[Cialug] Windows 8

[Todd Walton]

I'm watching the Microsoft Build Conference keynote right now.
They're poring over the upcoming Windows 8.  All in all, it really is
an improvement over Windows 7.  (Well, I really haven't used Windows 7
very much.  But, the point being, there's lots of improvements.)

There's a new login screen, where you have a picture of your own
choosing, and you enter your "password" by tapping or drawing lines on
the picture.  Like, nose, glass, line on railing.  That's cool.

It has a whole new interface based on "Metro", which places a lot of
emphasis on motion and words, versus a static screen and icons.  It's
a lot like a modern phone interface.  I really have to wonder, though.
 How does this thing work on non-touch screens?  And it's going to
take a lot of relearning by the computer-intimidated and the
hyper-productive.  Also, it looks like it's only going to reinforce
the feeling of a glass barrier: play with your toys, but leave the
hood closed.

The main speaker said something that made me very angry.  He said,
(roughly), "in the new world of computing apps must not be siloes and
must communicate with other apps through more than just a narrow
channel."  I know he's supposed to be 'oh wow' and 'gee whiz', but you
know... the only reason Windows apps have been so siloed and greedy is
because Microsoft has legislated and incentivized it for so long.  I
learned Linux administration long before Windows, and when I came to
Windows administration 5 years ago or so, this was one of the things
that infuriated me so much.  Every little thing I'd want to do used
it's own app, hidden away in its own place, using its own interface.
And you could never take the output of one app and give it to another.
 Agh!

Anyway.  Here's an article about changes afoot in Ubuntu's Unity:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/open-source/whats-coming-in-ubuntus-new-unity-linux-desktop/9519

--
Todd