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Comment by rayiner | Hacker News Reader

Microsoft just needs to copy Apple here. Have a desktop, but let Metro apps run in either a window or full screen in another desktop. Voila: integration of Metro and the desktop in a way that doesn't suck.

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I don't agree. Metro doesn't make sense if you have a desktop with apps on it. It's redundant. I have no access to the numbers but in my office no one uses the Apps except weather. Trying to create a ubiquitous system for tablets/phones/desktop ignores how people use each device.

It's worse than redundant, it gets in the way.

I upgraded to 8.1 from Win7 last week. My first experience trying to compare a PDF document with text file in another editor was quite unpleasant (Metro essentially makes apps modal, which is nuts).

That's where the grandparent's idea of being able to run Don't-Call-it-Metro apps in a windowed mode comes into play.

Doesn't seem like it should be hard for Microsoft to accomplish. Metro's already supposed to be resolution-independent, so all that's really accomplished by forcing them to be fullscreen on desktop monitors is keeping ease of task switching and information density to an absolute minimum.

You can have Metro apps side-by-side, including next to your desktop apps, right now. Just grab from the top of the screen and drag left or right.

http://i.imgur.com/3IwDXVA.png

Or, don't use Reader. The inclusion of a free PDF reader app with your computer purchase doesn't get in the way of using a desktop program instead.

This is the biggest issue with window management on all new/mobile platforms, they can run multiple apps simultaneously but they can not run multiple instances of the same app! Compare the weather in two cities using the weather app, forget it. Compare two PDF documents with the office app, forget it. Compare two bus routes with your local public transport app, forget it. Why are we creating systems that are worse than what we already have.

Windows 8.1 can run multiple instances/windows of the same app, although the app needs to opt-in to implement support (which the built-in PDF reader, IE and mail client all do).

I can't stand the desktop with all the window management that is involved, so I generally prefer to just swipe between full screen apps. Sometimes you need to have multiple windows on screen, however, and so the desktop has a purpose, but as Windows moves forward it should be relegated to a secondary role.

I actually really like how full-screen works in OS X, in principle, and on one monitor. It's nice, isolated, you can navigate quickly via keyboard (ctrl+left/right, alt-tab) or 3 finger swipe. But it all falls apart on multiple monitors. It's better on Mavericks, but still isn't quite right.

I do love the keyboard extensions brought into play with Windows 7 for positioning windows, windows+left/right to align to exactly half of the current window, keeping hitting right or left over and over again to keep moving across monitors. Windows+up toggle maximize. It's ridiculously quick and simple and you can go from a bunch of maximized apps to comparing two things side by side without ever leaving the keyboard.

I can do this on my mac as well, but I have to install a flaky extension of some sort to make it happen.

That's coming in an update. Which is also mentioned in the article and shown in the image (look at the right-most window) :)

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