The Three Flavors of Windows 8 500
First time accepted submitter Kelerei writes "Windows 8 has been confirmed as the official name for the next x86/x64 version of Windows, which will be released in two editions: a home edition (simply named 'Windows 8') featuring an updated Windows Explorer, Task Manager, improved multi-monitor support and 'the ability to switch languages on the fly,' while a professional edition ('Windows 8 Pro') adds features for businesses and technical professionals such as encryption, virtualization and domain connectivity. Windows Media Center will not be included in the Pro edition and will be available separately as part of a 'media pack' add-on. A third edition, branded as 'Windows RT,' will be available for ARM-based systems."
Move along, nothing to see here folks. (Score:3, Insightful)
We all know Windows 8 is going to be the next "Terrible Windows".
Windows 9 is where it is at. If they even survive.
Continuing to split versions? (Score:4, Insightful)
I just cannot fathom why at this point that Microsoft still does not grasp how important security is.
Nothing makes this more clear than withholding advanced encryption features or even virtualization from the general consumer version.
This continued split of versions at this point is just absurd, and confusing to the market. You'd think by now Microsoft would learn to simplify - I guess not. Must be nice being a monopoly that scores of companies have no choice but to ship whatever you put out.
x86 (Score:4, Insightful)
The early rumors were that Windows 8 would be x64 only (like Server 2008 R2). From an end-user-with-a-lot-of-32bit-apps perspective, I'm glad to see they're supporting x86. From a sys-admin-who-hates-having-two-architectures-per-print-driver perspective, I can't wait until x86 is dropped altogether.
Re:forgot the fourth flavor, the torrent (Score:1, Insightful)
The torrent version also ships with 50% less malware and won't bitch about being non-genuine every five minutes. Count me in.
Did MS learn something from Windows 7 "flavours"? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:No domain connectivity for Home edition...again (Score:5, Insightful)
Product differentiation = tiered profit structure. Makes perfect sense, and those who don't like that can get their Windows from the usual sources.
Windows BTW IS "free" if your time and effort to pirate it, install it then fend off viri and malware is worthless.
Screw that. I'd rather run Linux than Windows, so I do. If an employer chooses to inflict Windows on me, they can pay for it.
Re:Can't wait!!! (Score:5, Insightful)
While I will admit that the technical underpinnings of Windows 8 and Server 8 are a pretty reasonable improvement over 7/2008 R2, the Metro UI is a big step backwards in terms of desktop usability for all but the most basic users and the way they've included some bits of it - seemingly at random - in the server platform is mystifying to me.
If the whole Metro tiles thing was just a front-end to make it easier for average users to find, organise and launch their applications then I'd be fine with it, but it's not, it's a whole new suite of "apps" in addition to all the existing desktop versions, only without silly things like multitasking included.
Put it this way, as someone who has been using Windows in one form or another for close to 20 years, I really shouldn't have to spend 5 minutes trying to work out where the hell they've moved "Shut Down" to because it's behind a totally un-signposted hotspot at the bottom right of the taskbar and then a non-obvious icon labelled "Settings" and finally the "Power" option under that (Yes, Alt-F4 still works, but that's hardly the point, or useful over a windowed RDP session).
Re:Don't forget Windows 8 Enterprise.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Really wish MS would stop with all of the micromanaged 'versions' of Windows. It adds complexity where none is needed. A home user doesn't need those features but it doesn't hurt to include them. A business user probably doesn't need media center features but again it doesn't hurt to include them. I don't know what their 'game' is here as I don't see a profit motive for splitting up all of these offerings. Are they seriously hoping someone will buy two different versions to get everything they need?
Also, what's with the X86/X64 offerings? Any decent OS should allow you to just boot into the proper kernel. Requiring a dedicated install to switch between x86/x64 is just stupid not to put too fine a point on it.
Re:Did MS learn something from Windows 7 "flavours (Score:5, Insightful)
The customers I support will continue to buy whatever the cheapest version is and then get pissed at me when I can't join it to their domain.
Oh, lookie! (Score:5, Insightful)
Microsoft is trying to "appropriate" another established term to create an air of legitimacy of their products and imply capabilities that they do not have.
RTOS is a common name for a "Real-Time Operating System", systems that are commonly used on ARM, and, as their name implies, have real-time capabilities that Windows, of any flavor, never had and likely never will. Please note that "RT" was used for this purpose since at least 1973 (RT-11 operating system by DEC).
Let's look back to Microsoft previous efforts on this path. Many years ago they pulled out of nowhere the "Digital Nervous System" advertising slogan, apparently for no purpose other than to create confusion with DNS, Domain Name System. More recently, again, out of nowhere they called one of the descendants of their unholy marriage of OLE and DDE, ".NET", what would be a really stupid name if it wasn't a standard top-leven domain, and sounded somehow related to ".com", a typical term for an Internet-based business. On top of this, Microsoft was extremely persistent in inventing trademarked terms that sound generic -- "Windows", "Word" are actual trademarks, and "MS SQL Server" is constantly mentioned as "SQL Server", even though the former is a Microsoft trademark and the latter is a generic name for a database server using SQL language that covers dozens of Microsoft competitors.
How about a lawsuit from all RTOS developers (including at least two flavors of Linux-based ones)?
Re:Continuing to split versions? (Score:5, Insightful)
I just cannot fathom why at this point that Microsoft still does not grasp how important security is.
Nothing makes this more clear than withholding advanced encryption features or even virtualization from the general consumer version.
They're in the business of making money, not providing important services.
This continued split of versions at this point is just absurd, and confusing to the market. You'd think by now Microsoft would learn to simplify - I guess not. Must be nice being a monopoly that scores of companies have no choice but to ship whatever you put out.
Back in the day, "only one version" was one of their arguments against using Linux.
Re:Alleged "no-compromise experience" (Score:5, Insightful)
Especially in light of the fact that MS considers such basics as "network backup" as Pro features.
Re:Don't forget Windows 8 Enterprise.... (Score:4, Insightful)
I don't see a profit motive for splitting up all of these offerings. Are they seriously hoping someone will buy two different versions to get everything they need?
Ever hear of price discrimination? The different versions are not identical, but close enough. Microsoft expects businesses to pay more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_discrimination [wikipedia.org]
Re:Don't forget Windows 8 Enterprise.... (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm wondering why they include x86 at all for WINTEL platform. Why not just say "we think that x86 computers cannot run Win8 acceptably so we are removing this as an option to prevent people from even trying" But then again, they think they can get it to run acceptably on ARM so ...
Windows 8 should be Balmer's last failure.
Re:Continuing to split versions? (Score:5, Insightful)
Must be nice being a monopoly that scores of companies have no choice but to ship whatever you put out.
It's no coincidence that most businesses are still on XP/Server2003. I do not look forward to the day our firm "upgrades". Microsoft's only competitor is their past selves, and they often still can't compete; the only way they know to upgrade you is to eliminate support contracts for older versions of Windows, not provide any additional value. Paying money without getting value is a big suck for the economy...
Re:Can't wait!!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah, what sort of software developer would ever need to look up documentation or consult an email while they were coding?
Re:Can't wait!!! (Score:4, Insightful)
My point is that even though Metro may indeed be bad, people will get used to it and someday may start saying how much better it is than whatever comes next.
Re:Can't wait!!! (Score:4, Insightful)
there's no reason to have multiple windows up, since they'll just distract you from what you're doing
Not necessarily. If you have a big monitor, and you have your email up along with another app, it could prevent distraction if you can just glance over to see what your new message is. Same with IM windows, etc. Personally, I focus on one window at a time because my eyes are sensitive and I have a relatively small monitor. I'm just saying that a desktop OS shouldn't make that decision for you. A mobile OS, yes.
Re:Continuing to split versions? (Score:4, Insightful)
Either you're trolling or you are vastly overestimating the general public computer abilities. Do you really expect Joe six-pack to setup a virtual machine to run his browser in? Even if he has a knowledgeable friend who sets this up for him, now try to explain to him why he can't apply a wallpaper he downloads or install a game without copying it from the virtual machine to is computer (which, by the way, defeats to large extent the usefulness of the virtual machine in the first place)? As for encryption, I'm not really sure of how it protects a computer from viruses and random malware, but I do know that it makes it much more difficult to recover data in case of hardware failure, sometimes impossible if the encryption depended on some certificate which had to be backed up (which wasn't done, because the user didn't know about it). You can argue that Microsoft should offer a simpler line of products, but I don't think those features are particularly useful in regards to security for the general public.
Re:Can't wait!!! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Can't wait!!! (Score:3, Insightful)
Here's the fundamental problem.
The start menu may be flawed in some ways, but it is the evolution of years of interface feedback.
Metro is not an evolutionary jump. It is Microsoft, for what I perceive as more marketing and business reasons than usability reasons, attempting to force a misguided UI on PC users. I'd note that the Win 8 interface is probably great for tablets and cell phones; however, for the very reasons that it is, it is awful for a PC.
And it's way more than the start menu. It's the distance one has to move the mouse (to "invisible icons" in the corners). It's the mandatory whole screen paradigm. It's the AOL look and feel. It's the snapping smart corners that are great on a touch screen - but not so much with a mouse. It's the assumption that people want their desktop screen to be touch - and deal with everything from greasy fingerprints to bad posture to having to have their monitor within arms reach to issues of how to deal with a 40 or even 50 inch monitor.
As noted previously, as far as I can tell, Metro is a business driven attempt to leverage their PC market in order to further their tablet and cell phone interests by making a homogeneous platform for all. This makes the interface known on all to anyone who uses one, while encouraging software development across all. However, by making the only tool they provide, it does make is pretty hard to drive screws.
Mass adoption is antithetical to general computing (Score:5, Insightful)
When have you ever heard a linux proponent say they want it to become popular? I think the most I'd ever hope for would be that those who want to use it find it useful. That sort of goes against the whole 'computing appliance' idea; that trend is actively harmful to general purpose computing. Also, 'freedom to choose; includes the choice to use a buggy, virus-laden OS, and good riddance to that entire category of user, in my opinion. Increased corporate sponsorship is one thing, but the only thing that Joe Average does is complain about how things should work.
Linux users: post if you actually want linux to see widespread adoption in the home market. Also note whether you think that this could happen without linux becoming a walled garden.
Re:Reason GP was voted up (Score:5, Insightful)
So - given that for certain games and software development (yes, I do develop under Windows as well as Linux), what desktop choices, exactly, do I have with Windows 8? Where is the option for the Windows 7 look and feel?
Oh, wait. It doesn't exist.
So, no, I don't have a choice. And given how tightly the desktop is bound to the OS in Windows, I won't. There might be some mods and add ons that I can use, but not from MS, and probably not with the complete blessing of MS.
Re:Can't wait!!! (Score:4, Insightful)
The sales figures will tell in the end, neh?
True. The same thing was said about Office when they introduced the Ribbon. The consensus on Slashdot was, and still is, that the ribbon is a productivity nightmare, and no one would upgrade from Office 2003. In fact it was seen as the dawn of new age for Open Office, as Slashdot assured that users would switch in droves when confronted with the new UI. Of course at launch, Office 2007 sold twice as many copies as 2003, and sales continue strongly with Office 2010 selling over 200 million licenses to date. In matters concerning how the general public will receive a product, I tend to bet against Slashot's collective opinion (see also: iPod, iPhone, iPad, Linux).