Microsoft Talks Multi-Monitor Support in Windows 8

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jacobdrj

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Wish they would just implement this in Windows 7...

People have been using multiple displays since before Windows 98... Why has it taken until now to put some of these features in? This stuff is obvious to ANYONE who uses multiple displays for more than 20 minutes...
 

Jarmo

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Nice. I was half expecting they'd have removed the capability "because only 10%" use multiple monitors, but then "no worries" made it available for those who need the capability, as an inexpensive DLC.
 

killerclick

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Ok, one tiny step in the right direction. Now they only need to make the Metro apps run inside windows in desktop mode, and make the Metro Start Screen in desktop mode the size of the current Start menu.

As for Metro itself, not that I see myself using it, but if they enabled splitting the screen in other ratios except 80:20, that would be a big improvement.
 

lahawzel

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Ultramon and Actual Multiple Monitors already have these (and much more), so this doesn't quite compel me to upgrade to Windows 8.
 

back_by_demand

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Too much focus on the negative aspects of Win8 and not enough on the positive, I want to see more about what it can do.

Oh, and for those who moan about removing the DVD decoder from WMP? Why are you even using it at all when XBMC exists
 

Lefturn

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So, they're adding the same features that have been available in third party software for years... not very exciting.
 

jordanaustin

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I've been running windows 8 cp for some months now. Metro doesn't work on multiple monitors. So basically the core of the OS is a failure. In my opinion it means Microsoft doesn't support multi monitors, wallpapers or not.
 
I use dual 1280x1024 monitors at work, and this is definitely promising feature. Sure, it may have been available via third parties, but the beauty here is that I won't need to pay for more software with Windows 8.
 

rb420

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[citation][nom]jordanaustin[/nom]I've been running windows 8 cp for some months now. Metro doesn't work on multiple monitors. So basically the core of the OS is a failure. In my opinion it means Microsoft doesn't support multi monitors, wallpapers or not.[/citation]

Sinofsky writes that the Release Preview will also contain some changes that Consumer Preview users won't have seen. First, Microsoft is making all corners and edges alive on all monitors and you'll be able to bring up Start, the charms, and app switching from any corner of any monitor

 

jhansonxi

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you can decide if you want to show taskbar buttons on all taskbars, just the taskbar where the window is open, or both the main taskbar and the taskbar where the window is open.
That's one thing I missed in Win7 which can be configured with Gnome on Ubuntu - two monitors, two taskbars. It's much more intuitive than having to always go back to the taskbar on the primary monitor when working with multiple applications on the secondary.
 
G

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We have been evaluating Win8 CP for about a month now and are thoroughly unimpressed. The Metro interface looks snazzy, but it is a pain to work through with a mouse and keyboard and switching programs to "apps" is really just pissing off our test users. The Metro cannot be disabled anymore, you are forced to start to it and the start menu is gone preventing easy access to programs and functions (the Windows key just re-launches Metro and drops you out of what you were doing). After spending almost 20 years conditioning people to use a start menu, now we have to get a 3rd party app for that? Even if it is free for home users, there is always a business-use license. For 300+ users in our company, that is going to get expensive in a hurry. Metro is very simply a design and layout for tablets and touchscreen devices, NOT desktop systems. It is clunky and uncoordinated for use with a keyboard and mouse in addition to *HIDING BASIC FUNCTIONS* such as shutdown and reboot (who's brilliant idea was that?).

In short, we will *NOT* be upgrading to Windows 8 and will be hoping that Mr. Sinofsky and his designers either fix these obvious errors or get replaced with people who understand how businesses and users want to use their machines for Win9. Either that, or we will be looking at a Linux distro.
 

lathe26

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My hope is that Microsoft fixes the "intermittently rearrange desktop icons" bug that occurs when you switch from multi-mon to single-mon and back. Sometimes the icons get placed off-screen(!) as do programs sometimes(!).

I've never seen other OSes do this.
 

larkspur

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"[Aero's] style of simulating faux-realistic materials (such as glass or aluminum) on the screen looks dated and cheesy now, but at the time, it was very much en vogue." -Jensen Harris, Director of Program Management for our User Experience team, Microsoft.

Since Win 7 uses Aero and it's MS's current bread-n-butter why would Jensen Harris describe it's featured interface as cheesy and out-of-style? Win 8 isn't even for sale yet, so telling us that Win 7's featured interface is cheesy is pretty stupid from a business standpoint. People get fired for a lot less. Just saying, I wouldn't be running around telling people my company's current products are dated and cheesy and expect to last long. But at least he's being honest ; )
 

dimar

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Are we getting the automatic full screen video on a second screen? It was an awesome feature in XP, and for some reason, some idiot decided to scrap it at Microsoft... :fou:
 
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