alextheblue :
Quit it with the freaking apps already, no one wants that crap unless you're actually on a tablet. It doesn't have to all be the same flavor of windows. Apps for touchscreens, no apps for non-touchscreens. It's that simple.
Why? It's just a name. With Windows 10 you can download "apps" that run in a window on the desktop, and are operated with a keyboard and mouse. On the same Windows 10 you can download apps that run full screen and use the touchscreen, say for a tablet. You could even potentially run the SAME app and interact with it either way depending on the device you're using and user preference.
You've got this illogical fixation on keeping touch software and non-touch software artificially separated. You even go so far as to insist they use separate naming conventions. Who says you can't use multiple methods for input? Same program, same store, same popular naming convention. I say leave it up to users based on their device and needs. If it makes you feel better, ask for an option in Windows 10 that replaces all references to "app" with "program".
It's like traveling back in time and listening to arguments for DOS vs Windows.
"You keep your damn mouse software! Real men use DOS and keyboard only... it's faster and more efficient."
Actually that's what they said about windows 8, guess what people hate it on non-touch devices.
My "LOGICAL" rationale behind having say a Windows 10 and Windows 10t(touch optimized) versions is due to the lack of input resolution of touchscreens and the large amounts of scaling enhancements necessary to work with a touchscreen. There are 2 sides of the spectrum, programs can be fully touch optimized for touch like they are on tablets, or fully optimized for efficiency using the precision of a mouse like they need to be for business and workstations. Windows 8 was fully towards touch IMO, and cobbled together for use with desktops. Windows 10 appears to be scaling back and trying to find some happy medium. Because of the huge differences in input resolution, optimizing for both at the same time on the same screen will look unoptimized. The tiles will take up too much real estate. It will simply piss people off that all this extra crap is showing, which doesn't need to be.
The problem i have with apps is that they are all optimized for use on tablets. Windows tiles are large because you need to have the surface area to use for finger touch. That's not necessary on a desktop. The icons, buttons, and texts on apps are huge and inefficient compared to a desktop problem. When you have a mouse available, the scaling and large button sizes only hinder your performance when using your PC.
The reason i feel there should be different flavors of windows is due to prioritization. On a mouse or trackpad heavy device, apps will get rarely used, if you need weather and news, just use widgets. Other than that, the duty cycle of apps is very low. In fact i never use any of the apps on windows 8 for my desktop. So apps should be supressed as much as possible, priority for say opening a photo should default to programs and not the photo gallery app. Microsoft can make the tile app system more modular and set prorities to surpress them, i don't feel they should be fully integrated into the operating system. Just a modular extension.
On the flipside, a Windows 10t would prioritize apps when not docked to a keyboard and trackpad and continue to act like a tablet. When you dock to a keyboard/trackpad, then switched to an optimized non-app version and default to regular desktop programs and the more efficient layout.
Your analogy of DOS and a mouse optimized GUI are completely inaccurate. An accurate analogy would be designing an OS for use with a mouse, then taking away that mouse and leaving you with just a keyboard to run said operating system. It's frustrating and doesn't work well. When windows 8 was introduced, it was fully optimized for touchscreens, but when people try to use a mouse, the touchscreen optimizations simply get in the way and make everything far less efficient.
The windows 95-windows7 way of doing things is the most efficient for a desktop with a high precision input device like a mouse. You simply use large icons for the programs you use the most, and for rarely used programs you have a list view of everything you need and can quickly scroll to find it. it's the most efficient way of doing things.
Tiles are not very efficient for finding programs. Since they have to be so big to use with touch, you have to scroll through pages of icons to find what you need. There is so much extra "data" in the form of pictures on the tiles that clutter the interface, it takes a while to find your program. A simply list view with just names is what's needed.
Windows 10 seems to be trying to find a happy middle ground which is understandable considering the rise of tablets and hybrid computers. But they need to be able to suppress or disable tile apps altogether for businesses and mouse only users.
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram