Windows 8.1 May Restore Boot-To-Desktop, Start Button 628
New submitter geekoid writes "According to media reports about leaked Windows 8.1 code, the next incarnation of Microsoft's flagship operating system will have an option to boot directly to the desktop. People have discovered 'references to a "CanSuppressStartScreen" option in early builds of the Windows 8.1 registry.' There is also speculation that Microsoft will be re-implementing the Start button, though the claims come from nebulous 'sources,' rather than the leaked code. In light of recent reporting about the general distaste and design flaws of Windows 8's user interface, will Microsoft's updates be dynamic enough to stop the current Windows exodus?"
Microsoft really shot themselves in the foot here (Score:5, Interesting)
In the last 6 months I've bought 2 computers, a desktop and a laptop. And both times I went well out of my way to avoid Win8.
Now I consider myself at least slightly more computer savvy than the average individual, and when I went to Best Buy to play around with Windows 8 (since I'd heard it was different) the 20 minute trial I gave it was VERY FRUSTRATING. I managed to figure things out a bit, and I had no doubt with some time and internet searching I could figure the rest out, but I had no desire to!!
I didn't want to spend time figuring it out! It just pissed me off. I needed a desktop very urgently, and was planning on buying a new computer and buying a copy of Win7 online and just wiping off Win8.
(Side Note: Basic economic supply and demand, Pro Edition of Win8 cost ~$60, Home Edition of Win7 online cost ~$150. Hmmmmmm)
I got lucky because the guy working at Best Buy said they had a desktop at 25% off only because it had Win7. Looked at the tech specs, was good, just what I wanted and left happy, getting a discount to get what I wanted.
A few months later I needed a laptop (was travelling a lot). I deliberately went to the Lenovo and Dell business line sections to search since the machines for business users still have Win7 (ended up getting a ThinkPad).
Now, I paid the MS Win tax regardless both times. I wanted a Windows machine. But Win 8 so frustrated me that I went out of my way to avoid it, when it would've been simpler to just buy a machine with it. I was ready to spend more online to buy Win7 and overwrite the default installation.
I can't be the only one that's done this recently.
Re:Windows is not disappearing anytime soon (Score:5, Interesting)
When we get a new PC in, it takes all of 20 minutes for us to load on a custom image with our network specific settings. Maybe another 15 minutes for Office, Adobe Pro, antivirus, and all the utilities that are installed by default. Applications like Photoshop or AutoCAD might take 10 minutes each. All this is fully automated, an 8th grader would be able to do it once we showed them how the management tools work. And it's over a 1G Ethernet link, so it's fast.
Contrast that to when we get a new iPad in. No PXE booting, no easy configuration through the network. No management tools that are worth a tin shit. I have to physically enter all that information in. Can't even swap in a replicated hard drive since it can't be taken apart. Loading from a USB stick? Hahah... No we have to go through the "cloud" for everything.
This isn't inertia. This is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". I do this for a living and have to stay late when things change. Chasing the new shiny from Apple isn't as important to me as getting home in time to get a motorcycle ride in. When the CIO asks me about Windows 8, I just say "let's wait for a start button".
Proposed solution (Score:3, Interesting)
Timeline (Score:2, Interesting)
2013 - Microsoft retracts Metro
2014 - Google/Apple produce a new desktop/laptop interface that is functionally identical to Metro to the delight of everyone who uses it
2015 - Microsoft re-introduced Metro, is told they are copying
Re:No (Score:4, Interesting)
The international version of the Galaxy 3S produces ~6400 BogoMIPS, about 20% more than a CoreDuo from 2006. Add in the fact that it has a pretty sweet GPU and the average users really can't tell the difference.
Re:Microsoft really shot themselves in the foot he (Score:4, Interesting)
Sure if that's all that was different. I wanted to see how different options were controlled (control panel issues), had weird things happen when moving around the mouse (hot corners etc) and other nuisances. Even after I got to the desktop, the easy list of everything in a start menu was missing.
Again, could've learned it, could've figured it out, there are workarounds, it's not rocket science. BUT WHY? Individually each thing is minor, but the cumulative effect is damned annoying. Why would a company unnecessarily aggravate so many of their users? If you wanted a single OS for tablets and other PCs, give each the interface best suited to it.
Re:Microsoft really shot themselves in the foot he (Score:3, Interesting)
I bought a new laptop last month that came with Windows 8. I wiped it and installed fresh from an OEM copy to get rid of the crapware, but basically I am happy with Windows 8. It boots fast and with Classic Start Menu installed is pretty similar to Windows 7. There are a few nice improvements like the way multiple input languages are handled and the new flat UI theme actually works quite well.
While not exactly intuitive I didn't find the Metro stuff or whatever it is now called to be particularly hard to use or confounding. When you start the computer for the first time it explains how the hot corners work and you are pretty much sorted from there. People complain that they can't turn their computer off but the power button seems to work just fine for me. Anyway, that stuff is all disabled now, I boot directly to the desktop.
Windows 8 isn't nearly as bad as people make out. It certainly isn't Vista bad. I have a spare Windows 7 license but I see no reason to use it. Then again I'm weird, I actually like the Office 2010 ribbon.
Re:Too little too late (Score:4, Interesting)
MS already had success with this method. Back in the XP days, MS needed to drag developers into modern days using a decent security model, which required a rewrite of drivers. So, Vista came out which resulted in vendors writing alpha quality code, and blaming the breaks on MS's new OS.
By the time Windows 7 got out the door, third parties finally got the concept of not having admin rights for every single executable, so it was painless.
Windows 9 is when people will say that MS has it "right"... and the cycle will begin anew.
Re:Windows is not disappearing anytime soon (Score:5, Interesting)
In a way you made my point. There was a time when a PC was the "new shiny". There was a long period of time during PC history when there was no PXE booting and WDS, no AD, no GP, no easy configuration through the network or management tools. But yet it caught on and eventually became what it is now. I look at the large cycle of history of the PC and I see how it replaced the "restrictive" old client-server paradigm in favor of all that local power and freedom on your desktop, only to be retrofitted over the years to go right back where it began with the restricted and confined client-server paradigm. And now we're seeing it start over again with the whole BYOD movement.
Re:No (Score:4, Interesting)
>> A $200 pocket phone still cannot do a lot of things a full desktop PC could do a decade ago. ... The CPU is really only a bottleneck
> Only because the software isn't there. And fixing that is only a matter of time.
Can I have some of what you are smoking please?
1. Let me know when I can _compile_ on a smart phone. Last time I checked there is NO native compiler running on iOS -- you need a "real" computer (aka desktop) for that. Likewise for game development you're not going to use some shitty 1 GB mobile CPU when you have 16 GB or more plus an i7 for game development. Maybe you'll complain most people don't need "high end code editing". Fine. Let me know when I can edit my HTML / Javascript pages on a phone. Just because you _can_ do it, doesn't mean you _should_ do it. My next point addresses this:
2. Why the hell would I even try to develop on a phone at a crappy low res phone display 1000x600 when I have 2560x1440 27" monitor to write code on AND a 2nd 1920x1080 monitor to run my app on??
IF phones would let me extend their "screen" to a REAL monitor then Yes, you MIGHT have a point someday.
At least you didn't mention the GPU. The advancement of GPU and OpenGL is moving along quite nicely. Every iOS user needs to check out "The Room" for a perfect example of how to properly use a GPU ! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-room/id552039496?mt=8 [apple.com]
Just in case you don't get it. The KEY point is:
Mobile = great for consuming content,
Desktop = great for creating content.
Will Mobile catch up to the Desktop? Yes, I agree the gap will significantly decrease but I seriously doubt it will even come close within 10 years. The number of people consuming content is always much > the number of people creating content.
--
In other news ZDnet is dead. I haven't read "PC Magazine" in years.
Comment removed (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Too little too late (Score:3, Interesting)
I don't know why their designers thought otherwise.
s .... Its because they're idiots.. I am the neighborhood tech support guy (probably cuz I'm retired and around the house most of the time), and since Windows 8 was shoved down everybodys throat, I hardly go a week without somebody in the neighborhood asking me "how do I get *something* besides this new Windows?"... There have been several neighbors who didn't ask me before going to WorstBuy or Frys and buying a new laptop and then finding it came with Microsoft's latest steaming turd, Windows 8. Universally, these poor folks agree with me that Windows 8 IS a steaming turd.. I've pointed those who ask to the Dell Outlet and purchasing one of the excellent factory refurb'ed Latitude laptops there.. They come with Windows 7 (at least for now) and have the same 3 year warantee as a build-to-order system, with a VERY nice discount.. For my own systems, they come from either the Dell Outlet or Dell Financial Services Off-lease sales.. A couple of months ago, I picked up an off-lease Dell Precision T3500 workstation, Xeon Quad-core processor, 4GB of ram, 160GB 10Krpm SAS drive, and an Nvidia Quadro FX580/512mb video card for $408. The system was originally $490, but I found a 25% off coupon on Slickdeals that brought it down to $408, including the $39 add-on warrantee. Another hundred dollars took the system to 12GB of ram. It came with Windows 7 64Bit. oops.. got a bit off-topic there... Anyway, Microsoft is going to HAVE to address their brain-dead Metro interface on Windows 8 IF they want corporate America to stop turning their noses up at it.. Your average corporate "cube-rat" doing spreadsheets/word documents and is currently using XP is gonna most likely be pulling his hair out by the roots IF his IT department takes away his XP system and plops down a Windows 8 system in its place.. Just before I retired, I worked on a temporary contract support job rolling out new Windows 7 systems to replace the companies old XP boxes.. Since I was a contract weenie, I just swapped boxes and got them working, I didn't deal with the following from users... "Hey! this looks different... How do I....".... But the regular IT weinies sure were getting a LOT it, and you gotta figure this was ONLY a move between XP and 7.. Can you flippin' imagine the questions from a XP to windows 8 rollout???????? With budgets as tight as they are, you're not gonna see any training on the new UI. Soo... Unless Microsoft
I DO! IDO! (waves hand!)
decides to admit they made a mistake, and replace the "Windows7-ness" of Windows 8, I strongly suspect you're gonna see Windows 8 become another Windows Vista...