In 5 Things I Love About Windows 8 I listed five features of Microsoft’s upcoming operating system that I really like. If you read that article you may have noticed that those features are all “desktop” related. They do not have anything to do with the new Metro UI of Windows 8, and that is for a reason.
Metro UI in its current form is something that I have no intention of using. I can see how the UI shines on tablets, touch enabled devices and maybe even netbooks and other low resolution devices.
On my desktop PC though, I feel like it adds weight to the workflow. As it stands now, I have to boot into Metro UI whenever I start the operating system. There I see buttons (Microsoft calls them Tiles) that launch applications, websites or information. It is like a full screen application launcher that you cannot deactivate.
Update: You can boot into desktop if that was active when Windows shut down.
I can type in there to launch applications that are not displayed as tiles, but that’s not that intuitive and I foresee an increase in support related incidents when the operating system launches.
Here are basic things that I had difficulties with:
- How to switch between apps (you move your mouse to the left screen border and cycle through them with the mouse wheel.)
- How to close apps (No idea
- How to add apps to the new Metro start UI (you type the app name, right-click the app in the search results list and select Pin)
- How to remove apps from the UI (you right-click and select unpin or uninstall depending on the type of program).
- How to access the standard Start Menu (see Registry fix here, but it disables Metro apps)
- How to stay on the desktop and not switch back to the Metro UI. Remember, there is no start menu, and you cannot use the Windows key either)
- How to shut down Windows 8 (press Alt-F4 with no Windows open in desktop mode)
I would assume that inexperienced users may have even more troubles with the new design and layout than I have.
The main issue that I have is the Metro UI. I know that I won’t be using it, and I hope that Microsoft will be adding options to disable Metro and stick with the classic desktop all the time.
This is not a question of adaption. It is just that I feel that work will take longer to complete with Metro UI enabled, than it would without. I mean, what is the difference between a Metro UI that displays links to applications and features, and the classic desktop with shortcuts, pinned Taskbar items and the start menu?
Then again, I may be biased as I have been working with the classic desktop for a long time. I will give the operating a spin on my desktop when it comes out. First in a dual boot scenario, later on maybe as my primary operating system.
Microsoft still has time to please everyone. Users who embrace the change and think that Metro UI looks pretty and is functional, and those who think that it will slow them down in their day to day activities.
I’d really like to read your opinions on this.
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to shutdown or restart, mouse hover on the windows icon and it will a little menu (if it’s not working make sure you don’t have any app on the desktop selected) then chose settings and on the menu on the right you have a button to shutdown
“But as to closing apps — just don’t. Stop it. You aren’t supposed to stop apps.” – start all your Metro Apps and say it again! My Desktop freeze to death 5 minutes ago, when i try switch one app from this bunch of apps.
I agree with needing a easy way to close apps.
When they are suspended they might not take up any CPU but they still sit in memory.
To the person that said your not meant to close them, try to the drag to change or alt-tab with 15 windows open.
Does Snap feature in w8dp working on laptops?
is there any thing work around to enable it
Agree with many comments here, I installed and played with the developer build and the Metro is fine for a tablet, but it just makes doing everything on my desktop or laptop take longer than windows 7. To be fair this is not even a beta yet so I presume lots will change on feedback. But I think Apple’s idea much better, a OS for desktop and then a cut down version for a tablet. Microsoft presuming most users of tablets want a full windows OS and I think most see a tablet as a device for a quick browse of the web , email or a quick game etc and think Microsoft should have just done a special cut down version for there phones and tablets. Also anyone notice when Steven Sinofsky mentioned things like hyper-v in win 8 he got the loudest cheers, I think thats what would have suited windows 8 better, putting in neat tools like that and make a keep it simple os for there tablets. Also by the time Windows 8 ships can you imagine what Apple and Google and also Amazon will have out by then.
What many people miss with Win8 is that it os not only cross-user-interface with desktop/metro but also very much cross-architecture. Win8 is trying to get the essence of both worlds – desktops and tablets/smartphones – condensed into one OS with the usability features the respective communities are familiar with.
If done right, this will be a great step ahead to pave the way for the coming generations of processor based gadgets and computers. The outlook is to have the same user interface on your desktop and your phone or entertainment equipment with some variation between that accounts for their different uses.
Today, whenever you switch to another gadget, you need to sit and learn to access its features and its usability and productivity tools. Win8 is a step away from that and might well be the OS that shows us how the future of computing and interfacing with processor based devices of any kind will look.
That is not to say that I like it in its current state, it confuses me as something like a badly set up playing device with very little usability which I absolutely unnecessarily have installed on a high-performance machine. But as others said: It is more of a feasibility study, bunt one that has been undertaken with the intent and the built-in potential of taking it beyond that state to a real all-round OS.
The Metro start screen is total crap, can’t get anything to work. How the hell am I supposed to access applications if there is no start menu and I can’t add custom shortcuts to the start screen. I know it can be done, but they could have made it simpler than sending a spaceship to the moon. All in all, this is going to be a big failure I suppose. I understand they needed to make it touch friendly, but why purposely make it difficult for desktop users. It’s total crap
I like the idea of a choice of interfaces, for traditional or touch etc, but currently the metro ui is appalling and basically unusable on a non touch regular PC.
It appears clunky and out of place and although it may work well on a touch screen system they need to allow for those who don’t have or don’t want a clunky touch screen.
I’m trying the Windows 8 pre beta and have yet to work out how to close a program. (At Ctl del, kill process????) Whats the matter with an “X” up top ? Would even work with grubby touch systems.
I like the idea of using same systems and being able to run proper applicatations on multiple formats and it may make tablets useful for more than playing games, and basic web browsing, but I think the whole system has a way to go yet. Share and move data and applications seamlessly between formats.
I really hope it works and they sort out the bugs and give us a REAL OS for tablets rather than the glorified phone systems that are currently the trend! Tablets, phone and desktop – ultimate dream.
I don’t want to go back to the 90′s power of 1 ghz processors and 1024 x 768 screens and no multitasking and basic simple applications that are of no real use to serious users. I want hires, multitasking, big screen, big storage and FAST computers with power that can be utilized and programs that make use of them. Current tablets and their OS are 90′s PC’s – 1 GHz, 512 MB with 32 (or the BIG 64) gig storage. What a joke!
Why do these companies believe that less is better? I want options, choices, power, and features beyond the basics. And hopefully Win 8 can deliver!
Just downloaded Essentials and installed. Puts small tiles or whatever Redmond is calling them on the Win8 Metro UI. Dragged mail to the front and viola. Seems to work fine-ish.
Hey,
You can shut down windows by moving the pointer to the bottom left corner of the screen to get a mini-start menu to pop up and selecting “Settings”. This mini-menu appears where-ever you are (including Apps), and the Settings menu has specific settings for each App (but still no way to close them!). The mini-start menu means you can search for apps or change settings without pressing your windows start key or going via the full screen metro interface.
Still too many things that took 1 step in windows 7 seem to take 2 steps now! Frustrating and bad design imo!
Microsoft will be shooting itself in the foot if it keeps Metro as a default desktop for PC users. Its fine for Tablets. But you know I see a hidden option in the Taskbar to enable a Touch keyboard. So I will assume Microsoft is looking to go that route as did Apple to some extent with its Magic trackpad. But seriously, I have not talked to many people who bought touch screen desktop PC’s who even like them. The vertical screen is not intuitive for touch. I would much rather use a Mouse/keyboard.
Microsoft here is chasing a dead monkey.The classic PC user will have issues with the however slick metro interface. The desktop paradigm just works too well for anybody wishing to loose it. (I have mine blanked, but that’s a different matter). Laptops are going the way of the Dodo at a good speed. In two years or less they are a niche market. They will be nigh completely replaced by tablets. I just recently bought myself an Android based mini tablet, essentially a mobile phone without the phone, for well under $ 100. It finally allows me to read Ghacks on the loo.
It does a few other things, eg., has Excel, but does not edit videos. You can only watch. So what. As in opposite to iPad it does flash.Here and there it has major imperfections, which I can live with for the price tag. At the usual speed of development, in a couple of years I will replace it, and the new thing automatically will wipe my bum before leaving the loo.
This is most likely Microsoft’s last big stance on the O/S level. At least, that is what they hope. Martin offered a few details, where it offers him some advantages. In the end, there is the question, is it worth paying for it? With every passing hour the reasons will become less. Especially when talking about money beyond $ 20.
Operating systems are also forking now. O/Ss you need for fun and basic business – and more powerful classic PC type ware, for development, serious jobs like serious Photoshop and Illustrator style graphics editing, major sound and video editing – which interests maybe 20 or 30%, The rest will be happy with a consumer type “red eye removal”, etc. stuff. On a corporate level, even more so in a shrinking kind of environment, less will be more.
Not that I am a religious anti MS person, but I suppose, the company had its time.Their last essential release was XP Beyond that, it all was more or less cosmetics, poorly done as in Vista, or better as in 7. The rather quick release of 8 demonstrates, that they know too well that they are on a fast train to nowhere.
Why was XP the last substantial realease? All essential applications work on it. None need later Windowses, none will want features of later Windowses. The market has fully matured, and now complete commodtiisation sets in – rather it has already set in.
I completely agree with this article.
Although I think the combination of Metro and “Classic Windows” is a real winner to Microsoft’s strategy of movign Windows onto small portable devices (phones/slates). Migrating Android and IOS upwards towards PC-style producivity is much more difficult than migrating Windows downward, IMHO. As much as I hated Windows Phone 7 when it came, I love what I see so far in Windows 8.
Still, the Metro Start Menu thus far is a total cluster fudge. And that’s why I agree with the author. Sliding back and forth between tiles and normal Windows is killer. Removing the Start Menu is insanity. The Start Menu is completely ingraned in every computer’s user’s work flow. The enhancements made to things like search in Windows Vista were amazing (love or hate Vista, it introduced us to instant application search). Searching from Metro is good. But currently there is zero way, absolutely NO WAY, to discover apps if they don’t have a tile already pinned or you remember what they are called so you can search. The “programs” folder is absolutely essential. I can’t tell you the number of times I forgot the name of a program. How would I search for that?
I’m glad this is an early release because right now they are listening. Remember when IE9 first came out and everybody was like WTF why can’t I put tabs on another line??? MS listened. This is the best time to complain about the Start Menu insanity.
Again, I love the idea of immediately sliding between the two UIs through some quick click/keystroke/whatever. But coopting the Start Menu is absolutely the wrong way to do that.
it’s developer preview guys,,, so there are many (-) minus in this windows… :) waiting for for the final windows 8….
i hope you people found the registry entry that disables metro ui and brings back the windows 7 style interface.
Metro? You must remember this: YOU ARE NOT THE TARGET AUDIENCE. Don’t be so arrogant as to think they have either you or me in mind in designing this. What they really want are the people that don’t have Windows now. They perceive this to be those who won’t use it because it’s “too complicated” (diplomatically not wanting to mention that lots of them are too stupid for computers in the first place). So they build it, like so many things before Windows, for the lowest common denominator. Why? More sales. YOU are already hooked, a “party faithful”, if you will. Keeping the party faithful is not the mission. Growing the congregation is the mission. Expect Metro to be the MOST prominent feature of the next version of Windows, and just wait until you SEE what will follow that in Windows 9 . Windows will keep dumbing down until they can somehow get a computer into the hands of every person on Earth….
This is just the beginning of the transition to a mouse-less computer. Picture a 24″ all-in-one propped up on your desktop … maybe with a keyboard in front of it – or maybe a virtual keyboard. 10 years from now, your computer will be a single device – no mouse, no keyboard – just finger workspace.
I am so frustrated with Microsoft. It seems they like to take something that works fine and change it up just be different, even though it is not helpful. Remember when they changed Microsoft Word and put that stupid ribbon at the top? It took me days to figure out where the save file as button was located. Print layout and gridlines was not in the same place and the whole look and feel of Office changed entirely. Why do I have to relearn some of the most basic functions, Microsoft? This Metro style UI is doing the same thing. Why do I have to press Alt F4 to turn off my computer when it was always at the lower left corner? This UI is so poorly thought out. It’s so strange because the people who work at Microsoft are so smart. Practically every program manager has some sort of Master’s or PhD. It must be that Steve Balmer is overworking his employees. Physical and mental exhaustion can only explain why so many smart people put out half-baked ideas.
at least i like one thing about this OS, it uses less memory than Windows 7
what I hate with this is the apps and games never runs on my netbook. T_T I figured it out that it only runs on pc’s with 1024×768 minimum resolution. win8 never told us this though. i hope that many things will be fixed in the final release.
Simply press windows + I. That will bring up a bar on the right with all your power options and more.
Today, I also decided to give a try to this new OS preview from MS and, as for so many users, the first reaction was “OH, a OS for TablePC” :-)
The more I play with it the more I’m convinced that this is no “innovative” or “futuristic” OS (as posted before here) but simply a product placement strategy to gain market from Apple and Co on Multimedia/touchscreen/TablePC segment.
Of course the final version will have all possibilities of switching to the “classic” desktop or MS will completely loose the productivity clients. It would be very stupid from MS is not.
But regarding all these cosmetic aspects, what most “surprises” me (or maybe not), is the fact that having the chance of developing a new product, MS is focusing in cosmetic aspects to gain the multimedia market instead dealing with really old fashioned and problematic issues of the OS like, e.g. finally dropping this absolute stupid “registry” that causes the most issues with MS OS.
Guys, you did have time enough to learn from (l)inux now!
I agree with a few posters here, windows 8 UI should be tablet only, that is not laptop/desktop worthy.
you can do many things by:
hovering mouse at button of start button and select settings and select power then choose required action
you can close apps by using task manager
The ONLY thing I want to change in Win8 so far? the MetroPOS Start menu…
I love every OTHER feature of the new Win8 EXCEPT the MetroPOS StartMenu…
If someone can find me a way that WORKS (all 6 tools I found on net dont fully work), in keeping Ribbon+TaskManager+Other UI upgrades but trash’s the MetroPOS StartMenu, let me know ASAP….
KColeman@EMPulseGaming.com <— Lemme know!
I was really excited when windows 8 dp came out. I installed and after an hour I uninstalled it. I can’t stand metro style. It really pisses me off which means it is an epic failure. Not sure if it looks good on touch pad. To do things like apple, dont even dream about it. Seriously, Microsoft just can’t understand ‘user experiences’ why every mac user including me feel so fluent when using mac? I have to admit windows 7 is a great os, but there is one thing missin, that is user experience, it is not ‘flowing’
@gq: Not in my future, I don’t like touch, I prefer tactile response, because then, I actually know I pressed something, I do not think I’ll ever give up my mouse or keyboard, as being a typist, it would be too inefficient to use a virtual keyboard.
That being said, I really hope this Metro UI is not the default desktop for Windows. On a tablet maybe it is fine, I don’t know as I don’t use touch devices, but I can tell you, I’ve been using Windows for 15 years, and if they think that this is appropriate for desktop users, they’re going to find out very quickly that people are going to downgrade to Windows 7, just like when Vista flopped (yes, I know, SP1 fixed it) and people downgraded to XP.
Also at everyone complaining about Ribbon: It is not that hard. You can’t figure out the Office button replaced the file menu? That is just sad. Ribbon takes advantage of the fact that you have screen space, and makes it visual so you just have to run your eyes across the screen most times to find stuff. Though, yes I agree they should have had an option to go back to menus.
Anyways, I hope Win8 Beta doesn’t suck.
Why do wee need big tiles on screen if you have a mouse that can easily point at a 32×32 icon.
Do we want sticky fingers touching our display? I always hit people who dear to touch my screen, even the cleaning lady.
THE biggest obstacle is for me when i want to use the damn thing without touching my keyboard… like when im watching a movie with my mouse only by me…. or when i lesure around
IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO USE THE GOD DAMN THING WITH THE MOUSE!
- YOU CAN NOT switch between aps fast with it like you used…
-YOU CAN NOT close the damn thing
-YOU CAN NOT use the app without touching the keyboard, which is TOTALLY INSANE!!! PC ARE NOT SUPOSED TO HAVE THE back key!!!! ONLY TABLETS AND PHONES HAVE IT!!!! AND YOU NEED TO FCKING THINK A WAY TO WORK ROUND IT! like adding an actuall back button on screen you idiots!!!!
I am not very experienced at computers. So when I found out that they are going to make Windows 8 not like the other versions of Windows.With Metro tiles and no proper start menu, I did not like it.And there is nothing that I have seen in the videos or read that is positive about Windows 8.
And if they stop making Windows 7 and so when our computers wear out we are forced to buy Windows 8(in England they have already stopped selling Windows XP.)I don’t know what I will do. Because I won’t know how to use Windows 8 the way it is. And most ordinary computer users won’t be able to use it either or will have great difficulty.
I have seen in the videos how difficult it is to use it with the Metro tiles. and the whole OS is as ugly as hell.
So I am going to do everything possible to avoid ever having to use Windows 8. And as I don’t know how to install operating systems,I am going to buy extra,Windows 7 and Windows XP laptops. And put them away in a cupboard some where. So i will have enough laptops to stay on Windows 7 for the next 20 years.
I hope I never have to face getting stuck with Windows 8,because I won’t know how to use it.
If they would make Windows 8 without the Metro tiles,with a normal Windows 7 desktop and start menu. That would be all right. But it seems they are not going to do that. Which is not fair on Windows users like me who cannot use it with the Metro theme. Andrea Borman.
I personally am not liking the new Windows 8 for multiple reason.
A) I cannot Alt+F4 out of an application
B) Applications do not have an easy “Hit escape to close” or anything of the sort
C) My games (though very old) takes 12x longer to load on W8 then 7 or Vista
D) Lack of user friendliness is greatly disappointing. I do feel as though you are right and that there will be many problems with people that cannot easily navigate through the normal desktop.