Hello, Windows 8

[cosworth151]

Goodby, Windows 7, Hello, Windows 8!

Microsoft have rolled out a preview version of the new Windows 8:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/consumer-preview?ocid=S_GOO_W8P_Google_na_EN-US&semid=ef_GGL_e_e9fb322d3ce857377c81d3f0c0c74ea2&WT.search=1

It looks likes Windows is going after the Smart Phone/ Pad market with this one. I'm in no hurry. A few weeks ago, I helped Claw_Grrrl get a new PC. I got it set up on XP. 

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/01/how-windows-8-transforms-enterprise-computing/

[Jericoke]

XP good.

Windows 7 was pretty good too.

I do applaud MS for the idea of creating a consistent interface across all devices.  One would think that making an ideal interface for each device makes sense, until one realises that no one is interested in relearning to do the same thing over and over.  If your computer, your car and your phone all work the same, that's better than each of them being perfect.

[Canada Darrell™]

Windows 7 will be the last OS I install from M$ until they decide to actually do a ground-up rewrite of their flagship OS. They are still (and I get this info right from dev blogs) bound by hundreds of thousands of lines of legacy code going back to the days of MS-DOS.

Underneath the fancy window dressing (yet another layer of over-bloated, resource hogging code) is what is in appearance and performance, Windows 7. In their quest to placate investors they are still doing the same thing they've done for the last 10 years....merely add to the Windows behemoth with more and more code.

Like 3D TV (selling poorly no matter what stats the manufacturers would like you to believe), until M$ decide to do a rewrite for ARM processors, the "UPCOMING" Windows 8 tablets will die on the vine while Apple eats them for lunch.

Do I hate M$? Nope, I still have to use my PC to play great games but that figures as the only real profitable division of M$ (other than the overpriced Office family) for the last while has been XBOX.

We're in the middle of the greatest shift in corporate/technological change in the history of business right now and the myopic PC nerds can't see the writing on the wall. Apple is ruling the PC world and we have barely begun to see the fallout.

It's truly a great time to be an open-minded geek at the moment!

[Jericoke]

Windows 7 will be the last OS I install from M$ until they decide to actually do a ground-up rewrite of their flagship OS. They are still (and I get this info right from dev blogs) bound by hundreds of thousands of lines of legacy code going back to the days of MS-DOS.

Underneath the fancy window dressing (yet another layer of over-bloated, resource hogging code) is what is in appearance and performance, Windows 7. In their quest to placate investors they are still doing the same thing they've done for the last 10 years....merely add to the Windows behemoth with more and more code.

Like 3D TV (selling poorly no matter what stats the manufacturers would like you to believe), until M$ decide to do a rewrite for ARM processors, the "UPCOMING" Windows 8 tablets will die on the vine while Apple eats them for lunch.

Do I hate M$? Nope, I still have to use my PC to play great games but that figures as the only real profitable division of M$ (other than the overpriced Office family) for the last while has been XBOX.

We're in the middle of the greatest shift in corporate/technological change in the history of business right now and the myopic PC nerds can't see the writing on the wall. Apple is ruling the PC world and we have barely begun to see the fallout.

It's truly a great time to be an open-minded geek at the moment!

Apple is fragmenting like crazy,and it's going to catch up to them (in much the same way it's catching up to Microsoft).  Google has embraced fragmentation, and will end up owning them all.

I still think MS is right in their fundamental concept... even if there are some fundamental problems to their approach.

[cosworth151]

We can't even consider Apple. None of our software partners will even look at it. It isn't even under future consideration. In business and retail/financial software, Apple won't be eating MS's lunch any time soon.

Don't get me wrong. I could talk about the problems with Windows all day. I've got a ton of expensive software that won't run on anything newer than XP. But, in this part of the industry, Apple isn't even a blip on the radar.

As far as other OS, I prefer Linux to Apple.

[Canada Darrell™]

Windows 7 will be the last OS I install from M$ until they decide to actually do a ground-up rewrite of their flagship OS. They are still (and I get this info right from dev blogs) bound by hundreds of thousands of lines of legacy code going back to the days of MS-DOS.

Underneath the fancy window dressing (yet another layer of over-bloated, resource hogging code) is what is in appearance and performance, Windows 7. In their quest to placate investors they are still doing the same thing they've done for the last 10 years....merely add to the Windows behemoth with more and more code.

Like 3D TV (selling poorly no matter what stats the manufacturers would like you to believe), until M$ decide to do a rewrite for ARM processors, the "UPCOMING" Windows 8 tablets will die on the vine while Apple eats them for lunch.

Do I hate M$? Nope, I still have to use my PC to play great games but that figures as the only real profitable division of M$ (other than the overpriced Office family) for the last while has been XBOX.

We're in the middle of the greatest shift in corporate/technological change in the history of business right now and the myopic PC nerds can't see the writing on the wall. Apple is ruling the PC world and we have barely begun to see the fallout.

It's truly a great time to be an open-minded geek at the moment!

Apple is fragmenting like crazy,and it's going to catch up to them (in much the same way it's catching up to Microsoft).  Google has embraced fragmentation, and will end up owning them all.

I still think MS is right in their fundamental concept... even if there are some fundamental problems to their approach.

Apple is fragmenting? They sell 6 products! THEY have a consistent interface between them and are heading to total convergence across all their hardware platforms. Google doesn't innovate, they steal, along with Samsung. Go look at what smartphones looked like before 2007 until the iPhone was introduced. Look at what tablets looked like before the iPad was introduced in 2010.

[Jericoke]

Apple is fragmenting like crazy,and it's going to catch up to them (in much the same way it's catching up to Microsoft).  Google has embraced fragmentation, and will end up owning them all.

I still think MS is right in their fundamental concept... even if there are some fundamental problems to their approach.

Apple is fragmenting? They sell 6 products! THEY have a consistent interface between them and are heading to total convergence across all their hardware platforms. Google doesn't innovate, they steal, along with Samsung. Go look at what smartphones looked like before 2007 until the iPhone was introduced. Look at what tablets looked like before the iPad was introduced in 2010.

6 whole products.

Is there an effort to make a Mac running Unix work like an iPhone running iOS5?  What about AppleTV?

I'm not saying Apple is heading for an imminent disaster, but a high res iPad has very little in common with a 2nd gen iPod Touch.

I'm just saying that Microsoft is ahead of Apple on the idea front.

And so what if Google steals their ideas?  They're the ones willing to try anything.

[Scott]

Apple iCar? 

http://jalopnik.com/5889578/apples-hiring-automotive-engineers-is-an-icar-infotainment-system-coming

[cosworth151]

Apple iCar - It runs extremely well, but only on 6 roads in the entire world.   

[Canada Darrell™]

If and when Apple decides to get into the automotive business I'm sure it'll run better than the Microsoft/Ford partnership.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45184050/ns/business-autos/#.Trf2XGDIajo

[lkjohnson1950]

Apple produces great consumer products. But until they can convince outside software developers that software for MACs is profitable, businesses will stick with MS. In terms of PCs, Apple is far behind in market share and not really closing. MS' real problem lies in whether iPads will replace PCs.

[cosworth151]

The whole idea of My Ford Touch, and systems like it, is incredibly stupid. Why would I want to take my eyes off the road and look at a screen to adjust the radio or HVAC? I can perform those function by touch, with my eyes still on the road, in every vehicle I own. Who decided that creating a single point of failure that can knock out almost every system in the car was a grand idea? 

[Scott]

But you're forgetting about Siri..."Drop temperature on drivers side to 18deg please and put transmission in Sport mode!"  

Like my NAV, I get the passenger to do the touch screen stuff (which usually ends in a shouting match, then I pull over and do it myself).

[cosworth151]

I seldom have a passenger. I once made a dashboard St. Christopher statue scream and jump out the window.

[Wizzo]

Google is defiantly the force to watch. They have many many products and are now treading on every IT manufacturers toes. The scary thing about Google?....all their products are FREE!

Even in my industry Google are writing software to control and interact with printers and scanners, obviously to aid Android in the future. They are surrounding the IT market and are very well poised to pounce, it's just a matter of time before it all comes together.

I don't worry about Apple as they are open in everything they do. I like their products but they only account for 1% of my industries market share. The major brands have no plans to include them at this point.

I worry about the silent stalker in the long grass who is surveying us and already knows our every move and can show everyone where we live. They know more about our personal lives than any other organisation in history.

Google...silently waiting.