April 8 2014: The end of Windows XP

WillPS · Wed 09 Apr, 2014 21.55

If Microsoft were going to backtrack over the menus/toolbars thing, they'd have done so a long time ago.

Windows 8[.1] is the current edition of Windows, and was the first to feature this touch first malarky. They've made it clear that within the lifetime of Windows 8[.1] they will go back and add the start menu.

Office 2013 is the current edition of Office. The first edition to feature the ribbon was Office 2007. Between there was Office 2010, which actually finished the job in terms of rolling out the ribbon. It's done. People like it.

Alexia · Wed 09 Apr, 2014 21.58

Hello little yellow shield. Probably last time I'll ever see you....

Jason · Wed 09 Apr, 2014 22.33

I know at least one company that still uses Windows XP on their main machines. I wonder how much it would cost for them to upgrade? Mind you, everyone complains how slow their machines get during the day but that's more a server thing.

Pete · Wed 09 Apr, 2014 22.51

Some companies still use Office XP.

*shudders*

martindtanderson · Wed 09 Apr, 2014 23.17

WillPS wrote:If Microsoft were going to backtrack over the menus/toolbars thing, they'd have done so a long time ago.

Windows 8[.1] is the current edition of Windows, and was the first to feature this touch first malarky. They've made it clear that within the lifetime of Windows 8[.1] they will go back and add the start menu.

Office 2013 is the current edition of Office. The first edition to feature the ribbon was Office 2007. Between there was Office 2010, which actually finished the job in terms of rolling out the ribbon. It's done. People like it.

I hope this new "Start Menu" that is due with Update 2/Windows "Threshold" is optional. I love the Start Screen and I don't want to loose it on my PC or my Surface!

WillPS · Wed 09 Apr, 2014 23.22

martindtanderson wrote:
WillPS wrote:If Microsoft were going to backtrack over the menus/toolbars thing, they'd have done so a long time ago.

Windows 8[.1] is the current edition of Windows, and was the first to feature this touch first malarky. They've made it clear that within the lifetime of Windows 8[.1] they will go back and add the start menu.

Office 2013 is the current edition of Office. The first edition to feature the ribbon was Office 2007. Between there was Office 2010, which actually finished the job in terms of rolling out the ribbon. It's done. People like it.
I hope this new "Start Menu" that is due with Update 2/Windows "Threshold" is optional. I love the Start Screen and I don't want to loose it on my PC or my Surface!

It'd be mental if it wasn't

Critique · Thu 10 Apr, 2014 00.22

WillPS wrote:
martindtanderson wrote:
WillPS wrote:If Microsoft were going to backtrack over the menus/toolbars thing, they'd have done so a long time ago.

Windows 8[.1] is the current edition of Windows, and was the first to feature this touch first malarky. They've made it clear that within the lifetime of Windows 8[.1] they will go back and add the start menu.

Office 2013 is the current edition of Office. The first edition to feature the ribbon was Office 2007. Between there was Office 2010, which actually finished the job in terms of rolling out the ribbon. It's done. People like it.
I hope this new "Start Menu" that is due with Update 2/Windows "Threshold" is optional. I love the Start Screen and I don't want to loose it on my PC or my Surface!
It'd be mental if it wasn't

You say that, but the reintroduction of the Start button wasn't optional, despite the fact it was just the same shortcut to the Start screen that had been there before but was always visible, taking up much more space.

WillPS · Thu 10 Apr, 2014 09.55

Critique wrote:
WillPS wrote:It'd be mental if it wasn't
You say that, but the reintroduction of the Start button wasn't optional, despite the fact it was just the same shortcut to the Start screen that had been there before but was always visible, taking up much more space.

Are hidden shortcuts any good? I don't think so personally. What they have now is more touch friendly.

martindtanderson · Thu 10 Apr, 2014 11.10

The Update 1 changes do not impact on the Touch UI and interactions, so I hope future changes won't either, unless they are adding new features for touch.

Pete · Thu 10 Apr, 2014 11.53

I think the implication is that they're making the touch side easier to ignore when there is a mouse connected. Certainly the new minimise and close buttons for metro apps are nice.

Having avoided it like the plague since my first horrendous 72 hours using windows 8 (resulting in an angry reformat back to 7) I've reinstalled 8.1 Update 1 on the laptop and it is vastly more usable. Certainly the fact that the silly metro apps can now be hidden allowing the much more sensible Windows Photos Viewer to open JPEGs on the desktop is good, as is desktop by default / all apps by default, the right click start menu thingy.

Hopefully there won't be too long to wait before the new version - whatever they are intending to all it - comes out.

martindtanderson · Thu 10 Apr, 2014 13.01

Pete wrote:I think the implication is that they're making the touch side easier to ignore when there is a mouse connected. Certainly the new minimise and close buttons for metro apps are nice.

Having avoided it like the plague since my first horrendous 72 hours using windows 8 (resulting in an angry reformat back to 7) I've reinstalled 8.1 Update 1 on the laptop and it is vastly more usable. Certainly the fact that the silly metro apps can now be hidden allowing the much more sensible Windows Photos Viewer to open JPEGs on the desktop is good, as is desktop by default / all apps by default, the right click start menu thingy.

Hopefully there won't be too long to wait before the new version - whatever they are intending to all it - comes out.

Just pointing out that you always had the ability to change the default apps for those files, since Windows 8.0...