Windows 8 user interface ripped apart by Nielsen Norman Group

The desktop will always be necessary!
It is part of organization and productivity. It's how our brains organize and process information.
Try doing an office job without a desk(top). Pulling one form at a time out of a box beside your chair, only being able to look at that one paper before putting it back and pulling another to make changes based on the first.
Windows 8 (metro) is counter-productive to me.
Merto seems more like an OS gui I would expect running on my cell phone, not a powerful computer.

Besides, Windows 8 is just the first step Microsoft is taking to make sure they get money from EVERY application you run on their OS. I think they're jealous of Apple and their "app store" money machine. It's just too bad MS feels the need to alienate half their customers to extort the other half.

I'm hoping this will give Linux its time to shine.

I've used Windows 8 for a few months - Windows 7 (desktop) is great for content creation, and Windows 8 is great for content consumption.

Windows in general pre-Windows 8, technical people were the target audience. With Windows 8, the target audience is now pointing to generally non-technical people. Technical people can make Windows 8 work with effort and tweaking.

Windows 8 is Microsoft's way of forcing the "App Store" model to PC's - blatant money grab.

I'm a Gamer, Custom builder and I disagree with you and think he is right!

The problem isn't that it needs refining, it's that it needs major overhauling. I can see @MrBungle's point about the desktop issue, and his concerns are those of an informed user who needs productivity, not necessarily worthy of being pigeon-holed as "narrow minded" by any stretch of the imagination. I'm actually in the same boat he is in. I like Windows 8 on the touch/tablet form factor, quite a lot actually. But on my multi-monitor systems, it's a kludged mess as it is, and that's with the existing limitations that the current desktop mode have in place.

It's painfully obvious that MS chose to concentrate fully on the touch & tablet experience, to the detriment of almost everything else UI related. They are banking on the future, trying to catch up and blend with the rest of the crowd, yet also stand out enough to get noticed. That's fine, great even, as long as they don't royally hose all of us who actually rely on basic functions and features to do our everyday work. And that is how many power users feel right now - it's not a "narrow minded" viewpoint, it's a valid concern.

I'll admit it: I was really hesitant about the tile interface. Until I got to play with a Surface and see how intuitive some of the features are - you have to "unlearn" some habits and assumptions, then it's pretty cool. It still does not work for me on my desktop configuration, which troubles me. But, I can envision some rather slick possibilities, if MS really gets to work on the productivity side of the equation for a while.

So as a custom builder, what will you build if Windows 8 does away with the desktop? I highly doubt you'll begin building custom ultrabooks, or liquid cooling them. Do you actually believe that you can eek out the same performance in a laptop/ultrabook/tablet, as you can in a desktop that has far more cooling/graphics/processing/motherboard/upgrade options? Do you honestly believe that an operating system has that much power, to completely eliminate an entire platform? Please enlighten me so that I can understand your reasoning.

Unfortunately, that's not how many people like to live. Nowadays we want things NOW. Not in 5 minutes, not after some learning... now. The learning curve has become a learning step.

This whole ripping on Metro reminds me of people ripping on the Galaxy Note for having a big screen. If it's not what you want, then don't buy it, but stop telling other people that what they like sucks.

I took that line of commenting to mean the Windows Desktop, not necessarily desktop computers in general... Now you've got me second-guessing myself! Heh

I wonder what the same test would show with less experienced users.

Windows hasn't changed its user interface this significantly in quite a few years.
If you make changes to a workflow that has been the same for years of course people would have reduced productivity.

The test should be repeated after a year of use and the results should be compared, this would be more accurate.

If that's what he meant by his comment, then yes, I can certainly understand that. I was under the impression that he was speaking of the desktop computer platform, which I believe is here to stay for many years to come.

I was referring to the windows desktop not general computers.

Am I only one who hates that Metro has to run full screen. I mean I want to run multiple metro windows. I have a 24" monitor for a reason. I personally just avoid the metro side and forget its there till I have to go back in there for something and remember how annoying it is. Can I ripe out Metro and have it just in a small desktop window...then maybe I could stand it. Till then the desktop of Windows 8 is at least rocking!

Install Start8

But, it's not quite the same... If you don't like the Note, you can still buy a S III or one of the wide range of other Android phones that meet your needs. What scares people is how hard Metro is being pushed even if we don't want it, and that it looks like it is here to stay - so if you want to use Windows, you don't have the luxury of choosing other options. Luckily there are workarounds and utilities to tweak the user experience - most of us just think those should have been provided from the start, and given the option on which interface to use.

Well that makes MUCH more sense... lol

Not surprised by this at all.

If you haven't try windows 8 yet - don't complain... every software has its pro and cons.. live with it.

Purchased it. Tried it. Didn't like it. Went back to Windows 7.

Purchased it. Tried it. Liked it. Rockin Windows 8 from now on.

But just know the majority of people who tried Win8 went back to Win7 because it had fewer cons which is a pretty big pro in hindsight.

Who or what is nielsen norman and why in the name of fishpaste should we give a hoot ?