Microsoft Killing Desktop Gadgets in Windows 8?

[atikkur]

they start to kill desktop one by one. i told you microsoft, metro and desktop should be separated.. they never get united with harmony.. it is like water and oil, very different things.

 

[killerclick]

[citation][nom]belardo[/nom]And the effort and work to BREAK Win8 and turn it into 7 is not an option for MOST consumers. If its possible, it could break its security validation... no updates, illegal copy, fines for tampering with software, etc, etc.[/citation]

You are not forbidden to tamper with the software you own, as far as I know. And if Microsoft doesn't back off with enforcing Metro, there will probably be many commercial packages that enable users to boot straight to desktop, that disable corner hotspots, and that re-enable or mimic the Start button. Sure, Microsoft can sue companies, but they have to balance any potential gains with the bad PR they'll get. In fact, it would be pretty stupid of them.

 

[Cryio]

"latest internal build of Windows 8" is somewhere after 8506 😛

 

[cknobman]

This is old old news (heck it is so old this does not even classify as news it belongs in the archives section). Microsoft has not supported new Gadgets on their site for over a year now and that message has been up on the site for a long time.

 

[evan1715]

what are u doing microsoft?! did u just say "hey lets make a product people hate"?!

 

[newbcakes]

You're all aware that there is a tile in Windows 8/Metro called "applications" ... the really neat thing is when you click on it, it opens a *very* start-menu-like list of ... applications. You can click on those, much like you would do in a start menu and that application will launch into a window.

There's a little to learn with Metro, but I don't find it bad at all. And the live content on the desktop is nice.

 

[Guest]

I enjoy gadgets and currently use the weather gadget on my desktop. Seeing how they are shifting focus away from the desktop and to the Metro Interface, I suppose it makes sense regarding their strategy for Metro. Though I disagree with the move to make Metro the default interface. It seems unnecessary and cumbersome to have to switch back and forth between what will now be the legacy desktop and Metro. All you really need to streamline Windows was to remove the Start Button and replace it with a Search Bar, then add a Control Panel Icon and a Shutdown Icon next to the Windows Explorer Icon on the task bar. Suppose that was too simple and obvious.

What's even worse, Metro is also going to be used in Windows Server 2012. I'd imagine its going to be frustrating to use. I suppose I'll reserve my final judgements when I try both official releases. I'm going to have to learn these new OS regardless if I am going to pursue a career in IT.

 

[DRosencraft]

This is honestly old news. For several months now if you went to Gadgets to look up new ones you would see a message saying that Gadgets were no longer being supported. I remember having to reinstall Win7 on a new HDD and trying to get back a gadget for stocks I liked, but they had gotten rid of most of the gadgets except that one page. Didn't remember seeing any stories about it at the time, so I just figured no one really cared.

 

[egmccann]

[citation][nom]boiler1990[/nom]Why would you want gadgets when Metro has live tiles?[/citation]

Because I do actual work with my system, and can't run Excel/Openoffice/*NOTEPAD* with a Live tile running... since those are in the horrid Metro interface and the others are in the Desktop environment. Hell, they don't even have a *clock* always visible, and Metro apps take up the full screen when they run.

Right now I can just peek over at how the CPU is running, at the weather, at pretty much anything I have a gadget to monitor *while running other programs.* I don't have to interrupt my work to flip over to the Duplo-block Metro tiles.

However, I will say this actually is a plus, IMHO, for Windows 8.

If they're so willing to just shove the work of *how* many developers into the trash with Gadgets, I'm sure they'll be willing to do the same with the Metro tile garbage in Windows 9 or 10. So we won't have to worry about being saddled with this Metro nonsense after it flops on the desktop.

 

[freggo]

How about we finally get mutiple desktops?
One for day use with business stuff, one for home use and another for the kids with their games and links to Barney... ?

 

[southernshark]

With MS stock trading near 52 week highs, it is a good time to short it.

 

[back_by_demand]

[citation][nom]hoofhearted[/nom]The Everest gadget was good for monitoring temp and fan sensors. I am guessing they will produce a metro equivalent.[/citation]
And so was CoreTemp, but that wasn't even a gadget, just an EXE

 

[Shin-san]

Outside the calendar, CPU usage, and weather, I really don't use gadgets. The CPU usage one is tricky because of my turbo-boost CPU that downclocks

 

[livebriand]

Did they ever realize that some people don't want metro, and actually use the gadgets? (For instance, I keep a CPU usage gadget and a network activity gadget there.) Let's hope they keep selling Windows 7... (I wouldn't be surprised if they're forced to offer downgrades!)

 

[Wamphryi]

There is a severe lack of balanced debate regarding Windows 8. Any time the subject comes up the focus immediately turns to Metro and Start Buttons or lack thereof. Like it or not the "app" is going to exist with legacy desktop applications. I have run Win 8 and it takes less than a day to get used to its new way of doing things. There is even a desktop tool bar available on the task bar that provides a basic yet highly focused XP like start menu.

The lack of Windows Media Player is a good thing. WMP often does not play well with Video Editing applications when more and more codecs get loaded into the system and WMP does not offer much use to business users with the odd exception.

I will be buying up Win 8 licenses in bulk when the MS deal comes out at $39 an upgrade. If there are teething problems I will simply run Win 7 until they are resolved. I am particularly looking forward to be able to run my own OS on whatever PC I want (assuming it will boot off USB).

 

[belardo]

[citation][nom]newbcakes[/nom]You're all aware that there is a tile in Windows 8/Metro called "applications" ... the really neat thing is when you click on it, it opens a *very* start-menu-like list of ... applications.[/citation] Its not the same thing. Really? How do you rename them? How do you re-arrange them? How do you edit, delete what you want?

Where is the jump list?

 

[belardo]

Windows8 = the first OS nobody wants to pirate.

 

[psugrad1999]

This is very sad. I like some of my gadgets. I like having them on the desktop. But I also understand why they are doing away with them. Metro apps are probably more efficient, but I don't like having to go to the menu to view it. It is really much easier right now to view them from the desktop. I guess it's something that I'll have to get use to 🙁

 

[Dave Lister]

[citation][nom]CaedenV[/nom]All told Gadgets were a poor copy of Widgets, but they felt they needed to compete with apple even though hardly any apple users use widgets to begin with.[/citation]

Apple didn't create the widget. Konfabulator preceded Apple's version, which was a pretty blatant ripoff. 2004 saw it come to Windows, Yahoo then purchased Konfab'. They were tremendously popular, iirc, prior to the Apple/Yahoo bastardizations. Always reminds me of the Soundjam->iTunes rebranding.
Audion/Konfab' > iTunes/[widgets/gadgets] imo,fwiw.
/oldschool

 

[Antimatter79]

How is Steve Ballmer even still the CEO of Microsoft? In my mind, Bill Gates is the embodient of Microsoft. I would love to listen in on some of the conversations they've had over the years regarding Ballmer's management style and strategic decisions. I try not to get more annoyed when I hear more of this type of news about Metro, b/c I've long since made up my mind I will be skipping the O.S. altogether anyways.

 

[asdfghjkl]

[citation][nom]drwho1[/nom]Then again Windows 8 is in itself a big gadget, which along the lack of the START button missing (this was not a gadget) [/citation]
A start button is not indispensable to life.

Back in the late 80s and early 90s, no operating system had such a menu button and people could still work. Don't be so narrow-minded learn to adapt.

 

[badaxe2]

This is a dangerous move. The whole interface of Windows 8 is in fact, basically saying, "hey, lets take what's made us into a powerhouse and just throw it all away and copy these other trendy guys.

 

[math1337]

[citation][nom]freggo[/nom]How about we finally get mutiple desktops?One for day use with business stuff, one for home use and another for the kids with their games and links to Barney... ?[/citation]


That might be the one good application of "desktop is an app." Multiple desktops is one of the cooler features of linux.

Too bad you can only open one of each app...

 

[belardo]

[citation][nom]asdfghjkl[/nom]A start button is not indispensable to life.Back in the late 80s and early 90s, no operating system had such a menu button and people could still work.[/citation]
Actually YOU are wrong on that. The Start Menu is a way to make Windows NOT look like MacOS. Its is a launcher for the most part.

Other Operating systems have/had 4~7 MENU items on the TOP bar. Like FILE / EDIT / HELP / program. The start menu was MS putting everything in a single place... a DOCK for the most part.

 

[t_wilson]

Just don't buy Windows 8 and make sure anyone you know doesn't either. That's the only way to show MS that this ridiculous product is unacceptable.