How much longer will MicroSoft Last
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I have tried the pre-release versions of Windows 8. I don't like them at all. Full screen apps on a 27" monitor is ridiculous. I don't believe I will ever use such a system.
Unfortunately Ubuntu has already started moving in that direction, and Mac is slowly moving that way too. I believe that the future of computing will be systems that don't crash often, but can only do Facebook, simple web browsing and email. Power users are being left behind.
Unfortunately Ubuntu has already started moving in that direction, and Mac is slowly moving that way too. I believe that the future of computing will be systems that don't crash often, but can only do Facebook, simple web browsing and email. Power users are being left behind.
I was at MS's Dallas offices yesterday for a workshop on W8.
My takeaway from the meeting was that MS is going to just end up handing a large chunk of users over to Apple.
Essentially they are just writing off the desktop user. W8 is very tablet oriented, but on the desktop you are stuck with 1 thing on the screen at a time or if you want to run 2 things you can, but one of them is only 720p wide. If you have a laptop you have to have a minimum of 1366 wide pixels if you want to see your side app.
If you do not want the single app mode you get thrown into what remains of the current "desktop". All eye candy is removed. It looks like an old movie where all the color has faded away. It reminds me of the old windows 3.1 interface. If you use remote desktop, you can simulate it with the lowest bandwidth settings. And of course the start button is missing. You have to search or put a link on your desktop. I always have liked a clean desktop, now you have to have everything on it. Of course there are some things you want the start button for but since they took it out they hide menus now in the "corners" you have to know where to move your mouse for the hidden menu to pop up.
I am just thinking of all the retraining that is going to be required by these changes. It will be seen as an opportunity to switch to Apple or Android for a lot of things now since people will have to be retrained anyways.
It will be interesting to see if MS can pull it off, but I have my doubts. I see them sinking in market share as the iPad keeps on marching.
My takeaway from the meeting was that MS is going to just end up handing a large chunk of users over to Apple.
Essentially they are just writing off the desktop user. W8 is very tablet oriented, but on the desktop you are stuck with 1 thing on the screen at a time or if you want to run 2 things you can, but one of them is only 720p wide. If you have a laptop you have to have a minimum of 1366 wide pixels if you want to see your side app.
If you do not want the single app mode you get thrown into what remains of the current "desktop". All eye candy is removed. It looks like an old movie where all the color has faded away. It reminds me of the old windows 3.1 interface. If you use remote desktop, you can simulate it with the lowest bandwidth settings. And of course the start button is missing. You have to search or put a link on your desktop. I always have liked a clean desktop, now you have to have everything on it. Of course there are some things you want the start button for but since they took it out they hide menus now in the "corners" you have to know where to move your mouse for the hidden menu to pop up.
I am just thinking of all the retraining that is going to be required by these changes. It will be seen as an opportunity to switch to Apple or Android for a lot of things now since people will have to be retrained anyways.
It will be interesting to see if MS can pull it off, but I have my doubts. I see them sinking in market share as the iPad keeps on marching.
I've played with Win8 too. Without a touchscreen it is nearly worthless imo. Can't believe MS is making that whatever they are calling the 'metro' ui the default configuration and effectively killing the very useful win7 and previous desktop UI.
But I see no indication at all that Apple is headed in that direction. Yeah I know, they have the 'launchpad' but they are smart enough to not make that the default desktop.
Yeah I tried out the evaluation copy of windows 8 and was like are you kidding me. They really need a desktop version. If they don't go under they will have a windows 9 out next year, which will be built on the windows 7/8 engine, but with a better UI. Then windows 8 will be dubbed like windows ME. Maybe they will call it Windows 8D..for Desktop.
No I don't think they will either, but they will start on a downward-spiral if they don't do something. I have read where people say that the desktop will be a thing of the past soon. Maybe true, but that soon is not next month or next year. If the desktop in the consumer market goes the way of cassette tapes it will be many more years.
I've said for a while that Win8 is their last shot at relevance in the market.
I don't have time to experiment with Win8 yet and I run a MAC as my desktop and an android tablet for general purpose computing. I run Parallels for a Win7 machine as well as CentOS and Solaris virtual machines.
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I don't have time to experiment with Win8 yet and I run a MAC as my desktop and an android tablet for general purpose computing. I run Parallels for a Win7 machine as well as CentOS and Solaris virtual machines.
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2
Too many business programs still depend on windows. They can't run tablets or Androids. The fact that I have to use parallel at work because there are applications that do not run on apple OS. So MS will be here for a while. Business applications are not here to please the masses.
sean,
Yes, businesses could well jump off the upgrade bandwagon and stay on 7.
That would buy them time to switch.
As an FYI, I can do nearly everything on my android tablet except for Visio stuff.
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk 2
Yes, businesses could well jump off the upgrade bandwagon and stay on 7.
That would buy them time to switch.
As an FYI, I can do nearly everything on my android tablet except for Visio stuff.
Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk 2
I would have to agree with this. I was a big Windows XP pusher for a long time until I discovered 7. Windows 7 beats XP, but if you still have a little older computer XP is the clear winner.
Since the volume licensing has downgrade rights, I bet a lot of businesses stay on win7 - that is if they ever manage to get off of winXP.
It also depends a lot on the business as to what they have on the local desktop vs how much they use a windows server environment. If they have all their programs on central servers, they could use almost anything for the local desktop with RDP (including Apples).
I finally got my server to 2008 last year, it took that long for the accounting programs to be updated off of 2003 to 2008 since 2008 only had 64bit. Even then we have to have the 32 bit version of Office installed for compatibility.
It also depends a lot on the business as to what they have on the local desktop vs how much they use a windows server environment. If they have all their programs on central servers, they could use almost anything for the local desktop with RDP (including Apples).
I finally got my server to 2008 last year, it took that long for the accounting programs to be updated off of 2003 to 2008 since 2008 only had 64bit. Even then we have to have the 32 bit version of Office installed for compatibility.
As Sean said, the bad thing for us, and what will keep MS going, is that many business programs, such as our Sage BusinessWorks accounting program, only run under Windows. And non-Windows Outlook programs are NQR in compatibility. And don't get me started on Project.
Yes, buy time. But large s/w companies are notoriously slow to move to new platforms. Our accounting system once ran on Unix also, IIRC. Long gone. To move to the Apple desktop OS would mean hiring new people or massive retraining. And an antidote for the kool-aid. I know of no small to medium sized business accounting software that runs on a Mac with the features we need. If there was such a creature, my boss would have moved us long ago. Maybe even a Linux implementation.
I miss mainframe software, where you needed signed affidavits from all twelve apostles to even get to a hearing by god to CONSIDER the REMOTE possibility of making a change to the kernal. Heck, you could run it in ROM if the performance hit wasn't too heavy, and you were concerned about malware.
One thing I'm certain of: In five to ten years our business computing landscape will be vastly different than today's.
Another thing I'm certain of: It'll probably happen faster than I think.
Sounds like the same routine for MS.Have a solid release followed up by a stinker.Anyone remember windows ME?I know everyone remembers windows Vista.If 8 flops I see windows 7 being around a lot longer while ms goes back to the drawing board.
8 isn't going to flop, the internet is just likes to wallow in outrage and enjoys setting it's hair on fire and screaming.
MS will be fine, and they'd continue to be fine if zero copies were to be sold and they had to eat it.
If you think businesses are going to switch to Macs you've probably never worked for one.
MS will be fine, and they'd continue to be fine if zero copies were to be sold and they had to eat it.
If you think businesses are going to switch to Macs you've probably never worked for one.
If a lot of business moves to the "cloud" even if the cloud resides in that business and all the employees access it via the browser from anywhere, the need for windows in the business world will shrink a lot.
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