CowboyNeal Weighs In On the Windows 8 "Metro" GUI 671
By far, the most visible new "feature" in Windows 8, is it's new UI, which takes inspiration from smart phone and tablet devices. The old start menu is now full-screened, with large icons for all apps, and apps run in full-screen by default, changing a desktop PC into a very large tablet minus touchscreen with a keyboard and mouse added on.
It's not surprising in the least that many users take issue with this. Early on, people have said something along the lines of, "Oh it's just for the early builds, surely they will allow some way for long-time users to disable it." However, now it would seem that that would be only wishful thinking, at least for the time-being.
This is a sharp turn for Microsoft from their previous UIs. Aero, found in both Windows Vista and Windows 7, allowed users to disable it if they didn't agree with it's aesthetic, or wanted to reallocate the memory from the UI to applications. Moreover, Aero was still functionally the same as older Windows UIs. It may look prettier, but it still fires up a Start Menu like before, still lets one dock things into the taskbar, and still lets the desktop get cluttered up with icons.
It's this difference that's key here. For companies that have Windows deployments with hundreds or thousands of seats, changing the way a Windows UI works is not an option. Regardless of how easy to use the Windows 8 UI may be, it's still not the same as what users have been trained to use since 1995. Sure, Windows 7 isn't Windows 95, but changes have been introduced gradually over time, making new features easier to adjust to. The Windows 8 UI is a fast, jarring change, that is likely to frustrate users as they adjust. With no clear path to turn it off as there is with Aero, it also makes it more likely that administrators around the world are less apt to adopt Windows 8 quickly. After the debacle around initial releases of Windows Vista, one might think that Microsoft had learned their lesson. Even Microsoft wasn't too popular to make an OS that no one wanted, and Windows XP lived on far longer than anyone ever thought it would. Windows 8 has already suffered from its share of bad press even before the official release. The logical thing to do here would be to be proactive in heading off user complaints.
That's why it's rather surprising to see them take a hard stance on the Windows 8 UI. Sure, undoubtedly some third party will create a drop-in shell replacement eventually. That's been done in past versions and will likely be done again for Windows 8. For a home user, it's an acceptable path. Home users of Windows are used to beating it into submission. However, for any company that has deployed hundreds of Windows seats, mandating the use of a third party shell replacement just isn't an option, much like Windows 8 isn't an option at present.
Short of opening the source to Windows, it's reconfigurability has, until now, been rather accommodating for users. Through the use of registry settings, or third party software, users have been able to configure Windows for themselves until they feel it's sufficiently usable. While still not "free" in the GNU sense, the UI has still allowed users this semblance of freedom, to do with the UI as they will. Since a normal user wouldn't hack at the source anyway, giving them the tiny bit of freedom to determine how they interact with their UI is what keeps them as a user. What Windows 8 is looking at here, is backlash not unlike the transition from GNOME 2 to GNOME 3, albeit on a much grander scale.
What will be the final outcome? That's hard to say at this point, as Microsoft could still change their stance and implement a way to bypass the Windows 8 GUI and bring up the legacy desktop. As it is, there are several keyboard shortcuts that allow this, it's just not possible to do so automatically at boot, which would seem to be what legacy users would want most. There's also an opportunity here. If people with large Windows deployments are faced with having to retrain their users, they may think about training them on Macs or Ubuntu or something else instead. The most likely scenario though, is likely the one that we saw with the release of Windows Vista, and that is that Windows 8's predecessor will be around for a lot longer than Microsoft planned.
Downgrade rights (Score:5, Funny)
Thank God for downgrade rights. :-)
The every other version problem (Score:5, Funny)
I'm beginning to think that Microsoft isn't allowing the new GUI to be disabled in order to purposely have a bad Windows version.
Then, Windows 9 will come out in a year or two and suddenly have the option of booting to the old Start menu, thus perpetuating the "every other version of Windows is good" trend.
I still hate the ribbon (Score:5, Funny)
This really should be a poll (Score:5, Funny)
Which commentator has the most accurate view of Windows 8:
...
* Steve Ballmer
* Steve Wozniak
* CowboyNeal
Re:Don't like it? (Score:5, Funny)
Don't buy it.
Déjà Vista
Re:it's simple (Score:5, Funny)
Re:This really should be a poll (Score:5, Funny)
Of those listed above, I'd have to say Cthulu.
Re:The every other version problem (Score:5, Funny)
> I'm beginning to think that Microsoft isn't allowing the new GUI to be disabled
> in order to purposely have a bad Windows version.
My working theory is that Microsoft is following the path Gates set in his retirement and has decided to become a non-profit corporation, but nobody is quite sure how to tell the shareholders.
Re:The every other version problem (Score:5, Funny)
In the beginning there was a Plan.
And then came Assumptions.
And the Assumptions were without form.
And the plan was without substance.
And darkness was on the face of the Workers.
And they spoke among themselves, saying
"It is a crock of shit, and it stinks".
And the Workers went unto their Supervisors and said
"It is a pale of dung, and none may obide the odor thereof".
And the Supervisors went unto their Managers, saying
"It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such that none can abide by it".
And the Managers went unto their Directors saying
"It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength".
And the Directors spoke among themselves, saying one to another
"It contains that which aids plant growth, and it is very strong".
And the Directors went unto the Vice Presidents, saying unto them
"It promotes growth, and it is very powerful".
And the Vice Presidents went unto President saying unto him
"This new Plan will actively promote growth and vigor of this company, with powerful effects".
And the President looked upon the Plan and saw it was good.
And the Plan became Policy.
This is how shit happens.
Blah blah blah (Score:2, Funny)
I don't know what you guys are talking about, I use Metro all the time. Every time I start my computer it shows up, then the first things I do is click the Desktop application on the start page. I love this Desktop application, seems to do everything I need. I don't actually see myself needing any other Metro apps.
Re:Downgrade rights (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Downgrade rights (Score:5, Funny)
The Start page is just a full screen start menu with active tiles, nothing more.
So in other words, I could just plaster my current desktop with icons and get the same interface? SWEET!
Sarcasm aside, I don't have a SINGLE icon on my desktop other then the trash bin. Just how I like it. If Microsoft did anything good to their UI in the past few years, it was making it so you can pin apps to the start menu and/or task bar. I love that.
Re:Downgrade rights (Score:5, Funny)
Imagine Windows 7 where the start menu opened at login and took up the whole screen.
I am imagining that. Everyone who saw it would say 'that's fscking retarded'.
Re:Don't like it? (Score:5, Funny)
Don't buy it.
Déjà Vista
Windows ME-tro.
who moved my cheese? (Score:5, Funny)
oh, somebody moved my litter box.
I guess I'll have to pee here in the corner from now on...
Re:Downgrade rights (Score:5, Funny)
Well, after all, "Developers, developers, developers, developers... developers, developers, developers, developers!"
Re:Downgrade rights (Score:5, Funny)
IMO, its worth it just for all the new hotkeys that are available.
Great. They caught up to Apple in the 90s. Sounds well worth the money.