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Topic: Windows

The future of Windows 8 (ZDNet Hot Topics webcast)

Summary: Rafael Rivera and I sit down to talk about Windows 8 with Jonas Tichenor as part of ZDNet's Hot Topics series. Catch this replay of the webcast and see our analysis and fearless (or perhaps crazy) predictions.

Ed Bott

By for The Ed Bott Report |

This afternoon, Rafael Rivera and I sat down to talk about Windows 8 with ZDNet's Jonas Tichenor as part of the Hot Topics series. It was supposed to be a live webcast, but technical difficulties conspired to keep us off the air in real time. Never fear, though--we went ahead and recorded the half-hour show, and you can watch it right here:

Webcast: Counting Down to Windows 8

Rafael is, of course, Paul Thurrott's co-author on the upcoming Windows 8 Secrets and the brains behind the Within Windows blog.

We covered a lot of ground in a mere 30 minutes: you can get our takes on the Metro-ization of Windows, whether the Start menu is coming back, the state of Windows 8 apps, and how businesses are likely to react. We also offer our predictions on when Windows 8 will ship and how long we'll have to wait before the Windows 9 beta is ready for testing.

If we didn't cover your question, leave it in the Talkback section below.

Topic: Windows

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Talkback

30 comments
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  • Oops...

    ... Video not found. :(
    The one and only, Cylon Centurion
    Reply Vote

    • Refresh...

      Try refreshing, it's working now.
      ian.aldrighetti
      Reply Vote

      • Being blocked on Firefox and IE

        Seems to be working fine on Chrome though.
        The one and only, Cylon Centurion
        Reply Vote

    • I had some issues getting the embed code to work

      The link and embed should be fine now. Sorry!
      Ed Bott
      Reply Vote

  • "Why not optimize Win8 for each platform?"

    Another thing about that. I think digital convergence also has a play here. It allows for a unified UX, and no matter what device you are using, they will all have the same layout, and allows for a smooth transition from device to device.

    You said it yourself in the video, with transformers and all in ones, the desktop is evolving past being the big clunker you throw on a desk and forget. The future is all about being mobile, and with transformers, we have the opportunity to take advantage of a full desktop OS, and then quickly convert into a mobile, iPad like UX.
    The one and only, Cylon Centurion
    Reply Vote

  • I like Win 8

    Great interview, guys. Ed, I think you nailed the design decisions that Microsoft went through -- they really have no choice but to push people into a new, and dare I say, improved way of interacting with their PCs.

    I'm a software developer -- a small one, part of a four-person company -- and we're a Windows-only shop. Our business customers will have no use for Windows 8 for a while: Our largest customer -- and we're talking Fortune 500 large -- is still using XP SP3 in all installations in the field. That won't change quickly.

    I've moved to using Win8 on my home PC full-time since the Release Preview. Yes, it takes a bit of getting used to, and I do find myself falling back into old habits frequently (example: using the desktop browser with a dozen tabs open). But all in all, I like it, and find that you very quickly get up to speed fairly quickly once you internalize a few techniques.

    I'm a pretty fanatical blog reader, and the wailing and gnashing of teeth in the geekosphere over the changes is a bit off-putting sometimes. But then I realize that Win 8 isn't primarily for geeks: It's for my mom, my non-tech friends, and for the hundreds of millions of people that find a traditional Windows PC to be difficult to use. I'm not a huge Apple fan, but they got it right: Computing should be accessible and fun. Here's hoping Microsoft can pull this off...
    Johnula
    Reply Vote

  • I used to liking windows OS, but not win8

    So is my wife who is insisting get rid of windows 8 from a convertible pc.

    I believe windows market share will drop below 80% one year after win8 come out. And some people in Richmond will get early retirement.
    FADS_z
    Reply Vote

  • We Need Change

    About Metro UI i think, if they want one UI to rule them all then metro needs more POLISHING for get better experiences with PHONES, TABLETS, NETBOOKS, UTRABOOKS, LAPTOPS & PC or even ahead for TV too...

    the another but better option is make the UI different for all those device where "USER INPUT" is different.

    1. on PC = MOUSE
    2. on NETBOOKS,UTRABOOKS,LAPTOPS = TOUCH PAD (i m not taking abt tadays small touch pad but a new, well designed form of USER INPUT plz see http://10gui.com/)
    3. on TABLETS = Touch (large screen)
    4. on PHONES = Touch (small screen)

    so basically we will need 4 different UI for these form factors (today we used same UI of software on laptop, a software which was designed for PC. we need to change it)
    imDhaval
    Reply 1 Vote

    • Re:We Need Change

      I agree but i would but desktops and laptops replacement/mobile workstation in the same bag.
      And phones and tablet could have more or less the same U.I as i think that pure slates and smartphones will merge soon or late.
      timiteh
      Reply Vote

  • Writing This from Windows 8

    IE 10 metro. Just discovered the metro version of IE 10 does not even have favorites, you're supposed to pin favorites to the start menu. Its not a bug, its a feature. While this is by no means a big deal it is emblematic of the hundreds of tiny bad design decisions that were carefully and studiously incorporated into Windows 8.

    To the poster who makes the daring comment that Metro is a better way for me to interact with my PC, how and in what way is it better? How is it in my best interest to adopt an interface that only allows me to interact with 1.25 applications at a time? MSFT is in love with their telemetry and is following it like a malfunctioning GPS, without question right off a cliff.
    txscott
    Reply Vote

    • It's a bit of a learning curve, but...

      ... Already the multitasking is better than the iPad on the mobile side of things. If you're a heavy desktop user, the desktop is still there in all its glory, and includes some long overdue multi monitor features.

      Nobody is telling you you have to use Metro. It's there if you want to (I myself, find I run both Metro and desktop apps simultaneously - some of the Metro apps are just too good to pass up, others are just worthless), but if you don't want to use Metro, uninstall the apps, and pin your most used desktop apps to the start screen.
      The one and only, Cylon Centurion
      Reply Vote

      • I Would Be Interested

        To know which metro apps you consider too good to pass up because so far I haven't found one you could pay me to use. Here are some examples.

        Finance-I'd like the live tile to be just a ticker with my stocks in it. No can do. I'd like my financial news from somebody other than Reuters. Nope. Worthless.

        Weather-Takes the whole screen to show me 2-3 numbers. Low information density is a problem through out.

        Sky Drive-Move file between folders. Nope.

        Pictures-Abandon hope all ye who enter.

        Music-Comically bad.

        Some apps let you use the arrow keys to side scroll and some don't. Side scrolling on a laptop/desktop is another bad decision.

        And on it goes. Death by hundreds of small bad decisions driven, no doubt, by telemetry.
        txscott
        Reply Vote

      • @rshol

        I use -

        Weather
        Calender
        Mail (to an extent)
        News
        Sports
        Star Chart
        Wikipedia
        Yellow Pages
        Fresh Paint
        Quick Note
        Kindle

        And People is also on my Start Screen just for the live tile. I almost never click into it.

        And I do agree that Photos is useless. Because it is. Windows Live Gallery is still my default photo viewer, and it looks like it'll stay that way. I was hoping for more functionality in these apps for the RC, but little has changed in them from the beta which worries me. The default Metro apps are still missing valuable functionality that could easily be included in them. I don't know why it's not there.
        The one and only, Cylon Centurion
        Reply Vote

    • Its best of both worlds

      You are not forced to interact with 1.25 applications all the time, thats is only for the touch optimized Metro interface. For all legacy habits, you have the trusty desktop UI a click away. Dont tell me it is practical to have dozen windows opened in a touch optimized UI, touch is simply not that accurate in a cluttered screen
      ninjacut
      Reply Vote

      • On My Desktop/laptop

        I don't want a touch interface. Just give me the desktop. l have not played with Win 8 on a tablet but don't see any advantage to it over ICS, the mail applications are all but identical for example. Live tiles vs widgets. Same stuff. Dolphin is hands down a better browser than IE 10.
        txscott
        Reply Vote

  • Gamers don't care...

    We are just fine with Win7x64 on our pc's that cost as much as your car.

    This "new" Win OS is for phones and tablets, not the hardware our software requires.

    It's pretty simple. Blizzard makes more with world of warcraft then MS makes with OS's so guess where the priorites are in the real world?
    Sqrly
    Reply Vote

    • wait

      You think Blizzard made more money from WOW than Microsoft has from Windows? Show me the numbers please.

      As for new OS for phones and Tablets, as stated, 10000000s of times before, the desktop is still there, and it's faster than windows 7, only your start menu, is not your "start screen"
      danjames2012
      Reply Vote

    • Concidering that

      Windows 8 runs leaner and faster than Windows 7 and blows away XP performance wise, explaine why you wouldn't use Windows 8? Seriously explain why.

      Oh by the way I play WoW, and a few others. In addition I develop and I am doining it on a Windows 8 Release Preview box.
      MrCaddy
      Reply Vote

  • Future of Windoze 8 = Biggest Microsoft disaster

    That's inevitable...
    shellcodes_coder
    Reply Vote

    • Really?

      A bigger disaster than bailing out Apple?
      Get back under your bridge...
      Amusal
      Reply Vote
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