So, I've been using the Windows 8 Release Preview since it came out, almost exclusively (except for work, since I'm obviously not going to rely on unfinished and untested software for that). I already knew I could get into Metro on my 11.6" ZenBook, but on my 24" desktop, things aren't looking as rosy. Here's an illustrated guide of the most pressing issues I run into, and five suggestions to address them. Instead of just complaining, let's get constructive.
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Member since:2005-11-29
Just like Vista was going to herald the beginning of the end of Microsoft..dream on.
If Microsoft can break their dependency on slow moving businesses, then that's a proposition which would likely look very attractive to them. The key isn't to see where things are now, but where things are going.
Mobile growth is exploding, the form factors people use are changing, and the use cases around the devices are changing.
Microsoft makes 30% off of any paid app in the app store, that's up from 0% currently under Windows 7. The money is obviously in their consumer market.
Doesn't open up any opportunity for Linux particularly, because they have their own shit they need to get together, plus there's always Windows 7.
At least until Windows 9 comes, Microsoft has more breathing room, and is able to refine what is Windows 8 to fit businesses a little more naturally. By then I speculate that WinRT will be mature enough to fully replace Win32.
Member since:2005-07-07
Vista did not shove a new restrictive usability paradigm down on users. The negative reaction to Vista was due to performance, compatibility and under the hood changes. Windows 8 is a totally different kettle of fish.
You mean like how .Net has replaced Win32?
Member since:2007-12-17
Nelson you need to learn to do a little market research as to where Microsoft makes it's bread and butter, always has, and where it never has... The 'Mobile Market' is an abject fad of consumption toys for idiots that don't really know how to use computers for productive work...
That's well and fine and it may make money, but the people that actually make those toys and the toy software for them need an OS with a multi-tasking interface to make them for you -- not to mention the people that dispatch the ambulance for the Cretins that can't play with their passive consumption toys and walk or drive at the same time...
Edited 2012-06-04 08:52 UTC
"So in summary... Google has pulled the plug on support on a protocol they've helped popularize, after years of promising interoperability, for reasons that are dubious at best, and in a way that leaves people who don't jump to the new Hangouts app unable to talk to their contacts without any feedback that their IMs aren't getting through... And they've done that with no warning to anyone. I imagine there's a bunch of people out there wondering where some of their buddies have gone, or why their messages aren't getting responses, because this isn't documented anywhere." Google really messed this up. Such a dick move.
The Tizen Greek Community has some screenshots of a very recent build of Tizen running on a Samsung GT-i8800. It looks wholly unremarkable.Joint statement to The Next Web from Microsoft and Google: "Microsoft and YouTube are working together to update the new YouTube for Windows Phone app to enable compliance with YouTube's API terms of service, including enabling ads, in the coming weeks. Microsoft will replace the existing YouTube app in Windows Phone Store with the previous version during this time." Good to know these children stopped acting like little pricks. Can we have full Google support in Windows 8 now, please?
Yahoo is acquiring Tumblr, the microblogging and social networking website, for $1.1 billion USD. Tumblr offers little revenue but lots of eyeballs if Yahoo can monetarize them. Now Yahoo is bidding for Hulu, the streaming video service. After years of ineffective responses while Google, Facebook, and others took large chunks of the online advertising market, Yahoo is fighting back. Can Yahoo reignite the momentum it had at the turn of the century? What do you think?
"Sources have described iOS 7 as 'black, white, and flat all over'. This refers to the dropping of heavy textures and the addition of several new black and white user interface elements." I couldn't be happier.
"Ilja van Sprundel, a security researcher with IOActive, has discovered a large number of issues in the way various X client libraries handle the responses they receive from servers, and has worked with X.Org's security team to analyze, confirm, and fix these issues."
"Google is facing a new antitrust probe by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission into whether the company is using its leadership in the online display-advertising market to illegally curb competition, people familiar with the matter said." Sucks to be Google today, apparently."In the midst of the major press blitz surrounding its annual I/O Conference, Google dropped some unfortunate news about its instant messaging plans. In several places around the web, the company is replacing the existing 'Talk' platform with a new one called 'Hangouts' that sharply diminishes support for the open messaging protocol known as XMPP (or sometimes informally Jabber), and also removes the option to disable the archiving of all chat communications. These changes represent a switch from open protocols to proprietary ones, and a clear step backward for many users." That's why I always say: only suckers trust companies."The wave of departures is a sign of internal struggle, but amidst all the bad news, there is a glimmer of hope. According to an anonymous HTC executive cited by WSJ, the crucial HTC One is selling 'pretty good so far'. The executive revealed that HTC sold about five million One units since launch, a performance that is deemed encouraging. However, sales have been limited by the persisting supply issues that still plague the production of the HTC One." Finally some good news for HTC. Five million units amidst supply constraints is very impressive.
"Sony gave the PS4 50% more raw shader performance, plain and simple (768 SPs @ 800MHz vs. 1152 SPs & 800MHz). Unlike last generation, you don't need to be some sort of Jedi to extract the PS4's potential here. The Xbox One and PS4 architectures are quite similar, Sony just has more hardware under the hood. Weâll have to wait and see how this hardware delta gets exposed in games over time, but the gap is definitely there. The funny thing about game consoles is that itâs usually the lowest common denominator that determines the bulk of the experience across all platforms. On the plus side, the Xbox One should enjoy better power/thermal characteristics compared to the PlayStation 4. Even compared to the Xbox 360 we should see improvement in many use cases thanks to modern power management techniques." AnandTech does its usual in-depth thing.
Member since:
2005-07-06
While that seems to be the case at this point, I doubt thay'd want to do that, that would be suicide. The consumer-only user base is pretty large, that's true, but surviving only on them - without the enterprise market and the associated developer base - doesn't sound very realistic. If they'd drop everything and go fully for a consumer-centric OS, that could be the largest win imaginable for iOS and Android (and for Ubuntu on the desktop as well).