Ever since Microsoft first showed Windows 8 with its 'Metro' style interface, press have been saying that it will 'not work' on desktop computers. Users say they are being 'forced' to use Metro, but even as someone who loves this new style, I can honestly say that is not really the case.
Including Metro on Windows 8 gives hardware manufacturers much more flexibility in making new devices. Other than touchscreen laptops (which makes my arm tired just thinking about it), there is of course Tablets. Being on a tablet does
not mean that Windows 8 will not work well with the mouse and keyboard - it does. In the Developer Preview there are small issues related to scrolling in apps that have since been fixed. What being able to use a mouse and keyboard does is allow manufacturers to make incredible products such as the
Asus Transformer does today with Android. Using a tablet the user can input mouse and keyboard in the metro interface as well as the traditional desktop with the click of a tile.
But wait. 'There's no desktop on ARM?!' - Yes there is. On ARM you will be able to to use the
included Microsoft Office version that while it is a desktop app, it will be tablet optimized. However this should not be a problem as if you are creating text documents you will likely be using some sort of keyboard dock. 'Why can't you use other desktop apps on ARM?' - at launch ARM is intended for low power, mobile devices. You will only be able to use programs such as explorer and desktop IE. The Windows 8 app store is sure to have any software you will need as Microsoft still has the highest market share in operating systems. Running software on ARM that you normally run on Windows x86/x64 would require an entire rewrite.
Microsoft has solved this problem by updating it's extremely intuitive development environment with Visual Studio 11. Apps written for Metro using any of the multiple languages supported (C++, C#, Visual Basic, Javascript) will work cross-platform on Windows 8 on Intel and ARM, as well as Windows Phone. We will have to wait until the Consumer Preview on February 29th to see just what kind of apps will be available on the store and how well they work.
'So, Windows 8 has a shiny "shell" over top of it, what really makes it better?'. Windows 8 is
fast, really fast. I have to say that Windows 8 and Windows Phone 7 are the smoothest operating systems I have ever seen. They never slow down, they are beautiful, and very easy to use for anyone. Windows 8 can run smoothly even on Netbooks, and will actually only require the same or less RAM than Windows 7. Windows 8 also uses 'Hybrid Boot" technology. Even running on a very old Pentium 4 computer Windows 8 boots in 5-7 seconds, but you will likely never have to turn it off as it suspends any apps you are not currently using in the background to save resources.
'Windows 8 doesn't have multitasking.'
What? Are you crazy? Of course Windows 8 has multitasking. You can view multiple Metro apps side by side, and even Metro apps aside the desktop. You can also adjust the size of the two windows as you wish (for instance if you wanted to keep a Twitter client on the side of the screen while you worked). Windows 8 will actually be the first mobile OS to allow
real multi-tasking. This is now only just beginning to happen on Android with the amazing
Cornerstone software.
Now before this posts rivals the length of that of Steven Sinofsky I would like to mention a new feature that has been recently announced. Microsoft will be integrating SkyDrive into the OS as a folder in your user directory - much like Dropbox. Users will be able to backup files directly to their SkyDrive folder. There is some disappointment with this feature however, that users will not be able to individually pick folders to be synced (as with Windows Live Mesh), but is essentially just a type of Dropbox clone. That is not too bad though, as it is now built in and offers more space than Dropbox.
Remember, the new Metro interface is called the 'start screen' for a reason. It is replacing the start menu, not your entire desktop. You can still search for programs at any time on the start screen just by typing, you can also search for files and settings. There is nothing stopping you from using the old desktop with all of its updated features (eg. ribbon bar), and at this time without the app store being opened the metro interface is best used as a secondary display. I am sure that this will change when some useful apps or fun games are released. Desktop OSes are becoming more and more like their mobile counterparts, as Apple is doing the same with OS X Mountain Lion.
* Opinions represented here are that of this author only, and not necessarily those of AnythingGeek.net. However, all writers who disagree with the information in this article will be terminated
At 1:00 AM eastern time, Raspberry Pi updated their website offering information on how to purchase their highly anticipated, low-cost mini computer. To be able to sell in greater numbers the Raspberry Pi foundation has partnered with two UK sites - RS Components and Premier Farnell.
Even though both of the sites were warned that this launch would generate an immense amount of traffic - both of them crashed immediately. Even worse, for those of us in North American there seems to no mention of how we can purchase it. When users were able to reach the site they were only shown a page where you could sign up to "show their interest in buying the product. Obviously, these sites were not ready to begin selling the product - hardware-wise or website-wise. As I tweeted:
