Microsoft: Metro not just an Interface, it's a Philosophy

Typography is the new iconography? I thought that they told us that icons were better because they are easier to process than words. Heck, that's why so many road signs are pictures because we process pictures faster than we process words.

Trying make everything the same across platforms is like trying to make the controls for an airplane the same as the controls for a car. It can be done but it isn't too effective.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7
Typography is the new iconography? I thought that they told us that icons were better because they are easier to process than words. Heck, that's why so many road signs are pictures because we process pictures faster than we process words.

Trying make everything the same across platforms is like trying to make the controls for an airplane the same as the controls for a car. It can be done but it isn't too effective.

Which is why there are two different interfaces, one for driving the desktop or PC the other for driving tablets and phones. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Q9650 @ 4.05 GHz
    Motherboard
    Gforce 780i SLI FTW
    Memory
    8GB Gskill DDR2 1200Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX-480
    Sound Card
    Asus D2 Xonar
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HannsG
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Gskill 120GB SSD
    PSU
    Thermal Take 1000watts
    Case
    Thermal Take Xtreme
    Cooling
    9 fans air cooled
    Keyboard
    G15 logitech
    Mouse
    G9 logitech
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
What I keep hearing is that all of the effort has gone into forcing people to go Metro and that the desktop functions are a compromise at best.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7
they steered away from what he sees as a growing trend: “Taking your icons and taking things you have on screen and giving them glassy reflections, drop shadows, transparency… I think we can do a better job…in a more direct way.”

That means it looks cheap.

It is fine to look cheap if you are aiming at the low end of the market.

From what I have seen of the tablet pricing - that is not what what they are doing.


If I pay a premium price for a premium product - I expect it to look and feel like a premium product.

That is what Apple do so well.

Great response from Andy Montgomery:


...Microsoft is finally getting some consistency between all their platforms, but unfortunately they’ve done that by stooping to the lowest common denominator. ..

Their typography is bland and doesn’t communicate clearly enough to replace iconography.

...it relies too heavily on text and primary color blocks which requires the user to scan and read, instead of just reacting based on pattern recognition.

The reason MS is staying away from “glassy reflections, drop shadows, and transparency” is because it’s really HARD to do those things well and consistently.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Ya, but really, how difficult is it to do “glassy reflections, drop shadows, and transparency” well and consistently when you have unlimited funding and can hire the most and brightest minds in the world? I don't buy it. MS is just making bad decisions.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8250 x86 + 7 SP1 x86 + Ubuntu 12.04 LTS x86
    CPU
    P4 3.4 GHz HT
    Motherboard
    MSI-7211
    Memory
    OCZ 2 GB DDR @ 400 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    HIS AGP HD 3850 Turbo Ice-Q
    Sound Card
    MOTU Traveler firewire interface
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Acer x223w
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    WD Caviar Black 1 TB Sata II, WD 400 GB Sata I, WD 120 GB Sata I
    PSU
    300W generic
    Case
    Cybertron
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keyboard 200, Dell RT7D20
    Mouse
    Logitech M510
    Internet Speed
    2 MByte/sec Down, 250 KByte/sec Up
Robin, you're making a valid point. Metro forces us to face the question: What direction do you want to take? Should MS keep giving us improved versions of Windows 95, or should they go to a different concept? Should MS advance into the future one small step at a time, or with giant leaps?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Should MS keep giving us improved versions of Windows 95 or should they go to a different concept? Should MS advance into the future one small step at a time, or with giant leaps?
Giant leaps with no alternative tend to alienate large groups of people.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7
A heavily flawed philosophy. In a free world we should be able to opt out of such a thing.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7 Ult SP1 + Win 10 Pro - (x64)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware® ALX X58
    CPU
    Intel® Core i7-975 Extreme 3.86 GHz 8MB Cache
    Motherboard
    ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 Socket 1366 Core i7, Dual Triple Channel DDR3 Mem
    Memory
    24GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 6 x 4096MB
    Graphics Card(s)
    1792 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 295/Hauppauge HVR2250 TV Tuner
    Sound Card
    Onboard Soundmax® High definition Sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung XL2370 LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1080P
    Hard Drives
    2 X 500gb SATA
    1 X 1TB SATA
    1 X 3TB external eSATA
    (Non-RAID)
    PSU
    Alienware® 1200 Watt Multi-GPU
    Case
    Alienware® P2 ALX Chassis with AlienIce 3.0 Video Cooling
    Cooling
    Alienware® High-Perf. Liquid Cooling + Acoustic Dampening
    Keyboard
    Microsoft® Wireless Entertainment 8000 + Logitech® G15 Wired
    Mouse
    Microsoft® Wireless Laser 8000 + Logitech® G9 Wired
    Internet Speed
    1tbs
    Other Info
    Using non-RAID on purpose as I find it too fussy and temperamental.
A heavily flawed philosophy. In a free world we should be able to opt out of such a thing.

But YOU DO -- You aren't forced to use any Ms product at all if you don't want to -- or even a Computer.

But I think Ms has taken a leaf out of SevenofNine's book (Startrek Voyager series) " YOU WILL COMPLY .... YOU WILL BE ABSORBED".... -- actually she was easily the star of the entire series (and a looker too !!).

Cheers
jimbo
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Linux Centos 7, W8.1, W7, W2K3 Server W10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 X LG 40 inch TV
    Hard Drives
    SSD's * 3 (Samsung 840 series) 250 GB
    2 X 3 TB sata
    5 X 1 TB sata
    Internet Speed
    0.12 GB/s (120Mb/s)
That's not really a valid excuse or argument. Mind you there are times I would cheerfully forget about the internet altogether, but it is useful so I'm stuck with it.
I shall hang onto Windows 7 as long as I can and see what happens for the next attempt from MS.
There seems to be a prevailing thought from Silicon Valley these days that the age of the PC is at an end and we are all going 'Smartphone' or 'Tablet', well I've got news for them. Those are useful gadgets only and could never replace a good PC with all its frills and gizmos.

By the way, Jerry Ryan's line as Seven of Nine was 'you will be assimilated". We keep telling you that. ;-)
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7 Ult SP1 + Win 10 Pro - (x64)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware® ALX X58
    CPU
    Intel® Core i7-975 Extreme 3.86 GHz 8MB Cache
    Motherboard
    ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 Socket 1366 Core i7, Dual Triple Channel DDR3 Mem
    Memory
    24GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 6 x 4096MB
    Graphics Card(s)
    1792 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 295/Hauppauge HVR2250 TV Tuner
    Sound Card
    Onboard Soundmax® High definition Sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung XL2370 LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1080P
    Hard Drives
    2 X 500gb SATA
    1 X 1TB SATA
    1 X 3TB external eSATA
    (Non-RAID)
    PSU
    Alienware® 1200 Watt Multi-GPU
    Case
    Alienware® P2 ALX Chassis with AlienIce 3.0 Video Cooling
    Cooling
    Alienware® High-Perf. Liquid Cooling + Acoustic Dampening
    Keyboard
    Microsoft® Wireless Entertainment 8000 + Logitech® G15 Wired
    Mouse
    Microsoft® Wireless Laser 8000 + Logitech® G9 Wired
    Internet Speed
    1tbs
    Other Info
    Using non-RAID on purpose as I find it too fussy and temperamental.
What I keep hearing is that all of the effort has gone into forcing people to go Metro and that the desktop functions are a compromise at best.

I don't see the "compromise". Everything you ever wanted to do on the desktop is possible. Some of the access to features are a bit different but they are all there and more. The new Task Manger is very nice.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Dual Win 7-8 64-bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio XPS8100
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 3.2 GHz
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 260
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Dell 24" LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    900GB and 1.5TB
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell Optical
    Internet Speed
    10 Mb/s down 1.5 Mb/s up
    Other Info
    I worked my up from a virtual machine, to a slow 32-bit celeron and now two monitors on my XPS8100. Works great!
you can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig ;)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro ($39.99 upgrade)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    Intel I5 3570K overclocked to 4.2ghz
    Motherboard
    Asus P8Z77-V LX
    Memory
    Cosrair DDR3-1600 (4 x 4gb)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GT 610 2GB
    Sound Card
    None
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC 27" LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1920x0180
    Hard Drives
    Seagate HDD 500gb (windows)
    Seagate HDD 1.5tb (media)
    Seagate HDD 1tb (media)
    Seagate HDD 1tb (media)
    PSU
    CoolMax 700watt
    Case
    Cosiar R400 Carbide series
    Cooling
    Cool Master H212
    Keyboard
    Dell
    Mouse
    PowerUp 3 button mouse
    Internet Speed
    12mb down, 1mb up
    Other Info
    qty. (5) 120mm fans, four are monitored by motherboard.
    Logitech T650 Touchpad for touch screen gestures

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Dual Win 7-8 64-bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio XPS8100
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 3.2 GHz
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 260
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Dell 24" LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    900GB and 1.5TB
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell Optical
    Internet Speed
    10 Mb/s down 1.5 Mb/s up
    Other Info
    I worked my up from a virtual machine, to a slow 32-bit celeron and now two monitors on my XPS8100. Works great!
Resistance is futile.....you will be assimilated.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Education 64 Bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard
    Memory
    8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA Geforce GT640 2 Gig DDR3 PCIe
    Sound Card
    VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    22" LG E2242 1080p and 2 19" I-INC AG191D
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1024 - 1920x1080 - 1280x1024
    Hard Drives
    Crucial MX100 256 GB SSD and 500 GB WD Blue SATA
    PSU
    Thermaltake TR 620
    Case
    Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case
    Cooling
    Stock heatsink fan
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wireless K350 Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech M570 Trackball and T650 TouchPad
    Internet Speed
    80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender
    Other Info
    HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2
But we really shouldn't have to do that. It should be an option.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 7 Ult SP1 + Win 10 Pro - (x64)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware® ALX X58
    CPU
    Intel® Core i7-975 Extreme 3.86 GHz 8MB Cache
    Motherboard
    ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 Socket 1366 Core i7, Dual Triple Channel DDR3 Mem
    Memory
    24GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 SDRAM at 1600MHz - 6 x 4096MB
    Graphics Card(s)
    1792 MB NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 295/Hauppauge HVR2250 TV Tuner
    Sound Card
    Onboard Soundmax® High definition Sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung XL2370 LED
    Screen Resolution
    1920 X 1080P
    Hard Drives
    2 X 500gb SATA
    1 X 1TB SATA
    1 X 3TB external eSATA
    (Non-RAID)
    PSU
    Alienware® 1200 Watt Multi-GPU
    Case
    Alienware® P2 ALX Chassis with AlienIce 3.0 Video Cooling
    Cooling
    Alienware® High-Perf. Liquid Cooling + Acoustic Dampening
    Keyboard
    Microsoft® Wireless Entertainment 8000 + Logitech® G15 Wired
    Mouse
    Microsoft® Wireless Laser 8000 + Logitech® G9 Wired
    Internet Speed
    1tbs
    Other Info
    Using non-RAID on purpose as I find it too fussy and temperamental.
Calbear is correct. The Windows 8 desktop is fully functional. The only thing missing is the Start button, and substitutes can easily be downloaded for free online.

I've learned the start button isn't missing, its just invisible.

Mouse to the lower left corner, right-click and you get a list of management features: power, system, device manager, command prompt, task manager, control panel, run and others. Left-click and you get the Start screen (such as it is) which can be configured to include whatever tiles (over sized icons) you wish.

Right-click on the Start screen and you can access (all) Apps which is (again a large) substitute for the All Programs selection normally associated with the Start button.

Alternately, as Vince53 says you can get add-ins that fully reproduce the Start button functionality.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Dual Win 7-8 64-bit
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio XPS8100
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 3.2 GHz
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GeForce GTX 260
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Dell 24" LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    900GB and 1.5TB
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Mouse
    Dell Optical
    Internet Speed
    10 Mb/s down 1.5 Mb/s up
    Other Info
    I worked my up from a virtual machine, to a slow 32-bit celeron and now two monitors on my XPS8100. Works great!
Calbear,

You are missing the point.

MS have removed choice. They are forcing metro at users.They are doing that to coax/lead/encourage/force users into the MS clouds.

That is why you cannot boot to the desktop. That is why they removed the start menu.

That is what people don't like.

Yes, it is possible to use hacks - third party apps. and lord knows what else to try to avoid to some extent what they are doing.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    7/8/ubuntu/Linux Deepin
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
Folks, Windows 8 is designed to be used by a lot of people on various devices. Now throw in the fact that some of those people will be using touchscreens and others will not. Now add in the fact that different people want to do different things. You have the choice of Metro, desktop, or some combination of both. It isn't force, it's choice.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
Back
Top