient. There is no use in trying to improve the wrong approach. It will still remain a FAIL.

      To launch by October, they will have to RTM (Release to Manufacturing) sometime in July. That gives them 4 months to fix it. Please note we are cu

    • I like it too ! Much cooler than iOS. Make it work with Kinetic !!!

    • for their system? because that is what they are moving towards - a system where you can only install software purchased from the Windows Store or wahtever they will call it. thats what Metro is moving to.

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