The direction of Windows

[BarnabasSackett]

Just about every thing is over priced these days.

I don't agree, computers are cheap these day, I remember the day a floppy drive was the price of a recent notebook. A 22" monitor is $ 100 - 120, this is very cheap. A DVDRW is $ 16 , did you see the parts in a dvdrw ?

My first 20 meg hard drive was $400. My first color monitor, a 15" VGA CRT, was $360 and that was a great deal at the time. Back in the day, RAM was $100 a megabyte.

Other things have held their prices pretty well. Twenty years ago, a lawn tractor was about $1,200. Today you can buy a better tractor for the same price. Thirty years ago, I paid about $50 for a pair of Nike shoes, I just bought a pair of New Balance for $65.

Too bad cars aren't doing the same thing.

ETA: Back in 1976 when I started college, I bought a portable typewriter for $129.99. My TI scientific calculator cost about $100. In today's money, that's about $600 and $500, respectively.

 

[pparks1]

Cloud computing isn't some grand scheme to slowly drain money out of people's pockets. It's a natural evolution of an increasingly interconnected world. The nature of computing is shifting - things are becoming distributed across networks of various sorts.

I agree. People more than ever have a desire to have their "data" everywhere, at any time from any device.

Office 365 has a subscription fee, but you also have the option of buying the stand-alone version of Office or using Office for free via SkyDrive or Google Docs. I can guarantee you that companies like Microsoft and Terramark also keep their data centres secured. They aren't just going to have servers someone can randomly get into whenever they want. This doesn't even begin to address the concept of a private cloud, where a company's internal data centre handles the distributed computing.

It's not as if companies/individuals were getting things like Office for free anyway. (except for those who pirate). These subscription services take away all of the IT hassle, keep you up to date on the latest versions and most often resolve issues before you knew that you were even going to have them. Upgrading is also a snap, because it just happens automatically.

As far as security in the cloud goes....I'd bet that the security in many of these data centers is better that that which the average joe maintains on his own home computer.

 

[elbmek]

Regarding the future of windows I am rather concerned. Win 8 has now devolved, instead of evolved. Some items that were common place and part of windows have now been segregated and are being offered 'at a price'. I do not agree with this at all, its grossly unfair and exploitation of windows users.

I know quite a few friends are changing to Linux Maya etc because its quick easy to use and full of freebies. I am a new Win 8 user on my pc, but my laptop (Win 7) is now dual boot with Linux Mint Maya as I investigate this avenue.

 

[area 66]

You aren't that familiar with the concepts of cloud computing, are you?

So you limit could computing only to storage spaces ? and you ask me if I know about cloud computing ?

what about Desktop virtualisation ? where the OS will run on clouds servers ? ( this is where I start my conspiracy, where you gone have a monthly bill)

Office 365 has a subscription fee, but you also have the option of buying the stand-alone version of Office or using Office for free via SkyDrive or Google Docs. I

One of the main advantage of Office 365 , is outlook and Exchange servers, I do understand that you can use Skydrive to share documents, but cloud exchange servers are not free. MS already remove Exchange from their Small Business Server, actually they don't even have SBS anymore, they just have essential in the 2012 suites. So they are heading in the Cloud Exchange server ( via renting an exchange server or office 365) So Microsoft don't have real small business "in house solution" for business email

I do understand that Exchange in house require IT, and it's not free, I just demonstrate they heading on cloud for everything, and that will include renting cloud terminal.

 

[pparks1]

Regarding the future of windows I am rather concerned. Win 8 has now devolved, instead of evolved. Some items that were common place and part of windows have now been segregated and are being offered 'at a price'. I do not agree with this at all, its grossly unfair and exploitation of windows users.

Shifting away out of principal for something like this is understandable. However, remember that Windows 8 upgrade is far cheaper than other versions in the past were, even if you add in a few extra fees for things like Media Center, etc.

I know quite a few friends are changing to Linux Maya etc because its quick easy to use and full of freebies. I am a new Win 8 user on my pc, but my laptop (Win 7) is now dual boot with Linux Mint Maya as I investigate this avenue.

It's great having alternatives, unfortunately using Linux day to day for many/most won't work. Their apps won't work, their games won't work, etc. If they have trouble using Windows 8...they are certainly going to struggle big time moving to Linux.

 

[FSeal]

The current windows upgrade pricing is the same as it was for 7 and vista and when it goes away it looks like the normal pricing for the upgrade and the oem (system builder) is in fact the same as it was before.

If they were planning on charging $10 for Media Center as well as making tons of money on app store sales and advertising sales, they could have kept the upgrade pricng of $39 permanent with an OEM version at $79. That would certainly help spur on sales since they stand to potentially make a LOT more than that after the fact now, unlike any previous version of windows.

 

[elbmek]

Admittedly I got Media Centre for free, via an email with code from MS

 

[Mystere]

I do understand that Exchange in house require IT, and it's not free, I just demonstrate they heading on cloud for everything, and that will include renting cloud terminal.

This is fear mongering, and conspiracy theory to the nth degree. The thing you don't seem to grasp is that there are MANY MANY MANY people that find cloud services useful and beneficial and even more cost effective. You're saying those people should not be able to have cloud services because you're paranoid?

Please.

Cloud services are there for the people that want them. The full products are still there if you don't. And that is not going to change anytime in the foreseeable future, as there are many companies that cannot legally store their data or communications in the cloud. There are many more that won't trust their data and communications to a third party. This simply will not change, and no matter how many cloud services anyone offers, there will always be a need for on-premises systems.

So please stop getting paranoid about something that will not, and cannot happen. And stop the fear mongering, because you sound like a lunatic (i'm not saying you are, but you come off that way).

Yes, it's true that MS has dropped SBS. There's a lot of people upset about that. It's not just Exchange their losing, but also the cheap SQL Server.

Thing is, Microsoft has also brought about a new system called Exchange Web Services, that allows third parties to provide exchange-like services without exchange. As an example, SmarterMail offers EWS support and you can tie Outlook 2013 into it via EWS and not need exchange at all, but have all the functionality of it.

 

[elbmek]

I rather think that Area66 does not have English as his native language, so maybe a bit of leeway??

 

[TheGrantFitz]

Admittedly I got Media Centre for free, via an email with code from MS

Same.

 

[Mystere]

A WinRT tablet has almost arguably inferior hardware to the iPad, and has practically equivalent hardware with cheaper Android tabs. But since it's running "windows," I'm not getting screwed over at all.....

Hardly. First, the part most people forget is that the Surface is not the only Windows 8 tablet out there. There are a number of them, with more planned early next year. And these the gamut from large phones to 20" tablets (yes, 20").

Second, the Surface itself has unarguably better hardware in every respect than the iPad other than the Retina display. Hell, having real USB ports alone is a huge bonus, plus SD slots. Having a wired-in keyboard is also a huge advantage.

People keep saying the RT is overpriced, but it gives you better hardware than an iPad for the same price.

 

[FSeal]

Media Center is only free through Jan 2013. After that, any windows sold will require a fee to upgrade.

You can't use the 2 months of promotional pricing to judge what things are going to cost over the next 3 years of windows 8 lifetime :/

And a short comment about the cloud. The "cloud" (the new marketing buzzword for "the internet") alone does not stipulate any particular pay options. BUT, every company out there is working on continuous revenue stream subscription service models. MS, Adobe etc. Sure they are options NOW, but the fact is, these subscriptions cost 2-5 times what a normal person would spend by buying a software package and using for a reasonable amount of time. They are GOLD MINES for the companies involved. It is very right to be concerned about the state of the future of software use. Purchase vs rental. Don't just sit back and watch it happen THEN freak out about it. Make sure everyone knows that spending $30 a month ($20 if you buy a year at a time) for the right to use Photoshop had better NOT become the ONLY way to use it. I can guarantee you Adobe wants it that way. And that is NOT fear mongering.

 

[pparks1]

People keep saying the RT is overpriced, but it gives you better hardware than an iPad for the same price.

But what about the "Experience"? I don't know that many people who bought an iPad because it had "super awesome hardware". No, the hardware specs themselves or the lack of external cards, or ports...never seemed to bother an iPad user at all. They bought it for the experience, it was shiny, it had good apps via the app store, and practically everybody has one and they all rave about it. Microsoft certainly needs THAT for Surface to really take off. We can give it the most awesome hardware ever...but without a strong desire to use it, what's the point?

 

[Mystere]

But what about the "Experience"? I don't know that many people who bought an iPad because it had "super awesome hardware". No, the hardware specs themselves or the lack of external cards, or ports...never seemed to bother an iPad user at all. They bought it for the experience, it was shiny, it had good apps via the app store, and practically everybody has one and they all rave about it. Microsoft certainly needs THAT for Surface to really take off. We can give it the most awesome hardware ever...but without a strong desire to use it, what's the point?

Neither the iPad or the iPod started out with a billion mature apps. Hell, the iOS "experience" is much better than Android, and Android has been around for years. Apps on Android tend to be less polished, and less mature on average.

However, Many of the iOS app writers are porting their apps to Metro because Microsoft has made it very easy for them to do so. In 6 months or a year, Apps will not be an advantage of iOS, and arguably Metro may have better apps given Microsofts huge investment in getting people to write apps for it.

Please, don't mistake immaturity with "inferior". Immature is cured with time, inferior is not.

 

[Kebero]

So you limit could computing only to storage spaces ? and you ask me if I know about cloud computing ?

For the consumer, yes, I limit cloud computing to storage spaces - and I include Google Docs and Office via SkyDrive as storage spaces.

What about Desktop virtualisation ? where the OS will run on clouds servers ? ( this is where I start my conspiracy, where you gone have a monthly bill)

I seriously doubt that VDI will become part of the non-enterprise world. On the other hand, an enterprise will either have their own private cloud (either in their data centre or co-located) or will pay for hosting. This isn't any different than the current data centre model.

 

[pparks1]

But what about the "Experience"? I don't know that many people who bought an iPad because it had "super awesome hardware". No, the hardware specs themselves or the lack of external cards, or ports...never seemed to bother an iPad user at all. They bought it for the experience, it was shiny, it had good apps via the app store, and practically everybody has one and they all rave about it. Microsoft certainly needs THAT for Surface to really take off. We can give it the most awesome hardware ever...but without a strong desire to use it, what's the point?

Neither the iPad or the iPod started out with a billion mature apps. Hell, the iOS "experience" is much better than Android, and Android has been around for years. Apps on Android tend to be less polished, and less mature on average.

However, Many of the iOS app writers are porting their apps to Metro because Microsoft has made it very easy for them to do so. In 6 months or a year, Apps will not be an advantage of iOS, and arguably Metro may have better apps given Microsofts huge investment in getting people to write apps for it.

Please, don't mistake immaturity with "inferior". Immature is cured with time, inferior is not.

No, they didn't have tons of apps, but people still wanted them, they loved the experience and they still rave to everybody that you should get an iPad, iPhone, or iPod. It certainly wasn't the hardware that made them successful, it was implementation and the experience.

 

[Coke Robot]

People keep saying the RT is overpriced, but it gives you better hardware than an iPad for the same price.

But what about the "Experience"? I don't know that many people who bought an iPad because it had "super awesome hardware". No, the hardware specs themselves or the lack of external cards, or ports...never seemed to bother an iPad user at all. They bought it for the experience, it was shiny, it had good apps via the app store, and practically everybody has one and they all rave about it. Microsoft certainly needs THAT for Surface to really take off. We can give it the most awesome hardware ever...but without a strong desire to use it, what's the point?

I don't think most ipad users have half a billion apps installed on their ipads...if they did, they would have to use apple for saying you can have access to half a billion apps but can't without hassle.

But setting that aside and hardware: Office. No one goes to buy an ipad for Office. No one goes to buy an ipad so they can upload a Word document or to print said document. A Swiss Army knife is more worthwhile than having a expensive knife that can cut through a boot.

 

[pparks1]

People keep saying the RT is overpriced, but it gives you better hardware than an iPad for the same price.

But what about the "Experience"? I don't know that many people who bought an iPad because it had "super awesome hardware". No, the hardware specs themselves or the lack of external cards, or ports...never seemed to bother an iPad user at all. They bought it for the experience, it was shiny, it had good apps via the app store, and practically everybody has one and they all rave about it. Microsoft certainly needs THAT for Surface to really take off. We can give it the most awesome hardware ever...but without a strong desire to use it, what's the point?

I don't think most ipad users have half a billion apps installed on their ipads...if they did, they would have to use apple for saying you can have access to half a billion apps but can't without hassle.

But setting that aside and hardware: Office. No one goes to buy an ipad for Office. No one goes to buy an ipad so they can upload a Word document or to print said document. A Swiss Army knife is more worthwhile than having a expensive knife that can cut through a boot.

And likely almost everybody who bought an iPad found that they can live quite happily without office. I don't hear many complaints about how they would love they their iPad if it only had office.

 

[Mystere]

If Windows 8 was truly a great Operating System, it wouldn't be necessary for MS fanbois to have to convince me of it's greatness. Nobody had to tell me that Windows 7 was great, it was that obvious.

By the way. I'm not trying to convince you that it's great. Not in the least. I disagree with your characterization of the usability of the OS, and I'm merely addressing your factually incorrect statements about it, and pointing out that you express opinions as fact.

The real interesting thing is, if Windows 8 sucks so bad, then it shouldn't be necessary for you to try and convince others that it does. It should be obvious.

Why do you feel the need to constantly post to a support board for a product you don't like, refuse to use, and refuse to look at objectively?

The difference between us is that you ARE trying to convince others that your opinion is correct. I won't argue that you don't like it. Obviously you don't. Just stop saying things that aren't true to support that opinion.

 

[area 66]

I seriously doubt that VDI will become part of the non-enterprise world..

I will try to find for you the article on the research center Google have in US for the only purpose of offering Virtual Desktop to everyone, Citrix, Vmware do the same and of course Microsoft. If you look at Chrome OS, it's clear that Google don't want we use PC.

I must say that I have less concern using Microsoft than Google for this purpose. I really love to use Servers 2012 Essential combine with Office 365 to host on the cloud the exchange servers, it's way less trouble to manage. Business customers freak when they lost their email for more than 5 minutes. And the integration of Office 365 and Server 2012 essential is amazing. So easy to manage. The remote web access is very nice too. As you see I love many products of Microsoft, it's just the way they implement the metro to Windows 8 that I hate.