Windows 8 user interface ripped apart by Nielsen Norman Group

Microsoft wants to make an OS that spans every platform and if they let Windows on non touch computer stay the same that would have defeated the purpose. The whole idea is to make it easier on developers so all they have to do is make little changes to an app to run between a tablet, PC and phone, if they would have kept things the same as before then devs would have to write 2 full separate apps one for desktop machines and one for touch. This also ultimately makes it easier for users as well, they don't have to know 2 different OS'. Sure now there is desktop and tile start screens and basically it is 2 OS', but that's why they're pushing the tile OS so if/when they get rid of the desktop people will be ready. This could backfire on them, and as people with non-touch devices just stay in desktop anyway which would keep the demand for desktop versions of certain programs which might mean some developers may not convert their desktop programs into tiled apps. Only time will tell though, and we don't know what Microsoft has up its sleeves. Maybe very good Kinect integration? Or a better touch pad. Maybe if you have a tablet you can use that as a touch pad? Voice commands (which wouldn't work well in offices)?

They brought out Windows 8 now because they had to and they took away the start button because they thought they had to. This could have also been Steven Sinofsky's idea and maybe they will bring back the start menu? BTW Microsoft tried to block the start button apps from being used in Windows 8 and now they're listed in the Store. Maybe that's a hint at whats to come? Maybe not?

I know touch tablets aren't new. Microsoft has been trying to push them for many years as well. To bad they didn't come out with a good touch interface until now.

I've been using Windows 8 since the Dev Preview and its not perfect but I think its going in the right direction. Its solid, fast and I see its potential. I like it better than mac os or Linux (although Ubuntu is starting to come together). I defiantly like Windows Phone better than ios. Android is nice, I haven't seen enough of BBOS 10, but I saw a little bit of Sailfish (Meego OS) and it looks pretty nice as well. I love Window Phone though.

One thing I think Microsoft should have done is instead of Windows RT made Windows Phone the ARM tablet OS.

Either that, or they forced him to resign because he wouldn't go along with it. I suppose none of us will ever be a bug on that boardroom wall..

M$ is trying to beat Apple at its own game, by becoming the "New Apple". And that's a fruit you don't want to take a bite of, trust me on this on.

All I see with Windows 8, is a corporate power grab against a multitude of loyal followers. They even had the same company that designed the Apple logo, design their new one. I gain some satisfaction from knowing they were probably bilked a couple of million bucks for that. And yet, that doesn't offset the pain of having to look at it.

With the advent of M$'s app store, I see a veiled attempt to wrest control and input away from outside developers involvement, thus herding end users into buying from them.

Since I'm not a software engineer, I can't say absolutely how easy or not it is to allow the end user his or her, choice of interface preference at boot. But seeings as how Rocket Dock can do it, how difficult could it be for the legion of developers employed by Microsoft, to accomplish this task.

The start button and desktop aren't available at boot, because M$ doesn't want them available, not because they can't. They've gone another full mile toward pandering to the masses, and wresting control of the system in a manner that would make Steve Jobs proud.

I'm not a gamer. I only fully use Windows because Adobe doesn't write for Linux, and WINE, is a PITA..

And speaking of Adobe, they're well on the way to conquering software piracy, by offering software on a subscription basis. You can still buy the software at retail. But if, (or perhaps "when"), they pull the plug on that, there's not much the people that need the product will be able to do about it.

The same goes for the new business models that aim to get rid of physical media. Once they do, they've got their suckers into your wallet, and say goodbye to disposable income. Something I always point out, "when DVDs are outlawed, only outlaws will have DVDs".

I think this new incarnation of Windows is aimed right up the old cattle ramp for customer slaughter.

Call it paranoia, call it an Orwellian fantasy, call it anything you like, but don't forget to call me from the cattle pen.

http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/jensen-harris-tells-story-design-windows-8

Good article, good video.

If Adobe offered a sub would that be so bad? Say its $10 a month and you get every update and upgrade as long as you pay. Knowing the price of Photoshop it'll probably be more like $25-30 a month though. What if it came out to be about the same amount as you'd pay for it in the store, except you would just automatically get the newest upgrade.

I kind of expect Windows to go in this direction. Pay $6 a month and get every upgrade. Windows 9 come out, you get a pop up that says "do you want to upgrade to Windows 9?" You say yes, it downloads it, sets a system restore point and does the upgrade.

The only downfall I see with this is Office. I only use Word so its not worth me buying the full Office suite.

I agree Microsoft is trying to do certain things more like apple, but I don't think they're going as far as you think. They're taking the best of what apple does and leaving out the bad. I think they'd like all desktop programs to be remade into tiled apps, but I don't think they'll threaten a company to do so. I wouldn't doubt it if 10 years from now we still can run desktop apps within Windows. There may not be a desktop but I think you'll still be able to run the programs. But of course Microsoft would like every program to become a tiled app, it would be a constant stream of money coming in. Also apps tend to cost less than programs do. So I think you are a little paranoid. If this were apple I'd say you were right on the money.

Physical media may go away. I think we'll still have thumb drives and later who know what. DVD's and blurays will be gone, but something will take their place.

Here's my dream computer. I have a server at home which runs my main OS and all my programs are on it. I have a tablet which has Windows and I can save stuff on it but I'd only do that when I'm in an area with no broadband. Otherwise I'll log into my home server and get my home desktop from anywhere in the world and the same with my work desktop. This way you worry less about the hardware, processing power, graphics power of your other devices and you just have one server which can cost as much as a desktop. If you play games, you get a powerful graphics card, if you don't need the graphics power, go with lower end graphics, just like your home PC. You have one laptop or hybrid that you carry with you for work and play. If you go on vacation and didn't bring your computer, you can login at a friends house or at a cyber cafe.

This is the way I see computers going, it may take 20 years because of the greedy ISP's and cell phone providers, but I think it will happen. And I think Microsoft and Google...maybe apple but if they don't get their **** together hopefully not...will be there to contribute to it in their own way.

Ten bucks a month, yeah right: http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/buying-guide-subscriptions.html

And that's only one product, there's a whole creative suite.

I'm a rare thing nowadays, an anachronism who enjoys having things and pastimes that no one can pull the plug on.

Most people don't need anything more than "Photoshop Elements". You can usually grab the almost yearly edition before the next one for $50.00 bucks. And it's yours to keep. Being forward thinking is groovy and all that, as long as being tacked onto your credit card, not mine.

I use XP day to day, with up to date AV and browsers, it's an outstanding, bullet proof, stable OS, and I own it outright. No touch, no payments, my kind of OS.

I did say most likely $25-$30 a month so I was on the button. I don't know how much the suite costs. I don't edit video that often and when I do I use Paint.net.

I'm all for being paperless and medialess. I'm the type that likes on-demand, and instant gratification.

I went from XP and skipped Vista and went to Windows 7 and now to Windows 8.

It was about six. The extended version is more.

This carries the stigma known as, "immediate infantile gratification".

I have a lappy with a basic version of Vista on it. I guess the best you can say for it is, "it's an OS". Not bad, but not worth the upgrade from XP. The short answer, "meh".

Looks like its $50 a month for the whole suite and you can upgrade for $30 a month. Depending on how often they come out with new versions and if you want to upgrade to every new version, it sounds like its about on par with buying it from a store.

"immediate infantile gratification" lol well I call it futuristic thinking and/or thinking of the environment (no I'm not a tree huger).

Vista actually was ok but Windows 7 is much better, faster and more secure. Windows 8 has much of the same security features as 7 plus a few more.

Well, my credit card company consistently asks me to be "environmentally friendly" by foregoing paper statements. Were I to do that, they would pocket the paper, printing, and mailing costs. Erstwhile I, while supposedly feeling pretty darn good about myself, would bear the burden of absolutely needing internet service, would pay the same old extravagant interest rates.

Mail me the statement, and hand me a DVD.

You can't sell me on the logic of being tied to one source for your media, and meanwhile b***h about all the scrutiny and control you are allowing yourself to be put under by doing so. "I download everything. I couldn't be bothered going to Redbox". "The MPAA just paid of more judges, now the IPs are going to start handing out warnings. If you see the dichotomy there".

And yeah, you can be without internet through no fault of your own. A driver around my neighborhood took out a utility pole, leaving me with no phone, no alarm, and no internet, begging to use the phone at my local bank branch.

"OK" is basically a synonym for, "meh", "Meh", being but a point or two lower on the enthusiasm scale. It's what you get when you cross the superlative, "OK" with the emotional assessment, "but who cares".

I agree with all people here who use windows as a tool with several monitors and a ton of applications running concurrently. Windows 8 sucks.
I've got a "metro" equivalent on my Nexus 7. It's ok for looking at pics, playing music, sticking netflix on with a movie while I multitask on my pc or laptop. That only cost me £159. My PC cost me 10 times that and I expect to get more than windows 8 offers at the moment. It's shallow, it's doesn't boot faster on a 3 partition system (not that I think that a faster booting pc is important enough to even mention in reviews), and metro with Netflix fills the whole screen so I c
ouldn't multitask with a single monitor. Might as well go watch the tv if I can't multitask.
Why try to fix something that aint broke? If someone can't use a pc then give them a nexus/kindle/ipad mini.

Vista became a good OS after Microsoft patched it up.

People will never get off this bandwagon.

http://www.tweakguides.com/VA_1.html

I totally agree with your sentiments... my current project which is fairly large (I'll likely need another couple years to completely finish it) will be my last big windows application. After what I've seen MS do I'm going to build my next database with a web-based front-end, that way its more platform agnostic... It will work on Apple, Linux, or anything with a web browser. IF MS is willing to throw developers/power users under the bus then fine, I'll abandon them and do something else. I can see already this ship is sinking, I'm not going down with it.

Who are these *****s? iIgree, these *****s obviously are legends in their own mind. I think the headline should be turned around to say "
Nielsen Norman Group ripped apart by Windows 8 user interface

Wow, you're exactly right!...! And it was about the time they renamed it, "Windows 7".

BTW, good or bad, it's no longer supported. But, it still needs to be activated...Hmmmm....

Perhaps, but aren't we all really , "legends in our own minds? So why be so angry and so bitter? In your heart you know you're right...

Now go calm yourself down by rubbing your fingers all over your, "Surface". Make some obscene gestures on it, see what pops up.

LOL, now I know why MS is heavily endorsing Windows 8. Brings a whole new concept to watching porn (touch here if you want to see something special)!!

So what's next, bringing 3D porn to the family set, with touch added? All I know is, I don't want to be the one who has to clean the stains off of that puppy.....

I purchased Windows 8. I barely use the Start screen as I spend 99% of my time in desktop interface. Windows 8 is by far a better OS than Windows 7 if only from a performance standpoint. I haven't seen a single glitch and to those who try to compare it to Windows Vista which was actually only crap on a crappy PC its nothing like it. There are some features that I do like on Metro. Bottom line is you don't have to use the touch screen interface if you don't want to.

I would like to see Microsoft put the Start button on the Windows Desktop in a future update as well as provide people with the ability to turn off the Metro Start page in settings. On the downside Microsoft will never be able to compete app wise with Android or Apple OS. The only phone I'd ever own would be an Iphone.