I wouldn't be too quick to sneer
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| BernardSwiss Apr 11, 2012 5:02 PM EDT |
A couple of points: (1) As I recall, AOL was very popular in its day. (2) Despite the superficial resemblance to AOL, as far as I can tell, Microsoft's new "Metro" active tile interface may actually turn out to work reasonably well on large and small screens, with and without keyboard (ie. PCs, and tablets and phones) -- which would, after all, put it noticeably ahead of Gnome Shell or Unity. Of course, there is a lot, lot more to an OS than just the GUI, and Windows 8 will shine or flop on more than just the GUI, but Metro could be that rare thing -- something Microsoft gets right the first time. Like everyone else here, I'm quite happy for any opportunity to slam Microsoft or their software. But I'm not sure the Linux-fan response to Microsoft's new interface is justified, or sensible. |
| caitlyn Apr 11, 2012 5:07 PM EDT |
It is justified given Microsoft's history. Only time will tell if the rest of the world sees it that way. |
| skelband Apr 11, 2012 5:11 PM EDT |
From what I hear from most areas is that the application of the Metro interface is pretty smooth and a lot of people like it on their phone. The issue is whether or not it is really worthwhile for a desktop where proper work is done and that I seriously doubt. |
| BernardSwiss Apr 11, 2012 5:26 PM EDT |
You're right -- it is Microsoft, and Microsoft has a history of bungling the first iteration of almost anything. But it's not a foregone conclusion. And honestly -- if they do do it right, Metro will be a pretty nice GUI. I don't know if I'd care for it on a PC, but seeing how Unity and Gnome Shell have gone, they've set a low bar, and most Windows users will go along wherever MS leads them. |
| caitlyn Apr 11, 2012 5:45 PM EDT |
If skelband is right about it perhaps not being worthwhile on the desktop, then Metro would be pretty much on par with Unity and GNOME. |
| gus3 Apr 11, 2012 6:54 PM EDT |
@BernardSwiss: When AOL connected to Usenet, it gave rise to the eternal September. |
| jhansonxi Apr 11, 2012 6:57 PM EDT |
To early to tell if Win8 will be a success in the mobile market but that requires them to quit screwing up long enough to gain some measurable market share. On the desktop all I'm seeing is absolute hatred for Metro (especially since it replaces the start button) and multiple developments among third parties to get rid of it. |
| gus3 Apr 11, 2012 7:43 PM EDT |
Third-party development to get rid of Metro? You mean like Linux? Oh, wait... |
| Khamul Apr 11, 2012 9:48 PM EDT |
I've used Metro, briefly, on a cellphone I tried in a store for about 45 seconds. It actually works well enough, but it sure is Ugly. I much prefer my Android phone. What is it with MS and aesthetics, anyway? Nearly everything they make is butt-ugly. Vista was probably their best-looking UI, except the rest of the OS was so slow and crippled that no one bought it, so then they replaced it with 7, which went right back to extreme ugliness. Metro would work well on a computer, too, if you used the computer like an appliance and only did one thing at a time. Sounds like Unity and Gnome3, except that it probably works much better than Gnome3, as I seriously doubt MS would require you to learn secret keypresses to do something as trivial as turning off the power. With a phone running Gnome3, you'd get in trouble on the airplane because there'd be no way to turn it off, as the Gnome devs would tell you "you don't need to do that!". |
| dinotrac Apr 11, 2012 11:25 PM EDT |
I hate to say nice things about Microsoft -- too long a free software guy -- but Metro is very sweet on a phone. I played around with one last week and was amazed that my lousy old geezer eyes could actually read useful information from the screen without glasses. It's a matter of taste, certainly, but I think Metro makes IOS look a bit quaint. |
| Bob_Robertson Apr 12, 2012 10:28 AM EDT |
It reminds me of Gmail's "New Look". |
| Khamul Apr 12, 2012 3:07 PM EDT |
Bob's point about Gmail's "new look" is good; it seems UI people everywhere are shooting themselves in the feet these days, and the Gmail team is no different. Gmail was perfectly fine as it was, and then they had to screw it up with their horrible "new look" that they keep trying to push people into, although they're running into a lot of resistance and still haven't switched fully over to it because of this resistance. |
| slacker_mike Apr 12, 2012 3:14 PM EDT |
Gmail's new look makes my eyes bleed. |
| zentrader Apr 12, 2012 4:53 PM EDT |
I have bookmarked the "classic" page and use it. What ever happened to "if it ain't broke don't fix it". http://groups.google.com/a/googleproductforums.com/forum/#!c... |
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