How Microsoft should have executed "Metro"

TheGreenBstard

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So, I've been using Ubuntu now for a couple days, and let me tell you, I am very, very happy with it. (Especially with it being free.)
There are so many features that are better than Windows, I'm not going to list all of them, but a few are Dash Home, and Snapshots. In Windows, you have to take the screenshop, and paste it into MS Paint or whatever, and then save it. But Ubuntu automatically says, "Hey man, you took a screenshot. Where do you wanna save it?"
Anyway, this is a bit off topic, so allow me to get back on subject.

NOTE: this is not in anyway a thread bashing Microsoft.

Metro...Metro...What the ****, Microsoft? Ok, you wanted to get rid of the Start button, and Start menu. Ok. Understood. But why did you have to make it separate from the desktop? OH, you wanted to make it work for tablets too? Well, here is (in my opinion,) how MS should have executed their fullscreen Start menu with Metro apps.

Dash Home is essentially the Start menu of Ubuntu. It's full screen. It's everything you could want. AND it would be a lot better than throwing users out of the Desktop to search for something or launching a non-metro app. OK, so...I guess you're thinking "But the fullscreen metro apps wouldn't work like that..."
Well, here's what I'm proposing, MS have a "fullscreen start menu," like Dash Home, AND have a separate page/screen/whatever for Metro apps.
Why? Because no one wants to go to the ****ing Metro side of Windows just to launch a legacy app that's not shortcutted on the desktop or startbar.

For reference, here is a screenshot of Dash Home:

2vukbhl.png


Also terribly sorry if this doesn't make sense, I'm a bit drunk right now and felt the need to rant lol.
 

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"here's what I'm proposing, MS have a "fullscreen start menu," like Dash Home, AND have a separate page/screen/whatever for Metro apps."



But isn't that what it is right now?

Jeff
 

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"here's what I'm proposing, MS have a "fullscreen start menu," like Dash Home, AND have a separate page/screen/whatever for Metro apps."



But isn't that what it is right now?

Jeff

Nope, because it kicks you out of the desktop, and what I said was a different place for Metro and Start.
 

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I have an older build of Ubuntu, version 5, I think.

Works well and is fairly problem-free for what I do on it.

The GUI, obviously, is nothing flash compared to later versions, or Win Vista/Win 7.

But it does carp on Win 8 from a considerable height.
 

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I have an older build of Ubuntu, version 5, I think.

Works well and is fairly problem-free for what I do on it.

The GUI, obviously, is nothing flash compared to later versions, or Win Vista/Win 7.

But it does carp on Win 8 from a considerable height.

Does ver. 5 have Dash Home? Just wondering, because I haven't used an old version like that. I'm currently using 12.04.
 

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Offhand, I think Metro should have been implemented as a subsystem of the desktop, not the other way around. In other words, if you want to run Metro and its a applications you launch metro from the desktop. On systems where the user wants to use Metro exclusively (such as a tablet) a simple start-up option could have been included to launch Metro by default. This way, Microsoft could have left Windows as everyone has become accustomed to it alone. In fact, they could probably have released the thing as a service-pack to Win7!

I'm not suggesting at-all that some of the underpinnings of the O/S might have needed reworking. However putting the desktop in as a "background" system is making a statement: one that I don't think will be universally accepted.

The other thing I dislike is the dull, colorless GUI that they're moving [everything] to. Oh yeah, I really want to see flat gray featureless icons that my eyes can't focus on instead of the nice 24-bit color detailed icons. NOT!
 

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[h=2]How Microsoft should have executed "Metro"[/h]
Take it out the back and shoot it.
 

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I've tried out Ubuntu 11 and I thought that was odd, it was like a genuine visual styled start menu and not a screen. Honestly, I at first wanted the Start Screen to overlay on the Desktop and darken the wallpaper on it and have all the tiles fly in. But in retrospect, if they did that, it would scream LINUX as some variants do that. Start Screen is different that way.



"I'm a little drunk right now." Awesome! :D
 

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Win + PrtSc

In Windows, you have to take the screenshop, and paste it into MS Paint or whatever, and then save it. But Ubuntu automatically says, "Hey man, you took a screenshot. Where do you wanna save it?"

In Windows 7 (and Vista?) you can use the "Snipping Tool" instead of "PrtSc" (or "Alt + PrtSc").

In Windows 8 you can also use "Win + PrtSc" to take screenshots.
IIRC, it automatically saves them in the Pictures folder.

Then, a new feature in Windows 8.

Win + Prt Scrn to take the entire screen and save it directly in your Pictures folder in PNG format. The saved picture is named as Screenshot(x).png, in which the X is a number that is available for the new file.
Windows 8 Guide: How To Take Screenshots
Windows 8 Guide: How To Take Screenshots | Windows7hacker
 

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In Windows, you have to take the screenshop, and paste it into MS Paint or whatever, and then save it. But Ubuntu automatically says, "Hey man, you took a screenshot. Where do you wanna save it?"

In Windows 7 (and Vista?) you can use the "Snipping Tool" instead of "PrtSc" (or "Alt + PrtSc").

In Windows 8 you can also use "Win + PrtSc" to take screenshots.
IIRC, it automatically saves them in the Pictures folder.

Then, a new feature in Windows 8.

Win + Prt Scrn to take the entire screen and save it directly in your Pictures folder in PNG format. The saved picture is named as Screenshot(x).png, in which the X is a number that is available for the new file.
Windows 8 Guide: How To Take Screenshots
Windows 8 Guide: How To Take Screenshots | Windows7hacker

Well, I did know about Snipping Tool, but it's (a bit) more of a hastle than pressing one button.
And, I didn't know about Win + Prnt Scrn, so thanks for that little tip!
 

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Well, I'm glad you like Ubuntu. However, I suggest giving it a few weeks before you jump to any real conclusions.

If you're like 99% of the rest of the people that try Linux, it won't take long before you start noticing things that are off. How different apps have totally different UI's (true, this happens in windows as well, but not nearly as often). Like how major apps just crash for the hell of it, largely because Ubuntu tends to run the "bleeding edge" versions of apps that have lots of bugs.

One thing that has always annoyed me is how you have to configure things like "panels" manually, you can't just drag and drop, or right click and choose "pin to taskbar". Part of the reason is that Linux apps don't have embedded icons, so you have to find artwork for everything you want to have an icon for.

The other thing is that so many apps are 90% finished, but lack that little bit extra that makes them truly usable and rounded out.

If, after a few weeks of using it, you still love it... then I'm happy for you. I'm betting you'll be back though.
 

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"here's what I'm proposing, MS have a "fullscreen start menu," like Dash Home, AND have a separate page/screen/whatever for Metro apps."



But isn't that what it is right now?

Jeff

Nope, because it kicks you out of the desktop, and what I said was a different place for Metro and Start.

No, you go to the metro hit a folder or whatever and get back to the desktop. If that is your problem then stay on Ubuntu....

Jeff
 

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So, I've been using Ubuntu now for a couple days, and let me tell you, I am very, very happy with it. (Especially with it being free.)

Most folks have flirted with a Linux distro or two at some stage or another but the problem remains the same. Once you get past the benefits of it you realise just how limited it is if you need or want to run any 'power' programs especially those from Adobe. Sure Wine will run Adobe CS up to v3.0 I think but anything above that is a bit hit and miss. So if a client sends me something they 'crafted' in say InDesign CS v4.0 (or later) then it's back to Windows to simply open it.

Until or unless the Linux distro people get this aspect sorted then it will always be a marginal OS IMO.
 

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How Microsoft should have executed "Metro"


Take it out the back and shoot it.

:ditto:

And to recap, even though there was a great deal of negative publicity (and still is) about Metro UI (ooops, not meant to call it that now are we??), MS have gone their own way on this so Win8 with either fly or flop. I know where my money is betting.

Sad that MS could have avoided all of this by offering a choice but maybe that was too simple to penetrate the bubble that Redmond live in. Interesting times!!!
 

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Hey guys, just to clairify, I didn't say I wasn't going to use Windows anymore. For whatever reason, whether it be my mistake in the OP, or the misunderstaning of everyone in this thread, it was not supposed to sound like that. As stated, I was drinking at the time of writing the original post. Anyway, it was simply an opinion how MS should have done Metro. Nothing else.
 

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Hey guys, just to clairify, I didn't say I wasn't going to use Windows anymore.

I never read your post as giving up on Windows so no misunderstanding here over that one. Probably moving slightly OT I just wish Linux would up it's game and be genuinely ready for prime time. But I guess until the likes of Adobe etc get behind it then that's not going to happen. :(
 

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Well Greenbstard,

sorry if I offended you, but all I read here on the board is "I don't like Win8, hate the metro, hate this or that".

that's why my answer.

Jeff
 

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Well as I've said before, the REAL way Metro (or what the hell ever) should have been implemented is within another movable, resizable, fullscreenable window that could be placed anywhere on any monitor at any time. Then the live tiles would have been VISIBLE and working as intended (i.e. usable) when in desktop mode. That at minimum. Better yet, when metro apps are launched, they also get their own window. If I want to play a quick game of mine sweeper while waiting for a dowload or a video recode to finish, I DON'T want it to take up the ENTIRE screen. Who would? It's a 480x480 size game /at best/.
 

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Probably moving slightly OT I just wish Linux would up it's game and be genuinely ready for prime time. But I guess until the likes of Adobe etc get behind it then that's not going to happen. :(
I think you have hit the nail on the head. It's not my opinion that Linux is not ready for primetime per se, but it's the fact that the apps that people are used to using aren't necessarily available, nor are all of the third party hardware peripheral people providing drivers and such for their products to the Linux community. I'm not sure how much more Linux can "up it's game", without this support from vendors.

Another related issue is that we don't have a standardized flavor of Linux. One of the strong points to Linux is that you can get a distro designed exactly for what you are trying to accomplish. For some, that's going to be feature rich and bleeding edge. For others, it's as small as possible and stability over anything else. So, if a vendor were to provide driver support or make a port of their application for Linux...which flavor do they design their product for? And it won't be easy to take a community that cherishes their "freedom" so much, to get them to agree that Linux distro A is the standard format going forward and that's what they should use.

At the end of the day, it really comes down to using whichever product is the best tool for the job. For my gaming box at home, it's Windows. For other boxes, I have some choices as I don't really use the Adobe products. I can easily manipulate a photo on a Linux machine running The Gimp with the lack of skill that I have for these applications. As a box for my kids, to simply surf the web, there is no reason whatsoever to pay for a copy of Windows at present time. Linux works just fine on that box.


In getting back to the topic at hand, I think the same general principals above apply to the love or hate relationship with the feature formally known as "metro", know known as the "new windows ui". For some people, they don't really need a full fledged computer for 95% of their tasks. They read email, follow the news, read a book, play some music, watch YouTube and post to facebook/twitter. So, the new windows ui and full screen apps might work out just great for these tasks. For those of us who do much more than the above, or want to do other things concurrently while we do the above stuff, the new UI isn't as full featured or fabulous and we will default to using the classic desktop. Some of us, only use our computer for those desktop style tasks...and question whether windows 8 really provides any value to us whatsoever. Therefore, we plan to just stick with Windows 7...which for many, truly isn't broken and is working just fine. <- That's where I am.
 

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