Windows 8 and the split personality Metro interface
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(Not the Metro design language, but their Tile based, all-apps-full-screen, can't-close-an-app-trust-us-we-know-what-we're-doing interface) Windows is skinnable. One of the primary issues with a touch interface is clumsy thumbs and gestures. Gesture support are is fairly straightforward to add to an app (or an OS), and so I can't help but think that a "touch" skin for windows (bigger close buttons, different dropdown list UI, different resizers etc) would have taken us 90% of the way to a totally useable tablet UI on Windows without the need of a double-sided OS. I've been thinking about Surface and Ultrabooks a lot lately, and the way I use a tablet is very, very different to how I use a laptop. On a laptop I use a keyboard, trackpad or mouse, and even with a touchscreen I only ever use touch for scrolling or zooming. On an ultrabook I create content, on a tablet I consume and so have a different set of UI needs. I just wish the demarkation between the touch and keyboard based UIs had been done between PC and tablet, instead of PCs and Tablets sharing the same UI, and then Phones having the separate, dedicated UI. (and yes, I know WinRT based devices only have the "Metro" apps -which makes me wonder why they bothered having Metro apps on the desktop). I'm confused, It seems there are simpler and better solutions to this.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
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(Not the Metro design language, but their Tile based, all-apps-full-screen, can't-close-an-app-trust-us-we-know-what-we're-doing interface) Windows is skinnable. One of the primary issues with a touch interface is clumsy thumbs and gestures. Gesture support are is fairly straightforward to add to an app (or an OS), and so I can't help but think that a "touch" skin for windows (bigger close buttons, different dropdown list UI, different resizers etc) would have taken us 90% of the way to a totally useable tablet UI on Windows without the need of a double-sided OS. I've been thinking about Surface and Ultrabooks a lot lately, and the way I use a tablet is very, very different to how I use a laptop. On a laptop I use a keyboard, trackpad or mouse, and even with a touchscreen I only ever use touch for scrolling or zooming. On an ultrabook I create content, on a tablet I consume and so have a different set of UI needs. I just wish the demarkation between the touch and keyboard based UIs had been done between PC and tablet, instead of PCs and Tablets sharing the same UI, and then Phones having the separate, dedicated UI. (and yes, I know WinRT based devices only have the "Metro" apps -which makes me wonder why they bothered having Metro apps on the desktop). I'm confused, It seems there are simpler and better solutions to this.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Chris Maunder wrote:
I'm confused, It seems there are simpler and better solutions to this.
Me too, it's like a whole load of stupidity infected everyone on the Windows 8 team.
.-. |o,o| ,| \_\\=/\_ .-""-. ||/\_/\_\\\_\\ /\[\] \_ \_\\ |\_/|(\_)|\\\\ \_|\_o\_LII|\_ \\.\_./// / | ==== | \\ |\\\_/|"\` |\_| ==== |\_| |\_|\_| ||" || || |-|-| ||LI o || |\_|\_| ||'----'|| /\_/ \\\_\\ /\_\_| |\_\_\\ -
(Not the Metro design language, but their Tile based, all-apps-full-screen, can't-close-an-app-trust-us-we-know-what-we're-doing interface) Windows is skinnable. One of the primary issues with a touch interface is clumsy thumbs and gestures. Gesture support are is fairly straightforward to add to an app (or an OS), and so I can't help but think that a "touch" skin for windows (bigger close buttons, different dropdown list UI, different resizers etc) would have taken us 90% of the way to a totally useable tablet UI on Windows without the need of a double-sided OS. I've been thinking about Surface and Ultrabooks a lot lately, and the way I use a tablet is very, very different to how I use a laptop. On a laptop I use a keyboard, trackpad or mouse, and even with a touchscreen I only ever use touch for scrolling or zooming. On an ultrabook I create content, on a tablet I consume and so have a different set of UI needs. I just wish the demarkation between the touch and keyboard based UIs had been done between PC and tablet, instead of PCs and Tablets sharing the same UI, and then Phones having the separate, dedicated UI. (and yes, I know WinRT based devices only have the "Metro" apps -which makes me wonder why they bothered having Metro apps on the desktop). I'm confused, It seems there are simpler and better solutions to this.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Chris Maunder wrote:
Metro apps
It's not 'Metro' anymore: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57490822-75/why-did-microsoft-kill-the-name-metro/[^]
The quick red ProgramFOX jumps right over the
Lazy<Dog>. -
Chris Maunder wrote:
Metro apps
It's not 'Metro' anymore: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57490822-75/why-did-microsoft-kill-the-name-metro/[^]
The quick red ProgramFOX jumps right over the
Lazy<Dog>.I think most people know this, but saying "that damned ugly piece of crap that used to be called Metro" gets repetitive.
.-. |o,o| ,| \_\\=/\_ .-""-. ||/\_/\_\\\_\\ /\[\] \_ \_\\ |\_/|(\_)|\\\\ \_|\_o\_LII|\_ \\.\_./// / | ==== | \\ |\\\_/|"\` |\_| ==== |\_| |\_|\_| ||" || || |-|-| ||LI o || |\_|\_| ||'----'|| /\_/ \\\_\\ /\_\_| |\_\_\\ -
(Not the Metro design language, but their Tile based, all-apps-full-screen, can't-close-an-app-trust-us-we-know-what-we're-doing interface) Windows is skinnable. One of the primary issues with a touch interface is clumsy thumbs and gestures. Gesture support are is fairly straightforward to add to an app (or an OS), and so I can't help but think that a "touch" skin for windows (bigger close buttons, different dropdown list UI, different resizers etc) would have taken us 90% of the way to a totally useable tablet UI on Windows without the need of a double-sided OS. I've been thinking about Surface and Ultrabooks a lot lately, and the way I use a tablet is very, very different to how I use a laptop. On a laptop I use a keyboard, trackpad or mouse, and even with a touchscreen I only ever use touch for scrolling or zooming. On an ultrabook I create content, on a tablet I consume and so have a different set of UI needs. I just wish the demarkation between the touch and keyboard based UIs had been done between PC and tablet, instead of PCs and Tablets sharing the same UI, and then Phones having the separate, dedicated UI. (and yes, I know WinRT based devices only have the "Metro" apps -which makes me wonder why they bothered having Metro apps on the desktop). I'm confused, It seems there are simpler and better solutions to this.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Yep! As H.Brydon said[^]
H.Brydon wrote:
They made an error on the Windows 8 logo - it should say "Fisher Price" on it.
The universe is composed of electrons, neutrons, protons and......morons. (ThePhantomUpvoter)
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(Not the Metro design language, but their Tile based, all-apps-full-screen, can't-close-an-app-trust-us-we-know-what-we're-doing interface) Windows is skinnable. One of the primary issues with a touch interface is clumsy thumbs and gestures. Gesture support are is fairly straightforward to add to an app (or an OS), and so I can't help but think that a "touch" skin for windows (bigger close buttons, different dropdown list UI, different resizers etc) would have taken us 90% of the way to a totally useable tablet UI on Windows without the need of a double-sided OS. I've been thinking about Surface and Ultrabooks a lot lately, and the way I use a tablet is very, very different to how I use a laptop. On a laptop I use a keyboard, trackpad or mouse, and even with a touchscreen I only ever use touch for scrolling or zooming. On an ultrabook I create content, on a tablet I consume and so have a different set of UI needs. I just wish the demarkation between the touch and keyboard based UIs had been done between PC and tablet, instead of PCs and Tablets sharing the same UI, and then Phones having the separate, dedicated UI. (and yes, I know WinRT based devices only have the "Metro" apps -which makes me wonder why they bothered having Metro apps on the desktop). I'm confused, It seems there are simpler and better solutions to this.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
It would have been a lot better to have a windows "Switch Mode", and either Tablet or Desktop view. I hate the Reader, Photos, Video apps that are now the defaults, and have returned the default applications to the standard Media Player, Photo Viewer, apps. Oh, and did you know that on a tablet (Galaxy Tab 10) the CodeProject desktop style (as in selecting Chrome's request desktop site option) is alot more useable than the defaulting mobile css. Just saying :rolleyes:
Dave Find Me On: Web|Facebook|Twitter|LinkedIn
Folding Stats: Team CodeProject
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(Not the Metro design language, but their Tile based, all-apps-full-screen, can't-close-an-app-trust-us-we-know-what-we're-doing interface) Windows is skinnable. One of the primary issues with a touch interface is clumsy thumbs and gestures. Gesture support are is fairly straightforward to add to an app (or an OS), and so I can't help but think that a "touch" skin for windows (bigger close buttons, different dropdown list UI, different resizers etc) would have taken us 90% of the way to a totally useable tablet UI on Windows without the need of a double-sided OS. I've been thinking about Surface and Ultrabooks a lot lately, and the way I use a tablet is very, very different to how I use a laptop. On a laptop I use a keyboard, trackpad or mouse, and even with a touchscreen I only ever use touch for scrolling or zooming. On an ultrabook I create content, on a tablet I consume and so have a different set of UI needs. I just wish the demarkation between the touch and keyboard based UIs had been done between PC and tablet, instead of PCs and Tablets sharing the same UI, and then Phones having the separate, dedicated UI. (and yes, I know WinRT based devices only have the "Metro" apps -which makes me wonder why they bothered having Metro apps on the desktop). I'm confused, It seems there are simpler and better solutions to this.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Chris Maunder wrote:
I just wish the demarkation between the touch and keyboard based UIs had been done between PC and tablet, instead of PCs and Tablets sharing the same UI, and then Phones having the separate, dedicated UI.
Apple (who have done it "right" so far - OS X on "real" computers vs. iOS on phones and tablets) seem to be heading in the same direction albeit much slower. OS X is certainly starting to take cues from iOS (some good, some not so good). I suspect the Microsoft and Apple sages see a truly post-PC future where "Minority Report" style interfaces are used by both content creators and content consumers. The current state of both desktop operating systems is an early interim state. In 10 years we'll probably have a chuckle about them both. On a side note: I'm intrigued that Jony Ive has some influence on the direction of Apple OS UI going forward. I expect great things. Probably not so much in iOS 7 but definitely in iOS 8.
Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. ~ George Washington
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Chris Maunder wrote:
I'm confused, It seems there are simpler and better solutions to this.
Me too, it's like a whole load of stupidity infected everyone on the Windows 8 team.
.-. |o,o| ,| \_\\=/\_ .-""-. ||/\_/\_\\\_\\ /\[\] \_ \_\\ |\_/|(\_)|\\\\ \_|\_o\_LII|\_ \\.\_./// / | ==== | \\ |\\\_/|"\` |\_| ==== |\_| |\_|\_| ||" || || |-|-| ||LI o || |\_|\_| ||'----'|| /\_/ \\\_\\ /\_\_| |\_\_\\ -
(Not the Metro design language, but their Tile based, all-apps-full-screen, can't-close-an-app-trust-us-we-know-what-we're-doing interface) Windows is skinnable. One of the primary issues with a touch interface is clumsy thumbs and gestures. Gesture support are is fairly straightforward to add to an app (or an OS), and so I can't help but think that a "touch" skin for windows (bigger close buttons, different dropdown list UI, different resizers etc) would have taken us 90% of the way to a totally useable tablet UI on Windows without the need of a double-sided OS. I've been thinking about Surface and Ultrabooks a lot lately, and the way I use a tablet is very, very different to how I use a laptop. On a laptop I use a keyboard, trackpad or mouse, and even with a touchscreen I only ever use touch for scrolling or zooming. On an ultrabook I create content, on a tablet I consume and so have a different set of UI needs. I just wish the demarkation between the touch and keyboard based UIs had been done between PC and tablet, instead of PCs and Tablets sharing the same UI, and then Phones having the separate, dedicated UI. (and yes, I know WinRT based devices only have the "Metro" apps -which makes me wonder why they bothered having Metro apps on the desktop). I'm confused, It seems there are simpler and better solutions to this.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
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Chris Maunder wrote:
Metro apps
It's not 'Metro' anymore: http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57490822-75/why-did-microsoft-kill-the-name-metro/[^]
The quick red ProgramFOX jumps right over the
Lazy<Dog>.I know.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
-
(Not the Metro design language, but their Tile based, all-apps-full-screen, can't-close-an-app-trust-us-we-know-what-we're-doing interface) Windows is skinnable. One of the primary issues with a touch interface is clumsy thumbs and gestures. Gesture support are is fairly straightforward to add to an app (or an OS), and so I can't help but think that a "touch" skin for windows (bigger close buttons, different dropdown list UI, different resizers etc) would have taken us 90% of the way to a totally useable tablet UI on Windows without the need of a double-sided OS. I've been thinking about Surface and Ultrabooks a lot lately, and the way I use a tablet is very, very different to how I use a laptop. On a laptop I use a keyboard, trackpad or mouse, and even with a touchscreen I only ever use touch for scrolling or zooming. On an ultrabook I create content, on a tablet I consume and so have a different set of UI needs. I just wish the demarkation between the touch and keyboard based UIs had been done between PC and tablet, instead of PCs and Tablets sharing the same UI, and then Phones having the separate, dedicated UI. (and yes, I know WinRT based devices only have the "Metro" apps -which makes me wonder why they bothered having Metro apps on the desktop). I'm confused, It seems there are simpler and better solutions to this.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
It's interesting you mention skinning existing controls. I just read a short Telerik blog post that showed how to do that in just one line of code (we use DevCraft at my employer). So at least one company is thinking in that direction. I really like Windows 8 on the Surface -- less so on my laptop which doesn't have touch capability. (Well I guess that's not true. I can touch the screen all I want, but it's not going to do anything other than leave fingerprints.) I played with the Surface in the store for about 30 minutes. It's by far my first choice for tablet operating system. I find it hard to see how companies are going to replicate deep functionality based on the Windows Store applications including the built-in ones. That's especially true of Visual Studio and Photoshop which are my two most heavily used applications. I'm less concerned with the UI aspects than I am with Microsoft's relational decisions. For instance, only deployment through the Windows store (you can side-load if you use Windows 8 Enterprise), subscription-based development, XBox always online [rumor], et al.
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(Not the Metro design language, but their Tile based, all-apps-full-screen, can't-close-an-app-trust-us-we-know-what-we're-doing interface) Windows is skinnable. One of the primary issues with a touch interface is clumsy thumbs and gestures. Gesture support are is fairly straightforward to add to an app (or an OS), and so I can't help but think that a "touch" skin for windows (bigger close buttons, different dropdown list UI, different resizers etc) would have taken us 90% of the way to a totally useable tablet UI on Windows without the need of a double-sided OS. I've been thinking about Surface and Ultrabooks a lot lately, and the way I use a tablet is very, very different to how I use a laptop. On a laptop I use a keyboard, trackpad or mouse, and even with a touchscreen I only ever use touch for scrolling or zooming. On an ultrabook I create content, on a tablet I consume and so have a different set of UI needs. I just wish the demarkation between the touch and keyboard based UIs had been done between PC and tablet, instead of PCs and Tablets sharing the same UI, and then Phones having the separate, dedicated UI. (and yes, I know WinRT based devices only have the "Metro" apps -which makes me wonder why they bothered having Metro apps on the desktop). I'm confused, It seems there are simpler and better solutions to this.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
I have an old LifeBook T4215, running XP Tablet PC Edition - doesn't really have a touch screen as such, you need to use a special pen to draw/write on the screen. I have Adobe CS3 installed and using the pen works pretty well - it's curently my oldest laptop, and I now I use it mostly for reading stuff.
Chris Maunder wrote:
It seems there are simpler and better solutions to this
Invert the interfaces, and make 'metro' behave like glorifed 'dos boxes' which can be run i full screen mode - or not, depending on the users' needs/wishes at that particular moment. It should not be to hard to add rudimentary touch behaviour to the desktop. From a development perspective I really don't want to see another 'helium weight' OS where security has been sacrificed/compromised.
Espen Harlinn Principal Architect, Software - Goodtech Projects & Services AS Projects promoting programming in "natural language" are intrinsically doomed to fail. Edsger W.Dijkstra
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It would have been a lot better to have a windows "Switch Mode", and either Tablet or Desktop view. I hate the Reader, Photos, Video apps that are now the defaults, and have returned the default applications to the standard Media Player, Photo Viewer, apps. Oh, and did you know that on a tablet (Galaxy Tab 10) the CodeProject desktop style (as in selecting Chrome's request desktop site option) is alot more useable than the defaulting mobile css. Just saying :rolleyes:
Dave Find Me On: Web|Facebook|Twitter|LinkedIn
Folding Stats: Team CodeProject
DaveAuld wrote:
Oh, and did you know that on a tablet (Galaxy Tab 10) the CodeProject desktop style (as in selecting Chrome's request desktop site option) is alot more useable than the defaulting mobile css.
I find that I use the 'Full Site' on my Windows Mobile too.
Espen Harlinn Principal Architect, Software - Goodtech Projects & Services AS Projects promoting programming in "natural language" are intrinsically doomed to fail. Edsger W.Dijkstra
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I have an old LifeBook T4215, running XP Tablet PC Edition - doesn't really have a touch screen as such, you need to use a special pen to draw/write on the screen. I have Adobe CS3 installed and using the pen works pretty well - it's curently my oldest laptop, and I now I use it mostly for reading stuff.
Chris Maunder wrote:
It seems there are simpler and better solutions to this
Invert the interfaces, and make 'metro' behave like glorifed 'dos boxes' which can be run i full screen mode - or not, depending on the users' needs/wishes at that particular moment. It should not be to hard to add rudimentary touch behaviour to the desktop. From a development perspective I really don't want to see another 'helium weight' OS where security has been sacrificed/compromised.
Espen Harlinn Principal Architect, Software - Goodtech Projects & Services AS Projects promoting programming in "natural language" are intrinsically doomed to fail. Edsger W.Dijkstra
Espen Harlinn wrote:
Invert the interfaces, and make 'metro' behave like glorifed 'dos boxes' which can be run i full screen mode - or not, depending on the users' needs/wishes at that particular moment.
There's at least one 3rd party tool[^] to do that.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies. -- Sarah Hoyt
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(Not the Metro design language, but their Tile based, all-apps-full-screen, can't-close-an-app-trust-us-we-know-what-we're-doing interface) Windows is skinnable. One of the primary issues with a touch interface is clumsy thumbs and gestures. Gesture support are is fairly straightforward to add to an app (or an OS), and so I can't help but think that a "touch" skin for windows (bigger close buttons, different dropdown list UI, different resizers etc) would have taken us 90% of the way to a totally useable tablet UI on Windows without the need of a double-sided OS. I've been thinking about Surface and Ultrabooks a lot lately, and the way I use a tablet is very, very different to how I use a laptop. On a laptop I use a keyboard, trackpad or mouse, and even with a touchscreen I only ever use touch for scrolling or zooming. On an ultrabook I create content, on a tablet I consume and so have a different set of UI needs. I just wish the demarkation between the touch and keyboard based UIs had been done between PC and tablet, instead of PCs and Tablets sharing the same UI, and then Phones having the separate, dedicated UI. (and yes, I know WinRT based devices only have the "Metro" apps -which makes me wonder why they bothered having Metro apps on the desktop). I'm confused, It seems there are simpler and better solutions to this.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
I think the way people think is wrong. When the mouse came out we didn't stop using the keyboard and we should treat touch screens the same (a 3rd input). There's no doubt that Win 8 feels like it has an identity crisis but after being forced to use it for a couple of weeks, Win 7 feels clumsy and slow.
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(Not the Metro design language, but their Tile based, all-apps-full-screen, can't-close-an-app-trust-us-we-know-what-we're-doing interface) Windows is skinnable. One of the primary issues with a touch interface is clumsy thumbs and gestures. Gesture support are is fairly straightforward to add to an app (or an OS), and so I can't help but think that a "touch" skin for windows (bigger close buttons, different dropdown list UI, different resizers etc) would have taken us 90% of the way to a totally useable tablet UI on Windows without the need of a double-sided OS. I've been thinking about Surface and Ultrabooks a lot lately, and the way I use a tablet is very, very different to how I use a laptop. On a laptop I use a keyboard, trackpad or mouse, and even with a touchscreen I only ever use touch for scrolling or zooming. On an ultrabook I create content, on a tablet I consume and so have a different set of UI needs. I just wish the demarkation between the touch and keyboard based UIs had been done between PC and tablet, instead of PCs and Tablets sharing the same UI, and then Phones having the separate, dedicated UI. (and yes, I know WinRT based devices only have the "Metro" apps -which makes me wonder why they bothered having Metro apps on the desktop). I'm confused, It seems there are simpler and better solutions to this.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
1. There's a lot of talk about MS trying to be more like apple, with Win 8. 2. If you start an apple desktop or laptop, it doesn't open with the iphone GUI. 3. This is a clear demonstration of the creative individuality of MS. They should be proud.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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(Not the Metro design language, but their Tile based, all-apps-full-screen, can't-close-an-app-trust-us-we-know-what-we're-doing interface) Windows is skinnable. One of the primary issues with a touch interface is clumsy thumbs and gestures. Gesture support are is fairly straightforward to add to an app (or an OS), and so I can't help but think that a "touch" skin for windows (bigger close buttons, different dropdown list UI, different resizers etc) would have taken us 90% of the way to a totally useable tablet UI on Windows without the need of a double-sided OS. I've been thinking about Surface and Ultrabooks a lot lately, and the way I use a tablet is very, very different to how I use a laptop. On a laptop I use a keyboard, trackpad or mouse, and even with a touchscreen I only ever use touch for scrolling or zooming. On an ultrabook I create content, on a tablet I consume and so have a different set of UI needs. I just wish the demarkation between the touch and keyboard based UIs had been done between PC and tablet, instead of PCs and Tablets sharing the same UI, and then Phones having the separate, dedicated UI. (and yes, I know WinRT based devices only have the "Metro" apps -which makes me wonder why they bothered having Metro apps on the desktop). I'm confused, It seems there are simpler and better solutions to this.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
Chris Maunder wrote:
can't-close-an-app-trust-us-we-know-what-we're-doing interface
You can (grab at top + pull to bottom, ALT+F4 for everything but the start screen, Or on desktop ram mouse to top left, then right-click app and select close) - it's just very badly executed. Typical Microsoft. Somewhen around Windows 11, it will be cool. I guess Microsoft just wanted an App Store like all the other big guys. It's just ... badly executed. Typical Microsoft.
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(Not the Metro design language, but their Tile based, all-apps-full-screen, can't-close-an-app-trust-us-we-know-what-we're-doing interface) Windows is skinnable. One of the primary issues with a touch interface is clumsy thumbs and gestures. Gesture support are is fairly straightforward to add to an app (or an OS), and so I can't help but think that a "touch" skin for windows (bigger close buttons, different dropdown list UI, different resizers etc) would have taken us 90% of the way to a totally useable tablet UI on Windows without the need of a double-sided OS. I've been thinking about Surface and Ultrabooks a lot lately, and the way I use a tablet is very, very different to how I use a laptop. On a laptop I use a keyboard, trackpad or mouse, and even with a touchscreen I only ever use touch for scrolling or zooming. On an ultrabook I create content, on a tablet I consume and so have a different set of UI needs. I just wish the demarkation between the touch and keyboard based UIs had been done between PC and tablet, instead of PCs and Tablets sharing the same UI, and then Phones having the separate, dedicated UI. (and yes, I know WinRT based devices only have the "Metro" apps -which makes me wonder why they bothered having Metro apps on the desktop). I'm confused, It seems there are simpler and better solutions to this.
cheers, Chris Maunder The Code Project | Co-founder Microsoft C++ MVP
I refuse to install it on my desktop. Had a little play with it on my parents new laptop and the one thing that I absolutely wanted to do I can't do with it (as far as I can tell). I have 3 (24") screens on my desktop so I wanted to keep the new start menu open on one screen at all times and have the apps/programs open on one of the others. Seems that I can't do that, as soon as a program opens the start menu goes away. So not going to bother installing it as it seems it brings a lot of overhead to desktop users. Also took me a google search to find the damn shut down button, really Microsoft, I have to go into 'settings' in order to shut down my pc?? I can see the interface being usable with tough devices but with the mouse it's not that easy, although I have to admit that the 'apps' are good for people that don't know much about pc's (like my parents). My parents picked up on it pretty fast (after I set all the needed settings of course)
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Espen Harlinn wrote:
Invert the interfaces, and make 'metro' behave like glorifed 'dos boxes' which can be run i full screen mode - or not, depending on the users' needs/wishes at that particular moment.
There's at least one 3rd party tool[^] to do that.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, waging all things in the balance of reason? Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful? --Zachris Topelius Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies. -- Sarah Hoyt
:thumbsup: Looks like I have to renew my object desktop subscription ...
Espen Harlinn Principal Architect, Software - Goodtech Projects & Services AS Projects promoting programming in "natural language" are intrinsically doomed to fail. Edsger W.Dijkstra
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I refuse to install it on my desktop. Had a little play with it on my parents new laptop and the one thing that I absolutely wanted to do I can't do with it (as far as I can tell). I have 3 (24") screens on my desktop so I wanted to keep the new start menu open on one screen at all times and have the apps/programs open on one of the others. Seems that I can't do that, as soon as a program opens the start menu goes away. So not going to bother installing it as it seems it brings a lot of overhead to desktop users. Also took me a google search to find the damn shut down button, really Microsoft, I have to go into 'settings' in order to shut down my pc?? I can see the interface being usable with tough devices but with the mouse it's not that easy, although I have to admit that the 'apps' are good for people that don't know much about pc's (like my parents). My parents picked up on it pretty fast (after I set all the needed settings of course)
Be fair. This is because MS realises that more and more people are using the Eclipse IDE, so they are helping those people by adding the familiar Eclipse "Where the **** have they put it and why the **** would they put the ****ing thing there?!?" GUI-function-distribution methodology. They should be proud.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
