08.13.12
Vista 8 is Trying to Compete With Android
Summary: An artificially limited environment such as Android is being imposed on users of the next version of Windows
“Microsoft kills Windows 8,” say the likes of Pogson and ourselves. With more and more antifeatures it becomes abundantly clear that OEMs will look at non-Windows options. Microsoft makes matters worse as the “final build of Windows 8 has already leaked to torrent sites, which is giving the propellerheads a chance to dig through the code. One revelation will probably not sit well with enterprise customers: you can’t bypass the don’t-call-it-Metro UI.
“Normally, you have to boot Windows 8 and when the tiled desktop UI (formerly known as Metro) came up, you had to click on one of the boxes to launch Explorer. Prior builds of Windows 8 allowed the user to create a shortcut so you bypass Metro and go straight to the Explorer desktop.”
“This is why Microsoft is trying so aggressively to tax Android with patents.”Well, Vista 8 repeats the mistakes of Vista and now that Android may come to the desktop Microsoft might get no second chances. “There are millions and millions of people using Android on their smartphones,” writes one blogger, “and even some that are using it on tablets. What would happen if there was a version of Android released for the desktop?”
As one who uses the almost latest Android (4.0, not 4.1) on a tablet every day, I sure see why Microsoft should worry. Android is “better Metro than Metro” — so to speak — and it’s free. This is why Microsoft is trying so aggressively to tax Android with patents. █
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mcinsand said,
August 13, 2012 at 11:57 am
Sadly, this may well be what it takes to move the masses towards a Linux desktop. Superior performance, reliability, security, and hardware support haven’t been enough to move significant numbers away from Windows. The base public will stay with the devil that it thinks it knows than try something else… despite the UI upheavals involved with changing from one version of Windows to another. As far as the duopoly is concerned, this is a really bad time for Microsoft to set its footgun to ‘kill.’ MS needs market share inertia to keep it going, and there is only so great of a slice that hates both MS and freedom enough to go to Apple. As more and more people experience choice, reliability, and security, FOSS will grow at MS’ and Apple’s expense.
NotZed said,
August 13, 2012 at 9:08 pm
I could easily see android work on a desktop. The only downside at the moment is the fact that each window is full-screen, but for the most part it wouldn’t be too difficult to windowise it (which i think a desktop would need). Wouldn’t it be funny if they moved in the opposite direction to all these silly ‘linux’ desktop options, adding overlapping windows rather than forcing full-screen ones …
I would hope they do it with a proper GNU userland, but I bet they don’t because they want to keep it locked up as an appliance.
Given the security model – each application is given it’s own userid – i’m not sure a multi-login desktop will be simple. OTOH I don’t think multi-user is needed for a desktop os either.