What Microsoft should have done

We ear a lot of complain about Windows 8, especially the integration of the Start Page, but here what I tough will have bring more money to Microsoft:

Instead of bring a tablet OS to the Desktop, they should have bring the tablet to the desktop:

1- If you look at the Xbox SmartGlass, it allow you from a tablet or pc to control the Xbox
2- With an Android tablet you can text using your Android phone as connecting device

So why don't Microsoft is not using a tablet to :
1- run Metro Apps
2- control some apps running on the PC ( kind of Remote Desktop)

Simple; use the Tablet as a Desktop extension and do not force desktop users to use a tablet OS , I can even see someone docking the tablet on the PC to use it as touch monitor for some desktop apps ( like paint or hand writing)


1- Metro Apps on the PC ; Optional and charge for it ( xtra money here, especially since they charge only $ 40 for an upgrade)
2- Better Integration between the Tablet and the PC
3- Way more storage

If they have done this route a lot of peoples ( including me ) will purchase tablets just because it give more option to our PC and other peoples will still be able to use this tablet with Metro apps on it, no need for desktop on a tablet.

Simple, get the Start Page out of my PC, allow me to use a tablet for it, more options less hassle

I hope it's clear in my poor English

 

[Coke Robot]

I'm not totally against this stuff, Cokie. The idea of using the cloud as a backup I think is a great idea. But your own media = your responsibility. Leaving it up to Cloudies makes you 100% dependent on them. Not a fan of that. Thing is, with all these teenie tiny devices there's going to be a lot more Cloudies handling your stuff. I don't know what you can do to change that. Can't think of anything off the top of my head. Might be screwed. Oh well.

Thinking about this, (was going to post last this last night but an issue screwed up the web page and I went to bed) the decision of the person choosing to store all their files onto a cloud server is RIGHT IN ITSELF that person's decision and responsibility for doing such. Your cloud server is down? Your fault for not having a physical copy. Just imagine a situation, you're giving a PowerPoint presentation at work, and you can't access it because SkyDrive or whatever is down. The boss looks at you says, "Well, why didn't you make a physical copy of it?"

I don't believe in the cloud as the one and only thing to solve backup issues, I believe in the "all the above" method. Back then, if you were doing a master thesis, you would make copies and backups and backups to your backups on floppies or even CDs. Nowadays, you can use a flash drive, someone else's flash, PC, or external hard drive or even their email, your PC, an external drive, NAS, cloud storage, email, CDs, DVDs, even floppy drives. If you know what you're doing and have the hardware, going to the extreme, making tape backups of said master thesis paper. The cloud is just one solution out of many. I personally know a few people that have lost their digital tax documents that were on their hard drive on year, lost the next year on an external hard drive, and now they're using a cloud service.

It's about finding the right balance and the ideal solution of cloud and local storage.

 

[Coke Robot]

If you have so much problem with your data Coke, may be it's time you install something like WHS 2011, it back up twice a day your stuff, restore a PC with a HD failure is a walk in the park with WHS 2011, put a new drive, a cd and you let the server do the rest.

I'll probably consider that as when I have my two RAID 5 or 10 arrays going sometime early next year, I'll be making backups of my SSD and using a VM mirror of my system to test software with before I do anything for sure.

I think I might actually use an external hard drive or just a bare 2.5" hard drive to back up my vital statistics. I was even pondering using tape backups, but that's too extreme and not ideal.

But then there's the fact that I could lose about 12-16 TERABYTES, of media between two RAID arrays.......

 

[machare]

Oh well, I guess for $40 I can't complain too much.

$40 + the loss of XP, Vista or W7.

 

[legacy7955]

Well maybe the marketing works on many but for me I am insulted and it seems patronizing to force the metro apps nonsense on us without the ability to simply let the user select which GUI to boot to at start up.

I'm not totally against the cloud but I have very little trust in it, like many others have mentioned before, who controls this information, how secure is it, and what happens when that information in cloudville is unavailable due to any number of problems from a brief temporary loss for hours or the permanent loss of that data entirely! If MS and others try and force us to not keep data localized I will be looking elsewhere for an OS.

 

[area 66]

Well maybe the marketing works on many but for me I am insulted and it seems patronizing to force the metro apps nonsense on us without the ability to simply let the user select which GUI to boot to at start up.

exactly I will even add they should even let the users decide if they want install the Metro thing giving 2 choices

1- Classic start menu
2- New Start Page ( they have to try to make it look better , lol )

so everyone will have what they want , of course some fafan ( the way we call fanboy here) will come and say it's not a great idea to give peoples a choice

Windows 8 is all about choices.... would not have been a nice ad ?

 

[SIW2]

Yes, because it implies Apple is not.

I think that would resonate.

 

[Chrono]

Is it really that much of a hassle to click, "Desktop"? I mean really?

 

[crawfish]

Oh well, I guess for $40 I can't complain too much.

$40 + the loss of XP, Vista or W7.

Oh, installing the "upgrade" deactivates the license that made one eligible for it? I never thought about it, but it makes sense, and it makes me LOL.

ETA: Seriously, how does this work? Is it truly a one-way move? Or can you forswear Windows 8 somehow and go back to your prior OS, including activating it?

 

[SIW2]

It doesn't deactivate anything.

You are supposed to do that.

There's nothing to stop you personally getting rid of win8 and reinstalling the previous o/s .

Too difficult for the average user - they won't have the install media , or system images.

 

[crawfish]

It doesn't deactivate anything.

You are supposed to do that.

There's nothing to stop you personally getting rid of win8 and reinstalling the previous o/s .

To be clear, will Microsoft activate the old OS? For example, could someone running a full copy of Windows 7 upgrade to Windows 8 and install and activate their Windows 7 on another PC? If the answer is no, then how do they get Microsoft to revoke the activation of the Windows 8 installation so that they can do this? This would also be necessary if they were wiping the upgrade machine and just going back to the prior OS.

 

[area 66]

come on crawfish, you know very well that it's a license thing. On how many thread we will need to say that you don't own the software but only the right to use it, it's Microsoft who own their software, so it's them who decide what we can do with it.

Chrone, the problem is not the desktop , it's the stupid hot corner, as I mention in many place, when I hit the back on Google, in many case the Metro apps running at the back pop up, because the back button is near the left top corner.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
If you re-install W7 on your machine (assuming it's the same one W7 was originally installed on) you won't have ANY problem with re-activation -- even if it's an OEM copy --you can re-install Windows on your ORIGINAL machine as many times as you want --although after the 234th time Ms might get a bit perplexed.

If there is ANY problem just use the phone activation -- Ms are quite reasonable --99 times out of 100 just answer the automated query and follow the instructions and you'll get activated. If you ARE put to a "Real Human" don't lie --just say you tried W8 or whatever -- I just want to install W7 again as some apps don't work properly yet. No probalem at all.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[crawfish]

come on crawfish, you know very well that it's a license thing. On how many thread we will need to say that you don't own the software but only the right to use it, it's Microsoft who own their software, so it's them who decide what we can do with it.

Huh? I asked whether Microsoft's activation servers will allow one to simultaneously activate both the qualifying OS and the upgrade OS. If they do, it would seem to defeat the purpose of activation. If they don't, and you hate the upgrade OS and want to go back to the qualifying OS, how do you do that? It seems you would have to somehow tell them you're no longer using the upgrade OS. Or is it that the choice just doesn't exist? It's a real question.

 

[area 66]

...... It seems you would have to somehow tell them you're no longer using the upgrade OS. Or is it that the choice just doesn't exist? It's a real question.

If you reverse your PC back, and re install Windows 7 on it, it's obvious that your upgrade is not install anymore. As for simultaneously activate booth OS, it's against the EULA, why peoples here insist so much on it ? It's against the forum rules to talk about a way to cheat activation, why insist on it . Everyday we have 2 or 3 persons who come back with this


This is a tread about other option Microsoft can have take, not how to cheat the system

 

[BarnabasSackett]

to purchase another monitor is costly

Not just costly, not all of us have the space for a second monitor.

 

[crawfish]

...... It seems you would have to somehow tell them you're no longer using the upgrade OS. Or is it that the choice just doesn't exist? It's a real question.

If you reverse your PC back, and re install Windows 7 on it, it's obvious that your upgrade is not install anymore. As for simultaneously activate booth OS, it's against the EULA, why peoples here insist so much on it ? It's against the forum rules to talk about a way to cheat activation, why insist on it . Everyday we have 2 or 3 persons who come back with this


This is a tread about other option Microsoft can have take, not how to cheat the system

I'm at a loss for words. I'm not even remotely talking about "cheating the system".

 

[SIW2]

We know you don't want to cheat the system.

A lot of people are confused about what they are supposed to do.

Note the word supposed. MS doesn't deactivate anything - the user is supposed to do it.

It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if millions of people don't do that.

It wouldn't surprise MS either.

It's not really relevant to this thread - we get a few people asking it about it on their own threads.

 

[crawfish]

We know you don't want to cheat the system.

Thank you.

A lot of people are confused about what they are supposed to do.

Note the word supposed. MS doesn't deactivate anything - the user is supposed to do it.

It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if millions of people don't do that.

It wouldn't surprise MS either.

But they do have the ability to deny activation, and I'm just expressing some idle curiosity about how that plays out in upgrade scenarios. Does the upgrade version come with its own product key, or do you reuse the one from the prior OS? I guess that's the most fundamental thing. If the old one is reused, then the upgrade would essentially become one with it, and I think that would put an end to my questions about this.

 

[SIW2]

Upgrade version has it's own product key.

The download program checks to see if you have a qualifying os before it offers you the upgrade price and let's you order. They send an email with the key.

It downloads the installation files into a hidden folder called ESD. It gives you the option to run off an .iso for a clean install. If you boot the iso, setup.exe checks there is a qualifying version on the machine you booted it on - it lets you install onto another partition - you are not forced to overwrite anything.

 

[area 66]

I'm at a loss for words. I'm not even remotely talking about "cheating the system".

Huh? I asked whether Microsoft's activation servers will allow one to simultaneously activate both the qualifying OS and the upgrade OS. .

Activate boot Windows 7 and the Update at same time is cheating the license. We have numerous treads where numerous times Bring paste or link the EULA .....

and again your are Hi-Jacking the tread with something not related at all.