Why Windows Blue heralds the death of the desktop

[nsane.forums]

Brace yourselves, faithful PC enthusiasts. You aren't going to like what I'm about to say. Heck, I don't really like what I'm about to say. In fact, I'm almost terrified to lay out my case in black and white. But that doesn't change the fact that it needs to be said.

There's a very good chance that Microsoft will kill the desktop in Windows 9. No more Task Manager. No more File Explorer. No more legacy compatibility. It'll be 100 percent Live Tiles, 100 percent of the time.

That day is still on the distant horizon, but it is coming. Indeed, if Windows Blue, the just-leaked update to Windows 8, shows us anything, it's that Microsoft is willing to de-emphasize desktop functionality in deference to the modern UI.

A finger-friendly Windows

By now, everyone knows that Windows 8 (and its dumbed-down cousin, Windows RT) is Microsoft's answer to the massive success of smartphones and tablets. A touch-friendly interface! An app store! Bing Maps! Even an airplane mode! How mobile.

The very introduction of the modern-style Start screen was a bad omen for desktop diehards, but the clouds truly darken when you consider how much of Windows core functionality is already being leeched away from the traditional desktop interface.

Windows Media Player aside, not a single vital first-party Windows program resides on the desktop. (And even Windows Media Player has been somewhat superseded by the Music and Video apps.) Calendar, Internet Explorer, Mail, Messaging, People, and even the system's PDF reader all reside on the modern Start screen, where they're joined by auxiliary apps such as Finance, News, Travel, Weather, and the aforementioned Music, and Video. Windows 8 was designed so that you never actually need to drop into desktop mode unless you want to run a specific legacy program or fiddle with the deeper settings available in the Control Panel.

But even this level of desktop engagement looks to be on the chopping block. While Windows 8 requires a desktop deep-dive to perform basic functions like changing the system time or fiddling with display resolutions, the long-rumored Windows Blue update overhauls the OS's modern-style PC Settings, transplanting many traditional Control Panel functions to the touch-friendly UI.

And let's not forget how the beloved Start button was given the boot in Windows 8, only to be replaced by the largely identical (and kind of better) modernized All Apps screen. Nor should we forget how it's impossible to boot directly to the desktop in Windows 8 without resorting to third-party apps or technical trickery.

Can't you read the writing on the wall?

But why?

Microsoft isn't being fickle. The company has a lot to gain by shifting to a purely modern-style Windows.

First and foremost, PC sales have stalled or outright declined in shipments over the past two years, moving roughly 350 million units in 2012. That's hardly chump change, but smartphones already outsell PCs—nearly 208 million moved in the fourth quarter of 2012 alone—and IDC (whose parent company also owns PCWorld) expects tablet sales to grow to 350 million by 2017.

The Windows 8 modern interface shines on mobile devices—until you're unceremoniously dropped into the legacy desktop for one reason or another. Ditching the desktop would make Windows much more palatable for those exploding market segments, and it would let the company focus its resources on a single, unified interface.

Plus, there would be no easier way to quell complaints about Windows 8's schizophrenic interfaces than to ditch one of them. Do you know how much Microsoft has invested in the modern UI? Indeed. In a one-interface universe, the desktop becomes odd man out.

Finally, if Microsoft dumps the desktop, all or most Windows software will be distributed via the Windows Store (as open platform stalwarts like Minecraft's Markus Persson have ominously noted). Not only would that allow the company to maintain a tighter rein on security—to wit: poisoned apps are incredibly rare in the iOS App Store—but it would also give Microsoft a 30 percent cut of all Windows software. Closed platforms have their business advantages.

Paving the road

Of course, even Redmond can't just quit an institutional bedrock like the Windows desktop cold turkey.

That's where the genius of Windows Blue and its rumored yearly Windows updates come in. Sure, yearly releases allow Microsoft to iterate and introduce new features quickly, but they also allow the company to wean you off the desktop just a bit more, year in and year out, until the death of the desktop becomes relatively painless. Losing the desktop would be like losing that third cousin twice removed whom you saw at family reunions once per decade.

And, in fact, the desktop death spiral has already begun.

The Windows Store's Spotlight section.

Windows Blue and a new round of Windows app updates further Microsoft's great transition away from the desktop. Microsoft is migrating even more essential Windows functions to the modern UI , as well as implementing enhancements—such as a new split-screen Snap feature, which cuts back on multitasking woes; improved touch support for Mail; and the ability to sync documents with the modern SkyDrive app—to nudge desktop devotees over to the Tiled side.

The creeping irrelevance of the Control Panel is just the beginning. Ars Technica found hints a new modern-style FileManager app lying dormant and inaccessible in the Windows Blue leak.

Spit-polishing Windows isn't the only thing Microsoft needs to do prior to killing off the Windows desktop, however. Since the modern UI revolves around Live Tiles, which revolve around Windows 8 apps, the Windows Store needs to step up its game before the modern UI can truly conquer Windows. While the Windows Store has several standouts (including, finally, a Twitter app), it still lags behind Android and iOS in both quality and quantity, and the growth rate for the Windows Store has slowed precipitously in recent months.

Microsoft is tackling the issue head-on with a new developer incentive program of questionable design, but beyond that, developers are sure to come as more and more people migrate to Windows 8. Even if PC sales have stalled, 350 million PC sales per year is nothing to sneeze at, and virtually all of those shiny new boxes will come with Windows 8 preloaded.

And as people upgrade to Windows 8, they'll encounter the aforementioned series of updates—doled out by the Windows Store, naturally—that increase the utility of the modern Start screen while decreasing the need for a dedicated desktop. You, geek that you are, may cling to your precious desktop programs, but does Average Joe really care if he double-clicks an icon or taps a Live Tile—especially if crucial system functions and the Mail app have already taught him the modern-style way? I'd wager not.

And as all those people spend an increasing amount of time in modern-style Windows 8 apps, developers will likely respond by making even more Windows 8 apps. (They can't miss the gravy train!) The Windows 8 app ranks will swell over time, and it doesn't have to happen quickly. Microsoft always plays the long game.

The pieces all tie together—and they foretell the death of the desktop in Windows 9, whenever Windows 9 appears.

Of cockroaches and catalysts

Don't cry for the Windows desktop. (Did you cry when graphical interfaces devastated the command line?) Its demise will herald a new era, an era of ubiquitous computing and touchscreen everything. Haven't you seen Minority Report?

Besides, the desktop won't truly die with Windows 9. Like a cockroach, it will live on in dark corners, in the form of specialized editions or premium tools designed to let developers develop and enterprise users run the XP-era programs their businesses still rely upon. And when Microsoft finally gets around to pulling the plug, you can rest assured that the companies that haven't released a Windows 8 app will do so in short order. A modern UI-driven Windows will be different, but it won't be devastating.

Nor will it be tomorrow. Enjoy your time with your cherished legacy apps while you can, dear enthusiast. All the tears in the world won't change the fact that we're staring at a dead desktop walking.

View: Original Article

[Ambrocious]

Fine Microsoft, you want to screw the people over by getting rid of personal control, you will effectively create a system that will rise up around you and smother you out. This is the time for OS vendors both great and small to stand up and bring back the PC as it should be. If I had the knowledge to make a masterpiece of an OS, I would share it for free and make sure that it is as user friendly as possible.

[psyko666]

omg.. ow well.. Linux here I come.. ^_^

[Marik]

thus begins the digital dictatorship era

>20xx

>Micro$oft

>we make the decisions for you, not the other way around

>tries to oppose

>ends up getting sued for unknown reasons

>profit.jpg

Micro$oft, just doing god's work ;)

[avmad]

Pay for a tablet interface or use a free desktop interface? Tough choice :lol: Linux is about to explode on the home users desktop soon. May as well get some practice in now.

Have Windows forgotten all about business users? Looks like they are cutting them off completely. :o

[Misaki2010]

Oh cry me a river guys, it's TIME TO MOVE ON. I use Windows 8 and Windows Blue on a Desktop PC, with no touch and works perfectly fine for me. I would NEVER, EVER switch back to Windows 7... actually now that I got Blue with it's new features I don't want Windows 8 either. You don't like the UI? Stick to 7, no one pushes you to upgrade...

@avmad - Linux apps look UGLY :( I like the apps from Mac but yeah... can't get that on my PC without having problems with drivers.

[eurobyn]

if i can say some words. not wanting this ? use Linux or mac. bull shit . you Always have a need of microsoft. they now already made that changes they are made are , - a big change. - not for the power users.

you like it it , or you dont like it.
what you want to do you will Always return to microsoft
and this is what they are going to do whatever you want or whatever you will u are still going to use microsoft

if i could say this in dutch language it would more be accurate (im a dutch guy from Belgium)
you would it understand

[psyko666]

well.. I'm still using Windows 8 Pro and still love it, I never use Metro but skip directly to desktop, but if they gonna rip the desktop off and in future Windows releases just Metro based I will stay with W8 ort W7 forever then...

Period..

[Misaki2010]

@eurobyn - totally agree with you, and I perfectly understood what you said. I used Linux (Ubuntu) too, for a few days, but I couldn't use it more than that. Why? Simple, because over 90% of my fav. apps work only on Windows, the same goes with games.

@psyko666 - I'm sure that Microsoft won't get rid of the desktop in Windows Blue. Not even in Windows 9. They need a way to run old win32 apps and they can't do that in "Metro". They can't change the world in just one night, one year, or two... this takes time and I doubt they will do it anytime soon :) I'm glad to hear that you love Windows 8, there are a lot of people who do but they don't say much... like the people who hate it do.

[eurobyn]

this is how i would want to say it.

@eurobyn - totally agree with you, and I perfectly understood what you said. I used Linux (Ubuntu) too, for a few days, but I couldn't use it more than that. Why? Simple, because over 90% of my fav. apps work only on Windows, the same goes with games.

@psyko666 - I'm sure that Microsoft won't get rid of the desktop in Windows Blue. Not even in Windows 9. They need a way to run old win32 apps and they can't do that in "Metro". They can't change the world in just one night, one year, or two... this takes time and I doubt they will do it anytime soon :) I'm glad to hear that you love Windows 8, there are a lot of people who do but they don't say much... like the people who hate it do.

[brain_death]

Personally, I look forward to developing my next website on my smartphone.

Only this is not going to happen in my lifetime and unless you are a fan of stock, generic templates forever after...

Therefore Linux has to live on the desktop, as Windows was in err, 1995 except *way* better for servers...

Lets M$ play catch-up with Apple, who are finished and just ripped off FreeBSD anyway...

Realistically, turning a house into a boat. What other choice do we have, folks?

:drunk:

[Snowdrop]

TBH, I found Windows 8 good enough to be placed as my Windows VM. Switched to full-time Ubuntu for the most part... until I can get my Wacom tablet and Photoshop working as they did on Windows.

Realistically, turning a house into a boat. What other choice do we have, folks?

You probably can. :P

Edit: Grammatical mistakes.

[SkyrimGuy]

Oh well. I guess I'll continue to use Win 7. If it dies in 4 years, I'll just move over to linux primary with Win 9 in dual boot.

[marke68]

This news really is no surprise to me as it was fairly obvious with Win8 that MS were looking to go touch screen only,personally i couldn't give a crap as i enjoyed playing around with 8 but ultimately i still ended up going back to Win7 after a few months.

If MS decide to stop supporting win7 in 4 or 5 years time perhaps i may worry about it but at this moment in time my philosopy is "if it aint broke don't fix it" which kind of sums up win7 to me.

[Ambrocious]

Misaki2010, on 26 Mar 2013 - 15:34, said:

Oh cry me a river guys, it's TIME TO MOVE ON. I use Windows 8 and Windows Blue on a Desktop PC, with no touch and works perfectly fine for me. I would NEVER, EVER switch back to Windows 7... actually now that I got Blue with it's new features I don't want Windows 8 either. You don't like the UI? Stick to 7, no one pushes you to upgrade...

@avmad - Linux apps look UGLY :( I like the apps from Mac but yeah... can't get that on my PC without having problems with drivers.

Maybe you don't understand that as the new operating systems such as Windows 8 and possibly even Windows 9 come out, they are released with less and less actual user control over your own computer. Do you not realize that you are having LESS put onto your computer and yet you actually love it more? This is like a downgrade that neuters your ability to have control over your PC which disables you from being able to have a higher form of personal maintenance on your computer. If they stop us from being able to get into the task manager, unless they build in another similar feature to manage the running applications and other protocols, the whole Microsoft community will suffer from this because they will be forced to seek professional online (possibly Microsoft Certified employees) help just to close out of an application because Microsoft decided you don't need to fix it your own self.

How can they package it looking nice and pretty but then gut it's essence of a personal computer. A PC was made to cause an evolution of the human mindset. It was designed with your mind in mind. Ultimately a PC is meant to empower the owner of it and cause the person who uses it to be able to fix, modify, repair, reformat, transcode, seed, leech, and everything else once you learn how to do it.

Here is the sick part about it all: People will eventually forget that a computer was ever meant to be fixed without the help of a certified trained professional. The old timers will remember (us and our parents and grandparents), and it's going to cause a lot of bitterness and a lot of extra problems.

[insanedown58]

Well now that I have began to surf the Linux distro sea, making the transition between Windows and Linux won't be as painful compared to moving within a day because Windows Blue has f****d up big time.

[brut7]

I really don't think the desktop PC is going away as long as we don't want it too. It one form or another, linux, windows or whatever based we will make it what we want and if MS wants to become apple so be it.

[marke68]

How can they package it looking nice and pretty but then gut it's essence of a personal computer. A PC was made to cause an evolution of the human mindset. It was designed with your mind in mind. Ultimately a PC is meant to empower the owner of it and cause the person who uses it to be able to fix, modify, repair, reformat, transcode, seed, leech, and everything else once you learn how to do it.

Can't really argue with this.It really does defy logic why MS would consider this a good idea but then again control seems to be the order of the day for those lovely warm corporate entities like MS,Apple and all the other faceless companies who care for us so much.

[Bizarre™]

Why Windows Blue heralds the death of the desktop

Is it because it's supposed to be Windows Blue... Screen of Death... :tehe:

[nIGHT]

Aaaaargh! :s

My broken hand cause me to shout that and not this news. :rofl:

Well here is something going on around that used to be a rumors only in the very top execs of our company and sister/mother company.

After the survey we had on Wind0ws 8, our bosses are now considering having linux as the default installed os in the pc and laptop we sell.

I have been invited to have dinner with them and asked my opinion about it.

After some long conversation, I realized that these old tyrants weren't as obsolete as I thought they were.

Wind0ws 8 is a great master plan of micros0ft to level down all the competition in software and hardware,

taking advantage of having the mostly installed os in more than 2 decades.

Until iphone/android era came to be, shattered their dominance in the fast money making tech industry,

To solve this dilemma and all the problems micos0ft has came windows 8 metro touch UI.

An apple like store that force most users to install apps only in micros0ft store would give micros0ft great control over piracy,

and maintain dominance on many industry as well.

IE will be the dominating browser as other browser will have to pass on micros0ft store just to get installed on wind0ws 8 os and its os succesors,

then later limiting the development tools to just 'good for nothing' but games and simple apps development.

Making sophisticated apps like browsers will be impossible to do in the near future and this when micros0ft will have its leverage on its competitors.

Sounds awesome for micros0ft, but I wonder will this really stops piracy.

Well, one of our techs points out that on wind0ws start screen micros0ft has the control on what's being installed and gets uninstalled! :angry:

Legacy games will no longer be supported and this will give the pc mmorpg to either shift their games

to console like the xbox or through micros0ft pc console. This will limit the sale/competition of the graphics card market to the favored one.

My bosses told us that a very secret talks (deal?) have been going that will make linux as the next default os for pc and laptop/tablet.

The graphics card companies, nvidia and ati, will be forced to give its full support to linux just to save its own competitive market that

micros0ft will soon wipeout.

How this going to be done? Micros0ft has entered the hardware industry(surface and rt) and would want to use its dominance in the os software

industry as a leverage over its hardware competitors.

Micros0ft really did plan to be the dominating manufacturer of pc-computing laptops,tablets and smartphone.

Lots of jobs will be at risk, may it be the software job industry and the hardware job industry,

as only certified micros0ft techs will be able to fix the hardware. You're right with this one ambrocious, only this part.

I am getting old too and even I just got promoted to a higher position,

this may put a lot of risk to anyone, even me, whom used to depend its skills on the wind0ws ecosystem. :(

Time to start shifting to Linux as my boss might be right. :lol:

haha! it took me 3 hours to type this with one hand! :lol:

Edit:

I'm not a wind0ws 8 and above hater. I'm not a linux fanboy.

I just share to you what might come true complement from my tyrant boss. haha!

[Karlston]

They want to "improve" their deeply unpopular Windows 8 by making its successor even less popular?

Balmer needs to be tested for drugs and dementia.

Bill... all is forgiven... come back... or it's RIP Microsoft.

[R0H1T]

Well cry me a river, am I the only person here who's tried Win8 & not hated it with a passion like most here claim ?

The only thing wrong with Win8 is the way the UI is manhandled i.e. metro as a mobile interface shouldn't have been slapped onto the traditional desktop platform atleast not the way it's been implemented in win8 !

But I get it where M$ is coming from, they needed this mobile push badly especially with iOS & Android doing what they've done to most of the desktop/laptop market that's bread & butter for them !

Win8 is just a transition to a more unified platform that'll be unveiled with win9 & unlike iOS & Android it'll be a full fledged OS with legacy x86 support that'll stretch across three platforms ~ server, desktop & mobile !

So why all this misdirected hate folks, don't you know what's going on or has someone challenged your ability(lack of it rather) to adapt <_<

[DKT27]

Well cry me a river, am I the only person here who's tried Win8 & not hated it with a passion like most here claim ?

The only thing wrong with Win8 is the way the UI is manhandled i.e. metro as a mobile interface shouldn't have been slapped onto the traditional desktop platform atleast not the way it's been implemented in win8 !

But I get it where M$ is coming from, they needed this mobile push badly especially with iOS & Android doing what they've done to most of the desktop/laptop market that's bread & butter for them !

Win8 is just a transition to a more unified platform that'll be unveiled with win9 & unlike iOS & Android it'll be a full fledged OS with legacy x86 support that'll stretch across three platforms ~ server, desktop & mobile !

So why all this misdirected hate folks, don't you know what's going on or has someone challenged your ability(lack of it rather) to adapt <_<

There are always good reasons after every hate - whether it's truth or delusion.

Isn't metro the main (and only) problem of Windows 8?

Why should I worry about what Microsoft wants for bread and butter? I'm happy with Android and will not buy a Windows phone in next 10 years, no matter how much does Microsoft push - and it seems it's same elsewhere - Windows Phones sales are just not taking off.

Legacy x86 support? Well, not on tablets - people complain that MS market it as a unified platform but can't run x86 on tablets. Also, who is Microsoft to call them "legacy". What Microsoft has is webapps (kinda) - it has it's own name, no one deserves to call the main softwares as "legacy".

There is no misdirected hate always, Windows 8 lovers and haters always fail to read the details.

[dcs18]

So why all this misdirected hate folks, don't you know what's going on or has someone challenged your ability(lack of it rather) to adapt <_<

You've hit it - right on the head about the Respondents (most of whom have not yet tried out Windows 8 over a protracted period.) :yes:

The OP seems to specialize in creating disharmony in this community - like a juvenile (I'm sure he/she might be in his/her teens.) :thumbsdown:

[bubbada]

next windows they'll take the right click out and then they can call themselfs microcrapple. :rofl:

keep windows 7 alive u may want to fight for freedom when u can.