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

[badass]

Proper roaming profile management so medium sized networks don't have to faff around licensing 3rd party profile management software.
Also, a group policy setting to enable less of the constant bombarding of users with requesters.
Are you sure? Are you sure you're sure.
This is why users ignore important messages. They are de sensitised to them.
Admittedly, they are less of a problem post vista.

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!

This would have a huge effect.

Speed up boot and logon times to a point that the face recognition has clocked you whilst you are still sitting down and by the time your arse hits the seat, your desktop is ready for you.

Intelligent eyeball tracking. This technology all ready exists. Windows can work out which window you are looking at. It can make an educated guess as to whether that's where you want to be typing. Have that switchable in case it gets very annoying.

[kingpotnoodle]

A terminal/console that isn't complete crap.

It's called PowerShell, its on Windows Update for XP onwards.

[chis]

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 NEVER needed to install a "codec pack", only FFDShow and - maybe - one or two codecs for old games (e.g. Intel Indeo for Thief!)

Grab a new build from the decoder section of http://x264.nl/ and you're set. Install both 32-bit and 64-bit versions if on a 64-bit OS.

[abaxas]

The ability for the windows installation not to magically increase by 200% over 2-3 years of running updates.

Where has my HD space gone. Yes, nowhere.

[Biscuit]

The ability for the windows installation not to magically increase by 200% over 2-3 years of running updates.

Where has my HD space gone. Yes, nowhere.

Tried using CCleaner?

[chrestomanci]

The ability for the windows installation not to magically increase by 200% over 2-3 years of running updates.

Where has my HD space gone. Yes, nowhere.

I have been playing with the developer preview at work.

(In a VM), I got Windows 8 to install on a 10G drive. Once I deleted the swap file, there was another 1.2G free, so I could have shrunk the drive a bit further, but I don't think you could install it on a 9G drive.

This is without any apps installed

For comparison, Windows 7 will fit in around 7G, again without any bloaty apps.

On annoying feature of the current dev preview of Windows 8 is that it must phone home to activate, and at regular intervals after that, which is a problem as I am trying to run it in a very locked down environment with no external network access.

[ataru]

Is two too many (editions) for you?

I mean the Home Premium/Professional/Ultimate shenanigans. Two editions would be fine: Windows and Windows Server. Its obvious which one you need to buy then.

[shaithis]

I'd like to see apps stored in a virtual space (like Mac).....shared DLLs were a good idea but I feel disk space is plentiful these days, I couldn't care less if I have 5 copies of some files, as long as everything works perfectly and can be installed/removed without effecting other apps.

[Agent]

I have NEVER needed to install a "codec pack", only FFDShow and - maybe - one or two codecs for old games (e.g. Intel Indeo for Thief!)

Grab a new build from the decoder section of http://x264.nl/ and you're set. Install both 32-bit and 64-bit versions if on a 64-bit OS.

I don't use them either due to FFDShow and knowing how to set things up manually. I consider them the work of the devil personally

Sadly a *lot* of people don't, and ultimately it's still bad that Windows can get into serious trouble if they get borked

[jim]

I mean the Home Premium/Professional/Ultimate shenanigans. Two editions would be fine: Windows and Windows Server. Its obvious which one you need to buy then.

Well, ultimate is pretty ignorable, since it provides virtually no features (other than multiple languages) that non-techies are going to want. And if you're that bothered about them, you'll already know.

So there's basically Home Premium or Professional, as there was in XP. I don't think that's particularly complicated, especially since, again, very few people will need pro outside of a business environment.

I agree it would be better to simplify it all, but I bought Windows 7 Home Premium for £30. If they changed to just one package, and everyone had to pay £120, that wouldn't really help us much. I think it's quite reasonable to make the pro users pay more.

[wasabi]

They should have a netbook edition with the horrible new tablet UI and no domain features other than activesync type stuff. For people who want to do some work on their PC, they should give us Windows-for grown-ups with a mouse-centric UI, domain stuff etc. They should watch and learn why Ubuntu is shedding users like crazy.

[Fraz]

It's called PowerShell, its on Windows Update for XP onwards.

Well, I wasn't talking about the shell, I was talking about the terminal emulation application. It's appalling.

[3dcandy]

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

You do realise that OS X is based on a free OS don't you...Apple just polish it up a bit...
However, they would possibly get more sales if it was like £30, but I reckon the costs to develop wouldn't cover it...

[Tattysnuc]

I'd like to see:

1. More "household" licensing so that you upgrading 4 machines doesn't cost £400
2. Recognition of previously purchased copies in the licensing cost. I bought 4 copies of Home Premium - why should I pay for a brand new product to remain up to date with my security - MS have re-used rafts of code, so I want the same recognition - new versions should be priced as an upgrade.
3. Further development of the gesture controls. The window shake, the place at the side to fill half screen etc were brilliant. Now add multitouch controls to the arsenal...
4. strip out the bundled apps and license them based on usage, including IE.
5. Turn UAC into a rule based firewall type solution into which you can add exceptions.
6. Have the ability to roll back changes via a log file - ie, undo changes back to... and then be able to SEE all the changes made to the OS folders and registry files. I really don't like the system restore functionality that is in place.
7. Do away with the Ultimate edition and the 32 and 64 bit editions. Home and Work editions are sufficient for my money. Keeping 32 bit going is keeping that dead dog alive. Netbooks wouldn't have sold if they didn't come with Windows. Now software houses are continuing to support them.... Atom processors are a great exercise technically, but impractical.
8. Introduce an MS Apps Store, where the products are competitively priced for downloadable material.
9. Windows update - when doing a new install, the first time you search for updates it finds some, then you download, install, reboot. Why does it continue to then find more and more updates after? I spent a day downloading and rebooting after the initial install with little more than just MSE and Office on my rigs. Streamline that process.
10. Affinity setting. You should be able to set the affinity of a process to always run on a certain core/cores and retain that setting.

It sounds like, from the above, that I hate the OS, but it's actually VERY good, and a VERY positive step. I just hate that MS have tried to make a product that is more marketable - we want an OS, not a suite of OS'es. This is where Apple have it sewn up - fewer choices mean that they can spend their resources developing the things that matter. Why did it take to Windows 7 for MS to be seen to listen to what the users wish to part with there money for? Keep doing it, and you'll never lose touch with your market.

3 versions are sufficient. Home for home users, Professional for advanced home users/smb's and Server for businesses and corporations. Keep the licensing simple, and the number of versions in trim and the amount of time spent on support will dwindle, meaning that the product can be not just kept up to date, but start being TECHNICALLY the market leader, if it ever lost that crown, that is.

Keep up the excellent work MS.

[ed^chigliak]

Sticking windows to the screen edges needs improving for multi monitor.
Search and indexing needs improvements.
Thumbs.db preventing folders from being deleted should get fixed.
Networking needs improving.
ISO images should be made freely available at each service pack.

[j1979]

3D

And 3D Pornography