Windows Blue poised to become Windows 8.1

Microsoft officials supposedly have decided on the final name for Windows Blue. The final decision, one of my sources told me, is that it will be Windows 8.1.

The client version of Blue, codenamed Windows Blue, is a refresh of Windows 8. It is expected to be released to manufacturing around August of this year. As I've blogged a few times, Microsoft is planning to position Blue as part of the Windows 8 wave, not as Windows 9.

Read more at source:
Windows Blue poised to become Windows 8.1 | Microsoft - CNET News

 

[XweAponX]

Microsoft officials supposedly have decided on the final name for Windows Blue. The final decision, one of my sources told me, is that it will be Windows 8.1.

The client version of Blue, codenamed Windows Blue, is a refresh of Windows 8. It is expected to be released to manufacturing around August of this year. As I've blogged a few times, Microsoft is planning to position Blue as part of the Windows 8 wave, not as Windows 9.

Read more at source:
Windows Blue poised to become Windows 8.1 | Microsoft - CNET News

I just got back from reading several articles at ZDnet, who spearhead all efforts to make MS have some sense, they mostly hate Windows 8 there, and despise the idea that Windows Blue will have No Desktop.

Windows 8 is as far as I will go, I'll accept it because I can put the desktop things I want back in. But if the next MS OS has no desktop, well I can't use that.

The Metro thing should have been put into a tablet-only system, Windows 8 for Desktops should have been a stand alone desktop, with no Metro.

I had no opinion on this, until I tried to get productivity out of just the Metro interface. I can't do my work, maybe in a year the apps I use will be ported to Tiles interface but as it stands, there is nothing for me in the Microsoft Store.

 

[pparks1]

Windows 8 is as far as I will go, I'll accept it because I can put the desktop things I want back in. But if the next MS OS has no desktop, well I can't use that.

There is no way the desktop is going away any time soon. It's taken over 10 years to go from 32 bit to 64bit. This will not be a quick transition.

 

[rmeigs]

Windows Blue will have No Desktop.

Where has MSFT said there would be no desktop in Windows Blue? Which leaked preview has no desktop? If ZDNet thinks there will be no desktop in Blue, shows how uninformed they are.

 

[FuturDreamz]

I can see Windows on Arm removing desktop, but not windows on x86.

 

[HippsieGypsie]

It'll be in Blue. By 9 it'll be gone. A lot of productivity apps will be written by then.

 

[skallal]

It'll be in Blue. By 9 it'll be gone. A lot of productivity apps will be written by then.

I really don't think the desktop is going away. First, MS would need to create an environment to host the plethora of existing desktop apps. Visual Studio still supports development of desktop apps.

Visual Studio itself is a desktop app. All or most of the admin tools in Windows Server 2012 run on the desktop.

Unless MS makes moves to accommodate the above within Metro, don't look for the desktop to disappear any time soon!

 

[pparks1]

It'll be in Blue. By 9 it'll be gone. A lot of productivity apps will be written by then.

Wanna put $20 on this? I guarantee our current plethora of classic desktop apps will still be used, and functional in Windows 9 or whatever the next major release is after 8.

 

[chrisa]

It'll be in Blue. By 9 it'll be gone. A lot of productivity apps will be written by then.

I really don't think the desktop is going away. First, MS would need to create an environment to host the plethora of existing desktop apps. Visual Studio still supports development of desktop apps.

Visual Studio itself is a desktop app. All or most of the admin tools in Windows Server 2012 run on the desktop.

Unless MS makes moves to accommodate the above within Metro, don't look for the desktop to disappear any time soon!

The desktop won't disappear anytime soon.

The walled garden concept needs to expand and get a lot better at supporting the wide range of abilities of modern desktop applications. This includes data sharing and what not. Having everything in silos is anathema to desktop applications. Microsoft will be learning this fact with Gemini and their attempt to app-ize Office products. Hopefully it leads them to expanding the capabilities of apps and RT. This is *not* a bad thing and is stuff companies like Twitter and Facebook are allready working on. You need to be able to run apps from apps, you need to be able to launch Excel as an app, build a spreadsheet programmatically, use formulas, and strip the results.. all from another app.

All this stuff is stuff commonly done in the desktop enviornment and something they're going to have to deal with. If they can do this, they'll actually push Windows beyond iOS and make it a far more functional system for the larger programs to take root. But right now, they are dealing with the limitations that iOS imposed and need to fix those before removal of the desktop could ever be considered as all the functionality of the desktop applications has not been mirrored to RT.

 

[vrosa]

It'll be in Blue. By 9 it'll be gone. A lot of productivity apps will be written by then.

Maybe in Windows 10.1 by 2020 !

 

[FuturDreamz]

It'll be in Blue. By 9 it'll be gone. A lot of productivity apps will be written by then.

I really don't think the desktop is going away. First, MS would need to create an environment to host the plethora of existing desktop apps. Visual Studio still supports development of desktop apps.

Visual Studio itself is a desktop app. All or most of the admin tools in Windows Server 2012 run on the desktop.

Unless MS makes moves to accommodate the above within Metro, don't look for the desktop to disappear any time soon!

The desktop won't disappear anytime soon.

The walled garden concept needs to expand and get a lot better at supporting the wide range of abilities of modern desktop applications. This includes data sharing and what not. Having everything in silos is anathema to desktop applications. Microsoft will be learning this fact with Gemini and their attempt to app-ize Office products. Hopefully it leads them to expanding the capabilities of apps and RT. This is *not* a bad thing and is stuff companies like Twitter and Facebook are allready working on. You need to be able to run apps from apps, you need to be able to launch Excel as an app, build a spreadsheet programmatically, use formulas, and strip the results.. all from another app.

All this stuff is stuff commonly done in the desktop enviornment and something they're going to have to deal with. If they can do this, they'll actually push Windows beyond iOS and make it a far more functional system for the larger programs to take root. But right now, they are dealing with the limitations that iOS imposed and need to fix those before removal of the desktop could ever be considered as all the functionality of the desktop applications has not been mirrored to RT.

I actually do want to see that. But hopefully they do it n a way that avoids being another .dll hell

 

[HippsieGypsie]

It'll be in Blue. By 9 it'll be gone. A lot of productivity apps will be written by then.

Wanna put $20 on this? I guarantee our current plethora of classic desktop apps will still be used, and functional in Windows 9 or whatever the next major release is after 8.

Perhaps I spoke too soon, but let's say by 10.1 as Vlad stated. I was just hoping it'll be before I leave this planet. I'm getting up there in age.

 

[Coke Robot]

Microsoft officials supposedly have decided on the final name for Windows Blue. The final decision, one of my sources told me, is that it will be Windows 8.1.

The client version of Blue, codenamed Windows Blue, is a refresh of Windows 8. It is expected to be released to manufacturing around August of this year. As I've blogged a few times, Microsoft is planning to position Blue as part of the Windows 8 wave, not as Windows 9.

Read more at source:
Windows Blue poised to become Windows 8.1 | Microsoft - CNET News

I just got back from reading several articles at ZDnet, who spearhead all efforts to make MS have some sense, they mostly hate Windows 8 there, and despise the idea that Windows Blue will have No Desktop.

Windows 8 is as far as I will go, I'll accept it because I can put the desktop things I want back in. But if the next MS OS has no desktop, well I can't use that.

The Metro thing should have been put into a tablet-only system, Windows 8 for Desktops should have been a stand alone desktop, with no Metro.

I had no opinion on this, until I tried to get productivity out of just the Metro interface. I can't do my work, maybe in a year the apps I use will be ported to Tiles interface but as it stands, there is nothing for me in the Microsoft Store.

There's a Desktop in Windows Blue.... Have you disregarded ALL the screenshots with the new build version that are on said Desktop?

Paranoia and fear....

 

[alphanumeric]

They took the start menu away, next step, remove the taskbar and have all desktop apps open full screen. Everything will appear to be running from Metro. Then brace your self for the second round of OMG what were they thinking.

 

[Hopachi]

So is this going to be an update. Or is this going to be a big giant payed upgrade.

Time will tell us, but I believe that it's gonna be a free upgrade. The kernel has changed, so we can't call it an update or service pack.

We had to pay from 6.0 to 6.1 and then pay again to 6.2 so yeah, if you ask me, we will have to pay for 6.3.

Even compared to OSX, you pay from 10.6 to 10.7 and pay again to 10.8.

Time will tell, sooner or later, tym vil tel.

 

[Hopachi]

Read more at source:
Windows Blue poised to become Windows 8.1 | Microsoft - CNET News

I just got back from reading several articles at ZDnet, who spearhead all efforts to make MS have some sense, they mostly hate Windows 8 there, and despise the idea that Windows Blue will have No Desktop.

Windows 8 is as far as I will go, I'll accept it because I can put the desktop things I want back in. But if the next MS OS has no desktop, well I can't use that.

The Metro thing should have been put into a tablet-only system, Windows 8 for Desktops should have been a stand alone desktop, with no Metro.

I had no opinion on this, until I tried to get productivity out of just the Metro interface. I can't do my work, maybe in a year the apps I use will be ported to Tiles interface but as it stands, there is nothing for me in the Microsoft Store.

There's a Desktop in Windows Blue.... Have you disregarded ALL the screenshots with the new build version that are on said Desktop?

Paranoia and fear....

Ha ha, you're right.

I believe the Desktop has more attention in Blue even if it didn't get some discovered improvements yet... the Desktop tile can be made even bigger and that means only one thing: the desktop is there to stay.

Sample from 6.3.9364:

 

[msdos622wasfun]

I attended a Microsoft-sponsored programming seminar today, and pretty much the exact words to come out of the Developer Evangelist's mouth were "The desktop isn't going anywhere, and desktop apps are still first-class citizens."

You should have seen her rather humorous way of addressing the "lack" of the Start button ... she started kind of screaming and said, "Oh my god! Aughghghghghghghghghghghgh..." Then she explained how the Start screen is one giant Start button. It's not really gone (at least, that's how I see it, too).

 

[FuturDreamz]

I haven't missed the start menu. But i would like a "pop up" search pane so I don't get popped out of my app or desktop.

 

[Coke Robot]

I attended a Microsoft-sponsored programming seminar today, and pretty much the exact words to come out of the Developer Evangelist's mouth were "The desktop isn't going anywhere, and desktop apps are still first-class citizens."

You should have seen her rather humorous way of addressing the "lack" of the Start button ... she started kind of screaming and said, "Oh my god! Aughghghghghghghghghghghgh..." Then she explained how the Start screen is one giant Start button. It's not really gone (at least, that's how I see it, too).

That's pretty much the reaction of several H8ers out there!

 

[Ray8]

You should have seen her rather humorous way of addressing the "lack" of the Start button ... she started kind of screaming and said, "Oh my god! Aughghghghghghghghghghghgh..." Then she explained how the Start screen is one giant Start button. It's not really gone (at least, that's how I see it, too).

What makes '...one giant Start Button...' better than the small one that existed previously? Is it just for the finger painters?

 

[Coke Robot]

You should have seen her rather humorous way of addressing the "lack" of the Start button ... she started kind of screaming and said, "Oh my god! Aughghghghghghghghghghghgh..." Then she explained how the Start screen is one giant Start button. It's not really gone (at least, that's how I see it, too).

What makes '...one giant Start Button...' better than the small one that existed previously? Is it just for the finger painters?

What made the smaller one better than the new?