Windows 8 Wish List

[dconnors]

[citation][nom]amigafan[/nom]More and more I stumble upon such consumer-oriented articles here on Tom's which I don't welcome since I always regarded Tom's to be oriented towards enthusiasts and people who know their stuff. I don't like this trend and I hope Tom's won't become just another Engadget or something like Gizmodo.[/citation]

Amigafan...you do realize that there are two separate sites, right? This article is on Tom's Guide, which is totally separate from Tom's Hardware. Each site has its own area of expertise, and I can promise you that neither site will change anytime soon in that regard.

As far as Engadget and Gizmodo are concerned...neither Tom's Hardware nor Tom's Guide are blogs, so you shouldn't worry about either site mimicking that format.

-Devin Connors

 

[dconnors]

Oh, and regarding the signed software requirement: Mary makes an excellent point about John and Jane Doe (average users) having a more secure Windows experience, but most power users are going to balk at that requirement. I think a great compromise would be to have the suggested feature be optional, so you can set it when you first install Windows (or start the machine for the first time upon bringing it home from Best Buy, etc).

-Devin Connors

 

[Guest]

Shitty article, as for linux requires no restart, you must be retarded, try updating kernel without restart (which requires updates every day)

 

[Guest]

How about some decent file and download management already, the ability to que up multiple operations intuitively, pause and resume on downloads and file copies, remembering where you where at if interrupted and continuing without starting over.

Windows has had these problems since the very first version, focus lees on eye candy and more on functionality.

 

[Rab1d-BDGR]

Only run signed code?

Are you fricking kidding me?! I would NEVER touch a POS operating system with that requirement. Sure, you caould have a *option* to only install signed software for protecting nubs but seriously...

 

[amigafan]

@marybranscombe: I see where you are coming from, but we'll see how Microsoft will implement certification system. I fear it will be expensive, of limited value (e.g., valid only for certain number of applications and/or expires quickly so you have to renew it and pay again) and causing complications to the independent self-taught enthusiasts and hobby developers. Imagine you create a program for school, work, friend or whatever and it won't run there unless you pay for a certificate.

@randomizer & dconnors: Indeed, I later noticed this is Tom's GUIDE but since I couldn't edit my comment I left it as is. But I found link to this article on Tom's HARDWARE and that's why I didn't notice right away.

 

[marybranscombe]

@Rab, Devin - the problem with making it optional to block unsigned code is that you've now reduced the protection to the level of social engineering; if it can be turned off, all I have to do is trick you into doing it.

@amigafan and everyone thinking I meant Microsoft would administer the code signing certificates, that sounds very like an app store any they do have limits but I'm talking about the digital signing certificates you can get from any domain registrar like GoDaddy for $25 that last for usually 3 years and can be used to sign as many apps as you like. There are ways of generating code signing digital certificates without paying to use a registrar but then Windows would have to be given the root certificate to trust your certificate. I'm a huge supporter of anonymity and hobby development and I know it's an extra burden, but compared to the potential security benefits I'm still keen on enforcing signed code.

@Dugimodo - excellent suggestion. The pause/resume download in IE 9 would be great to have as part of the standard file copy; maybe I could pause the transfer and add or remove files from the copy list!

 

[marybranscombe]

@randomizer - even worse, if you don't see the restart nag prompt to postpone it, it's 'live'. My example of managing to switch to the dialog when you think you're typing into a document and typing a word that includes 'r' and having that restart the PC has only happened to me once but that's once too often!

 

[vk_87]

The author is definitely confused, she wants Windows 8 to be a clone of Mac,at least judging by the several points made.

As far as the SoC's that she was talking about, i'm pretty sure she was referring to the Intel SNB and AMD Fusion chips.

Overall nice article...

 

[amigafan]

Well ok Mary, you see it from the perspective of plain user and a tech copycat, while most of us readers see this from the other perspective, of power users. Everyone has right on their own opinion. I just hope Microsoft will manage to accommodate both categories of users. Perhaps mobile devices (WP7 platform) will see more restrictions while Microsoft's desktop OS will see relaxed restrictions (also may be that Home & related editions will have enforced restrictions but Professional & and related editions will feature possibility to control those restrictions).

 

[Guest]

one more thing i want to see on the next windows:
smart copy...
when you try to copy a lot of mb from different folders to different disks at the same time it takes too long because windows are trying to copy all at the same time... make it smarter and copy files in a serial way and not parallel, and also copy the low mb files first then copy the higher mb, or at least ask the user to use smart copy.

 

[marybranscombe]

@amigafan - WP7 already has the restriction; it can't run anything but signed code and in that case code signed through the Microsoft Marketplace, which does indeed need a Microsoft certificate (one of the reasons it supports only a handful of FOSS licences and not eg GPL or anything with copyleft). Interestingly, enterprise copies of Windows already have a group policy to block unsigned code, but you need an Active Directory to force it to be applied (because simple registry edits can be undone as simply). It will indeed be interesting to see which audiences Microsoft is targetting with Windows 8; the mainstream audience is far bigger than the power user segment, but also more vocal and influential. Long term, I believe there has to be a serious answer to malware and botnets and for all its power user disadvantages, I think enforced signed code could be a good start. Good debating it with you ;-)

 

[Guest]

Only number 4, 6, 7 and 12 is some what useful and interesting... The rest? I would only turn them off...
I personally think there should be more customization options... e.g. startup screen, boot screen, and less limited theme options... I am just getting bored of looking at all the same loading up screen in a Lan party...
In addition, I would also like to see more options in the installation screen... Some people just wouldn't ever connect directly to printers... stylus... or any external input devices except the good old mouse, keyboard and maybe webcam or microphone...
The one thing that I want to see is not entirely related to Windows but I would like to see some sort of improvement in networking... In XP, I get the annoying not connected or super unstable wireless. In Vista, I get the no wireless device found... and super long time to renew ip. In Win7, I need to set every connection to "home or office" to get applications connecting... and the fact that ipv6 is super rarely used...

 

[Guest]

RE: It costs a developer about $25 to buy a certificate to sign the programs they write.

where can i sign my code for $25? Last i checked it was $200 a year and you have to register the business name in the state where it is based.

 

[Guest]

IE9 actually hides the option to run an unsigned app.
its a racket. it should be free to sign an app. its your app.

 

[chris_bc_33]

Some genuinely horrible and misguided ideas on here. The PC is not a tablet or a phone and shouldn't work that way. And stop asking for the OS to be dumbed down more for dummies by having it put files where it decides to. That's almost certainly the worst idea in here. If you can't even understand the libraries and how to browse among them you shouldn't be using anything much more complex than an automatic toaster.

What's needed instead is an expert mode (added to the current dummy mode) where the libraries and other BS aliases and links are gone completely. Start at the friggin' C: drive and show me the folders there, or perhaps the "Computer" and show me the drives there. Get rid of the "Desktop" as the top of the hierarchy because serious users rarely use it that way. They keep important files on a separate drive (or at least partition) where they are far less likely to be lost if the OS crashes and hoses the C: drive.

 

[virtualban]

If the OS becomes too dumbed down or too restricted, power users will move to other OS more and more, or stay back on the previous generation OS that allows them the freedom and customizations. Then who is going to support the new users in the rare cases the new users will chose to get the new OS even if their techie friend suggests otherwise?

So, if not bringing happy faces to power users, then not bringing happy faces on dollar bills either.

Yes, there is the pre-installed from manufacturers way, the whole Vista and people wanting downgrade options etc etc. more sales for MS maybe.

 

[falconqc]

Half of the ideas in this article are sensible, the other half is just regurgitated "Wants" every media outlet likes to talk about...

For example I would like better touch support and gestures in Windows 8... It would make devices like the Viewpad10 a lot more attractive. But on the other hand, Microsoft isn't the only one who has to make a compatible UI. Other application makers need to make more touch friendly UIs. Having a warning before installing updates beforehand is great. Love the idea of a built in startup optimiser with actual counters to see how much time each

But things like battery life, hardware VT, BIOS POST time... Microsoft has no direct control over those things... Software can only do so much to optimize the available hardware. Sure, Microsoft can push the industry in a certain direction, and I am sure they already are, but that shouldn't be part of an article on desired features for Windows 8.

What I'd like to see is more flexible multicore support. Some applications only run on one thread, so why not have Windows give us better load balancing between existing cores and really unlock processor power, as well as a better way to manage processor affinity. I'm sure Windows already does this to some degree, but I would like to be able to know what processor a certain application actively running on, not just which ones are available to it.

I have a Q6600 for my desktop, what I like to do when converting video is to limit affinity of the video converting software to 3 processors, and launch a game running on the 4rth processor. I have to do this manually in task manager. HDD thrashing aside, this works very well.

 

[pgreed]

What we need from M$ next windows?:
to occupy less space on the disk and to not extend like crazy; to improve the memory managemend; to improve the communication mode with USB flash; to resolve the bugs with power management and so on......

 

[Guest]

I few things to add as well. I certainly hope against hope that this kind of feedback isn't below the notice of Microsoft. I think some of these recommendations are well and good. Virtualization, great, Sync, great, the signed software thing is going to be controversial, and I would only support it if it could be disabled. But there are couple of larger concerns that IMHO should take precedence.

1 - Size/Bloat
First of all, size, efficiency, and scalability should be the utmost concern. For example, the entire reason Windows 7 was favored so much over Vista. Sometimes we don't want MORE features, we just want more, speed, stability, security and refinement. Stability and security go double for the enterprise market. Furthermore, more people out there are moving down to Atom processors and tablets then moving up to i7 Sandy Bridge monsters. I think there is a real opportunity with a next gen windows to scale it down. What I would like to see is a fully functional windows operating environment that can run ANY windows software lean enough to operate on a tablet. Having a pretty, zazzy, visually stunning interface with lots of complicated searching, indexing, pre-fetching and intra-OS chat would probably inhibit this. I would rather be able to run Excel, Photoshop CS5, and DirectX 11 on a tablet than have transparent window borders and animated transitions. Even the performance freaks would line up for the minimalist version if the spared resources gave them 2 more fps in Crysis.

2 - Inappropriate App interface
The article lauds the Windows Phone 7 Metro interface. While I agree its visually appealing and there are absolutely organizational lessons that could be learned relative to the start menu, I don't want an App/Widget interface to replace or complicate the freely customizable desktop or normal file navigation. First, it likely runs counter to point 1. It usually involves big slash screens and animations. Second, it creates these complicated closed systems. We already have "big friendly buttons", Icons, and I wouldn't want to push devs to complicate that any further. Apps are on a phone aren't better than applications, they are a compromise to cope with the limitations of a 4 inch screen. Sometimes I want to treat my pictures as files, and I don't want to have to contend with the constraints of a meddling Media Center type application to explore, organize and navigate. Knowing where things are is as important to me as convenient access. I'm not against separate 'slide show' or organizer applications, but that shouldn't be core OS functionality.

3 - Control
I'm fine with paternalistic and opaque defaults to prevent casual users from getting themselves in trouble. I totally understand the impulse, and its important for the bulk of casual users. But for devs, system admins and people trying to get those 2 more fps, really really granular control is very important. This is part of what drove me nuts about Vista, and a little bit about 7. Let me give you an example: when I went to take the Bar exam (you know, for lawyers), everyone with windows Vista had a critical update, causing a bit of scandal and delaying the exam. Furthermore, the secure exam software was incumbent on restarting into an alternate shell, and the update botched the key restart for a lot of people. Even a casual user should have to rubber stamp something like that. More to the point in the article - there should ALWAYS been an OPTION to (once / always / never) allow unsigned apps; there should always be options about why and how often the OS checks the internet for any reason. All of the neat features should allow opt-outs for the sake of performance or for any possible interference they would have with software, security, or a Sys admin's job. Furthermore, I think it would be better for everybody to consolidate more these settings in a grown-up master control panel, instead of bewildering the causal user with those side-pane options, or causing devs to hunt for settings and war with user-friendly over-simplicity.

4 - Legacy
One final note - legacy software, enterprise and otherwise, is the primary reason people may people and businesses have stuck with Windows - Microsoft should never forget that. XP mode/backwards compatibility (even across the 32bit-64bit divide) should be flawless, efficient and integrated.

Apple has done well with a very closed environment, and linux is a wide-open, un-standardized free-for-all. The beauty of Windows is supposed to be that its the easy-to-develop-for space in-between. Before I get flamed, let me just say this all my humble opinion. While I consider myself more than a causal user, I'm not a programmer, system admin or developer. I'm just a home user / gamer / enterprise user, and this my perception of people's sensitivities in an OS. They want compatibility with the software they need and they want it to run quick, stable and secure, period.