Windoze 8

Windows 8.1 is now available for pre-order.

At what point, do you suppose, someone thinks "Hm, crippled desktop, touch features I don't want, lots of work to get it running right, lack of customization options, a whole interface I won't ever use. I have to get me some of that!!"?

But this is it, at last, and there are no more excuses. That is, Win8.1 is the fix, the OS that shows MS has become a nimble, responsive company, the OS Win8 should have been, etc, etc, etc. So, will sales remain anemic or will they improve? Will more people "upgrade" to Win8.1 than did to Win8? Will it actually take off in preference to Win7? Will it still be possible to upgrade to Win7 with the purchase of Win8.1? etc.

This will all be interesting to see.

Actual sales will comence in late October, around the 18th or 19th, and the free online "upgrade" for current suckers (I mean users) of Windows 8 will be available a day or so earlier.

Whenever I read about the M/M/W interface start screen, I swear I feel like a vegetarian at a butcher shop.

Google has revived the Trojan Horse: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2052194/hands-on-googles-metro-browser-preview-sneaks-chrome-os-into-windows-8.html

I mean "Trojan Horse" as in the stratagem allegedly used by the Greeks against the city-state of Troy, not in the modern sense (which is bad form, come to think about it).

Briefly, the idea is to insert a Chrome OS into Windows8 M/M/W interface.

Now, depsite the start-menu-like button on the bottom left, there is no real start menu. More like an "app launcher" which is all the craze these days. And who the hell knows what the icons on the taskbar will do. But it seems the windows can be scaled to any size, and they have a nice, tiny "x" control for closing. If one were forced into the W/W/M interface, the Chrome OS embedded in the Chrome browser would be a few orders of magnitude better. That's something to keep in mind for when MS kills the desktop.

In the meantime, I'm still planning on fixing a Win8.1 PC into something that can be sued for work. I'm calling it Win6.9, privately, as it is less than Win7 but more than Vista. However, I have altered my plans as regards timing. I'll wait until my current dekstop PC dies entirely before I upgrade. It might mean another five years, or another five days (who can tell?) If the former, it may be that a different CEO at MS will realize the blunder Win8.1 is and change course (one can dream, right?); though more likely there will be improvements for the start menu replacements and better desktop themes, too. If the latter, well, what can one do?

Quote: Nareed

However, I have altered my plans as regards timing. I'll wait until my current dekstop PC dies entirely before I upgrade. It might mean another five years, or another five days (who can tell?)

Well, talk about famous last words... Yesterday when I got home the PC again refused to turn on. But that wasn't the worst of it. I set up the laptop and hooked it to the desktop monitor. For some reason the color display in the monitor is all screwed up. I fiddled with the monitor's controls, to no avail. In the laptop's own screen everything looks fine, therefore it's a problem with the monitor. So I may just have to get a Win 6.9 machine now.

I'll still wait until the launch of Win6.9.1 (<w> and extra poitns to those keeping up with my mean streak sarcasm), if I can hold on using the laptop's small screen that long.

My thinking is that older Win8 PCs should drop in price when win8.1 comes out. And the upgrade to 8.1, which is not as important as you might think when Win6.9 is the goal, will still be free from the Windows store.

Halfway-good news, the monitor is either ok or merely failing (as opposed to busted). Therefore I can use the laptop with a decent screen and keyboard for a while yet.

ON the laptop I have Vista and Win6.9.1 (she said maliciously). I don't want, but honesty requires it, to say that the odious Win6.9.1 runs a lot better than Vista. While that's a good selling point, it's not the whole story. I've been meaning to write an essay on the user's perspective of an operating system's two sides, I call them code and interface, but have lacked the time to do so. This week's experience kind of forces me to, though. So stay tuned for more ranting verbiage by the weekend.

I'm thinking now I ought to wait a much longer time to get a new dekstop. One thing that's going to be big soon are SSD drives. Yes, right now they're expensive and rather limited. BUt That's how all things start out in computer technology. Remember when a 64 MB (that's megabytes) was expensive and few people even used them? Now you're hard-pressed to find anything smaller than 2 GB, and they're so cheap they're given as party favors sometimes (in fact, that's what the company handed out last Xmas party). So now a 1 TB SSD may go for near to $1,000, but next year it may cost half as much, or less.

Then, too, there are Intel's new processors. I must admit I'm a bit lost as to what's curent, but I was very interested in the buzz sorrounding the Haswell chips. The idea is they'll be great for tablets and laptops because they draw less power, making for a longer battery life. I'm not concerned about battery life, but less power also means less heat. That might also be worth waiting for.

It's ironic that PCs are about to get faster and use less power, just when they're dying :P

OK. this is really odd. the desktop started up fine just a few minutes ago.

The thing is, the other day I hooked up the LAN cable, because it gives me better speed than WiFi. I usually keep it hooked to the laptop, because Win8.1 doesn't always pick up WiFi. Today I unhooked the LAN cable from the desktop, precisely to use it on the laptop, and then the desktop started up.

The hypothesis is the LAN cable prevents the desktop from starting. It should be easy enough to test.

Well, it was the LAN cable. If it's hooked up, the desktop won't start <shakes head>

This gives me time to evaluate all my options for a new PC, and to wait, if need be, for something really good. Not that I expect sanity to return to Microsoft, even when Ballmer finally leaves (for an outgoing CEO, he's making a lot of BIG strategic decisions; if I were in the MS board, I'd demand his immediate exit and the appointment of an interim CEO). So the future of the desktop PC is a further erosion of the desktop PC's capabilities to display software, even as it gets more capable to run software...

Look, with the Nexus I face all the same problems as on Win8.1: no start menu, no task bar, no easy way to switch programs, no easy way to close programs, etc. But there's a big difference in how I use it. Also, and more important, the screen is really small. Reaching all over the screen is fast and takes little effort. Come on, the Nexus screen is not much bigger than my hand! Doing that on a 23" screen would be torture. And that's the big problem with Win8.1 on the desktop PC.

I've also found a new problem (surprised?) I don't like the Windows tiles at all. Live or not, they're not easy to ID at a glance the way most icons are. The thing here is icons were designed or at least chosen by literally millions of people. The tiles are all designed by MS. They're all one style and done one way, so naturally they all look alike.

BTW, another thing in my to do list for adapting Win8.1 to actual use is to sever the Sky Drive integration. For one thing I mistrust the idea of having confidential files in "the cloud." You don't think some hacker will ever break in? But most important I want all my data stored locally at all times. I can use "the cloud" as backup storage for inconsequential data (e-books, audio books, podcasts, my recipes, third-party photos and videos, etc), but my own data is mine and under my control and it will always be. I backup to thumb drives and the laptop.

Beyond that, I've found from suing the Nexus that one needs a lot of data onboard at all times, too. Take a podcast or an adio book. You can stream it, sure. But that requires an internet connection. I don't ahve one while driving to work, for example. I don't expect to ahve one while flying, either. So in the data goes into the device, and I can play it back whenever I want.

While pondering options for a new desktop PC, I briefly considered, seriously, a Surface Pro 2.

Here's my thinking (or what passes for it). I will get stuck with a Win8.1 mosntrosity anyway, so the particular brand doesn't much matter. Now, while a Surface has limited storage (32 or 64 GB), it's also cheaper than most desktops and I can add an external drive. Better yet, an SSD one. I can also hook it up to my existing monitor and use my existing keyboard (that would be the 4th PC for that keyboard, it's that good). The thing is supposed, or at elast designed, to stay on all day long. And I'd also could use the Surface as a tablet.

The last is where things broke down.

Item: I alredy have a tablet. While I wouldn't mind having a second one, I began to wonder "well, yes, but can it run Android?" Really. See, I have been using the Win8.1 M/M/W interface. I said before maybe it would work as a tablet interface, and it does. But Android works much better. For one thing Android does not hide any controls, whereas M/M/W hides pretty much ALL the controls.

Besides, the Surface is 10". Given the use I make of my tablet, all a 10" slate would be good for would be watching videos in bed. No doubt I could use it to read ebooks, but I prefer the smaller, book-sized 7" screen for that. But of course the point is to make it my dektop PC anyway, so that doesn't matter (much). If I travel I can take it with me, along with the Nexus, instead of the laptop (of course then I'd need a portable keyboard, not the keyboard cover MS sells for a minor noble's ransom).

More later.

This qualifies as later....

I think also there's a docking station for the Surface P2. I'll have to check up on that and figure out the total price.

But think what my plans would be and what MS intended:

Microsoft intended their Win8/8.1 to work on all devices (tablets, phones, netbooks, notebooks, laptops and desktops) with the focus in the M/M/W interface. My plans, should I get a Surface Pro 2, would be to use it as a desktop replacement running the Start8 start menu replacmeent, Modern Mix to run M/M/W "apps" as desktop windows, and in the final irony running Android for use as a tablet.

It would be worth it just for that >:)

I know one can install Android on a regular desktop PC. I haven't done it because there's no reason to. But I'd try that on the Surface. Then, too, more likely Android could run as a virtual machine in Win8.1

But never mind all that.... Prices are quite a bit higher than I thought... Not to mention getting one in mexico incurrs a rather steep markup of around US $200.

Oh, well, it was a nice revenge fantasy >;)