Gartner: Windows 8 is a Necessary Risk for Microsoft

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"Instead, it's the start of a whole new era..."
More like the end of an era... :-(

And yes, I know that one era has to end before another starts. "Start of a whole new era" makes it sound like what's coming is better than what's past..."end of an era" characterizes the situation much more accurately.
 
I have been using windows 8 since the first consumer preview. I use almost every day on my laptop, and I have not grown to like it. I figured if I just used it enough I would like it, but that has not happend. The new resource manager is sweet though... i wonder if there is a way to port that to win7.
 
The issue isn't Microsoft's use of a touch centric UI for phones & tablets, the issue is forcing that UI on to a platform that is by a vast, vast majority dominated by a peripheral (kb & mouse) use. I don't know anyone at all that uses touch for interaction with an office or home PC. More-over, touch can in some instances slow down productivity. Copy/paste on android, iOS, and especially webos is a damned nightmare compared to selecting text with the mouse, and ctrl-c & ctrl-v your done. If Microsoft stopped trying to force a UI change, and allow it happen organically, the new OS would go from "a disaster" to another mediocre product. Nobody wants to be force fed changes, and so people will just cling to W7, like some still cling to XP, until the bitter end.
 
I don't think MS cares if W7 hangs on for another 5-10 years. W8 will take off on tabs and phones, laying the groundwork for W9 to dominate when ALL screens are touch. Does anyone believe that electronics manufactures will be producing products that DON'T have touch in 5 years?
 
The problem is not that Microsoft is focusing on handhelds and touch interfaces, they problem is they're forcing desktop users along the same path. Why wouldn't thy allow desktop users to completely bypass Metro if they want to? Not open the "desktop app", not switch back and forth between two incompatible halves of the same OS, but bypass it completely. Why not?

Of course it's about the app store, the fact that Microsoft is looking to get 30% from every app sale, and they're willing to throw hundreds of millions of desktop Windows users under the bus to improve their bottom line.
 
[citation][nom]herbsthewerd[/nom]Does anyone believe that electronics manufactures will be producing products that DON'T have touch in 5 years?[/citation]

Sure, but it won't become a dominant interface for non-handheld devices. My screens are three feet away from me, I can't reach that far.
 
[citation][nom]bucknutty[/nom]It may also force IT to establish additional bring your own device (BYOD) programs, as it will be harder for IT to buy and support PCs the way they have for the past 20 years.[/citation]
Couldn't be more true. We're looking at hdx based terminal servers with hardware passthru (directx powered software on servers), we've got email stored on outlook.com, we've got skyprinting and I've recently heard we're considering some apps for ios for one of our customers so they can access the sharepoint and stuff from their own crapple device.

Centralized systems (appearently called clouds nowadays) and byod stuff is getting more and more popular.

I foresee a future where users pxe boot a raspberry pi like thing to connect to a virtual desktop like citrix or vmware offers now, with usb passthru and hardware accelerated software running on shared hardware, and where everyone who pleases will use their own hardware with a little software client up the arse instead of those bricks provided by us.
I'm talking 2-3 years or so tops here.
A few more years in the future, and I think all highend gaming systems will be in clouds with some sort of payment plan or will be lowend casual gaming on consoles and via web browsers (html5, flash etc)
 
"Michael Silver, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner"...

stopped reading right there... scanned down for the inevitable link to Gartner's Sales website... found it.


In conclusion... this entire article is an advertisement for Gartner.
FAIL
 
It's understandable for Microsoft to enter the tablet market with a touch-friendly OS, but also using that very same OS in desktop environments?

I can't bash too much on Windows 8 as I have not tried it but I don't need to test it in order to see the problems when you try to combine a physical mouse and keyboard with a tablet-oriented GUI.
 
[citation][nom]braitBR[/nom]If it fails on the desktop, port every under the hood improvement to Windows 7[/citation]

Not likely. The win 7 support will be security upgrades only when win 8 comes out. Maybe some small tinkering, but win 8 is so much more important to MS at this moment. It will allow commong core, common UI and common aplications in all possible platforms! It can be huge money mill to MS if and when win 8 brokes trough. Does it hapen with win 8, or a little face lift version of it as a win 9, does not matter to MS. If they make win 7 too good, it will slow down the movement to win 8 and eventually to win 9, so there is very little reason for MS (economically) to make win 7 much better.
It is bad to us, but when you think how all the previous windows versions have developed after the new one did come to market, we can see that the old OS sees very little love by upgrades (the security upgrades are/have been quaranteed though).
The win 8 includes some good upgrades over win 7, and win 9 will include more of them, so eventually we will move to new "tile age" if we want it or not...
 
Just don't see your points guys, the UI is still the same, just a start screen instead of a start menu.
Been using it on desktops, tablets and laptops, touch is just an option. It works the same as always with a mouse / kb, better actually. Desktops will go gesture, with kinect, not touch btw.
Your comments make it sound like you haven't even tried it for more then a couple minutes.
The start menu is gone in favour of a much better UI, get over it.
 
[citation][nom]herbsthewerd[/nom]Does anyone believe that electronics manufactures will be producing products that DON'T have touch in 5 years?[/citation]
They'd better still have products without touch in five years. Like I want to smear my fingers across a wide-gamut, matte display.
 
Two potential marketing slogans for Windows 8: 1) From bicycle to unicycle, enjoy the commute. 2) Finally! An operating system more confusing than Linux.
 
[citation][nom]herbsthewerd[/nom]Does anyone believe that electronics manufactures will be producing products that DON'T have touch in 5 years?[/citation]
Do you believe humans will undergo to genetic engineering to fit the insane vision of Ballmer of meters long arms to use a large TV/desktop monitor by touch?
Do you believe screen manufacturers will stop developing large entertainment displays so people can use smaller, more comfortable touch screens?
Do you believe people will stop watching a large screen from the couch to enjoy premium HD content holding a 10" screen in their arms?
Do you believe MS will stop selling/developing Kinect so the UI can stay touch centric everywhere rather than movement tracking centered when it needs?
Do you understand your vision implies all those absurdities to happen at once? Someone please call the Ballmer-mobile!
 
"Organizations will need to decide whether they continue with Windows 7 and or consider Windows 8." I know quite a few CIO's, and not one of them is asking that question. They have either already upgraded all PCs to W7 or are in the process of doing so. BYOD is ok for smaller corps, but of the three i have worked for, all have provided all the devices i need to work, phone, laptop and two docking stations; one for work and one for home. That being said, i do see some of these companies buying W8 tablets if they can be integrated into AD. (Though setting up wireless while maintaining PCI-DSS compliance is a nightmare)
"There's also the controversy surrounding the Modern UI – it looks appropriate on new form factors like tablets, hybrids and convertibles, but people are questioning its appropriateness for traditional desktop and notebook machines..."
People are not questioning it, they don't like it. Period. Though I do agree with bucknutty, the Task Manager is top notch.
 
[citation][nom]Zetto[/nom]Just don't see your points guys, the UI is still the same, just a start screen instead of a start menu.Been using it on desktops, tablets and laptops, touch is just an option. It works the same as always with a mouse / kb, better actually. Desktops will go gesture, with kinect, not touch btw.Your comments make it sound like you haven't even tried it for more then a couple minutes.The start menu is gone in favour of a much better UI, get over it.[/citation]
This. I really don't understand the fuss. Is it because you guys know a few shortcuts less? I have no idea. I really like Windows 8 a lot more than 7.
 
[citation][nom]hannibal[/nom]Not likely. The win 7 support will be security upgrades only when win 8 comes out. Maybe some small tinkering, but win 8 is so much more important to MS at this moment. It will allow commong core, common UI and common aplications in all possible platforms! It can be huge money mill to MS if and when win 8 brokes trough. Does it hapen with win 8, or a little face lift version of it as a win 9, does not matter to MS. If they make win 7 too good, it will slow down the movement to win 8 and eventually to win 9, so there is very little reason for MS (economically) to make win 7 much better.It is bad to us, but when you think how all the previous windows versions have developed after the new one did come to market, we can see that the old OS sees very little love by upgrades (the security upgrades are/have been quaranteed though).The win 8 includes some good upgrades over win 7, and win 9 will include more of them, so eventually we will move to new "tile age" if we want it or not...[/citation]

While I agree it's in their best interests to do as they always have, the release of the new OS is not an immediate condemning of the previous version, as is the case with Apple. Microsoft is very clear on their product support cycles, having published them long ago:

http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/search/default.aspx?sort=PN&alpha=Windows+7&Filter=FilterNO

If you go based on this, those with Windows 7 should expect continued support and regular upgrades until 2015, with security updates until 2020. Considering the fact that Windows 7 came out in 2009, a 5-6 year mainstream support cycle with a 10 year security release schedule is actually quite generous. Remember that Windows XP received SP3 in 2008, a year after Vista was released. Additionally, Vista (Whose mainstream support ended only this year, not when 7 was released in 2009) got SP2 in April '09 and a platform update in October '09, and in the middle of those releases was the release of Windows 7. Based on previous history, you can expect at least another Service Pack in the future for Windows 7, possibly in conjunction with the release of Windows 8.
 
Very astute analysis, necessary is the keyword here, they could continue with a desktop-only UI and eventually slide into obscurity in years to come as leaving it any longer to get into the game would be too much of a mountain to climb
...
So whilst they are still cash rich and relevant take a risk, potentially alienating a few people, then win them back with an excellent Windows 9
...
Anyone that doesn't want to use Windows 8 doesn't have to, hell I know people that won't upgrade from XP to 7, but when the killer version Windows 9 arrives all will be forgiven from the rabid fanbois
 
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