Good riddance to Windows 8

[jefboyardee]

Good riddance to Windows 8: Microsoft will unveil Windows 9 next month

After months of leaks and hints, Microsoft is finally prepared to unveil the next version Windows. The Verge reports that Microsoft will hold a press event on September 30th to officially announce Windows 9 and discuss details of the upcoming release.

...I hope they've learned their lesson.

 

[Muckle Dabuckle]

I'm one of the few people who really enjoys Windows 8. It seems like it was made with touchscreens or tablets in mind, which is where I use it (my Surface tablet). I know it's blasphemy on this Web site, but I prefer the Windows operating system on tablets over Android (Android is still the best with phones). Although I have had problems with Windows 8 and made a thread about it yesterday. I'm sure my original Surface tablet won't get the Windows 9 update even though Microsoft wants to unify all their versions of Windows as one.

 

[MoodyBlues]

I know it's blasphemy on this Web site, but I prefer the Windows operating system on tablets over Android

It's okay. We won't bite!

I do wonder, though, what you like better about windows on tablets vs Android. It would be interesting to hear, so if you feel like it, please let us know.

 

[Muckle Dabuckle]

It's okay. We won't bite!

Allegedly.

I do wonder, though, what you like better about windows on tablets vs Android. It would be interesting to hear, so if you feel like it, please let us know.

I think some of it is more psychological than hardware-wise. I say that because I just get bored with the same operating system on all of my devices. I already have an Android phone so I figure I can't justify having an Android tablet which is basically just a slightly larger version of my phone. Also, I should probably say I prefer Surface tablets over Android tablets being I've never really tried other brands of Windows tablets.

Here is what I like about my Surface RT (a lot of this is definitely not exclusive to just Surfaces):

1) 16x9 widescreen screen. It's only 720p but games, movies, and text look great. It's especially great for streaming tv shows being they fit the entire screen natively.

2) Built-in kickstand. Didn't know I needed one until I got the Surface RT.

3) The build quality is amazing. It's one of the most solidly built tech items I've ever seen. The VaporMg material it's built out of seems like more than a gimmicky name. Nice and solid.

4) USB port. I've used this many times already to transfer Microsoft Office files, photos, DRM free movies (Jim Gaffigan comedy specials), and I made a system backup zip drive to free up around 4GB of space on the SSD. I can also just plug in an Xbox controller to play games with.

5) Micro HDMI port so I can plug the tablet into my tvs. I'm hoping this comes in handy if I ever subscribe to NFL Game Rewind.

6) Touch cover. The integrated keyboard built into my cover works like a charm. I like how it just snaps into place on the magnetic port on the bottom of the tablet. I know you can get keyboard covers for any tablet, but none are as integrated into the actual outside structure like this.

7) A full version of Microsoft Office is installed so I can use Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc. I don't need these for my job, but it's nice to make a family budget on Excel, etc. Bad thing about this is that it's a huge memory hog (many GB).

8) Magnetic charging port. You can plug the charger in in any direction and it just pops into the port. I figure this will save wear and tear on the port (I worry about my LG G2 sometimes being the port is so tight).

9) Gesture controls. I like how the gestures stay the same in any app I'm in. If I swipe from the right bezel I get the options for the current app I'm in, swipe from the top it closes the app, swipe from the bottom I get more options, swipe from the left and I choose previously viewed apps or choose to run two at once split screen style. Gesture controls may be my favorite feature on the tablet.

10) Integrated system search. I can just use the search button on my keyboard or by swiping the right bezel. You can find almost anything on the tablet in an instant (except those Cold Alley files....).

11) I can switch between two different home screens: classic desktop or metro. Classic desktop is exactly the same as any Windows PC desktop. The Web browser has flash support too.

12) App store is great. It was pretty barren for a while, but it's getting pretty full. Almost everything I need is there now (except Vudu). The Microsoft apps and games are all really well done (except Cold Alley). There is a free app called the "Microsoft Research Video Library" that has dozens of videos of academic lectures on technology. On these videos you can watch the lecture, read the notes, and scroll through the Powerpoint presentation slides on the screen all at once. Pretty cool.

13) microSD slot expandable up to 128GB.

One of the main things I like about my tablet is the Metro part of the operating system (which, for some reason, is one of the main reasons people hate Windows 8). It's just a little different than iOS and Android to make it refreshing. Being able to resize and get a live tile of almost every app makes for a really cool looking home screen. You can customize it a lot more than iOS, but not quite as much as Android. Still enough to make it satisfying.

I plan on sticking with Surface for my tablet needs as long as they drop in price by the time I need a new one (I got my RT on clearance when it was announced Microsoft took close to a $1 billion dollar loss on them).

Blah, blah, blah, etc., etc. You asked.

 

[MoodyBlues]

It's okay. We won't bite!

Allegedly.

Oh, crap, our cover is blown! :laugh:

Thanks for the detailed response regarding your tablet OS preference. Interesting reading!

My tablet is a Kindle Fire HD 8.9" that I rooted. It looks/acts just like any 'normal' Android tablet vs its original, very limited behavior as an Amazon toy. It has a USB port and a micro-HDMI port, along with other things included in your list. I'm very happy with it and won't be upgrading any time soon. (Okay...I know what the regulars around here are thinking...right, she *SAYS* she won't be doing something...and then she DOES IT!! :rofl

 

[Muckle Dabuckle]

Thanks for the detailed response regarding your tablet OS preference. Interesting reading!

I always wanted to write a novel, now I know I can!

My tablet is a Kindle Fire HD 8.9" that I rooted. It looks/acts just like any 'normal' Android tablet vs its original, very limited behavior as an Amazon toy. It has a USB port and a micro-HDMI port, along with other things included in your list. I'm very happy with it and won't be upgrading any time soon. (Okay...I know what the regulars around here are thinking...right, she *SAYS* she won't be doing something...and then she DOES IT!! :rofl

I was so close to getting a Kindle Fire just for the supposedly awesome stereo speakers. Since I don't know how to root, but like using the built in customization options of Android, it would've been too boring in the end.

 

[MoodyBlues]

What's that old saying about a woman's prerogative, again?

Exactly! :laugh:

 

[MoodyBlues]

I always wanted to write a novel, now I know I can!

See, that old adage is true: learn something new every day.

I was so close to getting a Kindle Fire just for the supposedly awesome stereo speakers.

Its sound is great and, really, I love its display. Actually... :hmmmm2: ...there's not much about it I don't like.

Since I don't know how to root, but like using the built in customization options of Android, it would've been too boring in the end.

It's the first Android device I ever rooted. I've never felt the need/urge/whatever to root my phones, but even if I wanted to, I've found it's not very straightforward when you're a Linux-only person. Everything I ever found online regarding rooting my phones applied to windows, and sometimes, Mac, but never Linux. And talk about irony! It's like, dude, Android *IS* a Linux, so how about some Linux support?!

Anyway, I'm super-pleased with my Kindle Fire, especially since its price was a lot less than other large-screen tablets.

 

[jefboyardee]

Are we still talking about Windows 9?

 

[argedion]

Are we still talking about Windows 9?

Huh? whats that :rofl:

 

[jefboyardee]

An excellent question that may be answered, albeit crudely, in a few weeks.

 

[jefboyardee]

Windows 9 is set to be unveiled on September 30

Hopefully everyone will be able to download the Windows 9 preview

 

[sfbloodbrother]

I would like to see it. New changes.

 

[jhawkkw]

I'd probably make a windows 9 vm just to toy around with it. Something about being new and shiny and the urge to find problems with it

 

[nickdalzell]

I dunno, there are plenty of *new* tablets and laptops being sold with Windows 8 and they even updated the preview demo in the stores (no more Alison Brown). i don't think MS wants to believe that 8 was a failure. but keep in mind that Staples kept selling retail boxes of Windows ME for at least five years after it flopped so unless it was NOS i am not sure.

There is no guarantee that Win9 has the start menu or if it just bears a more updated variant of Windows 8's touchscreen metro UI.

Personally i liked Win8 for a time, back when my Xbox 360 hooked to my older HDTV was the closest i had to a Smart TV in any sense, and it was welcome to have the same UI that my 360 had and i knew it in and out at the time. so it was not really the UI that bugged me (and the Win7 UI was easily a click away in 'Desktop' mode so it was not like choices weren't given)

my issues with it were with the gestures being accidentally triggered when not using an external mouse, and hiding vital functions (such as the NORMAL control panel) away from where i was used to. i never could figure out where Control Panel was so i often hit the Action Center icon in Desktop view to shortcut to an option (such as Windows Update) through it. burying items i used often annoyed me.

Then came their sudden hatred of Progressive JPG images. you could not open them or see a preview of them in the in-built image preview. i had to convert each picture taken on my phone to *.PNG or some other image format for them to show or print. even the PlayStation 3 console in a later update suddenly started hating on Progressive JPEG files, to the point you could no longer set them as the wallpaper or use them in PS Home in a photo frame.

OpenSUSE (well up until i borked it) ran on the Ultrabook i got that came with Windows 8, i presumably bought it for games, but then moved to my Macbook Pro and now Chromebook and tablet for computing, so now it sits unused and there are rare times mom needs help with Win8 on her Dell and i am totally lost, as i keep forgetting where they buried certain items. she still refuses to accept the inability to load Progressive JPEG files, and hates how she must now convert them to *.PNGs.

I have one Toshiba lappy that has OpenSUSE running fine, and also a copy of WinXP for those rare times one needs ODIN or Kies to flash a phone or to root one.

 

[jefboyardee]

And of course, there's always:

China targets own operating system to take on likes of Microsoft, Google

China could have a new homegrown operating system by October to take on imported rivals such as Microsoft Corp, Google Inc and Apple Inc, Xinhua news agency said on Sunday.

Computer technology became an area of tension between China and the United States after a number of run-ins over cyber security. China is now looking to help its domestic industry catch up with imported systems such as Microsoft's Windows and Google's mobile operating system Android.

The operating system would first appear on desktop devices and later extend to smartphone and other mobile devices, Xinhua said, citing Ni Guangnan who heads an official OS development alliance established in March.

...but I'd just be hungry again in two hours.

 

[palmtree5]

And of course, there's always:

China targets own operating system to take on likes of Microsoft, Google

China could have a new homegrown operating system by October to take on imported rivals such as Microsoft Corp, Google Inc and Apple Inc, Xinhua news agency said on Sunday.

Computer technology became an area of tension between China and the United States after a number of run-ins over cyber security. China is now looking to help its domestic industry catch up with imported systems such as Microsoft's Windows and Google's mobile operating system Android.

The operating system would first appear on desktop devices and later extend to smartphone and other mobile devices, Xinhua said, citing Ni Guangnan who heads an official OS development alliance established in March.

...but I'd just be hungry again in two hours.

Wow

 

[MoodyBlues]

And of course, there's always:

China targets own operating system to take on likes of Microsoft, Google

China could have a new homegrown operating system by October to take on imported rivals such as Microsoft Corp, Google Inc and Apple Inc, Xinhua news agency said on Sunday.

Computer technology became an area of tension between China and the United States after a number of run-ins over cyber security. China is now looking to help its domestic industry catch up with imported systems such as Microsoft's Windows and Google's mobile operating system Android.

The operating system would first appear on desktop devices and later extend to smartphone and other mobile devices, Xinhua said, citing Ni Guangnan who heads an official OS development alliance established in March.

I'd like to hear what mikedt thinks about, or knows about, this. Should be very interesting to have one of us [Android Forums people] right there who can report on it.

ETA: I've PMed mikedt.

 

[jefboyardee]

The funny thing is that MS has been caught with their binary pants down, having spent the last three years trying to convince us how great one of their worst products is. There couldn't be a better time for an upstart to swoop in and win over a majority of us Windowers. Last year, I huffed and puffed about Linux letting this same opportunity slip by, but they just spouted off the usual malarkey about having choices.

 

[MoodyBlues]

The funny thing is that MS has been caught with their binary pants down, having spent the last three years trying to convince us how great one of their worst products is. There couldn't be a better time for an upstart to swoop in and win over a majority of us Windowers. Last year, I huffed and puffed about Linux letting this same opportunity slip by, but they just spouted off the usual malarkey about having choices.

Offhand, I don't recall anything about that; was it here that you discussed it? I'm way too lazy to go back and look so, if you'd like, why not start a thread and we can hash it out?

Personally, I think that if more Android users consciously THOUGHT about the fact that they're using Linux on their devices, they may have an "ah-ha!" moment and consider trying Linux on their computers. I'm confident that at least some of them would like the freedom and, yes, choice, Linux offers that M$ never will.

 

[jefboyardee]

I think it was earlier this year; I did some searching but can't find my specific rant. Anyway, I was venting my frustration, after finally leaning how to dual boot, that there was no way I could abandon 7 for any distro. I then tried about a hundred other distros just make sure. I still have Linux Mint 17 Cinnamon loaded, admittedly because it reminds me the most of Windows, but just futz with it to kill time.

I learned quite a lot, except what I was hoping to learn.

 

[MoodyBlues]

That sounds familiar now.

What was it you were hoping to learn?

 

[jefboyardee]

I was attempting, by learning how run stuff like Active ISO, gParted and Grub Customizer, to jump into the distro pool and keep swimming in it forever, to happily abandon over twenty years of slavish obedience to Windows. But the more I learned about Linux, the more I appreciated what I already had.

I know it doesn't work out that way for everyone and I don't have to make a hard decision on this. All this effort has just has resulted in a new toy for me, a mere distraction... that's okay too. Since I'm capable now, I'd probably try something like a Chinese Windows right away.

I do appreciate that, with the help of people like you, I have learned a hell of a lot about how PCs work.

 

[mikedt]

I'd like to hear what mikedt thinks about, or knows about, this. Should be very interesting to have one of us [Android Forums people] right there who can report on it.

ETA: I've PMed mikedt.

Thanks for the PM Moody.

China has already adopted for Android, and made it its own. Google provides the original source code, and that's it. Since earlier this year Google is not welcome at all, and in fact they're completely blocked by the GFW censoring, except for a couple of services accessible via google.cn, namely Maps(ditu.gooogle.cn) and translate(translate.google.cn). Anything else, including Play and Gmail, have to use a VPN. There's quite a few forks of Android now, they don't even call it Android and all have their own names and branding, MIUI by Xiaomi is probably a well known one, which is available for quite a few phones including Samsung. Alibaba have done something called Yun OS, which is a fork of Android that's not compatible with it at all, can't install APKs. It has it's own packaging system. And that's available on quite a few devices now, including Philips ones. Opera from Sweden seem to have done very well here. Their browser is pre-installed many devices now, as well as operating their own app store, an online shopping portal via TaoBao, and many other services.

Microsoft are definitely on their way out. Govt. departments have been told to stop using Windows and Office, and start using Ubuntu Kylin, which is a version of Ubuntu developed in partnership with Canonical Ltd. and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in Beijing. Can buy Ubuntu Kylin PCs and laptops now. Although inexpensive, low powered laptops with ARM CPUs running Android are quite popular now, basically tablets with keyboards, as well as all-in-one computers running Android. And Android is in so many smart TVs now. State schools, colleges and universities have already stopped using MS Office earlier this year and changed over to WPS Office, which is also known as Kingsoft Office on Android. And any PC buy now comes with WPS Office, not MS Office. Microsoft originlly produced a special version of Win 7 and 8 just for the PRC that only worked in Chinese, and made it very difficult to buy and activate non-Chinese regular Windows here, as I found out a while back now. They have special Chinese versions of Skype as well, which have govt. censoring and monitoring.

Basically China likes to it's own thing, really to avoid dependence on foreign companies and having to pay them money, and because it can. A good example is TD-SCDMA, which is a 3G cellular system developed entirely in China and just used in China, it was done really to avoid paying foreign patent and licensing fees. Although they're seeking to export TD-SCDMA to other emerging market countries, particularly in Africa. Blu-ray disc is another one, don't see that here, because it's very expensive and complex to license("Bag of hurt" - Steve Jobs) and instead there's a domestically developed equivalent, based on the abandoned HD-DVD format. China Blue High-Definition...CBHD.

Now Apple on the other hand they don't seem to be having any problems with China at all. All their online services are available here, like iCloud, and iOS and Mac OS X in China are exactly the same as anywhere else. No special PRC versions, unlike Microsoft.

BTW in case anyone doesn't know, I'm not Chinese myself, I'm a British expat who moved here just after the Beijing Olympics. I teach English for a living, but also very interested in tech and corporate politics.

 

[argedion]

Looks like microsoft will officially announce in September but from what little I can find on it it looks like its a bit aways from actually being ready. I would be interested in running it to see the changes they have made.