News - Windows 8 will be Microsoft's most multilingual OS

[Kumagoro]

Hopefully being able to switch languages will be available in all versions. Having to buy ultimate to do that is more than annoying, especially as you don't really get laptops coming with ultimate.

I wasn't going to get a win 8 laptop but if you can switch languages I might as well wait till its out eventually.

[TheAnimus]

"Windows 8" - Charging you again, this time for fluff.

If you don't want it you at least can have 10 years use out of your 7 license.

What takes the biscuit is want the ability to switch and swap between languages, oh sir you need ultimate for that.....

Hmm doesn't the finger mean differen't things in differen't countries thou?

All I can think of is that video of the girl on the subway listening to music with the guy opposite writing out "hi", before guessing the music she is listening to, and then "its a great song, for touching butts". Can't find it at work for obvious reasons.

[shaithis]

If you don't want it you at least can have 10 years use out of your 7 license.

Probably closer to 5......but I'm sure they will release DX12 as Windows 8 only at some point......just to make sure the stayers have a reason to upgrade.

And as for wanting it.....I do, but not paying full whack for it. New task manager, some spelling mistakes fixed and a few other bits of fluff.....

But, some way or another, they will make you need it sooner or later.

And they have recently dropped the number of desktop licenses in the technet subs

[Terbinator]

Maybe they'll do a pre-order deal again?

[Boris]

Only for keyboard layouts and localisation (£, date format etc) IIRC, the words used in the OS are all just the one type of Americanised idiocy (e.g. the "color picker" in Paint).

How right you are. I just had a look on 'Display Properties' and noticed 'Color quality'.

I guess I'm unobservant and/or not pedantic about such things. However, now that I know, I'm totally outraged at this insidious attack upon my country! ;-p

[Hicks12]

I will be trying it on launch as its free for me . Happy with Windows 7 mind so if it wasn't free i wouldnt be upgrading it.

DX11.1 is for Win8 only i believe? There is no DX12 set for windows 8, maybe windows 9... must wait for consoles to actually start using dx11 before a new version is released .

[lodore]

English is English...there is no such thing as British English, dammit!

totally agree with you on that point

I think that all versions of windows 8 should be able to use switch between multiple languages and not just ultimate.

[AGTDenton]

English is English...there is no such thing as British English, dammit!

Yeah that annoys me as well.

I just hope you can strip out the languages with a custom CD. Previous versions took about 200MB off the CD

[TheAnimus]

And heres the video that just made me think of
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-Sux-j1vO8

[McPhee]

"British English, or English (BrE, BE, en-GB[1]), is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere."

'English (British)' would be the correct term under the format Windows uses. 'English' is used to describe the overall English language, not the specific version used in the United Kingdom.

[watercooled]

But for many applications, 'English' refers to US English. And to be fair, the version used in the UK is not a version, it's English. Any adaptations and the associated strange spellings are 'versions'.

[shaithis]

Well, you could argue what we use is actually "the Queens English".

The English language has mutated a lot before ending up where we are now.

[watercooled]

But you wouldn't expect a French-speaking Canadian to assume their version is French and call the French version, French-Fr would you?

[shaithis]

I understand people don't like it.....but seriously, we had better get used to it. It's NEVER going to change, the US publish so much software.

Did you know there are 4 countries with a higher population of English speakers than England? And the US alone has 4 times the number of native English speakers then we do.

[crossy]

Did you know there are 4 countries with a higher population of English speakers than England? And the US alone has 4 times the number of native English speakers then we do.

Oi! you just fell into the classic "stupid yank" trap - "Britain" != "England" as I'm sure our Welsh and Northern Irish colleagues would confirm. (says the Englishman living in Scotland)
I know that Aus/NZ use UK spellings, but what about Canada - I assume they'll use the US spellings?

I understand people don't like it.....but seriously, we had better get used to it. It's NEVER going to change, the US publish so much software.

Hmm, the other aspect - from what I've read - is that US English (or "American" if you'd prefer) is taught in international schools because it's "easier to learn". Fascinating to see that programme recently on one of the science channels where the discussion stated that British English is regarded as nothing more than the "upper class" version of International English (i.e. US version). The programme then went on to interview an Indian academic who stated that learning British English was seen as a way to distinguish yourself as more learned than the hoi polloi who learned the "street" version.

[watercooled]

Canadian English is most similar to English English but being located so close to the US they've obviously picked up a few of their mutations too.