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Thread: Features - QOTW: How would you change Windows 8?

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    Features - QOTW: How would you change Windows 8?

    Besides putting the Start menu back in.
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    Seething Cauldron of Hatred TheAnimus's Avatar
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    Re: Features - QOTW: How would you change Windows 8?

    Ensure something is either completely in Metro or completely in Desktop Control panel. At the moment its jaring and confusing. Inexcusably so.
    throw new ArgumentException (String, String, Exception)

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    Re: Features - QOTW: How would you change Windows 8?

    There is one operating system with two user interfaces. Windows8 is an attempt at merging the two but it doesn't achieve this, and the feeling of being forced to use the MetroUI is insulting.
    As a touch screen interface the MetroUI works very well for people who consume media, or interact with social apps. As a productivity device the MetroUI has no place and is in the way.

    Microsoft's goal is likely to do away with the mouse and keyboard, and I see kinect and voice controls as their end goal. The problem is that visual or audio control is not accurate or fast enough, so the keyboard and mouse is not going to go away anytime soon.
    If the Metro store can catch up with the apple and google equivalents then and only them will microsoft have a comsumer product worth bothering with.

    All in all the MetroUI is designed to be put in the living room on a large screen TV, or a tablet. It is not a workstation interface and is in essence an app in itself like Windows Media Center.

    I believe that Microsoft have got their analysis wrong and have done no innervation other than to try to copy what is already out there. The ball has been dropped.

    How would you change Windows 8?

    I would like the desktop background to be able to have active tiles, and be called something like widgets.
    I would like the option to choose where to boot up to.
    I would like the start button back as the search is more efficient.
    I would like the option of rounded windows.
    I would like the option to apply transparency levels to the inactive windows.
    I would like windows to remember the size and position that I left them in.

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    Re: Features - QOTW: How would you change Windows 8?

    Choice to have permanent change between desktop/metro. Its unreasonable to have a desktop being a programme.
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    Re: Features - QOTW: How would you change Windows 8?

    Quote Originally Posted by Scainer View Post
    I would like windows to remember the size and position that I left them in.
    Tried Autosizer? That app is a God-send.

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    Re: Features - QOTW: How would you change Windows 8?

    +1 to all of the 'separate out the desktop for th modern UI' comments. When I'm using the desktop, unless I specifically go to metro, leave me in the desktop and do stuff in a new window please.

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    Re: Features - QOTW: How would you change Windows 8?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jingee View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Scainer View Post
    I would like windows to remember the size and position that I left them in.
    Tried Autosizer? That app is a God-send.
    I use ShellFolderFix and Start8 to get around most of it.
    My main annoyance now is that I like to run multiple windows and the loss of transparency is a backwards step due to the anti-customisation. I had an iPhone and jailbreak it within a month just to open it up. I moved to Android and have not felt the need to root as it has options.

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    Re: Features - QOTW: How would you change Windows 8?

    - Having sidebar gadgets back.
    - Not having to use 3rd party apps to restore usability, including start menu and bypassing Modern UI
    - Window transparency options.
    - All configurations available through Classic Desktop control panel.
    - Option to set fixed window positioning.

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    Re: Features - QOTW: How would you change Windows 8?

    Make the apps user experience less confusing. I can tell you that there's nothing worse than having "hidden panels" that have no indication on how they're activated. Example, the mail app has both the corner-hotspot panel for settings, and then right-click for sync and such. Neither of these are evident on screen and it makes for a very confusing situation initially. 2 buttons with arrows in appropriate areas would very much solve this problem. Hell, even 1 that opened a menu with the various options would suffice.

    As a developer, i know the UX of software is one of the most important aspects. The UX is backed up by a clean UI that provides clear details and direction, and follows a somewhat uniform theme. If you forego making your design easy to understand, then your application and underlying code is worthless. Your whole application is worthless if no one can figure out how to use it of their own accord right from the start. Of course, that shouldn't imply they know how to use every feature right off the bat, but the basics should be easy to get to grips with.

    I'd also absolutely not force anyone to use applications in fullscreen. It's a bad design overall. I don't even game in fullscreen as i prefer to multitask. I only watch movies in fullscreen and that's on the simple basis of me not actually being at the keyboard doing anything else and thus not needing to multitask. To make everyday applications like mail forced into fullscreen is just a bad design choice, at least on an OS that's both Mobile/Tablet and Desktop.

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    Re: Features - QOTW: How would you change Windows 8?

    2 versions, 1 for tablets with the whole touch interface and a version for desktops where you can have it as it always has been.................I didn't say putting something back in there!!!!

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    Re: Features - QOTW: How would you change Windows 8?

    I like Windows 8 and yes the Start Button at top of the list and Windows Desktop for PC's and Metro for touchy touchy stuff, I have now installed Start8 and that is a great little program.

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    Re: Features - QOTW: How would you change Windows 8?

    Stop treating the desktop as a second class citizen, so that means just give the user to choice to give either traditional desktop (with a restored full Windows 7-type start menu), or metro dominance on their own whim.
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    Re: Features - QOTW: How would you change Windows 8?

    I would put it back on the drawing board and redesign the Software from scratch and reduce the size of installation.......

    Optimize it for Ram and GFX cards as well as gaming

    2 seperate systems one for business and one for gamers....

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    Re: Features - QOTW: How would you change Windows 8?

    I'd effectively have replaced the desktop with Modern UI. The best of both worlds, which would have benefited the desktop user as well as the touch user, and finally a true meaning to the old 'active desktop'.

    Microsoft had the perfect opportunity to completely overhaul the ageing GUI, yet we've ended up with this mishmash.

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    Re: Features - QOTW: How would you change Windows 8?

    .. I'm not sure I'd change anything. Acutally, the one thing I might want to change is some sort of power off button on the taskbar, so that it's slightly quicker to shut down when I'm on the desktop.

    Unlike most people (apparently, although this is most people on tech site forums) I quite like the "Metro/Modern" UI, once I'd found out the main controls and stuff (type to search, charms bar access, scroll wheel to move along etc). I reckon that so far it's taken a similar amount of time to work stuff out as it did when I moved to 7 and Vista.

    But hey, feel free to disagree as I know that some people just won't like the interface (I know I wasn't exactly sold on it before using it...)

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    Re: Features - QOTW: How would you change Windows 8?

    Tell everyone Windows 8 is a hoax and it's actually Windows 7 SP3

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