Is the PC "Dying"?

For years most people have bought desktop pcs that had unused power and underutilized chips. Now the computers may well go to being too dumb and leave everything to the cloud with nothing in the area of emergency on-board processing power.

It's not dying, but it's changing. As it becomes more integral to life and society, it looks and acts less and less like what we expect it to. Different iterations become more specialized toward individual consumers' needs: tablets and smartphones are PCs. I can compose, print, and share documents and spreadsheets using either my Galaxy S3 or my iPad. If I want to develop code, I might need a more powerful device; I can find that in the market. For that matter, the boundaries of what we can do with PCs are being removed by the availability of devices like the Raspberry Pi. The only limit is the one imposed by your imagination.

Quote: Fleastiff

For years most people have bought desktop pcs that had unused power and underutilized chips. Now the computers may well go to being too dumb and leave everything to the cloud with nothing in the area of emergency on-board processing power.

There's more than enough power on today's netbooks (and phones), no need for 'emergency power' what ever that means. The netbook needs some power to render and display web pages. Javascript, asynchronous calls, media streams all take local processing power.

We have had a thin-client concept twice before in the past (the world of main frames and then again to a lesser extent in the mid 90's). I used to code on a dumb terminal connected to a big fat Unix box, a few hundred metres away in the University computer labs.

I made a decision:

Unless Microsoft changes course, which I admit seems unlikely, and stops trying to make all PCs into tablets, I will not spend a penny on any Microsoft products. That means no Windows 8 (duh!) even if it can be tweaked into behaving as though it really has a desktop. No Windows 7, either.

So I'll likely move over to Linux in the near future. If I'm going to have to tweak the OS, I may as well get one that lets me customize more stuff than any version of Window with third-party software. If this doesn't work, then, and only then, will I seriously consider getting Windows 7.

I feel like the guy in the old Far Side "Damned if you do" cartoon (here: http://s675.photobucket.com/user/hollywood5_33/media/Far-Side-Damned-if-You-Do-Dont_2.jpg.html ) Thanks, Microsoft!

I should add that a version of Win8 with all the tweaks and a dead (dead, dead) "Modern" interface would be acceptable. Not fine, but tolerable. So why should I change to Linux? Why, because Microsoft is trying to phase out the desktop altogether. that's why, IMO, they stripped it into near uselessness now. Which still makes no sense whatsoever. Therefore any Windows solution right now is little more than a crutch that will break in a few years anyway.

Is it possible the hellish "Modern" style interface would improve, in time, into something usable. I'm sure it is... for a tablet. For a PC? Not likely. For the way I work on a computer? No way at all.

Oh, before i forget: Windows 8 must be destroyed.

I took a short trip to Toluca today with a coworker. Somehow the subject got around to Win8, and I couldn't restrain myself from spewing (much justified) vitriol about it; albeit in a restrained, in-person manner.

He said that even if I dind't like it and it annoyed me that much, I'd best get used to it because that's how things are going to be. I asked him "How are you coping with Office 2010?"

Well, he let loose with fire and brimstone, bringing up every annoyance, trouble, issue, etc he had with that version of Office. Then I asked whether he'd switch ot a compatible file-format(s) program if it had controls more like Office 2003 had. And he finally said "Oh, so that's how you feel about Windoze8."

:)

Microsoft announced today that a major release of "fixes" to come out later this year to try and address all the confusion and complaints. Presumably in time for the Christmas sales cycle in an attempt to counter the 14% drop in PC sales in the first three months of this year.

Quote: chickenman

Microsoft announced today that a major release of "fixes" to come out later this year to try and address all the confusion and complaints. Presumably in time for the Christmas sales cycle in an attempt to counter the 14% drop in PC sales ion te first three months of this year.

Leaks about it have been knocking about the web for a few weeks. I have grave concerns about it. Two, in fact:

1) Microsoft seems to be trying to patronize the complainers rather than to address the complaints. Item: the fix will let you boot to the desktop and will restore the start button. This seems great, until you read further and find that a) the control pannel fucntions will all be transferred to the "Modern" interface and b) the Start Button will merely send you to the "Modern" start screen. So, sure, you can boot to the desktop, so long as you keep using the "Modern" interface you're trying to get away from.

2) Allegedly the "Modern" interface will feature actual windows of varying size, rather than full screen and microscopic. I'm not sure whether now you'll be able to open more than two (or 1.0001 to be precise) at a time. Which would seem to actually address a complaint and to solve a problem... in the "modern" interface.

So it's a bit like saying : "There! Take your effing Start Button and your freaking boot to desktop! Happy? Now use the 'Modern' interface like you're supposed to!"

All this also fits with Microsoft's derranged plan to do away with the desktop.

So: So long, Microsfot!Thanks for the free upgrade to Office 97 (I think it was); I appreciated the attention and good customer service then. I would like to say "no hard feelings." And if I ever find a way to sound as though I mean it, I will say it (with apologies to Sheldon Cooper).

Quote: Nareed

Unless Microsoft changes course, which I admit seems unlikely, and stops trying to make all PCs into tablets, I will not spend a penny on any Microsoft products. That means no Windows 8 (duh!) even if it can be tweaked into behaving as though it really has a desktop. No Windows 7, either.

Yes, I do see a flaw in this: what will I do when I want to run Windows software?

Since apaprently Windows emualtors are unreliable, that leaves me two choices: do without, or keep Vista running in a partition forever (or until nothing ever runs on that anymore).

Find new casual games you can play. As that seems to be your sole use case for Windows. There's plenty out there, for Linux.

Quote: TheCesspit

Find new casual games you can play. As that seems to be your sole use case for Windows. There's plenty out there, for Linux.

There are other things, including non-casual games. Besides, you never know when you'll need to run something in Office because the open sores(*) software doesn't quite support the latest file versions

(*) this is not a typo.

And in conclusion, Windows 8 must be destroyed.