Showing posts with label Metro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Metro. Show all posts
Monday, 8 October 2012
Thursday, 14 June 2012
Google Chrome: First Metro version is out
A few days ago I mentioned that Google was about to release the first Metro version of the Chrome browser. As you all know, Windows 8 will ship with two user interaces, the desktop interface that you are all familiar with, and the new Metro interface that is limited in terms of functionality when compared to the desktop. Software developers are now in a position where they need to create special Metro-versions of their applications to support that part of the operating system as well. And while they simply could plant an icon there that launches the desktop version, some believe that it is better to create special Metro versions instead.
Microsoft is for instance providing a copy of Internet Explorer 10 for Metro that is limited in functionality. It for instance does not support plugins, and seems to have been optimized for touch-based devices. Mozilla too has been working on a Metro version of Firefox for some time now and seems to have made great progress so far.
And now it is Google with the company’s Chrome browser. The latest Chrome Dev release is now featuring the first public implementation of the Metro-version of the browser. Windows 8 users who have Chrome Dev installed on the system will notice that the browser is now opening up in Metro when executed there.
The browser itself does not look that different from its desktop counterpart, at least not when you first start it. What you will notice though is that there are no window controls to maximize, minimize or change the size of the window in the Metro version. You can however use Metro’s feature to drag the Chrome browser to the left or right sidebar of the screen to display another application besides it. The menus seem to be larger and optimized for touch-input.
Themes, extensions and all that good stuff work in Chrome for Metro. What you will notice however is that the Metro version and desktop version of the browser do not share contents or information right now. When you install a theme or extension in Metro, it won’t be available on the desktop and vice versa. The same is true when you sign-in to Chrome, as you need to sign-in in both versions of the browser if you want to use the functionality in both. You can however make use of the browser’s synchronization feature to sync data between the desktop and Metro version.
When you look at the Chrome user directory on Windows 8, you will notice that Metro has its own directory in the root folder. Basically, the two applications are completely independent from each other at this point of development.
Interested users who want to check out the Metro version of Chrome need to install the dev version of the browser on their Windows 8 system.
Google Developing A Chrome Metro Version For Windows 8Google Chrome: Windows 8 Metro version preview coming soon
Mozilla Begins Work on Firefox Metro Version
Mozilla To Release Firefox Version For Windows 8 Metro UI
Google Chrome Canary Builds Reach Version 11
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About the Author:Martin Brinkmann is a journalist from Germany who founded Ghacks Technology News Back in 2005. He is passionate about all things tech and knows the Internet and computers like the back of his hand. You can follow Martin on Facebook or Twitter.Author: Martin Brinkmann, Tuesday June 12, 2012 -
Tags:google chrome, metro ui, windows 8
Thursday, 19 April 2012
Mozilla Begins Work on Firefox Metro Version
If you have followed the development progress of Microsoft’s upcoming operating system Windows 8 closely, you may know that it ships with two different versions of the Internet Explorer browser. First a standard desktop version of Internet Explorer 10, and then a second version for the new Metro user interface part of the operating system.
This opens up a new predicament for other browser developers as their browsers suddenly only work in one part of the operating system, and not the other. While it is possible to install browsers like Chrome, Firefox or Opera in Windows 8, they only work in the desktop environment and not the Metro UI part of the browser.
Mozilla were the first to announce that they would start to develop a Metro UI compatible version of the Firefox web browser to make the browser available in the Metro interface as well.
Development has begun on the new version, and the developers plan to release a proof of concept demo in the second quarter.
In order to deliver a compelling Firefox for Windows 8 Metro experience, we need to understand what’s possible. A technology proof of concept is the first step. This is not a Alpha or a Beta, but should demonstrate the feasibility of Firefox in Windows 8 Metro. (Timing here is dependent on when Microsoft releases their Windows 8 consumer preview and developer documentation.)
Mozilla developer Brian Bondy revealed additional information about the Metro version of the Firefox browser in a blog post. According to this post, Mozilla can build a Metro browser that is equally powerful as the desktop browser. One restriction seems a bit odd.
Unfortunately a browser can only participate in Metro mode if it is the default browser. So if Firefox is not the default browser on a system, you can’t use it in Metro mode. This is a decision made by Microsoft.
This basically means that Firefox can only be used in the Metro UI if it is the default system browser. It is also not clear at this point in time how the web browser will be distributed.
Mozilla’s move to develop a Metro UI version of Firefox makes sense in a number of ways, including usability and consistency. Firefox users who work with the browser on the desktop, may for instance prefer to access their browser bookmarks and information in the Metro version, instead of having to work with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 10 there.
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Mozilla Plans To Hide Firefox Version
Mozilla Releases Firefox 3.6.28, Last Firefox 3 Version?
Mozilla Checks Flash Version After Firefox Updates About the Author:Martin Brinkmann is a journalist from Germany who founded Ghacks Technology News Back in 2005. He is passionate about all things tech and knows the Internet and computers like the back of his hand. You can follow Martin on Facebook or Twitter.Author: Martin Brinkmann, Saturday March 10, 2012 -
Tags:firefox news, metro ui, windows 8
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Saturday, 14 April 2012
ViStart Restores Start Menu, Disables Metro Ui in Windows 8
Microsoft has removed the start menu for good in the Windows 8 Consumer Preview version that was released yesterday. If you have tested the Developer Preview version of the operating system, you might have noticed that it was possible to restore the start menu in that release.
With the start menu removed completely in the Consumer Preview release, Windows 8 users who’d like the shiny orb back where it belongs need to look elsewhere.
The first solution to restore the start menu in Windows 8 is provided by ViStart, a program initially designed for bringing Vista’s Start Menu to Windows XP. The program has been updated regularly ever since it was created, and it is working in all recent versions of the Windows operating system, including the Developer Preview version of Windows 8.
Setup is slightly complicated, but it should be doable by users of all experience levels. Download ViStart from the developer website and install the program. Take note that it contains third party offers in the installer that you may not want to install (two on separate pages on the test system).
Once it is installed and running, you will notice that the start menu orb has been placed in its original location. You can click on the icon to bring up the start menu. A side-effect is that ViStart maps the Windows key to the opening of the start menu, so that the operating system won’t switch into Metro anymore when you press that key. Metro UI is however not completely turned off, and you may be able to get back in via Alt-Tab or the Charms menu.
The icon overlaps with the first pinned taskbar icon on the other hand which you may not like. Here is how this is resolved:
Create a new folder on the desktop or another location.Right-click the Windows Taskbar and select Toolbars > New Toolbar from the context menu. Select the newly created folder. You will notice that the new toolbar is placed on the right end of the taskbar.Right-click the taskbar again and select Lock The Taskbar. This unlocks the Windows Taskbar so that you can move the taskbar elements around.Now drag the new toolbar to the very left of the screen so that starts before the original toolbar with the pinned taskbar items.Right-click the taskbar again and uncheck Show Text and Show title in the context menu.Now move the original toolbar with a double-click on the separator near the start menu orb.ViStart restores the Windows Start Menu in Windows 8 and re-maps the Windows hotkey to open the start menu instead of the Metro UI start page. (via Tweaking with Vishal)
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Blank Start Menu In Windows 7
Creating Access to Virtual Box from the Windows 7 Start Menu
Enable Internet Search In Windows Start Menu Search Box About the Author:Martin Brinkmann is a journalist from Germany who founded Ghacks Technology News Back in 2005. He is passionate about all things tech and knows the Internet and computers like the back of his hand. You can follow Martin on Facebook or Twitter.Author: Martin Brinkmann, Friday March 2, 2012 -
Tags:vistart, windows 8, windows tips
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Thursday, 22 March 2012
Why Enterprise-Level Metro Apps Can and Will Work
I’ve written a lot about Windows 8 over the last few days as we approach the release of the Consumer Preview at the end of this month. One subject that’s not been touched on so far is how effective new Metro apps can or could be in businesses and enterprises, and if a move to Metro might actually be a good idea for many companies. I thought it was time to take a look at this subject in a bit more detail.
The first time I saw a Metro business app demonstrated was on a Windows 7 tablet way back in May 2011. We didn’t know anything about Windows 8 at this point and this demo app, written and presented by Microsoft at their Tech.Days event was something new, we had no idea that it was a demo of something much bigger and in fairness the prople presenting it didn’t know either.
This app was relatively simple, a tracking app for real-estate agents out on the move. It showed how the computer’s GPS could help locate their next appointment and it had work, task and contract management tools built right into the finger-friendly interface. I pretty-much dismissed it at the time, as this was a Windows 7 tablet it was being demonstrated on and how could these compete, but I never forgot it. What we didn’t know was around the corner was the deal with ARM and the promise of a new tablet-friendly OS. But what about the rest of business? Could Metro apps really be the way forward and how might they work?
One of the biggest pluses for businesses to move to Metro apps is that all too many companies are still using older bespoke software that runs only in either Windows XP or the much hated Internet Explorer 6. These apps will simply have to be re-written and up until now companies have resisted. With all support for XP ending in April 2014, which is less than 800 days from now, a critical deadline is approaching. My argument is why redevelop these apps for Windows 7 when developing for Metro will be a better idea. Let me explain why.
Microsoft have really pushed the boat out with the Software Development Kit (SDK) for Metro, developing it in such a way that it’s easier than ever before to write apps for the new platform. On top of this any app compiled using the new tools will automatically run on any and all Windows 8 devices, regardless of the processor they run on. This is an incredible achievement and is the most significant part, for me anyway, of Windows 8 overall. This will make redevelopment of bespoke apps, and the development of new apps, much easier and cheaper.
There is also the look and feel of Metro apps to be considered. Just because Microsoft have shown off Metro apps with minimal pull down and push up touch menus doesn’t mean that this is the way they have to be written. A screen width of 1080 pixels is still the same resolution regardless of whether its running Metro or the Windows desktop and just as much text and information can be fitted on it.
Moreover some of the examples of Metro business apps that have appeared so far are very reminiscent of the Flash and Shockwave apps that people were designing five to seven years ago. Back then they never took off because the plug-ins didn’t provide all the power and resources that were necessary, and could be quite hungry for processor-cycles and memory themselves. Now though, all these resources are baked into the operating system.
The opportunity exists then for creating rich, imaginative and friendly interfaces that are, and this is the important part, designed to work with a mouse and keyboard. Let’s not forget that what we’ve seen so far with Metro is not the only way to design a Metro app! Software development for Windows over the years has shown us that the only limit to innovation on the desktop is the limit of the Human imagination.
Imagine then you have a book-keeping app where you can take advantage of sliding pages, even creating a ledger style and feel if you like, or a data-entry app that, rather than having people squint at small boxes and bemoan having to stare at the world’s nastiest interface all day, every day, has a user-friendly tabbed or animated interface that does the same job. Things don’t need to be scaled up 10-times, you can design for a mouse and keyboard and everything still can be bespoke!
On top of this you then have the same apps available for people working on laptops and tablets with various hardware configurations and, with almost no problems at all, you end up with apps that can be ported to your company’s Windows Phone smartphones.
I want to finish though by answering the question about requiring to have multiple windows open on a screen at one time, each one usually a different running app. Sharing between apps and even cloud services is baked into Windows 8 for the very first time. Metro apps here can save you time by being designed to automatically share your data between these apps, sparing your workload. A cleverly designed app suite in Metro could use tabs or panels to easily switch between, or display, multiple apps on your screen side by side, making everything accessible.
There is nothing to stop any of this from happening and much of it is happening already. In short I believe that the arguments against using Metro in the business space have been clouded by the over-simplistic apps we’ve seen so far. Nobody has yet seen the true potential of a Metro app when designed properly, these are still to come. I believe that when they begin to appear, the world will suddenly stop and want to take another look.
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Mozilla To Release Firefox Version For Windows 8 Metro UI
Microsoft Talks Ribbon, Metro UI in Windows 8
Windows 8 unveiled with a focus on Metro About the Author:Mike Halsey is a Microsoft MVP for "Windows Expert". He is also the author of Troubleshooting Windows 7 Inside Out from Microsoft Press and the Windows 7 Power Users Guide, a how-to guide for non-technical Windows users on how to get the best out of Microsoft's new operating system, with step-by-step and quick guides. You can follow Mike on Facebook, Twitter or on his own website The Long ClimbAuthor: Mike Halsey MVP, Tuesday February 14, 2012 -
Tags:business, metro, windows 8
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Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Mozilla To Release Firefox Version For Windows 8 Metro UI
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know that Microsoft’s upcoming operating system Windows 8 will ship with two different interfaces. First a classic interface that is more or less identical to what current Windows users are working with, and the new Metro user interface that is more tablet centric and minimalistic.
You cannot just use desktop applications in the Metro interface and the other way round, which means that you may also access two different versions of the same application depending on the interface you are in. A special version of Internet Explorer 10 has been designed for the Metro UI that is in many regards fundamentally different from the classic desktop version of the browser. Among the changes are a minimalistic interface, the lack of browser plugins or the fullscreen mode.
Mozilla has published two new Wiki pages that detail how the company intents to cope with the changing design requirements.
The Windows 8 wiki describes that Mozilla plans to release a Windows 8 Metro-specific Firefox browser, to complement the classic version of the browser. This Metro-specific version would be accessible on Windows 8's Metro user interface only.
The wiki page describes some of the challenges that the developers face at this point in the planning stage:
Firefox on Metro, like all other Metro apps will be full screen, focused on touch interactions, and connected to the rest of the Metro environment through Windows 8 contracts.We will need to determine if the Firefox front end on Metro will be built in XUL, C/C++, or HTML/CSS/JS (I’m assuming for now that .Net and XAML are off the table.)Firefox will have to support three “snap” states — full screen, ~1/6th screen and ~5/6th screen depending on how the user “docks” two full screen apps. Our UI will need to adjust to show the most relevant content for each size.We’ll need to handle being suspended by the OS when out of view.We may want to offer a live tile with user-centric data like friends presence or other Firefox Home information updatesIdeally we’d be able to create secondary tiles for Web-based apps hosted in Firefox’s runtime.The second Wiki page, Windows 8 Integration, highlights additional restrictions or challenges:
Unlike Desktop, Metro apps will ONLY be available through the Windows store.There are no overlapping windows, nor traditional popup windows, everything is chromeless, everything is designed to be consistent across applications.Not possible to simply and easily port existing apps to Metro. A significant amount of conventional desktop functionality will not be available.Some interprocess communication is possible within Metro, but it is very limited.It appears as if Mozilla is currently in an information gathering stage to find out if and how they can create a Metro UI version of the Firefox web browser.
No release related information are provided on the two wiki pages. It is however likely that we won’t see alpha or beta versions before the release of the Windows 8 Release Candidate, or maybe even later.
There is a lot of uncertainty. Users for instance might want to know if they can use their extensions in the Metro UI version of the browser, or if that would be prevented somehow.
Windows 8 users with the intention to use Metro UI will surely welcome options to switch the default interface browser.
A Firefox Metro UI version, would that be something that you are interested in? Or do you think that Mozilla should concentrate development on the desktop version of the browser?
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Mozilla Drops Plan To Remove Firefox About Page Version
Mozilla Rushes To Release Firefox 9.0.1 About the Author:Martin Brinkmann is a journalist from Germany who founded Ghacks Technology News Back in 2005. He is passionate about all things tech and knows the Internet and computers like the back of his hand. You can follow Martin on Facebook or Twitter.Author: Martin Brinkmann, Monday February 13, 2012 -
Tags:Firefox, metro ui, windows 8
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Tuesday, 21 February 2012
Windows 8 Metro UI Won’t Allow Custom Backgrounds
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About the Author:Martin Brinkmann is a journalist from Germany who founded Ghacks Technology News Back in 2005. He is passionate about all things tech and knows the Internet and computers like the back of his hand.You can follow Martin on Facebook or Twitter.Author: Martin Brinkmann, Saturday January 28, 2012 -
Tags:metro ui, windows 8
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Responses so far:ernesto says: January 28, 2012 at 2:54 pmReplyJordan says: January 28, 2012 at 6:47 pmReplyRoman ShaRP says: January 28, 2012 at 3:25 pmReplyRoman ShaRP says: January 28, 2012 at 3:33 pmReplyMorely the IT Guy says: January 28, 2012 at 4:56 pmReplyRoman ShaRP says: January 28, 2012 at 5:25 pmReplyJunus says: January 28, 2012 at 5:32 pmReplyRoman ShaRP says: January 28, 2012 at 5:45 pmReplydan says: January 29, 2012 at 3:43 pmReplykalmly says: January 29, 2012 at 5:17 pm January 28, 2012 at 5:48 pmReplyRobert Palmar says: January 28, 2012 at 6:22 pmReplyilev says: January 29, 2012 at 10:57 amReplyJimmujara says: January 28, 2012 at 7:41 pmReplyMe says: January 28, 2012 at 8:39 pmReplyRG says: January 28, 2012 at 8:33 pmReplyRG says: January 28, 2012 at 8:35 pmReplyDanTe says: January 28, 2012 at 9:53 pmReplyberttie says: January 28, 2012 at 10:51 pmReplyKhai says: January 28, 2012 at 11:46 pmReplyRoman ShaRP says: January 29, 2012 at 12:12 amReplylookmann says: January 29, 2012 at 7:36 amReplyilev says: January 29, 2012 at 10:50 amReplyRoman ShaRP says: January 29, 2012 at 2:12 pmReplyLee Whittington says: January 29, 2012 at 7:36 pmReplyLeave a Reply Follow Ghacks Subscribe To Comment Rss
With the Windows 8 Beta just around the corner, it is becoming easier to see into which direction Microsoft is heading in regards to the final version of the operation system. I have already expressed my concern that Windows 8 could become too tablet centric, and as a result alienate a large part of the desktop PC market.
The core reason for blocking custom Metro UI backgrounds? The dynamic nature of the Metro UI which increases or decreases in size whenever apps are added or removed. Photos added as wallpapers would have to be scaled, stretched or repeated when users add or remove apps. Plus, those desktop backgrounds would hardly be visible anyway according to Windows 8 director of communications Chris Flores.
It feels out of place that Microsoft is locking out users from customizing the operating system the way they want. It is like saying that they do not trust users to make that decision on their own, and that they therefor have to make it for them.
What they may not have taken into consideration are users who work with a set number of apps. Why should not those users be allowed to pick a photo or wallpaper for the Metro UI desktop background?
It is likely that we will see third party themes and hacks shortly after release that remove the restriction from the operating system. But those are mostly installed by experienced users and not the average user. How will they react when they realize the the operating system is less customizable than Windows 7?
I personally think that Microsoft should reconsider this, and let users decide for themselves whether they want to use photos, wallpapers or one of the available styles for their Metro UI interface. Another idea to cope with the situation would be to allow photo streams instead of just one photo.
What’s your take on this?
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Responses so far:ernesto says:
How about Mac computers and all of the Apple products? Everybody was happy with out being able to customize anything until recently. Oh, papi at Apple says its for our own good, and no body complained.
Those people who didn’t complain are the same people who couldn’t handle Windows. They are called tech illiterates and they don’t want to get involved in the products they own and tweak them…they want decisions made for them. The same people who accept that type of mentality are the same people who let tyrants get into power.
I have to work with Windows 8 almost every day, because I’m part of a team developing a product for it. I just hate it. The more I work with it, the more I hate it.
It’s the worst working experience with OS I ever had. Of all MS OSes I had used – DOS, Win 95, 98, 2k, XP, 7 – no one made me so angry and frustrated.
It’s not only about incompleteness of OS and it’s development version bugs, it’s also about “look and feel”.
ernesto,
you know that the Mac OS X was never primary desktop OS, but was some kind of “niche” product before.
Metro is a bit different because of its tile interface. In other OSes you work with desktop icons and apps, you are not supposed to work with tiles or gadgets very often.
Win 8 idea is to push you again and again into the world of MS square tiles, what I found disgusting compared to icons and gadgets of other desktop or tablet OSes.
Mac Mini with Mac OS X is my second work PC. I don’t have big sympathy for it, but if you ask me “what would you prefer, Metro look or Mac OS look?” – the answer will be Mac OS for sure.
My take is that the Metro UI was designed by a colorblind 5-year-old, and it has no place on anything except tablets and smartphones. Making it the default on a desktop or laptop is a decision I would expect from Steve Jobs (and that is *not* a compliment).
The lack of custom backgrounds does not make me despise it any more; nor any less.
Morely,
It looks like MS wants “one size fits all” , one OS for desktops and tablets, with the sale pitch “now you can have the same MS Office experience on desktop, notebook and slate/tablet too”.
Not an insane idea by itself, if not Metro ugliness and foolishness.
Hello,
That’s the most crazy thing i’ve heard from Microsoft.
How to not be able to change your desktop wallpaper!!!!!! The background its an important thing, i change mine frequently because it’s F******G BORING to see every day, week, month the same old picture.
Microsoft WAKE UP, don’t make stupid mistakes like “Vista”!!!
PC and NOTEBOOKs are not TABLET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Junus,
you are wrong.
There are 2 different things in Win 8
1) your old desktop (almost as it was in Win 7)
2) your Metro desktop with apps and tiles
In current Win 8 developer preview you can work with desktop as it was before, except the Start button brings not menu, but ugly Metro desktop with old desktop showing on it as one of the tiles.
You are able to change old desktop wallpaper (and wallpapers can even auto-change themselves from the theme packs), but you are not able to choose background for Metro desktop.
So, in general, so far you can work like before, but you have to make old-style menu yourself with help of one of 3d party launchers.
Instead of links in old start menu, apps add tiles to Metro desktop (altogether – apps, uninstallers …)
or you can just turn the metro interface off and use it nearly exactly like windows 7.
For those who don’t know how to do this:
1. Open regedit by typing regedit at the Start screen.
2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
3. Modify the RPEnabled key to a “0” instead of the default “1”.
4. To return to the Metro UI, just change the value back to a “1”.
I made a couple of .reg files that I leave on my desktop, one to turn it on, and one to turn it off. I think you can turn it off w/our restarting, but turning it back on requires a reboot (I can’t remember).
I’m currently looking for a good primer on how to customize the metro interface and change the hotkeys and basically control it in a very custom way (I don’t care about the background). anyone have a good pointer?
Windows 7?
Roman ShaRP says:> to choose background for Metro desktop.
Correction: you can choose some color theme for Metro, but not set image as background.
I plan on skipping Windows 8
and this is just another reason to.
The philosophy of for a standardized look
makes sense for tablets and phones but a
hallmark of the desktop has been customization.
Personally, I think the Metro UI should be standard
only for tablet devices and not the default for desktops.
I think Microsoft will learn this the hard way by Windows 9.
Skipping Windows 8 and waiting for Windows 9 ? Windows 9 will be worse as it will be only tiles with no switching to classic GUI.
Im a developer who works with windows everyday and I love it. I cant stand Mac. The good news is KINECT is coming to laptops and makes windows now an even greater money making app project.
^ These are the kind of tech illiterates that like this stupid stuff!
I think MS is creating a “learning curve” problem for themselves, nevermind how good Windows 8 is or not. Even some people who visit tech sites like Ghacks are thinking Windows 8 is only Metro. Like Roman ShaRP alludes to, Metro is something Microsoft want to push you to use but it is removing the old and traditional, not completely at least.
Siily mistake in my previous comment :)
“Metro is something Microsoft want to push you to use but it is NOT removing the old and traditional, not completely at least.”
Looks like Vista version 2 in the making. And than Windows 9 will come out with the same limitations – in a more nicely worded way and everybody goes along happy as sheeps :)
Seen this with Windows 1.1, WindowsMe and Vista. History just keeps repeating.
The more I read about Win-8 the more it looks like MS have taken deliberate aim at both its feet with a large cannon and is wildly lighting the fuse.
Given that beneath the Metro overlay Win-8 looks like being more Win7 SP2 than a major code change, I think I’ll wait for v9 in the hope that the tabletize everything fever has cooled by them.
for all the comments and articles, I’ve not seen anyone put 8 to the test with core apps like office, video editing, 3D applications like Max, Desktop Publishing such as Quark, music apps, Photoshop, etc..
the stuff that companies use everyday. how does 8 do with these applications? does the new UI interfere? can the new “hybrid” desktop work with these ok?
or will we be seeing a lot of ppl hanging onto XP/Vista/7 for years to come to work properly ?
Khai,
W8 now is pretty unstable and risky. I had 2 complete reinstalls already, so now team lead said that better not install anything but only very needed apps, and better do not experiment with settings. In general we need only Visual Studio for the project development.
I can’t work well with that, so I installed a few toos/apps:
- ScreenshotCaptor
- GIMP (it might be weird, but I do prefer it to Photoshop)
- AIMP3
No word about what MS Office suit will be compatible, and we don’t have more time for experiments. So, as for office work I reload to Seven or work on Mac for now.
Before the reinstalls I installed some more software -
- OpenOffice (once more may be I’m weird, but do prefer it even having corporate licensed MS Office at my disposal)
- Pale Moon (custom Firefox build)
- Miranda IM and so on.
Most worked.
But I don’t know what of them rendered Metro incapable and pushed me to reinstall. May be it was my messing with the pesky UAC.
And the first reinstall was after attempt to make work USB wireless device TP-Link TL-822N with Seven drivers. This attempt made Win 8 crash even before dual boot choosing screen, but full reinstall of Win 8 solved the problem and I didn’t lost my Win 7 installation.
hi,
can one launch apps., from the tile’ start menu’? if so, why all this fuss? resource-wise, how is it compared to win 7?
if it is no better than 7, vista will get a graveyard companion.
” It is like saying that they do not trust users to make that decision on their own”
You are right. Microsoft doesn’t trust, or, think that Windows users are idiots. I personally have a problem with Microsoft taking away my freedom of use, by blocking any browser access to Windows/Microsoft update sites in Windows 7.
lookmann,
yes, user can launch apps from tiles. But.
Imagine that all your links from the Start menu, really ALL of them (applications, uninstallers, help files, all-all-all) are put into tiles. NO FOLDERS. 24 tiles per screen.
How long will your desktop be, and how convenient will be for you to find some app in this length?
As for me, new MS concept is just unusable for desktop.
Thought I see Microsofts point behind this, I also know for users like me who actually only have a set number of tiles which fit the one screen without scrolling that a background isn’t a bad idea. As far as third party, yes, I can’t speak for everyone but when Consumer Preview is released, I’ll have something ready for everyone to customize it. :)
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