Windows 8

[Binnatics]

I've been searching for info about the new Windows 8, because I might upgrade my Vista in the future. Thought it would be better to go for 8 instead of 7 if it's out. But I've read an article about the new OS and it doesn't look nice to me. The green font is ugly and the tabs and buttons look old fashioned to me. The new way of navigating, through a sort-of tablet-slide-method, doesn't look attractive to me either. It's possible to put it off in the registry, but that seems to give performance issues in the new-released beta.
The reviewer who wrote the article commented that the new navigating system, which is obviously designed especially for tablets and new-school laptops, doesn't feel comfortable and isn't well balanced out for use on PC. The way to open programs is complicated and there are more navigating issues.
That doesn't sound nice to me, so I think I's better focus on Win 7 for a future upgrade. What are your opinions on the new-to-be-released Windows 8?

[JRD]

A new release of an OS will be very likely to present several issues during the first few months after release. No matter how much testing is done in the pre-commercial stages, the real test is made once it`s released and used by millions of users for millions of different purposes!

I`d say wait AT LEAST one year before considering purchasing W8... and read thoroughly all reviews and forums before making up your mind!

So far I`m very happy with W7 at home. I had my machine at the office upgraded recently and it`s working fine!  :-X

[Dweller_Benthos]

I imagine they are focusing on tablet stuff now because it's the "hot thing" and that will die down and they will get around to doing something for "real" computers. I don't think touch screens on desktop PCs have a lot of market penetration yet.

[Art Blade]

Touch screens are probably just a hype and not real future-tech. Same with say 10+ years of 3D-content and 3D hardware "development" which is more a hoax than usable.

Regarding MS and their OS releases, their betas are by no means an indicator of what the final release candidate will be or look like. I agree that waiting for one year after RC is out is a good time.

So far, W7 is the best windows in my opinion and I really, really like it.  :)

[PZ]

My wife has an iPad2 and is now using it for specific w@&k purposes because it is so easy to manipulate when doing certain mundane tasks (especially presentation).  However, those touch devices and tablets will not have the computing power necessary in the near future to overcome the need for a desktop.  I'm sticking with w7 for now - works just fine.

[Binnatics]

I do agree that the tablet thing is temporary... it's a gadget. But I do think that the touch-and-navigate thing is kind of future proof. Do you remember that movie with Tom Cruise where he is a special agent in future navigating through all kinds of screens trying to 'compose a crime not yet taken place'? Minority Report (googled that ;))
He managed these transparent screens in such a great way, made me jealous. I do think that's the future. The computer will be designed to fit our hands and most logic way of moving, thinking and working. I think Jobs had an enlightened moment when he designed his touch-pad for the Mac books.

Anyway, I see you guys agree on the not so reliable state of Win 8 now. Guess I'll focus on 7, indeed ^-^
Thanx for the replies!!! :-X

[fragger]

I was just considering a more prosaic, non-technical aspect of touchscreens for desktop PC monitors: would you really want to see your fingerprints all over yours? Imagine how scungy your monitor could end up looking unless you're prepared to wipe it down after every session. Until they can make touchscreens fingerprint-proof, self-cleaning or frictionless I'd prefer to limit the scunge buildup to the keyboard. I don't have to look through that :-()

But as for W8 I'm with the other guys. I wouldn't even consider installing a new version of Windows until it had been well and truly used in the real world and had had the worst of the wrinkles ironed out of it.

[fragger]

Binnatics' comment about Minority Report reminded me of a scene in Avatar, where the main control room at the humans' base had a large upright transparent computer screen. This guy walked up to this big screen, held a sort of tablet up next to it and slid a whole windowful of data from the big screen to his tablet with a swipe of his hand. I thought that was pretty cool :-X

Incidentally, Minority Report was based on the novel of the same name by a writer named Philip K. Dick, who also wrote Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, the novel that the film Blade Runner was based on, and We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, the novel that the film Total Recall was based on. In all three cases, I think the books are superior to the films. There are actually no less than seven other films based on Dick novels. Die-hard fans of Philip K. Dick reportedly like to refer to themselves as (ahem) Dickheads.

Sorry for the pointless tangents. Now, on with the W8 discussion...

[Binnatics]

 ^-^ :-X

I like the side info. Most of the times the book is better than movie, which is almost always based on the book, and not the other way round.
By the way, your avatar reminds me of a different situation; a movie based on a video-game ;)

[Dweller_Benthos]

The problem with touch screens is mainly ergonomics. Think about it, you always see these things in movies being used by someone standing up and looking at a large screen/display on the wall, waving their arms around (ala Minority Report) or hunched over a table top display doing the same thing, reaching, waving arms around. I think after five minutes of either of those, my back would go on strike in protest. It's just not practical from a user comfort point of view. Sure, for something you'd use for less than five minutes like an ATM or travel ticket kiosk, fine, but 5 hours a day working on technical stuff like I do every day? Don't think so. Maybe some type of VR glove you wear or something that allows you to sit in a comfortable chair while your virtual hand moves around the screen in front of you, might w@&k. But a wall sized display you have to stand at for five hours waving your arms around? Don't think so. Even a virtual display that just tracks where your hands are won't w@&k, anything where you have to lift your arms up to manipulate things is going to be too tiring in the long term.

[JRD]

Yeah... are we talking about serious computing or Nintendo Wii?  ;D

Seriously though, D_B has a good point. If I use a mouse/KB sitting on a comfortable chair for too long I end up with joint pain all over my body, let alone all the gymnastics involved in doing it waving my arms while standing in front of a wall sized screen!  ???

[fragger]

I agree, a computer user keeping both arms elevated while using a wall-sized screen for several hours would be a physiotherapist's dream :-()

... a movie based on a video-game ;)

:-D

Not to mention Doom, Final Fantasy and even Super Mario Bros. I'm surprised they haven't done Duke Nukem yet ::)

[mandru]

Windows 8?  Is that as in W8 (wait) for it?   ????

I read somewhere that W8 will be a lot more oriented towards touch screen functionality and here I've been trying like crazy to stop touching my LCD monitor to keep from damaging it.  ;D

I have been looking for several months for a touch screen Tablet PC that has about the same dimensions as my 24 in monitor and not for some esoteric use in the future.  I've got a job need in mind that I would have put it to w@&k doing months ago.  Where I'm in a band and have an over stuffed sheet music box with almost 400 pages of scoring (sometimes multiple pages per song) the functionality of being able to assemble a PDF list of the 6 or 7 songs we're doing each week from a self organizing master list with a simple drag and copy to a temporary file and then be able to set that over sized tablet directly on my music stand so that I can flip between songs with a sideways swipe on the screen would be a dream come true.

I've seen a touch screen the right size from Wacom but it's a graphics tablet and has no brain of its own and would still need a laptop to drive it but at about 2.5 K USD (for just the screen  ???) it would make a lot more sense to just buy the largest screened laptop I can find for a whole lot less and squint to make out the score when I play if there's two pages side by side on screen.

I've spent quite a bit of time browsing the interwebs but have had no luck it finding that ideal self contained set up.  Not even at an unreasonable price :(

[Art Blade]

I was just imagining you playing the notes off of that tablet screen when the batteries suddenly fail. Paper sometimes is still worth using  :-D

[mandru]

Nice try Art.   ::)

I'm not going to be discouraged that easily.  My amp is plugged in so I'm sure I could find a spare socket on my power strip to keep the battery topped off and if the power goes out in the building there goes the sound system.  So I wouldn't be the only one sitting there in the dark.   ;D

The down side of the type of set up I want is that it would probably weigh about 12 pounds (5.44 kilos) but no matter how many PDF pages of sheet music I add to the drive it won't get any heavier.   >:D

????

It occurred to me just now that maybe what I need is an all-in-one PC with a touch screen and give up on it being self powered but an over sized tablet with about 5 hours of battery life really would be the ideal so that I'm not leashed to a wall by a power cord.  I really hate the thought of buying a computer that would only be used for a single application because that seems like a real functionality fail.  A screen that size would also be nice for watching movies we bring with us when we travel.

The only exclusion I can think of is even if there is an Apple iMac all in one PC with touch screen that I could take the stand off of so it would sit directly on my music stand...   I still wouldn't want it.   :-D

[Art Blade]

 >:D :-X

[Binnatics]

Starting with W8, ending up discussing a 24" tablet to show off and get a hold of all the groupies, what a wild discussion :-X

By the way, Nice avatar Art! :-X

I could think of a tablet-size controller which was only there (in your comfortable chair) to scan the movements of your hands, which help you navigate through pages, tabs, scrollbars and more. That could come in handy.

Besides, Mandru: I might have the clue for your quest: Get a usual tablet and convince your fellow musicians to install an overhead projector close to your spot ;D

[Art Blade]

 :-D

[mandru]

Good idea Binnatics unfortunately there's already 3 projectors running showing the lyrics minus the music notation.   ::)

[Art Blade]

if you study hard and learn to play those songs by heart, you can save all the above.  :-D