Features - QOTW: what are your hopes for Windows 8?

[HEXUS]

The beta release is just months away, but what would you like to see in Microsoft's next major OS?

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[d032sh]

I'll start with the ability to turn off that god-awful Metro interface.

Please

[Agent]

A centralised way of dealing with installed apps. Firefox, Java, Adobe stuff, and goodness knows how many other apps having their own update methods, all of which need hand-holding is so 1990!

Proper codec management. It's 2011 for crying out loud. Installing a shoddy codec pack shouldn't be enough to hose the system to the point of needing a reinstall. I still see this on some forums

[Biscuit]

Proper codec management. It's 2011 for crying out loud. Installing a shoddy codec pack shouldn't be enough to hose the system to the point of needing a reinstall. I still see this on some forums

I have had to do this before, took me weeks to figure out what it was as i would just get a complete lock up, not even a blue screen or anything. Cant actually even remember how i eventually did find out but the only thing i could do to fix it was wipe and start from fresh.

I would like to see much better management of large file transfers with the ability to set 'walk-away' options before you begin the transfer. Being able to pause would be nice aswell.

[Hoonigan]

Better gaming performance and faster boot times. That's what I want.

[Fraz]

A terminal/console that isn't complete crap.

[Noxvayl]

What Agent and Biscuit said

I'd also like the Windows not to take 5 mins to realise it is unable to connect to another PC on the LAN, so bloody annoying. A simple message saying unable to contact machine after 3 attempts would be great but it tries what ever it does without ever producing a positive result for the user which ends up wasting so much time waiting for it to come to the same conclusion you had 4m59s ago.

I'd also like Windows to stop randomly deciding it doesn't want to connect to a network, sometimes I restart my computer at work only to find it's decided that for the next 30 mins it won't connect to the network and after doing nothing at all it connects again... FFFUUUU-

Basically I want windows to fix it's networking problems.

[rymilky]

iv used it on devs copy its not completely overhalded its more added and reduces like the tiles you see its nice just i cant use it much due to my room not having and hard line cable for internet so i cant say much about the next working yet

[ataru]

Reduce the number of different editions and give it a price tag comparable with OS X.

[BongoJoe]

Just make it like a very fast booting version of Windows 7.

[mikerr]

A centralised way of dealing with installed apps. Firefox, Java, Adobe stuff, and goodness knows how many other apps having their own update methods, all of which need hand-holding is so 1990!

+1

But that also leads to a central app store and microsoft taking a cut of everything and controlling ala apple.

[vrykyl]

Id like them to fix the surround sound audio abilities so EAX can properly make a return (or at least work again in my old games)

Better memory management / sandboxing for apps - and a massive +1 for Agent's idea of a central update / management interface for everything you have installed INCLUDING drivers... would be nice to get latest nvida etc drivers via windows rather than having to go to various websites!

[lodore]

+1 on the central place to install and update apps.
I would also like windows 8 to be able to update everything in one go. I hate having to install so many updates then restart then do SP1 restart,then SP2 etc.

[Pancake]

1. The app update idea
2. Paused File transfers
3. Get rid of that stupid "OH NO, THIS DIDNT INSTALL CORRECT!?!"
4. Action Center can be burned.
5. An Interactive Firewall

Boot up times would be nice, although once you get an SSD it becomes a non issue.

[snootyjim]

Reduce the number of different editions and give it a price tag comparable with OS X.

Is two too many for you?

[Agent]

+1

But that also leads to a central app store and microsoft taking a cut of everything and controlling ala apple.

You wouldn't need to go down that route. All Microsoft need to do is have a Windows API that applications can hook into, which presents an interface to update them.

Think about the way that firewalls and anti-virus link into the security center in current versions.