Linked by snydeq on Mon 3rd Dec 2012 14:57 UTC
Desktop users deserve a significant rethink of the Windows 8 gaffes and omissions for the next version of Windows, writes InfoWorld's Woody Leonhard, offering 10 must-have features for Windows 9. From a "Get out of hell" modal dialog to prevent unwanted jumping to Metro, to a Control Panel that actually controls the kinds of things you would want a Control Panel to control, it's 'due time we diehards speak out.' What's your feedback for the Windows dev team as it puts together its Windows 9 (or "Windows Blue"?) specs.
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RE[5]: Put the desktop back
by WereCatf on Tue 4th Dec 2012 06:23
in reply to "RE[4]: Put the desktop back"
Member since:2006-02-15
RE[6]: Put the desktop back
by UltraZelda64 on Tue 4th Dec 2012 06:50
in reply to "RE[5]: Put the desktop back"
Member since:2006-12-05
Just like Microsoft stubbornly insisted on and ultimately decided to leave out basic, expected functionality for desktop users? It goes both ways.
I'm not a fan of installing third-party programs for such incredibly basic things at the end of 2012 when Microsoft provided and fully-supported it natively for the last 15+ years. As crazy as it may sound, I would trust Microsoft's implementations of such basic system functionality to be much more reliable and stable than what third-party developers may provide, and I'd rather not risk losing such basic functionality because a third party program crashed or had to be forced to terminate. After all--Microsoft's original implementation has been proven with obscene amounts of both time and real-world use, so that part of Windows was relatively rock-solid at least.
I did, in fact, install a program at the beginning of my evaluation--but I uninstalled it both to see what that "Start screen" was all about and also for the above-mentioned lack of trust toward third-party solutions to such major system functionality.
RE[5]: Put the desktop back
by Undomiel on Tue 4th Dec 2012 08:59
in reply to "RE[4]: Put the desktop back"
Member since:2007-11-23
RE[6]: Put the desktop back
by ricegf on Tue 4th Dec 2012 13:07
in reply to "RE[5]: Put the desktop back"
Member since:2007-04-25
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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2006-12-05
My point simply was that, no matter what you do, you cannot avoid encounters with Metro. Desktop user or not, you just can't. Despite the original poster claiming, "oh, just disable it!"
And by the way, no--your second summary is way off; it's more like: "I almost never need the damn charms, yet they insist on popping up all the damn time anyway." And yes, the charms bar is a part of Metro, which you cannot avoid using just to reboot the damn machine. Even if it's only every once in a while it's just an example of my point that you cannot escape Metro. That is my point.
And as for the start menu thing... well, the traditional one only took a tiny fraction of the screen; Metro's "Start screen" literally takes up the whole damn screen (and plenty of scrolling if you've got it nicely populated with programs).