Who really NEEDS desktop anymore -- even omn a PC

[FSeal]

I don't have to unpin any tiles, ever...

 

[mdmd]

If you are right or left clicking the mouse,
you are performing the same physical movement,
as an unpin or pin action.

So whether you are maintaining the 8UI or the desktop UI,
it is the same type of work.

 

[mdmd]

If you don't have to maintain the 8UI,
good.

One less task.

 

[mdmd]

I sympathize with those who are into Microsoft seminars and certifications.
It is another huge money maker for MS to "certify" analysts and techs.
I myself, have spent a few thousand on training for MCP, MCSE, A+, NET+, books, manuals, software, etc...
There is not enough time to absorb all the data and reflect unless you are a computer or a whiz.
Things change quickly in this field.

 

[pparks1]

^ Yes, being in IT is a never changing field. I always laugh when people get pissed because they have to recertify. What did you think was going to happen, the products were going to stay stagnant.

 

[mdmd]

I was hoping.
Very pricey.
Very time consuming.
I decided in college, when writing a 120 page COBOL feed,
that I was not really interested in banging my head against
the wall anymore.

Assembly is fun if you can think in Binary.
CPU design and bit flow is really simple.

I have a headache.

 

[mdmd]

Do we need a desktop?
http://www.eightforums.com/general-discussion/8247-apps-screen-too-crowded-6.html#post112278

 

[R0bR]

Heh exactly, and the next time you install a new program it's not going to splatter your task bar with 15 unwanted app icons 13 of which you will never use (cough)Metro(cough)

Windows 8 isn't even released for the general public and you expect legacy applications to already install differently than it does in 7. Once companies start to update their applications with Windows 8 in mind I'm sure you'll be given more control on how the shortcuts are setup during the installation process.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
If you REALLY organise your stuff the way you want it (and without having to have a hideously crowded quick launch bar or a desktop with 1,001 zillion shortcuts) I think (apart from the obvious "Horror" of the design of the start screen) the Windows 8 start screen is quite a good idea.

You DO need to unpin all the stuff you rarely use and when you install a "classical Windows application" such as Visual Studio - you need also to unpin all the zillions of superfluous tiles and move the stuff you DO need to an appropriate location on the start screen.

Actually I'm beginning to find the whole Windows 7 (and earlier) classic start menu rather cumbersome these days.

I just wish MS had got some guys / gals / and those who haven't quite decided which they are who work in things like design etc to dramatically improve the sheer ugliness of those tiles when you install standard windows applications.

I know enough people in graphic design who would have jumped at a chance to do this for Ms.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[Frank1]

You can have a desktop with all the stuff you need and it doesn't have to be crowded.
I have six folders on my desktop given the names: Misc. programs, Misc. Folders, System Information, System Tools, Security, and Other. They all have short cuts to what I want. I also have the Control Panel icon along with the Computer icon. Down in the Quick Launch bar, I have seven of what I use most of the time. So I have just about everything I need without a cluttered desktop. I'm not saying that it is the way a desktop should be setup. I'm just saying that's way I like to have mine. Once I have Win 8 for a while, I might do things different.

 

[FSeal]

Heh exactly, and the next time you install a new program it's not going to splatter your task bar with 15 unwanted app icons 13 of which you will never use (cough)Metro(cough)

Windows 8 isn't even released for the general public and you expect legacy applications to already install differently than it does in 7. Once companies start to update their applications with Windows 8 in mind I'm sure you'll be given more control on how the shortcuts are setup during the installation process.

It didn't HAVE to be that way though, there is /already/ a mechanism in the installer for separating important and lesser inporant icons. They could have used that for keeping Metro start clean. But yeah it's just another example of how over years of evolution the start menu is by FAR a better engineered and useful system than the cobbled togeather Metro start screen. Now we gotta put up with it's cruddy growing pains for 2-3 generations before it becomes actually usable again. And by that I mean as Microsoft actually turns it back INTO a true desktop on desktop machines

 

[Frank1]

OK--I'm trying to do without the desktop. The problem is that no matter what app I open, it first opens desktop and the app is on top of the desktop. When I shut down the app, desktop is still there, In other words, once I open an app, the desktop is always running unless I shut it down. Is this the way it is supposed to work? If not, what can I do so that it does not happen. Thanks

 

[R0bR]

It didn't HAVE to be that way though, there is /already/ a mechanism in the installer for separating important and lesser inporant icons.

It did have to be that way because it's controlled by the installer. The Start Menu and Start Screen are the same thing, if the installer puts 20 icons into the Start Menu in W7 then it would put the same icons in the Start Screen of W8. When "made for W8" desktop applications start to appear their installer will have different options specific to W8. I understand I'm speculating but it's been the same for every iteration of Windows. When W7 came out XP applications didn't come with the option to pin icon to the task bar or start menu only Start Menu hierarchy and Desktop.

If it doesn't come well then I'll eat my words and complain about it as well but in the meantime we need to give these current applications time to get updated.

 

[R0bR]

OK--I'm trying to do without the desktop. The problem is that no matter what app I open, it first opens desktop and the app is on top of the desktop. When I shut down the app, desktop is still there, In other words, once I open an app, the desktop is always running unless I shut it down. Is this the way it is supposed to work? If not, what can I do so that it does not happen. Thanks

Are you talking about Metro Apps or Desktop Applications? If it's Metro Apps then no it shouldn't be doing that. If all I use in Windows 8 are Metro Apps I never see the desktop at all. If you are starting from the Start Screen and launch a Metro App but are getting the desktop first and then the Metro App it seems something has gone nutty on your system. Maybe one of those reset or refresh options will fix it, not sure as I've not fooled around with those yet. Have you installed any hacks to by pass the Start Screen or get the Start menu back? If so perhaps something has glitched because of it? Just throwing out ideas.

 

[Frank1]

OK--I'm trying to do without the desktop. The problem is that no matter what app I open, it first opens desktop and the app is on top of the desktop. When I shut down the app, desktop is still there, In other words, once I open an app, the desktop is always running unless I shut it down. Is this the way it is supposed to work? If not, what can I do so that it does not happen. Thanks

Are you talking about Metro Apps or Desktop Applications? If it's Metro Apps then no it shouldn't be doing that. If all I use in Windows 8 are Metro Apps I never see the desktop at all. If you are starting from the Start Screen and launch a Metro App but are getting the desktop first and then the Metro App it seems something has gone nutty on your system. Maybe one of those reset or refresh options will fix it, not sure as I've not fooled around with those yet. Have you installed any hacks to by pass the Start Screen or get the Start menu back? If so perhaps something has glitched because of it? Just throwing out ideas.

Its metro apps that I open and then the desktop comes up first. I thought that maybe I had things screwed up so I completely removed it. That is I went to the Virtual Machines folder where the Windows 8 folder was. I then deleted the Virtual Machines folder. I then opened VMware and removed Windows 8. Then I started from scratch and re-installed Win 8. But the same thing happened. I'm just guessing that when I installed it the first time, I may have messed something up because I did a lot of work on the desktop. But un-installing and the re-installing did not help it. I think that un-installing does not remove everything and some of the configuration I made the first time was not removed. I'm going to play with is some more to see if I can correct it. The reason I submitted the question was because I didn't know if this was normal or not. Now I know it's not. Thanks for your response. If I can fix it, I'll post back.

 

[FSeal]

It didn't HAVE to be that way though, there is /already/ a mechanism in the installer for separating important and lesser inporant icons.

It did have to be that way because it's controlled by the installer. The Start Menu and Start Screen are the same thing, if the installer puts 20 icons into the Start Menu in W7 then it would put the same icons in the Start Screen of W8. When "made for W8" desktop applications start to appear their installer will have different options specific to W8. I understand I'm speculating but it's been the same for every iteration of Windows. When W7 came out XP applications didn't come with the option to pin icon to the task bar or start menu only Start Menu hierarchy and Desktop.

If it doesn't come well then I'll eat my words and complain about it as well but in the meantime we need to give these current applications time to get updated.

What they could have done is, the "main" icon that the installer always asks if you want on the desktop could have been put on the start screen and the rest of the "junk" icons could have been left off the start screen but would still appear under "All Programs". So yes, using the current mechanism (if the program was using the windows installer) they could have made it work.