# Microsoft Wants A New Windows Eco System



## Guest (Jul 15, 2011)

Microsoft says the want a single unified Windows experience across multiple devices. You would have the same Windows desktop experience that was on a PC and Laptop and it would also be on a Tablet, Phone and XBOX. They also said TV but that sounded like it was through the XBOX. He also said that desktop power would soon shrink to the size of a single chip.

http://thisismynext.com/2011/07/14/...em-pcs-tablets-phones-tvs-windows-brand-over/


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

I'm still torn on the whole thing. They tried putting the Windows interface on a phone before, and I hated it. Though from what I understand, you'll be able to go back to the old UI on a desktop. Once I get hold of the beta, I'll probably play around with it.


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## Guest (Jul 15, 2011)

dpeters11 said:


> I'm still torn on the whole thing. They tried putting the Windows interface on a phone before, and I hated it. Though from what I understand, you'll be able to go back to the old UI on a desktop. Once I get hold of the beta, I'll probably play around with it.


I think Windows 8 on a Smart Phone will be cool. He said the next version of Windows on a smart phone is coded named Mango. Not sure if that is Windows 8. If it is he said Internet Explorer on the Smart Phone will be the same on that comes with Windows 8.

Here is what Windows 8 looks like. It looks cool.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

CraigerCSM said:


> I think Windows 8 on a Smart Phone will be cool. He said the next version of Windows on a smart phone is coded named Mango. Not sure if that is Windows 8. If it is he said Internet Explorer on the Smart Phone will be the same on that comes with Windows 8.
> 
> Here is what Windows 8 looks like. It looks cool.


Mango is just an update for Windows Phone 7, and one owners have been waiting for.

Oh I've seen the videos and screenshots, but I'm holding judgement until I get my hands on it, or my mouse and keyboard. I'm a guy that still drops to a command prompt on occasion, I want to know what's behind the UI.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Given the undetectable penetration of Windows CE and Windows Mobile, I think they need to move towards the other end of the computing spectrum.

Windows (and its voracious development environment) is effectively unscalable and they need to completely redo (and reduce by orders of magnitude) the underpinnings before it can become useful at that level.

I can see where they are trying to move towards .net, but that's an arguably worse platform than Windows itself in terms of the resources expended for the benefit derived. Microsoft needs some intensive schooling from the ultralight Linux crowd before they set out to design the next iteration.

The other major focal point needs to be a significant reduction in the number of ways to do something. If there were only one or two ways to execute a task, it would all be a whole lot easier to learn. Computing shouldn't be all about creating opportunities for training companies to sell classes, technical support and printed dummy's books.


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## HIPAR (May 15, 2005)

I don't understand. A phone has a screen so small I can't see it. They can't put much on a tiny phone screen. There aren't enough pixels.

They want to put a phone GUI on a 17 inch laptop screen? Or is that a 17 inch laptop GUI on a phone?


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

It may be painful, but we need to consider totally breaking Windows XP prior support. Maybe drop XP Mode down to Home Premium and use a VM. Maybe they'll do that when they drop 32 bit Windows. Heck, Windows 7 32 bit still has absolutely ancient code. Edlin is included, that goes back to 1980 (and hasn't changed, still 8.3 limited even.)


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## klang (Oct 14, 2003)

I've got a Windows 7 home premium VM with very little beyond Quicken installed. About 23 GB used of the virtual C drive. Microsoft has a lot of work to do.


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## Drucifer (Feb 12, 2009)

CraigerCSM said:


> Microsoft says the want a single unified Windows experience across multiple devices. . . . . .


Yes, something like a page command should be the same in all environments.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

klang said:


> I've got a Windows 7 home premium VM with very little beyond Quicken installed. About 23 GB used of the virtual C drive. Microsoft has a lot of work to do.


Disk space used isn't a good indicator of performance and such. My Windows 7 folder is about 20gb, but 10gb of that is in the component store. Not everything in that folder (winsxs) is used.


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## klang (Oct 14, 2003)

dpeters11 said:


> Disk space used isn't a good indicator of performance and such. My Windows 7 folder is about 20gb, but 10gb of that is in the component store. Not everything in that folder (winsxs) is used.


I didn't attempt to figure out how much was actually the guts of Windows 7, that was the quickest measurement. iOS seems to be under 2 GB and will run on much less memory. Microsoft has a lot of work to do to come up with one OS to run on all devices if that is their intent.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

Very different things. iOS is very different from Lion, Windows 8 on a phone will be very different than on a PC. The GUI may be similar but a lot of differences in the background.


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## 4HiMarks (Jan 21, 2004)

CraigerCSM said:


> Microsoft says the want a single unified Windows experience across multiple devices. You would have the same Windows desktop experience that was on a PC and Laptop and it would also be on a Tablet, Phone and XBOX.


Right, because playing video games is no different than writing a report or filling out a form online. By that logic, all transportation should be in a car, no matter whether you are going to the end of your driveway, or the other side of the country.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

I think the goal is just to unify the UI, things can be very different behind the scenes.

Of course the current rumor is that given a powerful enough PC, Windows 8 will be able to play XBox games. Guess we'll find out more in September.


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## WestDC (Feb 9, 2008)

"Please Wait"


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

Yeah, I'm sure we'll find out more at the Build conference.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

4HiMarks said:


> By that logic, all transportation should be in a car, no matter whether you are going to the end of your driveway, or the other side of the country.


At one time, pretty much everyone who drove, drove a car. The first "practical" SUVs showed up in the late '60s but didn't really catch until the late '80s when cars could no longer tow a boat or travel trailer. Minivans came in the early '80s when "family sedans" couldn't handle four life-size humans with camping gear.

The Commodore 64 was arguably the first practical personal computer. The Pee Cee caught on because everyone "needed" 1-2-3 and Word Perfect to bring their work home. I didn't think it could get much dumber than that.

Now we've got hapless users running old versions of Quicken under XP emulation to balance their checkbooks and web applications that run over Java and .net to address the incomprehensibility of programming networked applications in Windows.

I'm not the least bit optimistic that Microsoft can dig us out of the 20 year suspension of personal computing advancement that they've wrought. Imagine where we would be had Microsoft bought the wireless phone market.


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

Microsoft can't continue to make big money without selling new versions of Windows, but the new versions play havoc with the software people have chosen to run - people like me, for instance. It's a blast having to open a Virtual XP machine to do one little chore because i can't figure out how to transfer data out of some old program that worked fine.

So they want the UI to be the same across screens - tiny phones to my 25" monitor. Golly that will be swell. Except I've got at least seven pieces of utility software - some from Microsoft and some from others - just to manage Windows 7 which actually as Windows versions go is as adequate as XP.

Is there something wrong with me?

I want my powerhouse desktop computer to do a number of complex things and Windows is fine for that.
My laptop, not so many things, and I still use Windows because it keeps the software consistent.
My tablet is mostly for for leisurely reading books and browsing a bit - maybe occasionally sending an email or posting here - I don't need, nor do I want to contend with, Windows.
A phone is for communications and I don't want Windows on it.
My TV works as a relaxation get away from stress device- please leave it alone Microsoft.
I really don't need Windows on my blender to make Margueritas, either.
I guess I just don't get it.


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## matt (Jan 12, 2010)

dpeters11 said:


> It may be painful, but we need to [STRIKE]consider totally breaking Windows XP prior support.[/STRIKE] quit using Microsoft products altogether.


Agree 100%.


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## klang (Oct 14, 2003)

It was discussed in another thread that Microsoft seems to screw up every other version of Windows. They are due for a screw up.


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## 4HiMarks (Jan 21, 2004)

harsh said:


> At one time, pretty much everyone who drove, drove a car. The first "practical" SUVs showed up in the late '60s but didn't really catch until the late '80s when cars could no longer tow a boat or travel trailer. Minivans came in the early '80s when "family sedans" couldn't handle four life-size humans with camping gear.


Actually, SUVs have been around almost as long as cars, they were just called Suburbans, and date to the mid-30's. Jeeps came out in WWII. Land Rovers go back nearly as far.

But I wasn't talking about cars vs. SUVs or minivans. I was comparing automobiles (of any type) to walking (end of driveway), or taking a plane, or a train (other side of country). Different products for different uses.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

CraigerCSM said:


> Microsoft says the want a single unified Windows experience across multiple devices. You would have the same Windows desktop experience that was on a PC and Laptop and it would also be on a Tablet, Phone and XBOX. They also said TV but that sounded like it was through the XBOX. He also said that desktop power would soon shrink to the size of a single chip.
> 
> http://thisismynext.com/2011/07/14/...em-pcs-tablets-phones-tvs-windows-brand-over/


I guess Microsoft is looking to copy what Android will offer 4Q 2011.


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## Doug Brott (Jul 12, 2006)

I use Windows on my PC .. Beyond that I'm not really interested.


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## hdtvfan0001 (Jul 28, 2004)

Doug Brott said:


> I use Windows on my PC .. Beyond that I'm not really interested.


On that...you are not alone...


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

4HiMarks said:


> I was comparing automobiles (of any type) to walking (end of driveway), or taking a plane, or a train (other side of country). Different products for different uses.


As you didn't mention "alternative transportation modes" or give any examples, this wasn't clear.

Note that I said "practical". I don't think the International Travelall or Willys Wagon to be practical "daily driver" transportation. Suburbans were more like vans with with a full front bench seat and were typically used as such.


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## FHSPSU67 (Jan 12, 2007)

hdtvfan0001 said:


> On that...you are not alone...


I'm not alone either:lol:


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## 4HiMarks (Jan 21, 2004)

harsh said:


> As you didn't mention "alternative transportation modes" or give any examples, this wasn't clear.


I didn't think I needed to.


> Note that I said "practical". I don't think the International Travelall or Willys Wagon to be practical "daily driver" transportation. Suburbans were more like vans with with a full front bench seat and were typically used as such.


You didn't mention "daily driver". If you ask me, SUVs _still_ aren't practical daily driver transportation for most people, unless they live or work on a mountaintop. The Suburban was based on a panel truck, which was the ancestor of the van, like the station wagon was the ancestor of the minivan. I don't even know what "used as such" is supposed to mean in this context. Vans today are used for many purposes, and so are SUVs.

The line between passenger van, minivan, and SUV has become very blurry with the introduction of various sizes of "crossover vehicle". I own an 2009 Ford Escape, which looks like a medium sized SUV, but is technically classified as a crossover. Basically, they're all station wagons.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

CraigerCSM said:


> Microsoft says the want a single unified Windows experience across multiple devices.


Don't own a Mac to confirm this, but based on David Pogue's comments in today's NYTimes, sounds to me like another case of a competitor (most often Microsoft) simply following Apple's lead. Just my .02.



> [...] If the Lion upgrade is about any one thing, it's about the iPad.
> 
> What made the iPad a mega-hit? Two factors, really. Factor 1: simplicity. No overlapping windows; every app runs full screen. No Save command; everything's autosaved. No files or folders. No menus. All your apps are in one place, the Home screen.
> 
> ...


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