Windows Archive

The Verge confirms an earlier story by Mary Jo Foley. "Microsoft is preparing to revive the traditional Start button it killed with Windows 8. Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans have revealed to The Verge that Windows 8.1 will include the return of the Start button. We understand that the button will act as a method to simply access the Start Screen, and will not include the traditional Start Menu. The button is said to look near-identical to the existing Windows flag used in the Charm bar."

"Many PC OEMs are dissatisfied with what Microsoft has done with Windows 8 and the way the company has handled the negative response to the operating system. Privately, one OEM source told me that Microsoft is 'destroying' the PC industry, while another claimed that Windows 8 has 'handed over millions of customers to Apple'. Other OEMs are making their displeasure known publicly. Both Lenovo and Samsung have released Start button replacements for Windows 8." Windows Phone isn't the only thing not catching on. I'm really happy with my Surface RT - warts and all - but there's no denying the response to Windows 8 has been Vista-esque bad.

This is interesting. "Microsoft is planning to change the way its Start Screen operates with the release of Windows 8.1. Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans have revealed to The Verge that the company is currently testing builds of Windows 8.1, known as codename Windows Blue, that include an option to boot directly to the traditional desktop. We're told that the option is disabled by default, allowing users to simply turn on the functionality should they want to avoid the 'Metro' Start Screen at initial boot or login." This won't disable Metro; the hot corners, task switching, and everything else that makes up Metro is still there. All this does is load up the classic desktop as the first application upon boot. Update: The Start button might be returning too.

You can say what you will about Windows Phone and Windows 8's Metro interface (I refuse to drop that name) - it's inefficient, unpopular, cumbersome, beautiful, ugly, organised, clean, limiting - but there's one thing we can all agree on: it's unique and distinctive. CNet has published a profile of Microsoft's Albert Shum, the man behind Metro, and he highlights what I think is at the very core of Microsoft's problems in mobile right now.

"According to Kevin Restivo, an analyst at IDC, the countries where Windows Phone shipments exceeded those of iPhone during the fourth quarter were: Argentina, India, Poland, Russia, South Africa and Ukraine. A seventh 'country' where Windows Phone shipments beat iPhone is actually a group of smaller countries, including Croatia, that IDC lumps together in a category called 'rest of central and eastern Europe'." Not bad. Unsurprisingly, these are Nokia countries.

"Microsoft has breathlessly announced several new game titles for Windows Phone 8. And once again, Redmond continues to disappoint." I'm lucky not to require too many applications, but this article still hits nails on heads.

"An early build of Windows Blue, the next version of Windows, has leaked online. Build 9364 has been made available on file sharing sites and includes some of the new changes that Microsoft is building into its significant Windows 8 update. Leaked screenshots show that the company is bringing smaller Live Tile arrangements to its Start Screen, along with greater control over the color personalization options. Other improvements include a number of new options in the Windows 8-style settings screen. SkyDrive options are present, which appear to show greater integration and control over device back ups and files. There's also an app settings section that surfaces options to change default apps and information on app sizes." Very welcome improvements - but unless there's significant speed and performance improvements, this is all for naught. Update: Woah, a 50:50 split view! They are listening! Update 2: Steve Troughton-Smith details that the split can be any size, and that you can also split three and four applications.

Paul Thurrot: "Tipped off by a reader, I checked my System log in Event Viewer today and what did I find but a stack of pending updates for all of the core apps in Windows 8. I'm not 100 percent sure this is what I think it is. But if we're right, it looks like 18 of the core apps in Windows 8 are about to get updated. Or, almost all of them." Foley confirms it. By far Windows 8's weakest link, so I'm hoping this is true. Especially the Mail application is dreadful.

In an unexpected turn of events, we're seeing 'FUD' being spread about Microsoft, for once. Lots of articles on the web highlighting how the support lifecycle for Window Phone 7/8 and 8 is to end in July 2014, as if WP8 devices won't be getting any updates beyond that point. This already seemed unlikely early to me, and with my magical unicorn powers of, you know, common sense I already made the assumption that this only applies to versions 7.8 and 8.0 - not 8.5 or 9.0 or whatever the next version will be. WMPowerUser shares my unicorn powers: "On the other hand the OS support date is reset with any never version of the OS, so a Windows Phone 8.5 or 9 update in November 2013 would bring along its own 18 month of security updates. Microsoft has already promised all current Windows Phone 8 handsets will receive the next major version of the operating system."

Microsoft rolled out a bunch of patches today for Windows 8, and the most important one is that Flash in IE10 now works with a blacklist instead of a whitelist. "Well, the biggest news is that Microsoft has enabled Flash to work now in Internet Explorer 10 for RT. If you recall, Microsoft only allowed a few, specific websites with Flash to work on Internet Explorer 10 citing performance and battery life reasons. There was even a neat little work around that you could do yourself to bypass this. Now, Microsoft have reversed that decision, which they say is due to more sites becoming IE10 compatible." There's a firmware update for Surface RT as well, and I have to admit my Surface RT feels a little faster and smoother - especially typing. Could be reboot-induced, though.

The Verge: "ModernMix aims to change this. The app provides options to simple run Windows 8-style apps in separate individual windows in desktop mode. Windows 8 still has the usual Aero Snap functionality to align traditional apps side-by-side, and ModernMix takes full advantage of this. ModernMix remembers app window sizes so that they launch in the same place every time. A little widget in the top right-hand corner of Windows 8-style apps lets you bring them into desktop mode, and if you re-launch them from the Start Screen it will remember where you left off." Stardock - making awesome stuff since OS/2.

After ditching its Windows RT tablets from the US market, Samsung has now also confirmed to Heise.de it's going to stop selling them in Germany and several other European countries. The company cites lack of interest from consumers and confusion over what Windows RT is. Combined with the massive discounts Microsoft is now giving to OEMs, the writing is on the wall here: Windows 8 - specifically on tablets but also in general - is turning into a failure.

"The public preview, first reported by win8china, will launch within the next few months, allowing existing Windows 8 users to test and provide feedback before Microsoft readies the final version of Windows Blue. We understand that Microsoft is aiming to only have one preview release for Blue. Features are still being prepared for Blue, but one of the biggest changes is an improvement to the search charm functionality." Whatever. Windows Blue needs to address two things: application loading times and in-application performance, and the Mail application. Everything else is fluff.

"Imagine a phone that could run real Remote Desktop. Real PowerShell. Anything that can run on your desktop PC. Imagine 'phablet' form factors, similar to today's Samsung Galaxy Note 2, which could dock to a desktop setup and utilize an external display, keyboard, mouse, and other peripherals. Imagine a single set of APIs that work everywhere. Imagine that Phone isn't a whole separate platform, but an app. An app that runs on Windows. Real Windows. The Windows Phone team could never make that happen. But the Windows client team? You betcha. Make it happen, Microsoft. It's time to take the phone seriously." I have never agreed with Thurrot as much as I do right now.