We are "stuck" in 2001.
Since the ServicePack2-update XP has been doing what an OS is supposed to do: doing its job and being invisible at it.
We skipped all the Windows versions since XP and we think we are going to like Windows 8 ;)
Windows 8 & Metro with Mouse and Keyboard - Super User Blog
41–50 of 57 posts
Re: Windows 8 & Metro with Mouse and Keyboard - Super User Blog
#42Earlier quoted context omitted.
On KDE, the corners just move to the most extreme screen. So any action set to a left corner will work from that corner of the left screen, while any actions set to a right corner will work from that corner on the right screen. This still isn't perfect, but works fairly well in practice. I'm not sure it's directly applicable to Windows 8 because I haven't tried it yet, but it's something to think about.
Don't know about KDE but I have the same problem with Unity. I wound up physically moving my monitors around because Unity really, really likes to be on the extreme left.
I have had no issues with having my main monitor to the left or to the right. I have a laptop and at home my external monitor is to the right while at work it's to the left; KDE handles either version perfectly. The "hot" corners move to the extremes, as appropriate, and everything else works well too. In fact, over all, KDE has been the best system for multiple monitors I've used (choosing from several versions of Windows, OS X, Unity and Gnome 2).
Re: Windows 8 & Metro with Mouse and Keyboard - Super User Blog
#43I'm still baffled as to why Windows 8 is not a dedicated tablet OS. I think it would be a dream to use on a touch device and commend Microsoft for the Metro design, but they had to screw it up by shoehorning it onto the desktop too. I've given Windows 8 an honest try on my dual monitor setup and it just isn't happening. Metro is out of place, consumes 100% screen real estate (meaning fast context switching between wi…
Well you could say the same thing about backwards compatibility with anything.
The inclusion of 16-bit mode, XP mode, or compatibility mode in Windows 7 just proves that 32-bit computers are not suitable for the desktop.
The inclusion of GCN compatibility on the Wii proves the Wii is not a good game console.
The inclusion of VGA ports on my new laptop proves HDMI is not suitable for video display.
This is Microsoft, not Apple. Microsoft cares that your old applications keep running. Microsoft (figuratively) never breaks backwards compatibility (and if they do, there's a huge fuss made about it). Microsoft even goes as far to include very specific lines of code in their OS to make sure just one popular application keeps working (as shown by the now-famous example of SimCity for DOS running on Windows).
How much bitching was there when DOS was shoved to the background? And who would return to DOS now? You'll get over it. The world will survive.
Re: Windows 8 & Metro with Mouse and Keyboard - Super User Blog
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
Laptops with touch screens FTW! I wonder what the whole computer industry is waiting for? Are they again waiting for Apple to come and do and make what everyone else should have done long time ago instead?
They have laptops with touchscreens. You can stop waiting for Apple to do what's already been done. The Dell Inspiron Duo is one such machine. It came out in 2010.
Given previous comments, I am pretty sure we won't see an Apple laptop with a touch screen.
Re: Windows 8 & Metro with Mouse and Keyboard - Super User Blog
#45Earlier quoted context omitted.
Laptops with touch screens FTW! I wonder what the whole computer industry is waiting for? Are they again waiting for Apple to come and do and make what everyone else should have done long time ago instead?
They might be waiting for the prices for quality touch-screen components to come down. Tacking a capacitive touch-screen to every laptop will probably add at least 100 dollars to the cost of the product. I saw the Dell laptop in CompUSA recently and it was 500 plus dollars with essentially netbook class hardware sans the touch screen.
Strangely enough, it was reported today that Microsoft is developing quality touch-screen components: http://techcrunch.com/2012/03/09/microsoft-demos-super-fast-...
Re: Windows 8 & Metro with Mouse and Keyboard - Super User Blog
#46I think the comparison with Grub is a little unfair--if you look at a distro like OpenSUSE[1], the grub screen actually looks very good. You still can't use the mouse, but I would happily trade speed for that, especially since using the keyboard to select the right system is easier and faster anyhow. [1]: http://inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~tikhon/openSUSE-grub.jpg That said, I'm really happy that people are moving toward…
I agree - this comparison is not exactly fair. The labels on Grub are defined in the grub config file - it's perfectly possible to make them less cryptic. Also, good luck trying to make the Windows bootloader load anything other than Windows.
Re: Windows 8 & Metro with Mouse and Keyboard - Super User Blog
#47“If you haven’t been living under a rock for the last few months, you probably know all of the following:” Whenever I see articles starting in this manner, I suppose that: 1. The writer does not know how to write; or 2. The writer is so far immersed in their topic that they have lost sight of what is important and relevant to the rest of the population. In either case, I stop reading. Am I wrong? (Genuine question, n…
I apologize for sounding condescending. However... the blog is for superuser.com, this is hacker news and I'd say the audience probably does know that Windows 8 and Metro do, indeed, exist :)
Maybe, but a lot of us never touched Windows Vista, 7 or 8 and a lot of those really don't care about desktop OSs. You must also be aware that there are people who never used Windows. Ever.
Also, "super user" is a term normally associated with Unix systems. It's odd to expect people to associate it with Windows.
Re: Windows 8 & Metro with Mouse and Keyboard - Super User Blog
#48Metro is quite impressive as a tablet UI. Frankly, I think it's the only legitimate alternative to iPad. But on a mouse-driven desktop it's at best uncompelling, and at worst baffling and frustrating. There's a risk Microsoft could pull another Vista, where an overwhelmingly negative public perception of Metro on the desktop overshadows some otherwise good features. The other risk is that if they insist on coupling A…
Out of curiosity, have you tried it with a mouse and keyboard yet?
Re: Windows 8 & Metro with Mouse and Keyboard - Super User Blog
#49I'm still baffled as to why Windows 8 is not a dedicated tablet OS. I think it would be a dream to use on a touch device and commend Microsoft for the Metro design, but they had to screw it up by shoehorning it onto the desktop too. I've given Windows 8 an honest try on my dual monitor setup and it just isn't happening. Metro is out of place, consumes 100% screen real estate (meaning fast context switching between wi…
Metro isn't even supposed to be used on a workstation. It is as simple as that. Of course "windows 7" is better for real work on a desktop, noone will ever claim otherwise (for other than marketing purposes or for bashing windows 8).
So I don't know what your beef is, just don't use Metro for stuff it isn't good for.
And use it for what it is good for, on your laptop in "tablet-mode" for instance. Don't use it on your workstation, that's just insane.
Re: Windows 8 & Metro with Mouse and Keyboard - Super User Blog
#50Metro is quite impressive as a tablet UI. Frankly, I think it's the only legitimate alternative to iPad. But on a mouse-driven desktop it's at best uncompelling, and at worst baffling and frustrating. There's a risk Microsoft could pull another Vista, where an overwhelmingly negative public perception of Metro on the desktop overshadows some otherwise good features. The other risk is that if they insist on coupling A…
Out of curiosity, have you tried it with a mouse and keyboard yet?
I have. Not the metro as such but Win 8 CP on my laptop. When I read initial reviews, I was not sure how much I'd like this metro UI but to be frank, I haven't seen much of it in last week or so.
Since I am using Windows 8 on a non-tablet laptop, all I see is familiar windows 7 UI plus some improvements. Apart from the occasional metro launcher, I have not encountered the metro coolness at all.
That makes me think if this duality of OS that everybody is talking about is much of an issue at all. Sure the transition to metro from old UI is a bit jarring. In the first day of use which is what most reporters/blogger based their impressions on, you tend to see it a lot, probably because you are just exploring and poking around, not really using the it as you'd use day to day. And that's why everyone seems to be making a big issue out of it. I think the OS deserves a continued real life usage to get a better feel.