Blogging Windows - All Comments

vdx660 — Sun, 19 May 2013 17:56:15 GMT

Instead of two disparate systems, Microsoft should have designed Windows 8.1 with the strengths of both Classic (Start Menu) and Windows Modern UI (Start Screen Live Tiles).

www.youtube.com/watch

jacek_j1978 — Sun, 19 May 2013 17:33:14 GMT

Flash works by default, it is time for Silverlight in the next step.

jacek_j1978 — Sun, 19 May 2013 16:48:53 GMT

Bring Silverlight to Modern UI Internet Explorer. You built in Flash, but no Silverlight. You should be more loyal to your own developer community!

louisvuitton00 — Sun, 19 May 2013 07:52:29 GMT

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Soukyuu — Sat, 18 May 2013 22:53:13 GMT

Well I sure hope 8.1 fixes the jarring design choices you guys did with 8.0.

I'd like to know what the UI designers were thinking when they decided this made sense:

dl.dropboxusercontent.com/.../win8userexperience.jpg

But it's not the first time anyone not using the default taskbar arrangement got shafted, the now dead start menu used to open over the taskbar itself. Still sticking with win7 on my main machine until something changes, but the rule of thumb seems to be still valid: upgrade -> skip one version -> upgrade.

cmills1010 — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:33:43 GMT

I just wanted to add to this blog that I have been very happy with windows 8 and windows 8 pro ever since day 1. I know there have been negative comments about it--but I really have not seen anything negative about it. I have loved it from the very beginning. I really like the fact that we do still have the desktop (windows 7), and then we also have all the apps that we want. Look at all that we can do with Windows 8! I love it. I do everything that I ever did with Windows 7 Plus more!! There are so many Apps now--Painting Apps, News Apps, Cooking Apps---the list goes on & on. Now we can use our main computer for numerous things like we always have done, plus use our tablets for more portability. And the desktop is still there and so is the start button--just right click in the lower left corner and up comes the start menu. And I don't mean the Start Screen--I mean the Start Menu which lists the control panel + programs & features + system + device manager, etc....

Timelord — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:27:38 GMT

Quote from a comment "glad to see it's official, and that Windows 8.1 will be a free update"...

In the past we just called these Service Packs...

tfl — Sat, 18 May 2013 17:07:44 GMT

Brandon,

Thanks for the post and thanks for confirming some of the details. Windows 8.1 (aka WIndows 8 SP1) is eagerly awaited here, but I'm MUCH more interested in the Windows Server 2012 R2 (or whatever it'll be called).

With respect to both OSs - what's the story on the start button? IS it back? What does it look like? Persionally, I rarely use the start screen on my Windows 8 boxes as almost all the work I do is desktop based (I use Office, PowerShell, and server stuff).

Thanks to those great folks at Stardock, I have Start8 which returns the start menu to my systems. With the addition of this add-in, I just love Windows 8. As an aside, had you just bought Stardock, and given all their tols away for free inside Win8, you'd have probably lost far less money (enough to pay for the purchase?) and avoided so much bad press.

With respect to the start button, I really hope the team will do the decent thing here - and I really really hope it's not a half-baked approach too (ie one that shreeks 'we had to put something back in but we really don't want to'). Of course, had Microsoft been listening 2 years ago (when 8 was being worked on), you would have known the start button, or lack thereof, was going to be an issue. Now let's hope that the team is both really listening and really _hearing_ these criticisms and are going to react in a mature way.

Yes, Microsoft, this is a new Coke moment for you. You CAN roar back, like Coke did, and make Windows 8 a great brand. Of course, you can continue in the no compromise mode and we can all watch you fall further and further behind. Your call.

Phoghat — Sat, 18 May 2013 11:29:38 GMT

I bought a new win 8 computer for my wife, and it's a good thing that I have a lot of patience, and that I am the local IT man on duty 24/7/365

For an OS supposedly designed for ease of use, 8 is anything but. I hope that 8.1 solves this, because honestly, the last time I had to negotiate the maze of showing her how to accomplish the easiest things ( I.E. downloading camera pictures) I was thisclose to just installing Ubuntu. which amazingly enough, she can negotiate easily.

jhmalaska — Sat, 18 May 2013 07:50:07 GMT

You say It is getting better. I worked with a bunch of programmers from Bell Labs. The job was an interface between the users and programers.They were developing a new integrated platform for our designers technicians testers and order writers that would be rolled out nation wide. Bell Labs moved into our building bringing with them the basic framework. The big problem was and always be is the user and programmers may speak the same language but the meanings of words may not always match up. If you said "Structure to the user this to them would mean the a building or habitat. A programmer knows that this same word to them means how their code is held together and linked to other parts.

We would get a release of one phase and test the functionality. I had the ability to listen to each side and understand the meanings. There were times when a user was having difficulty and a programmer would sit down watch and learn how the user is interacting. This helped the development greatly. It is the social interaction between the user and programmer that creates a better product. Now I am not talking about a programmer and a computer geek. You want to be working with real world users the average female an male. Geeks can get anything and often may know more than the programmer. Maybe that is good in some instances. Together we put out a good product that had a slick interface "and we did not lose months of paid employee time" trying to retrain them. They sat down with the new product with a few video instructions a roving mentor and we were all off and running.

It appears that Microsoft failed in this area, The corporate culture is this is what we are going to do and they will learn to love it. my Dell laptop needed replacement last winter and I bought an HP. Did not like win *8 but being a corporate trainer and always embracing change as I like challenges I decided to give it a try. Hindsight now I should have removed Win 8 and used another operating system or bought an apple. Too late now as it is too risky with my graphic design programs and all of my projects in progress I do not want to lose anything. How I use win 8, as soon as it boots up I toss the apps out and use the desk top. Some of my programs have multiple apps associated. I do not need to see these. Sometimes the apps screen re appears when I am in the middle of some work and I have to toss it away again and see if the interruption corrupted my design which it often does.

So bottom line, Ask me what I want and work with me to produce it. Do not try and stuff something into my hand that you and I both know is a pig in a poke. Finally where is my start button and I do not want this to boot up to the apps.

Brandon LeBlanc — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:50:11 GMT

[mention:6753dc70432240a9882897d650800c9a:e9ed411860ed4f2ba0265705b8793d05] - we announced there will be a public preview of Windows 8.1 at the Build conference at the end of June where there will also be more information for developers building apps for the platform as well. Thanks for the comment.

pvp101sing2020 — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:09:19 GMT

That got to be awsome for how many device is on the platform of windows 8 am glad to see that. I still use Windows 7 on my tower computer because it cant run the new update of windows 8 I dont know why. But I have windows 8 on my HP laptop am glad to have it and glad that microsoft made it. Good work Developers:)

pvp101sing2020 — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:03:04 GMT

I cant wait when windows 8.1 code name "blue" comes out thanks a lote microsoft for letting us try a preview first cant wait in june 26. Thanks again Microsoft.

charlie.plus — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:58:05 GMT

I see a lot of people expressing their requests and how important a notification center is for them and i just don't get it.

First of all for me, Windows 8 Phone and Desktop delivers the most unified and relevant notification system than any platform in the form of tiles! Second, i don't even see the big necessity for it. Why all the fuss?

Unless what they actually request is the ability to control app notifications from a single location on their device. Even for that, i am not so sure of its usefulness as most developers respect the users and they don't push notifications in your face all the time as is the case on iOS and Android.

So if someone could kindly explain to me please, why all the fuss with the notification center?

charlie.plus — Fri, 17 May 2013 21:17:29 GMT

Dear Microsoft, please deliver something more substantial as news next time.

We all knew it is 8.1 unless people were really not following. And we all knew it is an Update. Updates/SP etc. are typically free. Who delivers paid updates?!?

What we want to know is when it comes out, if it is going to be simultaneous across all Windows platforms (Desktop/Phone/RT) and if Developer Preview will be available soon. (SDK updates?!?) Also a few more details regarding Skydrive and Windows.

Thank you!