Windows 8 UI Is Chromeless!

[zeon22]

Windows 8 UI Is Chromeless!

The next generation user interface of Windows 8 will be chromeless at core, Microsoft said during its Worldwide Partner Conference 2011.

Users that have been watching the evolution of Windows are undoubtedly well aware of the fact that the Windows 8 UI has suffered a major overhaul, especially when the operating system is running on next generation form factors such as Tablet PCs or slates.

Essentially, the old GUI, Windows Aero for example, is gone altogether. There's no Taskbar, no Start button, no notifications area, and no desktop. Chromeless.

"Apps are certainly an important part of the Windows 8 plan. And when Windows 8 ships, developers will already know how to build great apps," said Tami Reller, Corporate Vice President and CFO, Windows & Windows Live.

"The Windows 8 UI is chromeless, and it's clean, and apps can take up the entire screen. Every single pixel on the screen is there to represent your information. As an app comes to life, Windows quickly fades to the background. The apps are beautiful; they're designed for touch and work well with a mouse and keyboard, too."

Reller is talking about the new HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript applications that developers will be able to build and have them run directly on top of Windows 8.

With the new Windows 8 chromeless UI, the first thing that will greet users will be the Start Screen, and not the traditional desktop.

In this regard, for Windows 8, Microsoft borrowed a page from the Windows Phone 7 book, and made away with icons, introducing tiles instead.

"The start screen is a personal mosaic of tiles and every app on your system is represented as a tile. Tiles are better than icons because each of the apps has a little more space to show a bit of its personality," Reeler added.

"The tiles are live. For example, the weather app can show you the current weather without you opening the app itself. You can arrange, you can group and name them however you like. It puts you at the center and makes the experience personal."

Personally, I fell in love with tiles on Windows Phone 7, and seeing them on Windows 8 next gen form factors just makes sense to me.

Icons are obsolete and overrated. Plus, they're overused on today's operating system's for mobile devices, from smartphones to slates.

Microsoft comes with an entirely different approach, one designed to make Windows 8 stand out of the platform crowd. I call it the NUI + GUI revolution of Windows 8.

"And although this new user interface is designed and optimized for touch, it works equally well with a mouse and keyboard. What you're seeing now, we've even designed a new ergonomic keyboard that puts all of the keys right under your thumb," Teller stressed.

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[HX1]

I dunno.. I like some aspects of the design.. indifferent about this right now..

[T4C Fantasy]

and even if you dont like it atleast you can dual boot... nothing wrong with that, windows 7 still rocks so if you're an upgrade nut like me and still want the desktop feel just keep 7 and have windows 8 as a secondary

[Tweety.Abd]

That's an egg-head move by Microsoft. I don't think I'll be upgrading to Windows 8. It looks stupid to me, but I'll wait and see further development.

[mara-]

I might also stick with Windows 7 for a longer time then I thought.

Cheers ;)

[Nemesis]

looks like a desktop version of windows mobile

[WaveRider]

They posted an update:

"Changes for clarity. The chromeless UI in Windows 8 refers only to copies of the OS running on next generation form factors." Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-8-UI-Is-Chromeless-211364.shtml

I saw the video and it includes both. "Windows 8 will feature both the new Immersive UI and the traditional UI, which will make the OS a better fit to the various form factors that it will support from PCs to slates."

Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Windows-8-Traditional-UI-vs-NUI-GUI-205824.shtml

Unless I read old news. :blink:

Cheers! :)

[HX1]

Yeah I was wondering about that because that was what I read awhile back too.. I think for programmers and devs everywhere this would present quite a problem.. as well as for users who use applications like AutoCAD and various design applications.. It would present an issue to say the least.. Plus I see some aspects that still need t be brushed up on a little.. yet I like some of the UI inspired things I have seen around in the Metro and WP7 scheme of things.. incorporating that in to a new look for the OS would be nice and clean.. yet it should not loose functionality.. I would see this like some of the extras we have experience in Vista... Like the Sidebar and some of the others.. Similar to some of the extra applications we already have out there like Rainmeter and so on.. but extended to be something really great with some potential for application platform.. BUT I don't see it as something to completely leave the way we use computers today for something that has the feel or usage of a phone or tablet.. Having it extra is nice and a new suit for the OS would be cool..

People knew what widgets were before the Sidebar came about and we started writing applications using the platform for it.. some out of minimalistic code.. flash, silverlight and some of the aspects for Adobe Air which allows for a few more options.. so IMO opinion.. without downplaying the new stuff.. and some f the more in depth difference n the OS and the features.. I would say it could be viewed similar to it.. yet expanded and developed even more with a few proper adjustments which may allow for some new avenues in the future..

Just .. IMO.. :) That Purple has to go..Or be configurable ... LOL.. or something... reminds me of a screwed up overlay in XP...running visualizations in Winamp... ( DirectX / Draw I think related.. :P )

...That being said I still hope to be able to play around with this on my regular system at the time.. Hopefully a new one.. I do.. :)