Features - QOTW: How would you change Windows 8?

[uzarnom]

link the application in metro as well as the ones in the desktop, bring the old start menu back (keeping the metro) have it so you press windows alt then it switches from the two .
right clicking brings the small options near the mouse

better backwards compatibility

[Jonj1611]

Something consistent between Win 8 Pro would be handy, for instance on my laptop on the start screen I can move the mouse to the left or right of the screen and it will move the start screen left or right, however on my desktop with two monitors this doesnt happen and as I have quite a few more programs on the desktop it would be easier to scroll left or right using the same method as on the laptop.

Apps themselves are too lacking in any help as to what to do, half have almost zero options and when you do find the options its not always clear what does what or what impact it will have changing that option.

As others have said the start screen seems to be just slapped on top of the desktop, I am now spending 85% of my time on the desktop with some start screen apps then loading on the desktop or others taking you back to the start screen. Currently the start screen feels like a glorified sidebar just extended over the whole screen

A close button on an app would be handy, if I have finished with mail or even the weather I want it to shut.

Deffo a proper power button, not sure what Microsoft is playing it, its like they want everyone to have their pc's/laptops on all the time, I put mine to sleep when not using it and powered off at night.

And the app store, oh dear what a complete mess of applications that is, it needs search built into the app store, yes I know you can do it the other way but it needs a search function from within the app store itself imo. And the apps for the most part are the most crappy quality I have ever seen, some look like they have been built by a "build you own app" kit, others just don't seem to work as intended and others how no documentation so your left puzzling on either what it exactly does or how to get it to work.

[NiPPonD3nZ0]

It's annoying that when you are the only user in the PC, you still have to "right click/run has administrator" so things run has admin...

[brasco]

It's annoying that when you are the only user in the PC, you still have to "right click/run has administrator" so things run has admin...

Yep, this is also an annoyance, even dropping UAC to nil doesn't work. I tried taking ownership of as much as possible, still didn't help.

You can go into the shortcut properties and in compatibility tab check "Run as administrator" that'll save the right clicking each time.

[Tattysnuc]

Make it free or a nominally low price for all Windows 7 owners (£9.99).

Have the back end development separate to the GUI and sell the different front ends, NOT the entire package to prevent people sitting on old OS's.

XP, Vista and 7 can all be recreated using the security model of 8. I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to do that rather than force people into using virtualisation, which doesn;t always work.

[graw136]

Make it so you can decide if you want the Metro UI or Win 7 base design. It would be fine if I could choose, but I can't.

[Bambooz]

Simple. Go back one step and improve that, rather than messing everything up.

-> http://i.imgur.com/JUeCP.jpg

[EverybodyelsE]

Windows 8, and Windows 2012 if it's similar, is a terrible mismatch of two different styles of interface. Modern UI from a business point of view is the worst implementation Microsoft has forced into our computing environment and refused to give the option to uninstall it! I use Start8 to correct this monumental fluff and it makes the OS the great experience it should be, especially to a media professional like myself. Touch-screen is a waste of time on a PC once the novelty wears off!

[howdee]

Simple. Go back one step and improve that, rather than messing everything up.

-> http://i.imgur.com/JUeCP.jpg

Hehe, nice one

[ET3D]

Maybe I'll have some comments about Windows 8 when I use it. What I would like to see however is allowing desktop apps on Windows RT. The ability to create and run software freely is a major strength of Windows, and even if .NET software (not native) could run on Windows RT that would have given it huge appeal IMO.

[Jonj1611]

I would also get the Game app working properly, I mean I can add friends that are on the xbox and can see them, what there up to and their profile, well basic vague details but can't message them, that was something that even the cumbersome games for windows app could do.

[Lucio]

I'd drop the enforced Modern UI, it's a clumsy way to make people change their habits, and smacks of corporate arrogance in much the same way the Ribbon UI change in Office was shoved down everyone's throat (and even now I *still* find the Ribbon UI annoying)

I'd also change the way that Apps work, so that on appropriate hardware, they can be run in Window'd mode, without having to resort to full-screen behaviour. Being able to designate areas of the desktop to run an App in, would be awesome, particularly if you could draw multiple areas, and then switch control between them via Alt+Tab

[RichMc]

Just get Microsoft to rename it Windows 6 1/2, afterall it's less than Windows 7. Have MS ever heard the old engineering axiom "IF IT AINT BROKE DON'T FIX IT!"

Do they actually pay the guys who come up with this rubbish, that must have been a looooong coffee break.

[Phage]

I'm OK with it, and I can see that MS has to adapt or die. Commoditisation and touch are the trends and if they don't address these, it's a short ride downhill.
However, why they have left behind the flexibility of allowing the user to set up their W8 machine the way that works for them is a mystery. I don't care about the Start menu per se, but I would like the power off and search functions to be clearly available. I understand that OSX, and Andoid are very customisable, why has MS not followed those examples ?

Oh, and ribbons must be destroyed.

[cjs150]

Windows 8 interface was designed by 10 years old whose only experience is a tablet or smartphone. On a desktop (without touch screen) or an HTPC it is utterly useless, confusing and monumentally inferior to W7 or indeed virtually any Linux distribution. As for business use forget it.

Then we have the music and video "apps". These are not apps, they are advertising billboards for various ways in which MS wishes to take more money off you - if you look hard there is a program in their to play music or video. I went back to classic W Media player immediately.

I have an HTPC with W8 on it. The only reason is that Linux does not support Blu-ray play back (and TV back end on XBMC is not mature). When that is fixed I am uninstalling and going over to Linux.

W8 is fine for tablets - on a desktop it is utterly hopeless

[this_is_gav]

I'm OK with it, and I can see that MS has to adapt or die. Commoditisation and touch are the trends and if they don't address these, it's a short ride downhill.
However, why they have left behind the flexibility of allowing the user to set up their W8 machine the way that works for them is a mystery. I don't care about the Start menu per se, but I would like the power off and search functions to be clearly available. I understand that OSX, and Andoid are very customisable, why has MS not followed those examples ?

Oh, and ribbons must be destroyed.

And I can see why they forced Metro on us in order to convince devs to make tiles and apps. Perhaps they thought that no-one would use it if they allowed the option of old or new.

I still believe there were much better solutions - as I said earlier, make *full* use of the desktop and completely overhaul the UI.

At the moment it's got a feel of 'us and them' to it.

I do have high hopes for Windows 9, but it's a shame us desktop and laptop users have to adopt to a GUI optimised for touch if we want to share the other benefits.