Linked by Thom Holwerda on Mon 3rd Sep 2012 00:39 UTC, submitted by MOS6510
"Efforts are split between models in which keyboards detach from screens, ones in which the keys remain attached but can be hidden behind displays, and traditional fixed clamshell designs." None of these really float my boat. They work with clunky connectors and weird hinges, while I'd much rather have Surface's nice magnetic connection. On top of that, Surface just looks way better than this stuff. Pretty clear why Microsoft felt the need to make their own hardware.
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RE[3]: piss poor design
by UltraZelda64 on Mon 3rd Sep 2012 19:30
in reply to "RE[2]: piss poor design"
Member since:2006-12-05
Use it while you still can, because it's clear Microsoft has every intention to eradicate the traditional desktop from Windows as "obsolete" technology as soon as they can. The whole desktop will soon enough go the way of the classic Start menu. You know, when the menu was actually still there, and back before they made it all fancy with two panes and a user picture (IMO, a major step down, introduced in XP and forced onto users in Vista).
iOS and Android may have been different, but they weren't attempted to be be forced on traditional mouse/trackpad and keyboards-based desktop and laptop machines. They were specifically designed for and installed on portable devices with a touchscreen, like phones and tablet computers. Big difference there, because Microsoft is creating a Frankenstein monster with (for now) two completely different graphical user interfaces that have no resemblance to each other, either in appearance, usage, or even intended devices to be used on.
It's what Microsoft should have released separately as "Windows 8 Tablet and Phone Edition" or something.
Member since:2005-11-13
Use it while you still can, because it's clear Microsoft has every intention to eradicate the traditional desktop from Windows as "obsolete" technology as soon as they can.
'As soon as they can' is the key here, and will probably be like in Windows 12
They're not going to be able to turn it off until Metro gets mature enough to the point where they can port fully-functional versions of Office and Visual Studio to it. And if you don't think Metro will ever get mature enough for that, go back and take a look at Windows 1.0; that's essentially the foundation that Windows 7 was built on. Already, it has several features that the classic desktop does not. So, relax guys. You're not going to install Windows 9 and suddenly discover that the traditional desktop is gone, and it's all Metro. I think the point here is to try and get tech tards moved over, and then migrate the power users at a later time. And in the unlikely event that the traditional desktop does go away in Windows 9, it's going to go away whether I use it Windows 7 or Windows 8.
It's also possible that if Metro doesn't catch on with the computer illiterate, MS will abandon it, just like they have done with other technologies that they 'bet the company' on.
Edited 2012-09-03 23:31 UTC
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/24/13 17:26 UTC
So, the Xbox One disaster continues. Microsoft's policy for dealing with the used games market has reportedly leaked - and it's a clear and direct attack to destroy the used games market. Prices for used games will be set at the retail value of a new game, and retailers have to hook into Microsoft's computer systems and comply with Microsoft's terms and conditions.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 11:29 UTC
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.More Features »
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Member since:
2005-11-13
Well, that's the cool thing about Windows 8... if you need 'real power', just press Win+D, and you're off to the races
Of course, most people (probably 90% of them), don't need all those bells and whistles, so Metro will probably do fine for them, which is what MS is counting on. Of course, I have no idea if tech tards will take to Metro or not... only time will tell. Sure it's different, but then so was iOS and Android.
As for Windows 8 'classic' desktop, it's got some features that Win7 doesn't, such as native USB 3.0 support, taskbars on multiple monitors, hyper-v virtualization, improved task manager, native ISO mounting, etc. Plus, it runs faster and on less memory. It's not a huge improvement, but for $40, I plan on taking the plunge.
Edited 2012-09-03 16:26 UTC