Windows 9 To Win Over Windows 7 Users, Disables Start Screen For Desktop

DroidJason1 writes One of Microsoft's main goals with Windows 9, the next major version of Windows, is to win over Windows 7 hold outs. The operating system will look and work differently based on hardware type. Microsoft is looking to showcase the desktop for desktop and laptop users, while two-in-one devices like the Surface Pro or Lenovo Yoga will support switching between the Metro interface and the classic desktop interface. The new desktop will allow Modern UI apps to run in windowed mode, and have Modern UI apps pinned to the Start Menu instead of a Start Screen. There will also be a mini-start menu. Microsoft is looking to undo the usability mistakes it made with Windows 8 for those who are not on a touch device. WIndows 9 is expected around spring of 2015.

Comments

hmmmmm

[Anonymous Coward]

Isn't that supposed to be windows 8.2?

Re:hmmmmm

[epyT-R]

Maybe because touch devices make shitty desktop devices and they shouldn't be integrated for that reason.

One switch to rule them all?

[damn_registrars]

Can they also put a switch in this to make Office usable? I can't stand that fucking ribbon interface that makes everything I used to do the most often 5 times more difficult.

Re:One switch to rule them all?

[roc97007]

Or just switch to Open Office or other derivatives.

That is exactly what I did. Unfortunately every once in a while one of my colleagues will send me a document (usually a power point presentation) that won't open in anything other than the newest version of office (and sometimes only the newest version on the same platform as their, to boot). They then get to listen to me cursing office for some time while I try to read their document.

This happens often, even with people who are using older versions of Office. My daughter's high school used to do this all the time -- append docx documents, get complaints from parents, and then re-save in doc format and resend. I dunno what kind of deal the school gets for software, but most of us, unless we've stolen a copy from work, are using an old version of Office or in some cases a third party equivalent.

So in your case, I'd do the same thing I did with daughter's high school teachers. Politely ask them to save the document in a less proprietary format and resend.

Seriously, I don't think I ever received anything from them that couldn't be sent in RTF format, but that's another story.

And here I'm hoping...

[Mashiki]

That it goes x64 only, much like they said a year and change ago.

Touch Server

[Liquidretro]

So this means my virtualized headless server won't have a touch screen interface? Glad someone used some common sense.

Windows 8.X / 8.1X needs a new name to

[Joe_Dragon]

Windows 8.X / 8.1X needs a new name to get rid of the bad PR and make the changes stand out more.

Wouldn't it be more appropriate to say...

[hedgemage]

Instead of saying "One of Microsoft's main goals with Windows 9, the next major version of Windows, is to win over Windows 7 hold outs." wouldn't it be more factual to say the main goal is to "overcome the design failures that prevented widespread adoption of Windows 8."

As much as they love to pat themselves on the back for having such a "revolutionary" design, there is no better evidence that it Win 8 was a groupthink circlejerk than how no one who had the choice would use it.

Windows 7 end of life...

[QuietLagoon]

The end of life for Windows 7 is not until January 14, 2020. Windows 7 is working OK for me.

.
Why in the world would I want to give Microsoft more money just to stay on the Microsoft Upgrade Treadmill©?

Re:Umm, ctrl+c/ctrl+v?

[Luckyo]

I was wondering when one of the "oh the new start menu is great, it's just misunderstood and needs to be relabeled" goblins crawls out of his cave to poop his bullshit on this thread.
Did the epic failure of 8 teach you nothing? We WANT the proper tree menu in start menu. Not your shitty catastrophe that can't even have a proper tree structure. An actual, usable start menu.

Go back to your cave. Eight is dead as is (hopefully) start screen. Even microsoft is apparently starting to get it.

I won't upgrade.

[Anonymous Coward]

They release new versions of windows too often, and charge too much for the upgrades. Also, far too many things stop working once one upgrades.

I intend to hang on to 7 until the end of extended support, and possibly after that, because I have no incentive to upgrade. Their willingness to give me back the interface they shouldn't have taken away in the first place is not an incentive to upgrade, it is merely one less disincentive.

Re:I won't upgrade.

[Bill, Shooter of Bul]

I don't think they care about software upgrades. I do think they care about hardware OEM's shipping old versions of their OS.