Windows 8 - 10/26/2012!

[CeeKay]

MS is keeping their eye on Apple again, sounds like Windows 8 will feature a bunch of features made popular by them.

[frost]

well, unless there's an extremely compelling reason to get 8, I'll skip it like I skipped Vista, and just stick with Windows 7 which I just got within the past few months.

[CeeKay]

I'm thinking the same thing unless Amazon has a good upgrade deal like they had with windows 7.

[Turtle]

So... does that mean it's like Star Trek sequels, except every even numbered Windows you should skip?

Overall, I want to see a good competition here. MS has needed to take a look at what apple's doing for a while now, especially with things like registry bloat.

However, I suspect that even with the success of Windows 7, they won't take the really good things about what apple does.

[TheAtomicKid]

Always good to keep both companies on their toes, however... since I only just recently upgraded the two functional machines in the house to win7, I'll be sticking with that for a while.

Honestly? I think mickeysoft should take their time with win8, and add features to win7 as needed to increase competitiveness with apple.

(actually I'd prefer it if they used a different gameplan with their OS releases, but that's another story entirely... think subscription based model rather than the current method... then they could just add features as they go, and we'd only be forced to reinstall when it changed so significantly that it wasn't really possible to 'upgrade' it. It's basically what linux already does in terms of process... it's just that linux is free of charge, nominally speaking)

I'm thinking 99.99 a year, or even a monthly billing schedule... but NOT the 2-300$ of a retail software sale. It's a steady flow of money to mickeysoft, it doesn't break the bank, and it gives them more flexibility to give their customers goodies. and they'd have a reason too, since if the other platforms gained too much ground, they'd start losing customers, even on the subscription plan.

Or mebbe 149.99 for up to 3 computers?

Atomic

[Giles Habibula]

Ugh. No OS subscriptions for me, thanks anyway.
I like to upgrade when I feel like it, and pay when I decide I can afford it.

[Jumangi]

Ehh, people have plenty of time to get interested in a new version. This is a early leak of potential features. Its not coming till fall 2012...well assuming the world doesn't end before that. 

[CeeKay]

Ehh, people have plenty of time to get interested in a new version. This is a early leak of potential features. Its not coming till fall 2012...well assuming the world doesn't end before that. 

maybe the release is so buggy it's what causes the end!

[Knightshade Dragon]

I'm loving Windows 7 thus far.  I can't imagine buying a subscription-only version.  There have been too many times where I decide "Nuke from orbit to be sure".  With a disc I can do that at will, with a subscription I'm eventually going to have to 'justify' that to somebody.  The list of cons is pretty long I think...

[Laner]

Overall, I want to see a good competition here. MS has needed to take a look at what apple's doing for a while now, especially with things like registry bloat.

There's nothing significantly wrong with the registry.  Sure, it could use some tweaking (as does just about any aspect of a modern OS), but on the whole it works well.

[Blackjack]

I'm waiting for Windows 2027, which is the year North Korea invades us, so I can get my copy for free by looting a store in the invasion's pandemonium and chaos. Oh wait, that's Homefront's ad campaign getting to me again, never mind!

[CeeKay]

I'm waiting for Windows 2027, which is the year North Korea invades us, so I can get my copy for free by looting a store in the invasion's pandemonium and chaos. Oh wait, that's Homefront's ad campaign getting to me again, never mind!

yes... it's just a marketing ploy.... 

[CeeKay]

MS wants Windows 8 to relaunch PC gaming. 

Gaming will be a key component for the whole OS.

translation: if you want to open a program you need to go through a series of quicktime events 

[Turtle]

If GFWL is any indication, they actually want to kill PC gaming so people will buy more Xboxes.

[LoneStarSpur]

Any of you guys play darts? (stay with me here) Particularly cricket?

Well, in cricket the one thing you never, ever want to do is "follow" your opponent...they close 20's, you don't go 20's, but go to 19's and then come back to 20's.

"Following" in darts is a losing strategy; reacting instead of acting.

Sounds a lot like Microsoft these days.

[Turtle]

It's been their strategy for a long time now in the hardware market. Get into a market, play catch up, and kind of make it in the market by throwing lots of money at it.

Thing about this is that, while it may not help them win, copying apple will help stymie the loss of market share to apple.

[LoneStarSpur]

It's been their strategy for a long time now in the hardware market. Get into a market, play catch up, and kind of make it in the market by throwing lots of money at it.

Thing about this is that, while it may not help them win, copying apple will help stymie the loss of market share to apple.

Agreed...it's worked wonders for them in the past when Apple was a crippled company (remember that time?) and Google wasn't a direct competitor.

But, man, tech is changing so fast these days, Apple is a monster and Google is trying to become one (and already has in the smart phone market) that I think they are really behind the 8-ball this time around.

Their smart phone share has crashed and even though they sold 1.5 million Windows Phone 7 (stupid name) they sure aren't bragging about how many of those the vendors have actually sold. 300,000 Android-powered devices are being activated *every day* and Lord knows how many iPhones Apple is still shipping daily, but I would imagine that number is staggering.

Tablets are huge now with the iPad, Galaxy Tab(?) and Motorola shipping a 10", Android 3 tab in Q1 '11 (which I am *very* interested in) and MS is going to show a tablet running W7 that probably won't actually be ready for a year or so.

Chrome OS is interesting and may be something MS is going to have to worry about. Samsung and Sharp(?) are working on devices for a mid-'11 release. Can Dell be far behind?

I'm far from a MS hater. Hell, I celebrated when MS-DOS 6 shipped, beta tested Windows 95 and like W7. LOL But I really think they have lots and lots of problems right now and I'm not sure another bloated Windows release is going to help them all that much.

haha...sorry about the length.

[Purge]

MS is keeping their eye on Apple again, sounds like Windows 8 will feature a bunch of features made popular by them.

See slide 5.

Why HUMANS matter?!! WTF!!

[CeeKay]

The meatbag knows too much....

[Biyobi]

Any of you guys play darts? (stay with me here) Particularly cricket?

Well, in cricket the one thing you never, ever want to do is "follow" your opponent...they close 20's, you don't go 20's, but go to 19's and then come back to 20's.

"Following" in darts is a losing strategy; reacting instead of acting.

Sounds a lot like Microsoft these days.

Screw that, I'm closing 20's.  If I don't, that point whore is gonna run up the score on me!

[CeeKay]

MS has started release pre-beta builds to select partners, and naturally info is leaking out about it.  in the article there's a link to another site with screenshots, and I have to say I hate the look of the interface and hopefully MS gets enough negative feedback to make them decide to trash it.

[Purge]

Your link for the screenshots is down.

Here are the images:







The Ribbon options (3 of them)

[CeeKay]

Your link is down.

yeah, the site with the pictures was going up and down while I was trying to check out some other stuff.  they probably got slashdotted.  just give me the basic menu bar, not some newfangled eye candy crap!

[Purge]

You know what? I love the ribbons. One of my favorite things is being able to add my most used items to where the title-bar was.

for anyone unfamiliar with using the ribbon:


See the icons above home? you can add your frequently used tools/options there, and then if you double-click on any of the titles (Home/Share/View) it will autohide the ribbon so that you use less screen real estate.

[Greggy_D]

Looks very "Officey".

[CeeKay]

Looks very "Officey".

my boss just upgraded to a newer version of Office with that crap.  I refuse to help him with anything because I hate the setup.  all my answers to questions about it are 'I don't know, get OpenOffice'.

[Purge]

my boss just upgraded to a newer version of Office with that crap.  I refuse to help him with anything because I hate the setup.  all my answers to questions about it are 'I don't know, get OpenOffice'.

Ike, is that you?

[Isgrimnur]

Those doughnuts look like ass.

[Purge]

I suspect they are placeholders.

[Isgrimnur]

I hope they are placeholders.

[Purge]

The only icon present besides the doughnut is the clipboard (generally paste shares it). I can't imagine them not having new ones.

[CeeKay]

maybe it's being designed by Homer Simpson....

[CeeKay]

OK, now they're going to far......

no more Blue Screen of Death.


I mean seriously, there are some traditions you just don't break.

[Laner]

I hope they are placeholders.

Specific UI elements (i.e. icons, themes, etc.) are generally one of the last things they address with new Windows releases.

[Jeff Benson]

 I recently experienced windows 7 and I am much happy with it

Dashquid
fatlossprofessional.co.uk
fatlossprofessional
mobilehelper
securetrip
whichpetcover
google
abc
facebook
craigslist

[Knightshade Dragon]

If Win8 is subscription based, I'll be using Win7 for a LOOOOOOOONG time.

[hitbyambulance]

Windows 8 crash screen:



Apple Leopard crash screen:



very imaginative.

[CeeKay]

I know, Apple totally ripped of those funky letters from the Japanese.

[Misguided]

well, unless there's an extremely compelling reason to get 8, I'll skip it like I skipped Vista, and just stick with Windows 7 which I just got within the past few months.

I was just thinking that it might finally be time to jump from XP to Windows 7, lol.

[CeeKay]

a look back at Windows Exploerer, culminating in what it will look like in Windows 8. 

oh, and no more donuts.