JorgeA

So it sounds like all the talk about Windows 8.1 was mostly hype and sloganeering. Thanks for letting us know. LIke you said, they will need a bit more pain before they are persuaded to mend their ways... --JorgeA

Wow, I'm glad I asked about ReactOS -- there's a lot of well-informed folks in here. I've added their website to my bookmarks and will be checking in periodically to see if the glacial pace of their development has speeded up. A substantial monetary contribution on my part will, unfortunately, have to wait until I win the lottery. And then I would want to go in together with someone who possessed the technical knowledge necessary to make sure that they were actually doing something real with the money and not just pocketing it. --JorgeA

I just read about an alternative operating system that's intended (eventually) to run programs written for Windows. If this project takes off, it could potentially become a refuge for those of us who can't or won't put up with the annoyances and dysfunctions of Windows 8 and beyond. I could even see an adventurous investor or donor seeing the public reaction to Win8 and thinking about putting some money into this. Anybody here have heard of it? What do you think? --JorgeA

Please share your experience with us, if you get the chance! --JorgeA

I understand it better now, thanks. The reason is a bit more technical than I'd suspected. It sounds like, ironically, the desire to stay open-source has resulted in the limiting of user choice (practically speaking, you can only get software for your distro from its repository), rather than enhancing it. Makes sense. That's not a surprising attitude when the creator (developer) doesn't depend on a paying customer for his/her living. Eliminating commercial considerations enables people to act even more egotistical and self-centered, as the give-and-take of trade is lacking. Microsoft is acting arrogantly now because they think they can afford to p*ss off a certain proportion of customers; but if they had acted like this all along they'd never have gotten off the ground. Would have been overrun in 1983 or thereabouts. And desktop Linux has remained deep in the woods of public consciousness because of its supporters' disdain for giving people what they want. That was kind of funny in a pathetic sort of way... --JorgeA

I'm pretty sure that StartIsBack will not work on the 8.1 preview. Tihiy wrote that, [emphasis added]As Tihiy suggests -- stay tuned for a version of SIB that will work on 8.1. --JorgeA

I come from the other side. The concept of "desktop Linux" as it has existed virtually unchanged since the mid-90s has zero chance of success. It probably has the longest failure history of any tech product ever. Android succeeded because Google took what worked (the kernel), added in heavy modifications to make it work for what they wanted (which LKML whined about loudly), and replaced the entire user space. NeXT, which became the basis for Mac OS, did something similar by taking BSD and deprecating all the UNIX stuff until it was unrecognizable. I think Google should simply put Android onto a laptop. I don't know why they're messing around with ChromeOS. They're doing the exact opposite thing Microsoft is doing, and, ironically, it's still wrong. Yeah, although I'm warming up to Linux by experimenting with several different distros, there are definitely a number of UX aspects that could be made much more user-friendly. For example, hide all that opaque, uber-geeky lingo about "sda1" or whatever, and just already give easy-to-recognize labels to the various drives. Also, I get the reason for the existence of software repositories: there are so many different flavors of Linux that you can't just go and -- unlike Windows -- be reasonably sure that you can download, from a given website, the version of the software that your particular distro needs. It's often impractical to offer versions of so many different possible OSs. But then, basic information at the repository is lacking. For example, I still don't know (and have never gotten around to investigating) what the heck a "multiverse" version is, or why I should or should not prefer it to a related but not "multiverse" selection. It's this sort of thing that may make Linux veterans feel superior to the masses because they know all this arcana, but which then makes it more difficult to break the Windows monopoly that they decry. --JorgeA

Ahh, very good -- thank you! --JorgeA

Another fabulous piece of analysis, Charlotte. I'm one of those who used to defend Windows against attackers from the Linux side. No longer. My attitude now is, let them take all the hits that are coming to them. One benefit I'm hoping for from the spread of Android to PCs is that PC prices might come down significantly. Today, we pay indirectly for the Windows license, but then the price comes out to less than the hardware+Windows thanks to the "crapware" that software vendors pay to put on the machines that the manufacturers ship. As a result, ironically if you want an OS-less PC, often you end up paying more than when it comes with Windows installed. Putting Android or some other freeware OS on the machine will eliminate that license cost. We might still get crapware on Android of course, but that would help to bring the price down from a $0 licensing cost. --JorgeA

I just went in to see if there had been any replies to my inquiry about e-mail notifications. When I was on the general board, it said that the latest post in the Site & Forum Issues subforum was one about "security surveillance." (See first attachment, below.) That sounded interesting, so I clicked on it, but the result was an error message saying that the topic could not be found. (See second attachment, below.) Puzzled, I went into the thread list for the Site & Forum Issues subforum, and the topic isn't listed anywhere!? (See third attachment, below.) I know that sometimes threads/posts turn out to be spam and get eliminated. Maybe that's what happened here? But if so, then why would the topic still appear as the latest post in the subforum? Just curious. And, it might alert us to something else in the Forum that needs fixing. --JorgeA

Tihiy (of StartIsBack fame) has tweeted his evaluation of the Windows 8.1 preview (found here under "Bugs are obvious"): Here's what he saw: Strange-looking, huh? I thought you'd be interested to see it. --JorgeA

I want to report that I'm still not getting e-mail notices of new posts in the threads that I'm subscribed to. I subscribe to a number of threads, too many to remember to look up specifically when I come into MSFN. As a result, people who may have replied to one of my posts, or who may have posted something that I might want to reply to, end up not getting feedback. It's fantastic that the terrible problems from a couple of weeks ago seem to be resolved. (Keeping fingers crossed.) Is there a chance that this posting notification issue might now get fixed? --JorgeA

The issue is not only that they all look alike, they additionally have NO MEANING whatsoever . Agreed! That would make an interesting experiment for somebody like Jakob Nielsen to test. I suspect that your predictions would bear out well. Fabulous 404 tile, BTW. --JorgeA

+1,000,000 IMHO the only substantive improvement to the UX in 8.1 is the native ability to boot straight to the Desktop. As we've pointed out, the "concession" of a revived Start Button actually serves as an insult since it takes the user to the Metro screen. They probably tell themselves (and others) that this improves functionality because now people have a visual cue for how to get to the Metro screen, and that's true insofar as it goes, but they miss (or ignore) the fundamental point which is that tons of users prefer to get to the Start Menu when they click on that button. BTW, I had the chance to check out a friend's new Win8 Toshiba laptop replacing one that died. There is no Start Button of course, but the desktop includes an icon for what they call "Desktop Assist." When you click on it, it provides links to a number of applications and utilities that don't have tiles on the Start Screen. Without this Desktop Assist, there would be no evident way for you to know that these programs are on the computer at all. It simply is not the case that the Start Screen is just a full-screen Start Menu. --JorgeA

Sorry, but you got it wrong. The "icons-with-meaningless-initials ®" are reserved to the Japanese, Korean and Chinese editions. All western editions will use pictograms instead. Now, since the number of envies were not enough and not enough cross-linked, they will use as "creative base" for "free inspiration" the CLEAR design Ubuntu has recently adopted (without the English text, of course): jaclaz Thanks for enlightening me! Brilliant!! I'm shaking my head at those Ubuntu icons. As the saying goes, "they all look alike." I can easily see trying to use an Ubuntu phone becoming a frustrating experience. --JorgeA

Wow a calculator! What's so special about a Metro Calculator? Are they going to remove calc.exe? Or would they brag about selling an OS with 2 different calculator apps? And... Sound Recorder. If that ends up being true... and it is similar (or the same, yeah right) as SoundRec from Win9x, I know a lot of people would be happy with its return. Maybe they think that people remembering Windows 3.1 and all the way up to XP are all dead or became senile and forgot , I guess their next move will be to (re-)introduce the Object Packager, listing it as "new feature", it would probably be renamed "Content Integrator" or maybe "Modern merger". I wonder how they will manage to create a flat icon for the "box", though . jaclaz [sarcasm] There is entirely too much skeuomorphism in that Windows 3.x image. I mean, the icon for the Painbrush app looks like a palette, and the Clock app looks like a clock!! They should NOT look anything at all like what they're supposed to emulate. That is so cheesy and dated. Instead they need to be squares with thick borders around them and a representative initial inside, for example a blue P or Pb for Paintbrush, a red Ca for Calculator, and a green Cl for Clock. Object Packager could be a yellow square with an OP inside. This will make it immediately obvious to the user what they do, much better than a 3D illustration of the real thing. [/sarcasm] --JorgeA

Thanks for the link! I agree with @bphlpt, though. The revived Start Button only takes the user to the Metro Start Screen. Although we did name the thread "Ways to get back the Start Meny/Button in Win8"... Meanwhile, it's up in the air as to how many of the Start Buttons and Menus on the list will still work after Windows 8.1 comes out. If it makes it impossible to use at least some of them, then we'll have to decide what to do with the list. We could leave it as a list of what works in Windows 8.0, or we could update it for 8.1. Another way to go would be to create a separate list for 8.1, or maybe to state in each listing whether it also works on 8.1. Maybe somebody here (with the time to try out the official preview of 8.1) can test the listed items and report back as to whether they work or not. --JorgeA

There is a TON of gorgeous work shown in this thread, but this is my favorite (so far)! (For the reason, just check what I have as my OS over on the left...) It seems to complete the beautiful theme xXiNightXx created. Please do post the file and instructions. Maybe you can list everything that the image that we see above involves in terms of OS tweaks? Also, would this theme work on a Windows 7 machine? Thanks very much. --JorgeA

That article was quite a devastating critique of the whole Metro Tiles concept, blowing away the rationale for it: My only quibble is to point out that on a real (i.e., a powerful enough) PC (with a real multitasking OS) you will be, as often as not, actually focusing on two or three or four really important things at once -- say, you'll have a spreadsheet open to feed numbers into the PowerPoint presentation you're working on, and a calendar to schedule it and an e-mail blast to the team to coordinate. (So despite what the writer said about "monochronicity," fans of limited-tasking Metro-style computing can't use that idea to argue for Win8 on a PC.) There is no place for a news or stock tile in the workflow, and no benefit in disrupting it to go into the Metro screen to check them. And even here, Vista and 7 are superior to 8 -- if you really want to keep tabs on the stock market while work is getting done, you can keep your 3, 4, or 5 windows open and still have the stocks Gadget show you what's going on in the corner. Whichever way you go in this type of scenario, Windows 8 serves no purpose that 7 and even Vista don't do better. --JorgeA

Not one of those theoretical exploits that Microsoft is constantly patching, but a real leak. That cavalier comment about user data highlights the problem, they only state it that way because the vast majority of their "customers" are ignorant and self-absorbed and consequently not capable of holding Facebook accountable for truly epic sized problems. I suppose next to the vast and wide spying scandal this story is relatively tiny by comparison. But it is still very sad because the Internet is now being reduced down to the lowest common denominator, and I think nothing will slow the death spiral. So the cloud cometh, and the people cheer even as their data gets taken, over and over again. We're gonna need a new Internet. It may be even worse than they're admitting to. A ZDNet columnist reports that, Anger mounts after Facebook's 'shadow profiles' leak in bug [emphasis added] In addition to the general totalitarian aspects of this Facebook practice, the writer (a woman) notes that --JorgeA EDIT: In the comments section, the writer adds: Lovely.

*sigh* Sony/Xbone notwithstanding, their arrogance really does make them incapable of learning, doesn't it. As they say, man is the only animal that'll stumble over the same rock twice. --JorgeA

Welcome back! Yeah, the distance and anonymity provided by cyberspace does seem to help some people feel "comfortable" enough to be really rude and nasty. Instead of engaging the substance of a person's arguments, their first (or only) approach is sarcasm, ridicule, and name-calling. That's definitely a drawback of the Internet, and it too has led me to quit a forum or two. The worst is when the so-called "moderator" leads the mob. In this thread especially (and -- correct me if I'm wrong -- on MSFN generally) we've been fortunate to avoid that sort of nastiness. There have been some blow-ups, but I don't remember any point where the discussion has descended into insults and abuse. Most everybody here acts respectfully even when they disagree. So feel free to pitch in more often! --JorgeA

I can wait 'til 2017 for Microsoft to fix Windows. But can Microsoft wait that long? By then they could well become the Blackberry of PC computing -- that is, the once-dominant player in the market, a shadow of its former self and struggling to stay relevant. Not that I expect things to get quite that bad, for a variety of reasons, but markets have a way of giving nasty surprises to businesses that ignore customer preferences. If the Windows fix involves giving users the choice of a real Start Menu or the Start Screen, that will be just fine! --JorgeA

Interesting perspective on the mobile computing craze, echoing some of the things we've said here: The Post-PC world is too slow for me --JorgeA

I haven't read the book, but you are correct. The true ramifications of all this Social Media (Facebook, twitter and the like) will only start to show up in earnest 20 or so years from now. People are willingly sharing PERSONAL AND PRIVATE items on these sites. I hear people saying, I have to go onto Facebook to see any pictures of the grand kids. Now, let's just say that little Johnny is a normal kid and will on occasions do some things that not really the most intelligent. For instance, on a cold winters day he may take a dare to stick his tongue onto the flag pole, and it becomes frozen thereto. Now, the family thinks this is funny, so they post it on Facebook. Now, let's fast forward 25 years and little Johnny is up for a major promotion or heaven forbid, has decided for run for public office. Someone finds this old picture and with the right spin, POOF there goes the promotion or the office. Most everything in a person's and family's life belongs to be kept private, for family members only and only obtained by nefarious means by parties outside of the family. But, people are far to willing to hand everything over to some third party, so they don't have spend a couple of minutes emailing a photo or two to the grandparents, aunts and uncles. As for the cloud, it isn't meant for anything of a private nature, unless heavily encrypted and then only for the brief time it takes for it to be picked up by the other party or parties. Of course you could host your own cloud, but then you have to be sure that your security is up to snuff, or you are likely to have a data breach. So, I still support the sneaker net. All excellent points, not to mention the many possibilities that putting your life on the Web presents for blackmail. When online storage services started popping up, it was kind of exciting: "Cool, a backup medium that doesn't depend on my house not burning down." I even enjoyed calculating how many GB of free storage I might be able to accumulate by opening accounts in various places. But then when I sat down to think about what to put into those online GBs, I realized that I didn't have anything that I wanted to be available for prying eyes to see! --JorgeA