News - Windows 9 Threshold unveiling expected on 30th September

[shaithis]

There is something about the image in the OP that makes me think of Vista............Not sure that's what they want.

[aidanjt]

Write-once, run-many is something I'm a big fan of, now if they could extend that to Linux systems ....

Have you noticed how many architectures Debian and Gentoo supports?

[tribaljet]

I'm very eager to know more details on the activation system that's been rumored to be the rather forced/draconic online login account system, which will then help me know if Windows 8.1 will be the last MS OS I'll use or not.

[MercutioUK]

I'm very eager to know more details on the activation system that's been rumored to be the rather forced/draconic online login account system, which will then help me know if Windows 8.1 will be the last MS OS I'll use or not.

Ahhh, that bit I hadn't seen. If windows this time is something akin to logging into an MS owned and operated service just to use my desktop... yeah, no.

I don't really care how much easier it makes my life moving around from 1 computer to another/etc, I've no interest in having a profile that follows me EVERYWHERE by default. It's a nice thing to have occasionally and to let me hook other stuff into it but that should be a choice thing not forced.

[tribaljet]

Ahhh, that bit I hadn't seen. If windows this time is something akin to logging into an MS owned and operated service just to use my desktop... yeah, no.

I don't really care how much easier it makes my life moving around from 1 computer to another/etc, I've no interest in having a profile that follows me EVERYWHERE by default. It's a nice thing to have occasionally and to let me hook other stuff into it but that should be a choice thing not forced.

Pretty much that. The sheer security implications of an account being hacked and being unable to logon is outlandish, to say the least. Just like the whole forced UX situation that 8 brought, both UI and logon should be fully configurable and not set in stone in any conceivable way but, then again, Windows has progressively limiting all sorts of tweaking, which is quite unfortunate since there have been quite some kernel improvements over time and OS versions.

[tomthum]

We don't want any of Microsoft stupid gimmicks integration of Cortan a load of crap just give us an os that works like windows 7 desktop not everyone is interested in your stupid touch screen for desktops,
never mind the stupid gimmicks we don't want bloatware if you insist on given us bloatware at least GIVE us the option on installation so we can leave the crap bloatware of our systems
Tom Gee

[ddg4005]

Does Win 9 come with DX12 ?

I don't think so although we can hope. DirectX 12 is slated for release at the end of 2015 (at least that's what I saw somewhere after it was announced).

[crossy]

Have you noticed how many architectures Debian and Gentoo supports?

Erm yes. Used to use Debian on MIPS, and these days it's Ubuntu (but not on MIPS I'm afraid, that went to the skip a long time ago). Problem is that the Windows guys have a pretty firm hold out there, so if it doesn't run on Wintel then it's a pretty difficult "sell" these days.

Given the new direction of the whole vNext stuff, MS are definitely making it easier to share stuff with a linux platform, which is good. One of the problems however is simply many don't understand that I'd choose to pay a software license to MS because it saves us money on hardware. I remember some NodeJS guys, saying how I'm wasting money running our companies production SaaS stack on windows. I just laughed, because I've only got two physical boxes, dealing with about 15 times the load of his 8 better specced servers. Whilst I've also got lower maintenance costs, because JS,CS,TS whatever, all costs more per line than F# and C# I find. The point is, it appears after his time at Azure, that they now understand this, you can compete quite fully, and be better.

I work for a hardware vendor so fewer boxes is bad news for me. Joking aside, hardware these days is pretty powerful, so virtual is the way to go - get a server then decide what mix you want later. The number of systems I see with a SQL Server backend talking to Linux frontends is quite amazing. But then again, best tool for the job I guess.

Sadly, of late google are just playing a more evil 90s microsoft. I'm slowly ditching everything they've got from our workflow, because frankly, I can't trust them anymore, and I fear they are now too dominant.

Quite true, Google are in "necessary evil" territory at the moment with me. I limit my "exposure" to that which makes life easier - e.g. Dropbox instead of Google Drive.

Ahhh, that bit I hadn't seen. If windows this time is something akin to logging into an MS owned and operated service just to use my desktop... yeah, no.
I don't really care how much easier it makes my life moving around from 1 computer to another/etc, I've no interest in having a profile that follows me EVERYWHERE by default. It's a nice thing to have occasionally and to let me hook other stuff into it but that should be a choice thing not forced.

Yep, that annoyed me too - maybe I'm overlooking something but being effectively forced to register the first account on a new 8 build as a "Microsoft credentials" one is a royal pain in the something, and utterly unnecessary. Like you I prefer the approach I've got with Dropbox on my boxes where I choose what to share rather than share-by-default.

[SineWave]

We don't want any of Microsoft stupid gimmicks integration of Cortan a load of crap just give us an os that works like windows 7 desktop not everyone is interested in your stupid touch screen for desktops,
never mind the stupid gimmicks we don't want bloatware if you insist on given us bloatware at least GIVE us the option on installation so we can leave the crap bloatware of our systems.

Mmmm, my kind of thinking, mate. Imagine you cold install Windows the way Linux installation can work: you install the core OS and then you just tick what you want installed... Metro GUI or Desktop GUI [a few choices of these], this app or that app... I think that kind of change could make me preview Windows 9 at least. However, if they insist on online activation as some of you mentioned, there's absolutely no way I'm going to even touch it for free, let alone pay for it. Also, someone mentioned that MS is becoming increasingly irrelevant as an OS supplier, and that's absolutely true. So many fiascos last few years. All they proven to everybody is how incapable of doing *anything* right they are. So this news about Windows 9 makes me feel absolutely nothing. Lately I'm more excited about testing some new Linux distro... but sticking to Debian as my main OS.

[shaithis]

Mmmm, my kind of thinking, mate. Imagine you cold install Windows the way Linux installation can work: you install the core OS and then you just tick what you want installed... Metro GUI or Desktop GUI [a few choices of these], this app or that app...

Apart from the UI choice, that's how Windows install has always worked. These days though you can only install the apps once the base os is installed.....in Control Panel > Programs you will find Add/Remove windows features.

As for becoming irrelevant? As soon as linux is as easy to use for the man on the street and gaming doesn't require it and the vast majority of PCs and laptops doesn't come with it pre-installed....then it may start to become irrelevant....but I think we are some way off meeting those criteria.

[TheAnimus]

I work for a hardware vendor so fewer boxes is bad news for me. Joking aside, hardware these days is pretty powerful, so virtual is the way to go - get a server then decide what mix you want later. The number of systems I see with a SQL Server backend talking to Linux frontends is quite amazing. But then again, best tool for the job I guess.

Sometimes this can be for certification / sign off too. For instance, look at having a replicated (clustered) SQL, there are simply too many versions for say Postgre, as a result many firms do not have any sign off for them.

Quite true, Google are in "necessary evil" territory at the moment with me. I limit my "exposure" to that which makes life easier - e.g. Dropbox instead of Google Drive.

I'm not a fan of drop box, not a fan at all. This isn't just because the firm strikes me as a classic example of The Rise of The Brogrammers. They have had such big security issues, such chronic issues should never, ever have happened. Their programming of the client was so shoddy they disabled security measures rather than fix their horrific code. I'd almost rather use Google than DropBox. Luckily there are dozens of providers for this role. MS OneDrive being quite useful for me, as it understands my RAW photographic format.

Yep, that annoyed me too - maybe I'm overlooking something but being effectively forced to register the first account on a new 8 build as a "Microsoft credentials" one is a royal pain in the something, and utterly unnecessary. Like you I prefer the approach I've got with Dropbox on my boxes where I choose what to share rather than share-by-default.

You can just choose a 'local' account. Unlike Android, or iOS, or WP....

[crossy]

Apart from the UI choice, that's how Windows install has always worked. These days though you can only install the apps once the base os is installed.....in Control Panel > Programs you will find Add/Remove windows features.

Sorry, you've misunderstood what was said - when SineWave said "base OS" he (she?) meant exactly that. As an example, if I want to dispense with that open sore that is IE, can I do it? Erm, no. I guess that's the flipside of the faustian pact that users have with Microsoft - you have to accept the whole package, good and bad. Being able to say that you don't want Notepad installed etc is not the same as Linux.

As for becoming irrelevant? As soon as linux is as easy to use for the man on the street and gaming doesn't require it and the vast majority of PCs and laptops doesn't come with it pre-installed....then it may start to become irrelevant....but I think we are some way off meeting those criteria.

I've mixed views about this comment. Yes, I'll agree that Microsoft will never be "irrelevant" any more than IBM could be. However, I'll agree that they certainly no longer have the lustre that they used to, the old mangled cliche about no-one being fired for installing Windows is no longer the case perhaps.
Oh, and the last Mint install I did was FAR EASIER than the last configuration of Windows8 (pauses to spit) - with NO recourse to any command-line hackery (the usual accusation of the Windows fan). Does Windows allow you to do a zero-footprint trial of the new OS? No it doesn't. The gaming issue is interesting - I'm seeing more and more stuff appear on Linux, although I'll start seriously thinking about going totally Windows-free once we see AAA titles appearing on SteamOS etc.

I'd almost rather use Google than DropBox. Luckily there are dozens of providers for this role. MS OneDrive being quite useful for me, as it understands my RAW photographic format.

Quite agree with the horses-for-courses idea and like you I'm looking for alternatives. DropBox - whatever its legion of faults - at least is widely supported and firmly cross-platform. E.g. it's nice to be able to get my O'Reilly eBooks dropped into Dropbox by default. At the moment Wuala might be getting my money.

[maybe I'm overlooking something but being effectively forced to register the first account on a new 8 build as a "Microsoft credentials" one is a royal pain in the something, and utterly unnecessary] You can just choose a 'local' account. Unlike Android, or iOS, or WP....

I was configuring pre-installed Windows images, so I'm guessing that it's different for a fresh install. Certainly on those pre-installs there was no option for a "local" account and I had to switch after I logged in. I still remain less than impressed with the whole way that Windows8 handles accounts and I can't see that view changing anytime soon. But I'll admit that this is probably based on personal prejudices rather than anything concrete.

If Threshold continues to impress as it has so far then I'll get a chance for a fresh install since I'd be doing that rather than any kind of Windows7 upgrade. I remember being given the advice on Hexus long ago that fresh installs were a great way to "decruft" and I've found that to be very much the case

[TheAnimus]

Quite agree with the horses-for-courses idea and like you I'm looking for alternatives. DropBox - whatever its legion of faults - at least is widely supported and firmly cross-platform. E.g. it's nice to be able to get my O'Reilly eBooks dropped into Dropbox by default. At the moment Wuala might be getting my money.

You see to me that is a massive downside, I dislike the security model (or lack there of) in most cloud services. The idea that "oh cool all my books can be copied automatically" isn't what I want. I'd much rather I had to save them to a folder on my PC that was magic sync'd. Because ultimately I know I'm granting them a write priv, often a blanked do whatever you want priv.

I've also been using hubic as just a place to store my own rsa256 blobs. Quite good value, 10tb, 10 euros.

I was configuring pre-installed Windows images, so I'm guessing that it's different for a fresh install. Certainly on those pre-installs there was no option for a "local" account and I had to switch after I logged in. I still remain less than impressed with the whole way that Windows8 handles accounts and I can't see that view changing anytime soon. But I'll admit that this is probably based on personal prejudices rather than anything concrete.

If Threshold continues to impress as it has so far then I'll get a chance for a fresh install since I'd be doing that rather than any kind of Windows7 upgrade. I remember being given the advice on Hexus long ago that fresh installs were a great way to "decruft" and I've found that to be very much the case

I've found it to be quite cool, when I first started with the 8 beta, the 'ms accounts' thing was useless to annoying. I even hated how my user name say foo@example.tld would become user foo_000 ergh!

However the MS account thing I find very useful now, a whole bunch of personalisation stuff automatically sync'd is a good feature. I just wish that Windows Store was actually useful. People have been (rightly) complaining about package management or lack there of on windows for years. (No Win SUS doesn't count for home use).