[POOL] What enviroment you use on Windows 8 Laptop? - Windows 8 General

Just asking a simple question: What do you use on Windows 8 Laptop, Metro (ModernUI) or Desktop environment as main.
Desktop PC are sticked with Mouse (usually) but Laptop have multi-touch trackpads which can use the Win8 gestures in Metro?
So, what do you use

I have no problem with using metro with a cheap sub £10 keyboard and a cyborg rat 5 mouse, aka nothing particularly accustomed to metro. It works perfectly fine, infact I have a windows 8 laptop too with a multitouch trackpad and I find the gestures on that trackpad are no more conductive to using metro than a regular USB mouse and keyboard.
I find the exact opposite actually, I go to move my cursor from left to right across my desktop and find I have just inadvertently triggered the switch metro application gesture, and top to bottom seems to deselect whatever window I have active or I accidently trigger the charms bar, I disabled the gestures. With a keyboard right in front of me I can just alt-tab, or windows+C into the charm bars and for the swipe down I can use this mystical invention called right clicking....
I use both metro and desktop. Primarily desktop I guess but I regularly have the windows 8 messaging or skype apps docked to the left side of my screen (and am quite annoyed that messaging is being removed in 8.1) and I use the mail, calendar and metrotube apps. Sometimes I'll play jetpack joyride too of course Most of the software I actually use though is desktop.
When I went to get this laptop, one of the other models I considered was touch enabled but honestly, I havent looked back at getting a non touchscreen model. Metro apps are incredibly functional on just the keyboard alone, no mouse.

Pool.

I use both as metro doesn't have all the apps i need. Though i would love to use only metro someday as its beautiful
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium

Hell, I have little use for Metro even on my Surface RT. My x64 laptop (old convertible tablet, actually) and desktop (27" WQHD monitor, no touchscreen) barely use Metro stuff at all. Skype (snapped to one side, usually) is pretty good, but beyond that, *sometimes* the email app (which is tolerable to use now, but annoying to not be able to have it split with the desktop nicely), and a handful of games (which I would run fullscreen whether they were Metro or not), I don't use it at all. Not for the browser, not for online shopping, not for social networks, not media playback, not for productivity software... it's all garbage.

Related

Actually using Windows 8 on a desktop or non touch laptop

First off this is in no way trolling or bashing; but I have installed Windows 8 on both on one of my laptops and PC but I just noticed that I really don't use them that much. It seems that it just doesn't catch my attention and is too much of a bother to try to use the mouse and keyboard to navigate in between the Metro UI and desktop. Now I'm perrty sure that it is awesome on a touch device but I have not tried it yet.
How many people on here actually use Windows 8 on a non touch device on a daily basis? With out getting bored with it?
I am using Windows8 as my second system for daily use. I have installed it on a small partition, so I have Windows 7 and 8 in my pc.
I do not find it to be boring or difficult to use. It is true the first times you are a bit messed, but once you get used to Metro gestures it is easy and really quick to use Windows.
I am not sure how you are trying to navigate between Metro and Desktop or how are you using Windows. But you do not need to access Desktop to open programs. Once you install any program it appears in Metro, just click in the tile and you go directly to Desktop with the program launched. It is that easy.
I hope this can be helpful to you
i've also been using win 8 on my notebook and my desktop since the first preview. haven't had any issues navigating. of course its a little confusing using it for the first time, but after about a day its simple.
Haven't gotten bored of it either. for being previews, they run pretty darn smooth.
i tried using it on my laptop but i got rid of it in favor of ubuntu 11.10
it felt like trying to use android on my laptop(just overly confusing and a pain to use the GUI)
i do however believe windows 8 will kill off the laptop/netbook and all other tablets successfully, just take a x64 based tablet like the acer w500 or an arm based tablet like the transformer prime and put windows 8 on them, you will get a tablet when you are playing, and laptop when you're working
I use (and have used) Windows 8 on my non touch NetBook since Developers preview and love it it's also my primary operating system.
Sent from my LG-LS670 using XDA
I've actually been using it for a while and really find it akward to use on a regular desktop. I am waiting to try and possibly buy it on tablet. I have however tried the Transformer Prime running android and I have to say I was impressed by it; hope Windows 8 is as good on a tablet because I am not an andorid or ipad person.
sinister1 said:
I've actually been using it for a while and really find it akward to use on a regular desktop. I am waiting to try and possibly buy it on tablet. I have however tried the Transformer Prime running android and I have to say I was impressed by it; hope Windows 8 is as good on a tablet because I am not an andorid or ipad person.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should buy any windows 7 tab and put windows 8 on it, my plan was to get the Acer w500 tablet and install windows 8 on it. I actually got rid of my android tablet so I can use windows 8, don't get me wrong android is nice on my phone but on a tablet its kind of useless.
There won't be Windows 8 for ARM at stores for buying, it will be installed in tablets only. Keep this in minde
Well, there is a good reason that you aren't using the Metro UI. It was designed specifically for tablets and it adds absolutely nothing to a regular PC. There are not too hard to see that anything except the most basic tasks requires more actions to complete compared to the regular desktop.
Microsoft needs to wake up and realize that they can't have the same UI for touch and mouse.
droidjosh said:
i've also been using win 8 on my notebook and my desktop since the first preview. haven't had any issues navigating. of course its a little confusing using it for the first time, but after about a day its simple.
Haven't gotten bored of it either. for being previews, they run pretty darn smooth.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditto here. I have been using it as my daily OS since the consumer preview to give it a good test and have updated to the release preview. Once you get used to it it just comes naturally. I also have a Samsung Slate 7 I bought to try it on and am using it daily so I have been using both the touch and nontouch enabled. The skydrive integration and the synching of favorites etc is working fantastic.
I've been playing around with Win8 on my own desktop for a while. It's not too hard to get used to, but I've always had a question - what's the point?
Sir. Haxalot said:
Well, there is a good reason that you aren't using the Metro UI. It was designed specifically for tablets and it adds absolutely nothing to a regular PC. There are not too hard to see that anything except the most basic tasks requires more actions to complete compared to the regular desktop.
Microsoft needs to wake up and realize that they can't have the same UI for touch and mouse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong, it brings realtime notifications to the start menu AND the desktop experience as well as reducing the time it takes to find applications in existing start menu program groups. But you strike me as one of those people who took a look at it and said "It's for tablets, will not use" and then never learned how to use it.
Not only that, but you need to wake up and realize that they are the developers, They CAN have the same UI for both mouse and touch and the current implementation as seen in Release Preview works very well for that purpose.
Sent from my LG-LS670 using XDA
I'm using it on my primary PC (dual screen, quad core, 4GB RAM, Geforce GTX460) on a daily basis. I use it with Photoshop/Illustrator/Chrome/Word/Wordpress, as well as various news readers.
It took a few hours to get through the learning curve (back during the Consumer Preview, not since Release Preview--that was easy to adapt to) but I'm confident that I'm actually MORE productive now, and am able to stay on top of things better thanks to deeply integrated features like the People Hub and so on.
Obviously, there's still some ground to cover--the OS is still essentially beta, after all--but all in all I believe it's the most impressive consumer OS I've ever used.
On the other side of things, I'm also beta testing the server in a simple file server role with a dozen users. Nobody's using it as a primary storage device yet, but I have a handful of titles setup to monitor services, alerts, etc, and I really like it. This is likely to make for a GREAT server OS once the major vendors apply themselves to creating Live Tiles that present pertinent information to an administrator upon login .
Microsoft is in a distant lead when it comes to advanced OS design compared to, for example, Apple
sinister1 said:
First off this is in no way trolling or bashing; but I have installed Windows 8 on both on one of my laptops and PC but I just noticed that I really don't use them that much. It seems that it just doesn't catch my attention and is too much of a bother to try to use the mouse and keyboard to navigate in between the Metro UI and desktop. Now I'm perrty sure that it is awesome on a touch device but I have not tried it yet.
How many people on here actually use Windows 8 on a non touch device on a daily basis? With out getting bored with it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The more I use it the more I can foresee MS sales decline. Yes I have gotten use to some features and so on but I honestly don't see this in a corporate or business environment. But to be fair I haven't tested it on a touch device but non the less this has no business on a non-touch device at all. I don't get it; MS sees the reviews that people post on line and also see that the sales of Windows Phone are moving at a snail's pace and they force a touch screen OS to non touch devices
I've been using windows 8 for some time now, on desktop with no touch (only mouse and keyboard) and i can safely say that everyone who says metro is bad for mouse is smoking good grass and i would like some too...
the extra gestures are only required when you want to shut down your PC only. That's it. the only instance in which you have to do more actions than you would on a regular windows 7.
other than that, the advantages are so blatant it's a wonder nobody mentions them
this is the fastest, most efficient operating system i have ever seen. Does windows 7 load for you in 4 seconds? because that's how long it takes for windows 8 to load on my desktop: 4 seconds. and it is not a state of the ark i7 machine, but an old generation core 2 duo.
The resource management is also oustanding. tasks are launched and executed almost like in a real time system (i sometimes forget windows 8 is not a real time system).
And if you get used to using your keyboard, you will save many of the "unnecessary" mouse gestures.
yes, it takes a few moments to get used to it, but once you've configured everything properly, windows 8 is miles ahead of any other system.

[Q] Newbie questions about W8

Hello everyone,
I hope with your knowledge of the system you will be able to help me with some of my questions.
I would like to make sure that I know what I am doing before swapping to a new system.
Here we go than...
1. I am currently using Netflix and Hulu services via VPN (and Windows 7 + Chrome), will I be able to use them with Windows 8 without any problems?
2. I understand that there is no option to side load apps for the Modern Interface other than from MS Store... is there any way to go round it? Reason for this question is connected to Q1. If I would want to use Netflix/Hulu app instead of browser will I be able to get it? (I suspect that there will be a market geolocalization thing... as it is with WP. In iOS or Android it is not a big problem though...
3. I got my original Windows Vista HP (32b) in my desk, purchased as an OEM... should I install it on my PC before buying an upgrade to WIn 8 Pro? What other options than "upgrade W8Pro" will there be for ppl. to purchase new system...
4. If I get a tablet/hybrid to replace iPad with more versatile device (x86 architecture) will I have to get 2 browsers...2 mail clients, etc... in order to be able to work in both modes desktop/modern? Considering that such a device will have limited disk space it seems like a problem. As far as I know modern interface is not really an interface but it is more like a second separate and quite independent system. This means that if I open Word/browser/mail in one mode and move on to continue to work in second I will have to start those app again and data between them will not be synchronised? Yes?
Like... all those program started in Modern Interface will no be visible and accessible on my task bar in desktop mode...
5. Along with changing system on my desktop and getting replacement for my iPAd I am thinking about swapping my phone. I use Lumia 710 and as much as I like the general feel of WP I hate that it is even more "closed" than iOS. Will I loose or gain functionality if I'll get Android device instead of WP8?
1, yes not a prob at all its the same as windows 7
2, I am 99% sure this will be hacked soon but you could also go for Enterprise edition or get a dev license (if you can get an edu email then you don't even need to pay)
3, not to sure myself sorry I have software assurance and so didn't look this up.
4, Windows 8 has a built in mail app (can be removed), you shouldn't think of it as 2 interfaces but more that you have some metro apps some x86 apps the desktop and the modern interface are as one. This whole hula balu about 2 diff interfaces is rubbish. Also the main browser is the one used in metro so you don't download a second one you just set it as your main one and you have both interfaces.
5, depends on what you mean by functionality, both os's have there strong and weak points it really Is down to how you use it and whatyou want from the phone.
lumpaywk said:
2, I am 99% sure this will be hacked soon but you could also go for Enterprise edition or get a dev license (if you can get an edu email then you don't even need to pay)
4, Windows 8 has a built in mail app (can be removed), you shouldn't think of it as 2 interfaces but more that you have some metro apps some x86 apps the desktop and the modern interface are as one. This whole hula balu about 2 diff interfaces is rubbish. Also the main browser is the one used in metro so you don't download a second one you just set it as your main one and you have both interfaces.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
thanks for your answer.
2. Can you give me more details about it? What is Enterprise edition and about this edu e-mail address...How does it all work...
4. Can I start desktop apps in Metro (can they be pinned?) or vice versa? IE10 is default in Metro - if I use default Metro mail app... can I change default browser to Chrome (btw: how does it work in Win8...as in Win7? Or are there any differences).
IE10... does it sync between devices like Chrome?
I install enterprise edition but I get no sound it may be the drivers but I am not sure realtek has drivers for windows 8 yet
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galtom said:
Hi,
thanks for your answer.
2. Can you give me more details about it? What is Enterprise edition and about this edu e-mail address...How does it all work...
4. Can I start desktop apps in Metro (can they be pinned?) or vice versa? IE10 is default in Metro - if I use default Metro mail app... can I change default browser to Chrome (btw: how does it work in Win8...as in Win7? Or are there any differences).
IE10... does it sync between devices like Chrome?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2. As with other versions of Windows you get multiple versions depending on your needs budget etc. Windows 8 come in Windows RT (ARM version (does not support old style x86 software, this is for cheap tablets etc and will only be sold preinstalled)), Windows 8 (basic version), Windows 8 Pro and then Windows 8 Enterprise. Enterprise has a few extra features for big business and own of them is the ability to side load metro apps meaning a company can write custom metro software.
The thing with the edu email is that .edu is for educational institutions schools university's etc. So that MS can get students using its products they let you have a dev license free for the time your in study. All you need to do is find someone who has an email from a school college etc and sign up with there email. I used my dads he is a lecturer. With a dev license you can unlock a couple of devices.
4. There is no 2 separate things here metro and desktop are NOT 2 diff working spaces. Try to think of the start screen as the same thing as the start menu from the old windows except instead of just a list it fills the screen. You can put any app software etc on this screen the same as you could before with the start menu. Older software does have ugly icon squares but there is a thread here with software to make your own metro style icons. The one thing to note though is that you can only open metro apps on 1 monitor ie you cant pin your mail app to one screen and then open cut the rope on another. This is not true for the desktop. Metro apps also open in there own sandbox environment, this means they can not interact with anything outside of themselves, they can share info etc but they cant change anything and so on.
lumpaywk said:
2. As with other versions of Windows you get multiple versions depending on your needs budget etc. [...]
4. There is no 2 separate things here metro and desktop are NOT 2 diff working spaces. [...].
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2. Ok.. I guess I'll have to wait and see what is out there and for how much.
Are you sure that with dev licence I will be able to use US Store/UK Store/etc... as I please?
4. Do I read you correctly (I do work with 2 screens) that I will not be able to have Chrome (I believe it does not support Metro yet) on both screens (to get data and to write in the second). One would thought that I should be able to have any combination of software/apps I want on both screens - Metro x Metro; Desktop x Metro; Metro x Desktop; Desktop x Desktop.
Truly strange and quite disturbing...
New questions :
Are there apps for Metro from Hulu, Netflix, BBC (iPlayer)?
Will they be OK to use with VPN tunnelling or I will have to use browser any way...
Will Hulu work on tablet/hybrid with x86 Windows 8 or will it say I am using mobile device (as it is with iOS/Android) and will not work in its Free version.
galtom said:
2. Ok.. I guess I'll have to wait and see what is out there and for how much.
Are you sure that with dev licence I will be able to use US Store/UK Store/etc... as I please?
4. Do I read you correctly (I do work with 2 screens) that I will not be able to have Chrome (I believe it does not support Metro yet) on both screens (to get data and to write in the second). One would thought that I should be able to have any combination of software/apps I want on both screens - Metro x Metro; Desktop x Metro; Metro x Desktop; Desktop x Desktop.
Truly strange and quite disturbing...
New questions :
Are there apps for Metro from Hulu, Netflix, BBC (iPlayer)?
Will they be OK to use with VPN tunnelling or I will have to use browser any way...
Will Hulu work on tablet/hybrid with x86 Windows 8 or will it say I am using mobile device (as it is with iOS/Android) and will not work in its Free version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chrome does now support Metro you just have to have it set as your default browser. The 2 screens is only Metro style apps so yes you cant have 2 metro style chromes but you can still open as many desktop/old style chromes as you want just as you did in windows 7. With dual screen one screen will always display its half of the desktop the metro start screen only goes onto 1 monitor. It is that one monitor that metro apps will run. It is a huge blunder in my opinion but what can you do.
If you are running a desktop pc esp with multi monitors then you wont notice to much diff in looks and feel. You will notice a huge jump in speed though but a loss of transparent windows . It is also worth putting a start link on the taskbar as sometimes getting the corner between screens is tricky (well not tricky but faster if you have a bigger target), just google "show start.exe".
As for the marketplace from diff country that I don't think would be possible I thought you where talking about side loading apps. You may be able to with the use of vpn but I cant confirm this.
Ok, thanks for the info.
I guess the best would be to simply try Win8 before I buy it.
3 (new) questions than:
What is the latest ver. of Win 8 I should download?
I do not own any VM software - is there (an easy) way to test Win* under Win7 (I dont mind that system will not be as fast, etc... but I would be able to see how it works...)
If I would have to make a proper install of Win8 on my PC... how hard will it be to go back to my current Win7?
As I keep 90% of ma data either in the cloud or on a on a different partitions on my drives formatting C: is not a problem... but I have read that once Win 8 is installed Win7 does not want to format this drive and install itself on it.... true?
galtom said:
Ok, thanks for the info.
I guess the best would be to simply try Win8 before I buy it.
3 (new) questions than:
What is the latest ver. of Win 8 I should download?
I do not own any VM software - is there (an easy) way to test Win* under Win7 (I dont mind that system will not be as fast, etc... but I would be able to see how it works...)
If I would have to make a proper install of Win8 on my PC... how hard will it be to go back to my current Win7?
As I keep 90% of ma data either in the cloud or on a on a different partitions on my drives formatting C: is not a problem... but I have read that once Win 8 is installed Win7 does not want to format this drive and install itself on it.... true?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your best bet is to use a diff hard drive that way you can dual boot into windows 7 and windows 8 then when your done unplug the hard drive test you can boot into 7 still then format. This is the best way though I have heard of issues going back I have never had any, you boot to a disk then format the drive when you install 7 so I don't see how it could be, maybe they are trying to keep there files etc ie downgrade instead of a new install.
you can get a 90 day trial of rtm (the final build as it will be sold) here http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/jj554510.aspx But note you will need to uninstall it and reinstall if you want to keep using windows 8 after the 90 days.
Last thing,
I plan to install Win8 (today) on my external 160GB disk.
It will be connected to my PC via e-Sata... any advice before I proceed?
I dont want to put it on disk where is my current Win7 as I need it daily to work... so this should work... right? (motherboard is old; Abit Ab9Pro)
If this hasn't already been answered, I use tor for Netflix and it doesn't work will on windows 8. I can load the home but then it goes back to the UK version. It works fine on 7.
X10man
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x10man said:
If this hasn't already been answered, I use tor for Netflix and it doesn't work will on windows 8. I can load the home but then it goes back to the UK version. It works fine on 7.
X10man
Sent from my U20i using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I got bit confused...
Where do you use it (UK or USA)?
You try to access Netflix via VPN and Metro app or browser?
I'm in the UK and I use tor to access the US version with desktop chrome and proxy switchy to act as a Tor button.
X10man
Sent from my U20i using xda premium
Perhaps it is a TOR (and selected exit node) problem...
Try this 3h trial of VPN (free) and see if it is working - http://www.hideipvpn.com/freetrial/
Do you use Chrome under desktop or Modern UI mode?
Can you recommend a good (free) set of video codecs? I cant play mkv at the moment

[OT] What Legacy Apps Do You Use?

This was part of a discussion I had with a friend lately. I argued that windows 8/RT desktop environment looked fug-ugly compared to WP8/ModernUI and that it needed a MAJOR overhaul. Because TBH windows still looks generally the same now, as it did 10-15 years ago & is only really optimised for displays that are 13-24". But the thing is I see windows going to larger displays (HTPC's and Living Room PC's) and smaller ones (Handsize tablets) and windows on these displays just doesn't function nice.
However, my friend argues that they couldn't change the entire UI/UX of the desktop environment because too much legacy stuff will look out of place and be confusing. I understand this may be the case in a business environment where loads of a wide range of diverse and unique tailored software is used BUT I don't think it's a problem for the average home PC user.
The way I see it is that most people only use a couple of different applications on their home PC/laptop and I'm pretty sure it's only a handful of applications would need updating to the new UI for consumers to not have headaches.
So I was wondering, what do you actually run on a day-to-day basis?
Here's mine.
DAILY:
Chrome
VLC
Office
Adobe Reader
Dropbox* (Doesn't have a UI :laugh: )
That's mine! If MS came up with a much more unified ModernUI inspired desktop, I would only need 5 developers to update their app to the same style and I'd be happy.
All the major web browsers (everything from IE to Opera), not that web browser developers have been respecting their platforms' UI conventions for the last few years anyhow.
Office (mostly Word, OneNote, and Outlook).
Pidgin.
Steam (not that its terribly respectful of UI conventions either).
Windows Explorer (obviously built-in, but the TIFKAM "replacements" are crap unless you have reallllly fat fingers and no mouse).
Various terminal apps (cmd, powershell, bash, etc.).
Visual Studio.
A bunch of others that aren't "every day" but are needed for my job and such, although they rarely get run on my home system.
A bunch of full-screen games, but I suppose those don't count.
On my Acer W510, I've installed:
Chrome - works better than IE with AirDroid for connecting w/my Android phone
iTunes - still use my 7 y/o iPod in my car
Zune - can download 10 drm-free songs monthly on the grandfathered Zune pass subscription
Dropbox
Google Drive
Skydrive - can't upload folders w/the Win store app
Office
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I use dropbox,quake 3,vlc,microsoft office,evernote,pidgin,winamp and WinRAR
Here's what I use normally:
WinSCP
PuTTY
Hyper-V
A few Hyper-V terminals
Pandora One Desktop App
NetBalancer
Mumble
Opera
Firefox
Chrome
Steam
Deluge Manager
Task Manager
Visual Studio 2012 (and various related tools, such as windbg or remote debuggers)
Skype (Desktop Skype, Metro Skype has issues)
X-Chat (Hexchat)
WinRAR
VLC
Xming
Netbeans
Of all of these, the only ones I could see realistically being reproduced in Metro are:
Opera
Firefox
Chrome
Steam
Skype (Well, it is, but I can't get the Metro Skype to stay connected for any length of time)
Mumble
Pandora
X-Chat (Any decent IRC client would do, but there weren't any last I looked)
PuTTY (It could be ported, though I think it would work far better as a window)
VLC
Xming
netham45 said:
Of all of these, the only ones I could see realistically being reproduced in Metro are:
Opera
Firefox
Chrome
Steam
Skype (Well, it is, but I can't get the Metro Skype to stay connected for any length of time)
Mumble
Pandora
X-Chat (Any decent IRC client would do, but there weren't any last I looked)
PuTTY (It could be ported, though I think it would work far better as a window)
VLC
Xming
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Chrome already has (a really poor, is just the desktop browser without any options) Metro browser, Firefox has a beta version that looks and acts like an Android app. Gabe Newell is ****ting his pants over Windows 8 because it cuts him out of game sales completely: the Windows Store is already Steam. I don't know what Mumble is. There is already a third-party Pandora client that is excellent. There are already multiple IRC clients for Windows Metro. A TTY app needs to be Windowed? You really believe that? I run PuTTY on my eMate, let's be real here. VLC is begging for money so that they can decide how and when they want to make a VLC for Metro. I have already moved to MPC-HC and CCCP. I think you will see something like XBMC for Metro before any of the others because it is more portable in terms of being self-contained and not needing to hose down the system with files and registry entries to operate correctly.
dragon_76 said:
Chrome already has (a really poor, is just the desktop browser without any options) Metro browser, Firefox has a beta version that looks and acts like an Android app. Gabe Newell is ****ting his pants over Windows 8 because it cuts him out of game sales completely: the Windows Store is already Steam. I don't know what Mumble is. There is already a third-party Pandora client that is excellent. There are already multiple IRC clients for Windows Metro. A TTY app needs to be Windowed? You really believe that? I run PuTTY on my eMate, let's be real here. VLC is begging for money so that they can decide how and when they want to make a VLC for Metro. I have already moved to MPC-HC and CCCP. I think you will see something like XBMC for Metro before any of the others because it is more portable in terms of being self-contained and not needing to hose down the system with files and registry entries to operate correctly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gabe Newell is going crazy because of competition. The Store is not replacing Steam, the games in it are at a different level (mobile casual games) than the desktop games from Steam.
scaryshark said:
The way I see it is that most people only use a couple of different applications on their home PC/laptop and I'm pretty sure it's only a handful of applications would need updating to the new UI for consumers to not have headaches.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I'm sure there are a lot of people who don't use their PC's for much beyond e-mail and the web, I think you're vastly underestimating the number of people who DO use more than just a handful of basic applications.
On a typical day, I use:
At least 3 to 4 programs from the Adobe Master Collection, and I need frequent access to all but maybe 3.
Several 3D programs including LightWave 3D and Luxology Modo.
SmartFTP
Virtualbox
Tight VNC client
All the major web browsers
Several small utilities like notepad++, Media Player Classic, etc.
That's my biggest criticism of the new UI - it pretty much assumes no one does anything productive with their computers. If Microsoft truly thought it was the future, why isn't Office fully Metro complaint? Because a touch UI is simply not an efficient way to control applications with ANY degree of complexity.
I appreciate this thread, as I am considering what I really do with my legacy apps that I can't do on rt. I use office, and adobe, but really on a day to day basis that is really it. Office 2013 works with metro ui, so I wonder just how beneficial legacy apps, other than games that are desktop, are going to be in the future. I have the Sammy Ativ smartpc 500t btw. I love it, but really dig the look and design of the surface. RT made me go with the intel run tablet, and I know the surface pro is coming out, but a bit pricey. Anyway, as I say, the two main legacy apps I use are office and adobe.
dragon_76 said:
Chrome already has (a really poor, is just the desktop browser without any options) Metro browser, Firefox has a beta version that looks and acts like an Android app. Gabe Newell is ****ting his pants over Windows 8 because it cuts him out of game sales completely: the Windows Store is already Steam. I don't know what Mumble is. There is already a third-party Pandora client that is excellent. There are already multiple IRC clients for Windows Metro. A TTY app needs to be Windowed? You really believe that? I run PuTTY on my eMate, let's be real here. VLC is begging for money so that they can decide how and when they want to make a VLC for Metro. I have already moved to MPC-HC and CCCP. I think you will see something like XBMC for Metro before any of the others because it is more portable in terms of being self-contained and not needing to hose down the system with files and registry entries to operate correctly.
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I posted those on that list regardless if they were ported or not to Metro.
Steam is better than Windows 8's games purely because of the already-established userbase/games
Mumble is a VoIP solution geared towards gaming
The third-party Pandora client, while decent, still has some standby issues on Windows RT. I'm hoping the official client (if/when it comes out) will have these solved.
Yes, I believe an SSH client is better off windowed. It's nice to be able to have a web browser and multiple SSH clients open on one screen. Also, there's no need to be condescending over a matter of preference.
VLC is looking for aid to help pay off the development costs for a totally-free app they produce, I don't think it's unreasonable for them to ask. MPC-HC requires codec packs (such as CCCP), whereas VLC has their codec packs bundled in, making an easier all-in-one install. I do agree that XBMC is a likely candidate for being ported first.
Spectredroid said:
Office 2013 works with metro ui
...
Anyway, as I say, the two main legacy apps I use are office and adobe.
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Unless I'm mistaken (which I could be), Office 2013 does not work in metro - it's run from the RT desktop ui, so it's not really a "metro" application.
And when you say you use Adobe, what do you mean by that? It could refer to anything from Adobe Acrobat reader to Photoshop, After Effects and the rest of their graphic applications.
If you just use Acrobat Reader, there probably is, or will shortly be, a fully metro compliant reader, so that wouldn't be a problem. But if you use one of Adobe's graphics programs, there isn't, and I can't see there ever being, Metro and/or RT versions. First, the ARM architecture just doesn't offer the performance needed for the type of work Adobe's applications were designed to do. And second, the Metro/touch ui just doesn't facilitate the on-screen information density needed for the amount and intracasy of the tools.
Adobe may make "Touch" apps for Metro/RT similar to Photoshop Touch on iOS, but that's extremely limited in features and capabilities.
So if you need to use any of Adobe's main graphics programs, there's your decision right there - RT is out. If you just need to view PDFs, aside from the previously mentioned Office, then RT is a viable option.

[Q] Modern UI & 2 screens

Hi,
I can have two different desktop app on my two screens but not modern ui apps.
WHY?
Is there a way to change it? Or is it due to res. (1280 x 1024) of one of my screens and I will have no issue if I get a higher res. one?
You should be able to show different Modern apps on each screen... you can drag apps between screens, use the keyboard shortcuts (CTRL+WIN+Arrow keys, if I recall correctly), or open Start on different screens and the app you pick will launch there.
12x10 is too low for snapping apps the side of a screen, but is enough to display an app.
GoodDayToDie said:
You should be able to show different Modern apps on each screen... you can drag apps between screens, use the keyboard shortcuts (CTRL+WIN+Arrow keys, if I recall correctly), or open Start on different screens and the app you pick will launch there.
12x10 is too low for snapping apps the side of a screen, but is enough to display an app.
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Click to collapse
No, this doesn't seem to be programmed in.
Essentially you designated one monitor as the "modernUI monitor". You can't have an app running on the left and have the start menu on the right- the app on the left just minimizes as soon as you press start. Very annoying- it means you cannot multitask in the metro environment with multiple monitors. I love the idea of apps but this needs to be fixed... as is I can't even launch programs without killing the app I'm using. If I want to watch netflix on one monitor and work on the other, I can't use the netflix app because I'll stop the video every time I try to start a program.
link68759 said:
No, this doesn't seem to be programmed in.
[...] Very annoying- it means you cannot multitask in the metro environment with multiple monitors. I love the idea of apps but this needs to be fixed...
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Click to collapse
My point (and problem) exactly!
Inconsistencies are killing Windows 8 . Small, annoying things like that are why people are saying this system is bad. Essentialy, it is not.. it is just inconsistent .
I asked some people in the dev group and their answer was
"We are aware of this issue and are looking into it. We were not able to implement this in v1 of Windows 8, however we cannot comment, yet, on up and coming updates at this time."
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Talderon said:
I asked some people in the dev group and their answer was
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Since it looks like you are in touch with ppl. "who can" ask them (nicely) about these as well (if you can):
- why IE can not (in both modes) use the same resources to act as 1 browser not 2 (or at least if they plan to offer sync between them) - just as Chrome is doing it today. This duality on W8 is killing IE 10 for me (for you as well?)
- since I do not have 2 W8 there is no way for me to check this but I doubt it is working like this - is IE 10 synchronizing between devices?
If I will finish my work on desktop and fire up laptop/hybrid with W8 will I get instantly the same tabs/pages/history/passwords/etc?
- sync of system between devices - I do not mean sync of desktop mode here that is impossible but since Modern UI has always access to all the same software resources will it sync all setting and programs (and their settings) I already have on ma PC once I get second device? (I show some triggers about sync in settings/setup - don't know if they are working)
- W8 should allow for designating 1 local (lan NAS) folder for sync between devices (but with offline access) so files on NAS are also synced on W8 device - this
- Mail - as IE it should use the same resources - W8 Mail & Live Mail should be 1 program with just 2 interfaces - not two separate programs - it is CRAZY!!!
- I have put Modern UI program on 1 side of my screen (size 2/3 or 3/4) on this smaller strip I wanted to have Skype window (strip as well) in desktop mode - not possible - as it tries to show overview of whole desktop (like 1 screen, part of it covered with IE10 rest is desktop skype or other communicator)
I only got W8 for about week now son nothing more bugs me so far

Multiple metro splitting / customizable metro splitting

I didn't find any topic about this. Excuse me if a topic already exists.
Name it as you want, but windows 8 allow us to split the screen and see two metro apps at the same time. I miss the windows' windows ( windows without windows is quite stupid for me ), but I like metro. Is there any way to split the screen many times, horizontally and with different ratios? ( not only 80:20 )
Many thanks.
Inviato dal mio HTC Desire con Tapatalk 2
It's been asked before, but nothing found. The official reason is that using a fixed-width sidebar mode allows developers to optimize their app interfaces for the width of that sidebar, but it would be nice to, for example, have two apps side-by-side in portrait mode on a 1920x1080 monitor (giving about 950x1080 each). I'm sure if such ahack is found, it'll be posted here...
GoodDayToDie said:
It's been asked before, but nothing found. The official reason is that using a fixed-width sidebar mode allows developers to optimize their app interfaces for the width of that sidebar, but it would be nice to, for example, have two apps side-by-side in portrait mode on a 1920x1080 monitor (giving about 950x1080 each). I'm sure if such ahack is found, it'll be posted here...
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Click to collapse
Right, many thanks for answering. I'll pantientiently wait. So sorry for useless topic.
Optimization or not, in Win7 I could have A LOT of windows on the screen at the same time. Falling back to 2 in the new version is very disappointing. Samsung smartphones have visual multitasking and my 1920x1080 PC can't have more than two windows? If it wasn't for performances of Win8, I would be on Win7 right now.
Win8 is capable of having an arbitrary number of windows open at once... I get almost no use out of the Metro apps and just do everything on the desktop.
GoodDayToDie said:
Win8 is capable of having an arbitrary number of windows open at once... I get almost no use out of the Metro apps and just do everything on the desktop.
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Click to collapse
Yep, desktop is just like win7 desktop, so you can get unlimited windows. But Metro apps are quite integrated with everything and living without them is hard. And I can't see a youtube video while writing a document.
You can't? Word and a browser pointing at YouTube works fine for me...
Seriously, aside from mail (which I only use because it'll connect from outside work's firewall) and Skype (which works great snapped to one side), the only "Metro" apps I use are games (which I would have full-screened anyhow). The music, pictures, and messenger apps are crap. I manage my calendar from the phone and only "use" it on the PC to see and dismiss notifications. I prefer the desktop control panel and OneNote. The built-in PDF reader app is... not great, so I have Foxit. Metro IE is worthless next to the desktop version. Metro remote desktop is OK, but the desktop version is powerful and familiar. Start and the Store are both "metro" but aren't really apps in the usual sense. SSH and such are available on the desktop (I use Interix).
If anything, I'd say Metro apps are the opposite of "integrated with everything". They can't change system settings, and often can't even check them. They have very limited ability to talk to other programs, whereas almost everything on the desktop supports drag&drop, for example. They can't do anything requiring high privileges. They're terrible for browsing the filesystem. They suck for multitasking in general. They can't (officially) launch other programs. They might not be an evolutionary dead end, but they aren't an evolution I'm happy to see. Give me sandboxes, and maybe even a store, but let *me* control the sandbox and let me apply them to desktop software. Give me synced app state, but let everything use it not just the stuff from your store. Give me Vista's Windows Mail instead of this crap. Touch-friendly is great, but even on my Surface I don't so much except games with touch; give me traditional UIs too.

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