Windows 8

[guy]

Have you tried one of those touchscreen universal remotes (or mythmote on an Android phone)? They're horrible because you have yo look at them to see where to press. Of course, that just highlights the horses for courses aspect of the whole issue, because with a TV remote device you do not want to look at the device.

And I chose my touchscreen tablet because it is compatible with a real physical keyboard - I cannot use those onscreen keyboards. OTOH I chose my keyboard-compatible tablet because it has a (capacitive) touch screen that works well with fingers rather than a stylus.

Now there's a thought. How would a touchscreen + stylus compare precision-wise to a glidepad + pen? The trusty old Series 5 had a great little drawing app....

[nelz]

The same reason I chose a tablet with a keyboard. My first two Android phones, and their predecessor, had physical keyboards, although I now have one with only a soft keyboard. But I don't type that much on my phone and SwiftKey has excellent completion.

[AndyBaxman]

I have to admit, I'd hate my TV remote to get replaced by a touchscreen - or a trackball for that matter.

Have you tried one of those touchscreen universal remotes (or mythmote on an Android phone)? They're horrible because you have yo look at them to see where to press. Of course, that just highlights the horses for courses aspect of the whole issue, because with a TV remote device you do not want to look at the device.

IMHO, the way forward with TV remotes is a Wii style controller. I have access to BBC iPlayer from the Wii and from a DigitalStream STB. While the picture quality of the DigitalStream box is superior (1080i over hdmi as opposed to 480p over component, and access to HD programmes), the interface is awkward and clunky compared to the Wii point-and-click interface, requiring you to step around the UI using the cursor buttons.

[guy]

I have to admit, I'd hate my TV remote to get replaced by a touchscreen - or a trackball for that matter.

Have you tried one of those touchscreen universal remotes (or mythmote on an Android phone)? They're horrible because you have yo look at them to see where to press. Of course, that just highlights the horses for courses aspect of the whole issue, because with a TV remote device you do not want to look at the device.

IMHO, the way forward with TV remotes is a Wii style controller. I have access to BBC iPlayer from the Wii and from a DigitalStream STB. While the picture quality of the DigitalStream box is superior (1080i over hdmi as opposed to 480p over component, and access to HD programmes), the interface is awkward and clunky compared to the Wii point-and-click interface, requiring you to step around the UI using the cursor buttons.

I dunno. I actually like the idea of a kinect - no remote to lose behind the sofa, just gesture at the screen. Mind you, you'd need to make sure the neighbours weren't in line of sight through the window.

[Rhakios]

Mind you, you'd need to make sure the neighbours weren't in line of sight through the window.

Given how noisy they can be, I don't mind letting my neighbours know I watch BBC 2.

[bpalone]

I think that everyone is missing something here with Windows 8. Whatever it is that they call their touchy feely interface, don't forget that they also announced a "STORE" to go along with that, as per the Apple App Store. I think that by Windows 10 or 11 it will be a totally closed system, just like Apple, the only difference being that they will be letting the hardware vendors build and sell the hardware. But, and it will be a big but, the only software that will run on it will either come from M$ or through them via their store front.

We have already seen the beginning of this with the secure boot issue. I may just be paranoid, but they are motivated by dollars and if they find a way to milk even more money from the "appliance" user crowd, they will more than willingly bind everyone's hands and feet.

I'll get off the soap box now.

[wyliecoyoteuk]

I've noticed a few fanboys trying to defend W8 on other forums, some to extent of writing howtos, which is missing the point really.
a) If a modern OS needs a howto for what should be simple operations, it is rubbish.
b) No number of howtos is going to address the fairly obvious design flaws.
c)Windows has been getting less usable since W2K

[guy]

If a modern OS needs a howto for what should be simple operations, it is rubbish.

[wyliecoyoteuk]

lol

Maybe I should have qualified that as "If a modern OS designed for business use".
Essentially, one guy has written several pages on how to make win8 look like win7, but he doesn't realise that will simply put users off.
Classic shell is the answer.
http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/features.html

[wyliecoyoteuk]

lol

Maybe I should have qualified that as "If a modern OS designed for business use".
Essentially, one guy has written several pages on how to make win8 look and behave (almost) like win7, but he doesn't realise that will simply put users off.
Classic shell is the answer.
http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/features.html

[towy71]

I hear that it doesn't play DVDs without buying in some other software, is that true??

[wyliecoyoteuk]

yup, unless you buy the most expensive ultra edition, nor will it handle DVBTV. But then again, they have increased the number of codecs natively supported.
Apparently Media centre is now a paid for add on.

[Nuke]

I've noticed a few fanboys trying to defend W8 on other forums, some to extent of writing howtos ....
a) If a modern OS needs a howto for what should be simple operations, it is rubbish.
b) No number of howtos is going to address the fairly obvious design flaws.

Like these you mean? :-

http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/

[AndyBaxman]

I hear that it doesn't play DVDs without buying in some other software, is that true??

Yes, Windows 8 will not play CSS protected DVDs "out of the box". MS decided that it isn't worth paying the huge sum asked of them by the DVDCCA.

I also see that the Metro interface will be the only option in the "Home" edition, the Metro interface will only permit two applications to be "tiled" on screen, taking up a fixed 34% and 66% of the screen and the Express edition of MS Visual Studio 2011 will only permit development for Metro.

Are MS trying to commit suicide? They had a successful enterprise mobile OS with Windows Mobile (as used on those scanner bricks carried by delivery drivers and shelf stackers). They abandoned that for consumer phone OS that nobody wants and is 100% incompatible with Win Mobile. Now they seem determined to re-fork Windows into "business" and "consumer" editions with different interfaces.

[Nuke]

Are MS trying to commit suicide? .... they seem determined to re-fork Windows into "business" and "consumer" editions with different interfaces.

There need to be forks of both Windows and Linux, but not on business/home lines.

The fork needs to be between large screen and small screen (desktop/handheld if you like). MS and Ubuntu need to stop trying to ram handheld interfaces down large screen users' throats. I see no problem in having two different types of interfaces on basically the same OS, but the fork needs to be on the right lines.