A little tech rant. (Warning opinionated opinion is opinionated)

[Hammerskjold]

I am currently in the process of buying a new PC graphics workstation. I usually see the time to upgrade when I see laptops starting to equal\surpass my desktop specs, at 500$. (I'm going with PC because Mac platforms are simply too rich for my blood at the moment.)

Most of the hardware list for the new rig is almost finalized, maybe a few parts needs tweaking but overall the big stuff is decided.

One game that actually helped me while putting together the spec list is Diablo 2. If there's one thing I learned and learned well from that game, is how to min\max like a good munchkin.

When I came to the OS part, it's funny that the store website that I am going to buy it from, has the default listing of Windows 7. Sure you can pick Win 8, but you have to click on an 'expand list' button.

For good reason, I think. I like tablets, though for my use it has to be with a stylus or preferably pen input natively supported. (Despite what the late Steve Jobs says, it is not a failure when something has\needs a stylus. Maybe on a Newton or an Iphone. But the Sumerians were not stupid when they started using stylus on their clay tablets.) I like laptops. Desktop platforms will not go away anytime soon.

The laptop did not replace the desktop, anymore than the tablet will replace the laptop and desktop. Different configurations for different usage and styles, and each can compliment the others.

I wanted to like Win 8. I really do. I think it's fine on a tablet style, or a touch screen all in one style PCs. I hope MS continues to pursue and improve native pen support, simply because of my bias as a Wacom pen tablet user. Even though I now use a pen tablet instead of a mouse 95% of the time, I still have my mouse around. And anytime an OS wants to be less of a hog and trim the bloat fat, I'm all for it. (Hell if MS experiments on the Surface PRO is improved, there might be a viable competition against a Wacom Cintiq. Monopoly is never a good thing, especially in a niche market. And I'm saying this as a user of Wacom products.)

But Win 8 on a regular, non touch screen desktop, is assbutt. Win 8 on a workstation desktop, is diarrhea assbutt. What pisses me off even more is that there is a good OS under Metro, which IMO is the large source of assbutt situation.

Win 8 on a desktop, I hope you will be happy when you meet your new friends at the Island of MS-fit Toys. Win ME, MS BoB, the Zune, will love to have a new addition to their gang. Oh you'll have lot's of fun there, there's a never ending fountain of New Coke, and Crystal Pepsi. You just choose which one you want, and the fountain will give you the one you didn't. MAGIC!

10 bucks says Win9 will remove or make Metro an 'optional' display style. Because if things continue the way they are, M$ will really cripple the desktop market. For themselves. Unfortunately any glee I have of watching arrogant dinosaurs flailing about is tempered by the fact that the dinosaur is still tied to a lot of the programs I use.

Modern Tech. Gotta love it when it's run by the 'Smartest Guys in The Room' who -tells- me what I want and need.

[LochnarITB]

Modern Tech. Gotta love it when it's run by the 'Smartest Guys in The Room' who -tells- me what I want and need.

You can't teach an old dog new tricks? It has been that way, more or less each version, as long as I have had to deal with them, A Very Long Time™. I was ranting about this just last night. I had to explain to my Mom how MS was trying to protect her from herself, even though she had done nothing wrong, but all it achieved was to slow her down and make her angry. She spends a fair amount of time on the computer and it is a big source of pleasure for her. She is intelligent and, even though well beyond the age of the average user, fairly good at using the computer. So, to see her mad enough to say she wanted to just quit using it altogether makes me sad and mad and certainly seems like MS could be doing better. They have certainly trampled on better systems from years ago that I would still prefer to this day.

[kandrathe]

I'm still trying to figure out how to get my custom ring tone into my iPhone. But, yes, W8 is the acronym I like best for Windows 8.

[Hammerskjold]

You can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Yep, sadly not in MS case it seems. I want the Surface Pro to be improved upon, because I think it has serious potentials. But my bet is it can easily go the way of the Zune.

They have certainly trampled on better systems from years ago that I would still prefer to this day.

To paraphrase a comment I read elsewhere, " I like it better when MS 'borrowed' other people's good ideas. Now they just borrow the bad ones, make it worse and call it an improvement."

For some reason it looks to me MS -wants- to ape the late Steve Jobs's famous 'one more thing... -Cue the choir adulation and applause'. Maybe it just wants to be loved and lusted the same way Apple die hards have over their silver and white objet d'art?

I like some mobile apps. Specifically, I like that -some- of them are forced into creating software that is efficient and nearly bloat free, because the lower hardware spec disciplines\forces them to be.

Having said that, no one I've seen is rushing to do spreadsheet calcs on their Iphones. No one I've seen is rushing to do a job requiring a lot of typing, strictly on a tablet (without a keyboard add-on).

Yes Angry Birds is a huuuuge hit. But even when computechnomancy reaches the stage where tablets\smartphones can run a game like Skyrim\Crysis, well I still kinda like to sit down and go mouse\keyboard. Or at least a game pad and a couch. When that technosingularity enabled super tablet is a reality, I will likely still want a way to connect to a bigger display than a tablet\phone. Then that becomes...a desktop configuration.

This is one of my favourite visual artist, Goro Fujita. http://www.photoshopcafe.com/interviews/goro.htm
His sketches on the ipad are awesome IMO. But for finished pro work, he still uses a desktop configuration.

TL,DR:

I hope MS Win 9 (or better yet Win8 service pack) will follow the Startrek movies rule, where every other film is a good or at least not a complete stinker.

I reeeally hope MS-Wintel remembers there's a reason why suits, labcoats, overclocking gamers with garish taste in case mods and yes, even creative types likes PCs. Modularity and affordability are still a 'good thing'. Bolting on training wheels, but -not- welding them shut is still, a 'good thing' in my books.

Then again, that would require MS Wintel to -listen- to their user base.

I hope saner minds prevail, and Win9 is not some glorified phablet OS, requiring a 24/7 online connection and MS-Subscription for cloud storage\cloud computing. (It's the smallest and leanest WINDOZE EVAH!) Hell why wouldn't you buy it, it autosyncs with Itunes, Facebook, Twitter, Battlenet 2.0, and Xbox Live. Of course to buy it you need to buy a new Wintel box, because MS OS-9 is no longer sold as a standalone product.

The OS has evolved, physical media is dead anyway. It's all about the 'store apps (totally not like the appstore guys for realsies)' and subscription model of the future.

'Luddites' who still requires a computer for oh I dunno, working, better learn up or else need not apply. Besides, who actually 'works' on a computer nowadays anyway? The future is here people, and we have an app for that.

[Lissa]

"Blue" is coming this Summer which should be the stripped down Win 8 with a start menu. Corporate America told MS to piss off until they make Windows 8 not be so social and not make having a touch screen.

As to cloud, I don't trust it, but Microsoft is actually leading right now doing a better job than either Amazon or Google. Considering everyone out there right now is saying, "we'll take your data, but if we lose it, well, you're SOoL", I just can't abide by that being the good little Sys Admin I am (where having two copies is not enough). So, if you're willing to take the chance on cloud, Microsoft is your best bet, but I don't trust cloud, so no thank you.

[Hammerskjold]

"Blue" is coming this Summer which should be the stripped down Win 8 with a start menu.

Most of the report\rumors I've read so far says otherwise, especially with the start menu. Basically it all sounds like:

-Metro\modern is not going anywhere, it's here to stay, you will like what we -tell you- to like.

- The 'old and busted' Start button is not coming back, ever, because we know what works for you, see point above. DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS DEVELOPERS!!!!!11111
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8To-6VIJZRE

I'd love to be proven wrong on this one, but most reports\rumours says MS is sticking with the whole one size fits all 'solution', damn the torpedoes, what desktop users says (-you- are doing it wrong), or reality.

Corporate America told MS to piss off until they make Windows 8 not be so social and not make having a touch screen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6WHBO_Qc-Q

That's the scene that comes to my mind when you wrote that.

Just replace 'playing Jack' with 'forcing a phone\tablet OS onto a desktop'.

Seriously, has anyone at MS that had a hand in Metro ever spent time in an actual workplace? Not every company relies or even use social media. Some even -gasp-, outright disallow it, for oh I dunno, something stupid like security reason or whatever or something...OOOH! There's a cool picture of the speakers I wanted, I think I'm going to Pinterest that....hold on lemme tweet this and update my like on FBook...

Excuse me Mr\Ms Client, you just have to give me a minute here on my tablet but I'll definitely be able to help you out in just a....sorry gotta take this call. Yeah, yeah, did you see my Facebook update? SICK SPEAKERS RIGHT BRO?!!! OH MAN! Yeah...wait gimme a sec, some dude is looking pissed at me right now for some reason...like he's expecting me to do something for him, gimme a sec gonna ask the douchebag what the hell he wants.

Yes sir...can I...help you with something...?

So, if you're willing to take the chance on cloud, Microsoft is your best bet, but I don't trust cloud, so no thank you.

Personally I don't use it, yet. But it's just another option in a multi layer saving method for me. Having said that, I can think of some field where cloud storage is simply not an option. But yes, in general my sentiment is similar to yours.

Summing up my rant, MS is doing 'a heckuva job, Brownie' if their goal is to make Win7 the de facto choice for people who use their machines for things other than Facebook. They're also doing a fine job of making people seriously consider Mac platforms if they insist on aping Apple walled garden system. I'm not a fan of walled system, I don't see it as the Electronic Eden some folks do.

But an MS designed walled garden? Oh godnoez. If I find Apple walled garden to be too stifling, I find a MS one to be terrifying.

[Taem]

Windows 7 is amazing! It's only drawback is how it auto-sorts pictures in some totally random fashion which is bull****, but hey, I guess everything can't be perfect. On the other hand, Windows 8 is utter crap. Why bother getting Windows 8 at all is my question. The ribbon "feature" takes twice as long to scroll through and get what you need, and totally defeats the purpose of having a desktop at all! TBH, it seems everything MS does recently is backwards; take for example MS Office: the new ribbon "feature" takes 2-3 times longer to scroll through to pick what you want then just clicking on the fucking icon on the old interface. I'm sorry, but whoever actually likes ribbons must either be an avid mac user or handicapped in some way, but its quite literally counter productive in every imaginable way. And Metro is just the next retarded step. I'm highly considering switching over to google products if MS keeps pumping out crap in terms of what I'll use in the future for office products, however I'm not sure what to do with Windows.... Perhaps I can give Linux a shot?

[Hammerskjold]

And Metro is just the next retarded step. I'm highly considering switching over to google products if MS keeps pumping out crap in terms of what I'll use in the future for office products, however I'm not sure what to do with Windows.... Perhaps I can give Linux a shot?

Well switching over to google apps is obviously a bad idea, at least according to this source.

http://blogs.technet.com/b/whymicrosoft/...hting.aspx

The source being, a 'I'm hip with it, I do t3h blogz' from a microserf.

A few of my favourite nuggets from that blogvertisement:

We’re about productivity, and to that end, we’re supporting the needs of all businesses by enabling them to work how, when and where they want.

Yeah...that is absolutely rich coming from a company that is delusional if it thinks Win8 is the cats ass for a business workflow.

At Microsoft, we don't make your business, our business.

Best. Freudian. Slip. Ever.

To be truly enterprise-class requires focus and a commitment to building solutions that work for a wide range of people. It requires complete commitment, not just your spare time. After five years, isn’t it time for Google to get that?

Funny that. It's one thing if Win8 is made as an easily user configurable for desktop mode, tablet mode, smartphone mode menu\display. Or clearly labelled as a consumer, entertainment, touch screen focused system.

But it's not, at least not at this time of writing. It does look like something fundamental was overlooked, like would a tablet\phone display style menu work on a regular desktop. Almost smacks of lack of commitment, or arrogance, or maybe just thought of in someones spare time.

After how many years, isn't it time for MS to get that?

I like one comment in another article, that basically says 'MS is not going anywhere. But there's two meanings to that.' Which I think is absolutely true.

This year, will not be the year of Linux. Sorry, I wish it was, but it won't be. At least not at consumer\business wide level yet. MS will still be the dominant OS for PC Wintel boxes, for a while yet.

Having said that. Support for Win 7 will last until 2020. So there is a window (nyuk nyuk) of 7 years for an upstart to come out of nowhere, and disrupt things.

Monopolies can last a long time, almost forever at times. Until they don't. I for one, can't wait for the day a David BOOM HEADSHOTZ this particular Goliath.

Imagine a Win style GUI OS, coming from an open source, lightning fast with little to no bloat (doesn't even need an SSD for speed, on a SSD, it goes super saiyan and flies at warp factor 9.9), supports Adobe products and office products, and costs under 100$. With no insane DRM. Far fetched, maybe. But it's what gives M$ the cold sweats at night.

I will for sure choose Win 7 for my upcoming work rig, but it will be a semi isolated workstation. It will not have a 24/7 net connection, or WIFI networked. It will be a Galactica class machine, and it will be beautiful.

It also has a very strong possibility to be the last machine I have to run a MS Win-xx OS. My future rig could very likely be a dual boot machine, or run some sort of Win style emulation. It's not what I prefer, but if MS continues on this path, I am left with no choice.

To re-wrap. MS is not going anywhere. Then again a static defense is also a static target. MS is still a behemoth, and should never be underestimated. The only reason I give 2 craps about it is a lot of my programs are tied to Windows. The second that is no longer true, I am absolutely pulling up a lawn chair to watch a dinosaur die. With a tub of popcorn.