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Windows 8 - Deeper Impressions


JorgeA

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The moment in which:

  1. you do not need to "index" the contents of a file cabinet i.e. store items in a logical order (because you use mega/meta/para/fanta :w00t: search every time)
  2. you do not need to have the maximum amount of compactness (because you have senselessly large drives, i.e. the same as an infinite amount of rooms/cabinets)
  3. you do not actually need to produce some work, i.e. new documents containing meaningful things (because LOL and there is an app for that ;))

the thousand years old approach loses most of it's sense.

So instead of using the room/cabinet/folder/file real life paradigm for your virtual environment, you can use another thousands years old model (actually older than "order") which is chaos or randomness.

And this allows the OS designer to get inspiration from another common model of storing items, which brings us back to the Fisher-Price looks:

baby-nursery-kids-bedroom-a-childrens-pl

which is BTW very good for the children and kids (as it helps their growth, fantasy, and what not) but that traditionally tends to get the grown-ups mad at them :ph34r:.

I will repeat that there is a difference between playing and working.

Try a Ruzzle or Candy Crush round on a mouse+keyboard :ph34r:, but also try making an Excel spreadsheet or an Autocad drawing with just the touch screen :whistle:....

jaclaz

That's a very funny (and apt) image! :lol:

So we're facing, on our PCs, the age-old struggle between order and chaos...

Good point BTW - indeed, the level of abstraction is fundamental.

--JorgeA

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the marketshare of Win8(.1) is now 10.58 compared to 10.49% in January.

While the marketshare of Windows 8(.1) increased by 0.09 %, in the same period Windows XP increased its marketshare by 0.25% :w00t::w00t:

Now that is amazing.

We can attribute the increase to the vagaries of random sampling or whatever, but the point remains that XP usage is not dropping precipitously in spite of all the attempts to kill it.

--JorgeA

EDIT: clarity

Edited by JorgeA
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Satya Nadella Named Microsoft CEO

A quote from the article:

He devoted the rest of the email to explaining his philosophy of technology, and how that will ultimately influence his leadership. “The opportunity ahead will require us to reimagine a lot of what we have done in the past for a mobile and cloud-first world, and do new things,” he added. “We are the only ones who can harness the power of software and deliver it through devices and services that truly empower every individual and every organization.”

The emphasized portion above leads me to think that Windows as we have known it is going to be a thing of the past. Yes they are back tracking at the moment, but if my memory serves me correctly, they have back tracked in the past, only to baby step us to where they wanted us to begin with. His comments about "cloud-first world" is the clincher for me.

The optimist in me says that the "reimagining" he's talking about will be an emphasis on user privacy and data security, with end-to-end encryption that makes the data inaccessible to both Microsoft and spy agencies.

Then again, I can be optimistic that Microsoft will be paying me to use its future operating systems and put up with their UI annoyances. -_-

--JorgeA

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The optimist in me says that the "reimagining" he's talking about will be an emphasis on user privacy and data security, with end-to-end encryption that makes the data inaccessible to both Microsoft and spy agencies.

Then again, I can be optimistic that Microsoft will be paying me to use its future operating systems and put up with their UI annoyances. -_-

--JorgeA

Or being less optimistic, look at what is in the cooking (recent patents, courtesy of Improbable Research):

http://www.improbable.com/2013/12/04/inventions-to-detect-and-prevent-annoying-phone-calls-documents-or-people/

Your e-mails (or forum posts for that matter) will be tagged by the (connected to Google, just to be fair with the good MS guys which are not the only Evil) first patent as "annoying document", and the phone calls you will make to protest about this will be filtered by the second and third technology (this latter by the good guys at Huawei) and you will soon be registered as a VAP (Very Annoying Person) in a database.

Once in it, you will be deprived of any possible way to communicate your ideas and opinions, short of shouting :w00t::ph34r: or send messages into bottles :whistle:

This latter approach working usually fine, but not in a timely fashion :no: and sometimes not even working at all:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2418557/Worlds-oldest-message-bottle-discovered-walker-Canada.html

jaclaz

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As first mentioned by bpalone ...

Meet Microsoft's new CEO: Satya Nadella ( TechSpot 2014-02-04 )

Microsoft Promotes Satya Nadella to CEO, Names Bill Gates a Technology Advisor ( Maximum PC 2014-02-04 )

Bill Gates Championed Satya Nadella as New Microsoft CEO ( Tom's Hardware 2014-02-04 )

Man With His Head in the Cloud is Exactly What Microsoft Needs ( Tom's Hardware 2014-02-04 )

Naturally NeoWin has already posted over half a dozen breathless stories ...

And Atlas I mean Wall Street shrugged ...

YjXe3WK.png

As first mentioned by Andre ...

Net Applications Analytics Show Users Still Hanging On to Windows XP ( Maximum PC 2014-02-02 )

Windows XP use goes back up; Windows 8.1 barely moves in January's OS data ( NeoWin 2014-02-03 )

FHlsW9b.jpg

Too much FUD in the comments to even bother with. Here's the complete data for anyone interested ...

4odx9kr.png

We should remind our friends there is the issue of overlap manifesting itself by machine being counted twice in the same 30-day period. And none are more likely than Windows 8 computers being updated and also counted as Windows 8.1 unless they happened to actually update in the unlikely period of the last hour of a given month. Odds are very high that if they were to get counted by Net Applications as one version they would also get counted after the update. This may also hold true for XP to 7 as well, but there is reason to indicate that they are not really counting Windows XP using the same procedure as in previous times. The double counting is likely to explain the slowed growth of the combined Windows 8 totals because as time goes on the duplicates effectively get culled as fast or faster than new Windows 8 come online.

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Microsoft slams Chromebooks again in new Windows 8.1 ad ( NeoWin 2014-02-04 )

Someone's still acting out of fear. :yes: I wonder what they know about real sales that we don't know. We'll have to see if this trend of negative advetising continues under the new management. If it does, it will show beyond question that there are institutionalized defects at NuMicrosoft that cannot be exorcised by lopping off heads.

Microsoft confirms ConnectED investments, including 12 million free copies of Office to schools ( NeoWin 2014-02-04 )

During his State of the Union address on Wednesday, President Obama announced an update to his initiative that would see Microsoft, Apple and other tech companies investing millions into the U.S. education system. Today, Microsoft confirmed its investment in the presidents' ConnectED program, which it says has the potential to save the education system $1 billion.

Love that math. It's just like those late-night commercials blathering about a $199 value all yours for the low price of $49. Anytime the word "savings" is used these days you should hide your wallet.

Margo Day, vice president of U.S. education for Microsoft, wrote an entry on the company's official blog noting that ConnectED will provide Windows-powered devices from Dell, Lenovo and other hardware partners at "substantially lower pricing." The offers will be available to all schools in the U.S. public education system, Day wrote, adding that Microsoft and partner services will also be part of the initiative.

Beware of Greeks bearing gifts? :yes:

A press briefing issued by the White House added that Microsoft is "increasing access to a range of software and services tailored for education," and it will also donate more than $1 million to cover Microsoft IT Academy certification exams for students about 2,000 at-risk schools.

This is so disgusting to me. Really. They're not even hiding the fact that they're turning K-12 into vocational schools! There is only one possible outcome here, even dumber kids than ever before ( because normal studies are replaced by specialized vocational skillz ) who will be pre-trained sheeple perfectly equipped to become button pushing monkeys in the workforce. It is astonishing that parents welcome these gifts with open arms not realizing the indoctrination their little tots are undergoing. And this is from all the companies, but Apple and Microsoft are the biggest offenders. It is captive child abuse that they spend any time teaching corporate product consumption. I'd bet that more kids than ever couldn't find their home on a map ( even in Google ) or solve a simple math problem ( even in Excel ). We used to ( correctly IMHO ) ridicule reliance on calculators because it helped reduce the need for outlining detailed steps to solving a problem, then they allowed graphing calcs to kill even more skills, now I would be surprised if anything useful is being learned at all.

Coming soon to SteamOS, Steam Music integrates your music with in-game overlay ( PC Gamer 2014-02-03 )

Steam OS and Big Picture modes will soon include a music interface, as revealed by Valve last week. Gamers will be able to listen to their personal music collection while playing games with the integrated music player, which can organize music by album or artist.

[...]

Valve promises that the future of in-game music integration will be based on beta feedback, so participation counts. Head over to the community group, where pleas for integration with streaming music services like Last.fm and Pandora have already begun.

This is exactly what they need to do. Expand the feature set to include non-gaming tasks, eventually adding the hipster necessities of email, chat, Twitter, Facebook, and then put in the bigger ticket items. None of this is going to be good news for MicroZealots and MetroTards.

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Footage released of Guardian editors destroying Snowden hard drives ( The Guardian 2014-01-31 )

Pure theater since we know the data was already distributed elsewhere. The theatrics were obviously demanded by USA spooks of their British pets, I mean partners. All the world's a stage.

The Next Phase of the Internet: Licensing Content Makers ( John Dvorak PC Magazine 2014-01-29 )

This moment in time represents a true golden age of the Internet but such ages are always thwarted in one way of another.

For close to 10 years I've been saying that at some point in the future, the Wild West of the Internet will be clamped down and you'll need a license to broadcast content over the Internet. I do not see any trend that does not point in this direction.

[...]

We already see hints of it when we listen to Congressional hearings and see the concept of "journalist" get discussed. "What's a journalist?" is often asked. The common subtext to this bewilderment is the notion that perhaps journalists are professionals like doctors and lawyers and perhaps, just perhaps, you should license them. Thus they can be afforded the privileges and protections promised in the Bill of Rights.

I am of the opinion that anyone who says they are a journalist should get Freedom of the Press privileges, but I can see this blanket freedom eroding.

Much more from John Dvorak in this timely column ( with only a couple of ZDNet trolls this time ).

EU wants to give police the power to remotely disable any car ( TechSpot 2014-02-03 )

As I'm so fond of saying lately, 'what could possibly go wrong?' ...

As you can likely imagine, reaction to the news has been extremely negative. One member of the British parliament questioned what might happen if the system was triggered accidentally, say, on a vehicle that was traveling on the highway. What if it caused a fatal crash? Who would be liable? Or even worse, what if the system was hacked or a rogue employee decided to kill every car at once?

Ya think! Whenever the means for a scenario exists, you can bet that scenario will be visited.

Safety aside, concerns about invasion of privacy and personal freedom also persist. Another member of parliament said the price citizens pay for surrendering their democratic sovereignty is that they are governed by an unaccountable secretive clique.

Yep, that too. Time is running short for the sheeple. Will they be herded into their pens quietly?

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so Windows will be transformed to a cloud OS in the future like ChromeOS :(

Well, wanting something and getting it are two different things.

Microsoft also wanted to transform Windows into an Android and iOS competitor. How has that turned out?

If they will force a cloud only-Windows (especially on businesses outside the US!), the sparks will fly. The meltdown will be gigantic: The Windows 8 backlash would be picknick compared to it. It will be fun to watch though.

Edited by Formfiller
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While cloud boss getting CEO title doesn't exactly make me happy, I do respect Bill Gates more than Ballmer. Bill Gates getting more involved as technology advisor could be good move.

Also mobile-first and cloud-first does not necessarily mean what you think they do. mobile-first could mean for example that mobile is more priority but without compromising desktop ( Windows 8 and 8.1 are example of compromising desktop). It could mean that mobile version get released faster than desktop version and other kind of things, it doesn't necessary mean Windows 8 like: one interface to rule them all compromise. Cloud-first could mean numerous of things not necessarily forced cloud. And like I said before getting to growing market is important but without compromise not like in Windows 8. They could just mean mobile version will get released faster (mobile-first). As long as full Windows Aero and proper start menu will be restored in future in desktop version and of course as long as cloud won't be forced I will be pleased. I rather would like to know more of what kind of direction under Gates and Nadella is before making more comments about situation.

Edited by Aero7x64
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Once again I bid farewell until this next storm passes. It's 5am here and the snow is just falling out of the sky like a giant front-end loader is parked above us. This will be another 12 inch 12 hour affair.

Keep safe Charlotte (and anyone else facing similar)

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Keep safe Charlotte (and anyone else facing similar)

Thanks! Survived another one. 10 inches in 12 hours, so AccuWeather called that one pretty close. 4 inches just two days ago also, and naturally nothing is melting ( 10 degrees F tonight, 3 degrees tomorrow, daytime below freezing ) so it is getting pretty darn high on the ground with no place to put the plowed new stuff. Ah well, I see some others got double that amount, so we're lucky I guess.

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Why is Bill Gates Back at Microsoft? ( Tom's Hardware 2014-02-04 )

All three Microsoft CEOs appear at company rally; lots of Lumias record the moment ( NeoWin 2014-02-04 )

Is Bill Gates' Return Good for Microsoft and Good for You? ( Tom's Hardware 2014-02-05 )

Satya Nadella gets verified on Twitter, sends first tweet as CEO ( NeoWin 2014-02-05 )

Microsoft to pay Satya Nadella $14.4-18 million annually for CEO gig ( NeoWin 2014-02-05 )

Lots of websites are already telling Satya Nadella how to do his job as Microsoft CEO ( NeoWin 2014-02-05 )

New Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella could earn up to $18 million annually ( TechSpot 2014-02-06 )

The bloviating continues with NeoWin leading the way of course. The big themes of the day are that Satya Nadella is underpaid compared to so many other CEO's ( so soon? ). That Bill Gates is the new "Technology Adviser" at Microsoft ( billg who does not allow Apple devices in his mansion even for his kids is somehow qualified to comment on trends without even seeing the enemy hardware? ). And that Wall Street is already giving them advice ...

USA Today, for instance, has a list of the five things Microsofts new CEO must do. LAPTOP Magazine one-ups USA Today by going for the six things Microsofts new CEO must do to save Windows, and Forbes also lists six things Microsofts new CEO Satya Nadella needs to do now. Not to be outdone, CNET has a list of eight things Satya Nadella needs to do to jump-start Microsoft. CBS News doesnt get into a numbers argument with its article about what Satya Nadella must do to fix Windows, but it still gives him a list of four demands as if it were taking Microsoft hostage, if you were wondering.

If theres an underlying theme between most of the articles, its that Nadella needs to embrace the cloud, as USA Today puts it, and figure out the mobile strategy, as Forbes says two things Microsofts new CEO has already said hes focusing on. Apparently Nadellas informal mission statement went unnoticed, but the lists still have plenty of other advice.

Awesome ideas, especially the cloud thingie. :lol: Throw the entire bankroll down on that number and roll the dice. After a few more Snowden leaks that all-in bet could sink the company.

Lots of photos making the rounds today. Here's a few ...

AcR2SNM.jpg

( Satya, just how big is Steve Ballmer's head? Source: TechSpot )

CDNOY7s.jpg

( Cleaned House? New Microsoft Chairman was a board member rubber stamping Ballmer and everything else. New CEO is also an insider, handpicked by Gates. Source: Microsoft Twitter )

qZ6SAIx.jpg

( Pssst Steve, you think he knows he was our last choice? Nah Bill, he doesn't have a clue. Source: Microsoft Twitter )

umvXfT5.jpg

( Forget those "I'm a Mac" commercials. Wait 'til they get a load of me! Source: NeoWin )

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