Windows 8 won’t kill the desktop, but don’t worry — we’re still screwed | Hacker News Reader

Windows 8 won’t kill the desktop, but don’t worry — we’re still screwed

extremetech.com

8 pointsevo_96 comments

He has no points at all.

The entire article is either hate-based linkbait, or came out of his own misunderstandings of Windows 8, Metro, and the Desktop mode/app.

If you want Desktop mode, then select it and use it as default on bootup. It’s not going anywhere. Otherwise, use Metro.

You can't (or wouldn't want to) run VS.NET and build applications, create Office Documents, edit video, etc, in Metro and/or with the touch-interface on a tablet.

That's because Metro is for average CONSUMERS doing average tasks (email, youtube, twitter, games, etc), it's not for PRODUCERS.

We will still have the desktop and keyboard in 10 years because it's the most productive way for us to use the computer. And there is money in it. For everyone.

And the author is completely out-of-line to assume that the Metro UI/style has not been constantly tested for the last 2 years to fit the consumers' expectations, needs, and to solve their pain points.

I've been playing around with the 8 Consumer Preview at work for a while, and really I don't have anything to complain about yet. I ended up liking the Metro UI more than I thought I would - it's just like the start menu now in 7. You know something is in there. Type a few letters, hit enter, and go.

The wailing and gnashing of teeth due to the death of the start menu is going to be loud.. I really hope Microsoft writes these off as change aversion (which they really should).

agreed. I think it's even a little faster than the old start menu. I feel like the entire OS is more keyboard friendly in general.

> Calling the above “ugly” isn’t fair. It’s not ugly. It’s what happens when Ugly and Stupid get drunk and make a baby inside the Fukushima safety zone

It seems to me that the article is full of hate. The author really miss the Start Menu.

I think he misses the Start Menu. But he has a point. Windows 8 right now seems to be a mess between tablet and desktop-like and the most usable part of it is the Desktop part. (At least for me.)

Touch/tablet devices are going to be a big part of the future, if not the biggest, and these new UI's are designed for our interaction with those devices. That's all cool.

However, "working" on a tablet or touch device is simply not going to happen. Sure you can type an email or something similar but loads of people who do their day to day "work" on computers will not be able to be productive on such UI's.

E.g. programmers, video editors, architects, designers, writers, editors, etc, will be annoyed by the obtrusive land grab of screen real-estate and clunky metaphors. When you do "precision work" you require a totally different approach, aka the traditional desktop.

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