Windows 9 Unveiled (sort of)

[[XC] Synthetickiller]

Link

Our first glimpse of Windows 9 may be right around the corner, as the new rapid-fire Microsoft scrambles to put the stigma of Windows 8's disastrous launch in the rear view mirror.

Microsoft is set to officially unveil Windows "Threshold"?as it's currently code-named?at a press event on September 30 or soon thereafter, according to the Verge's Tom Warren. A week ago, ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley reported that Microsoft was targeting a "technology preview" for Windows Threshold in late September or early October. Both Warren and Foley are well-connected Windows watchers with a firm track record; the duo was the first to report on the Windows Blue update that eventually evolved into Windows 8.1, for instance.

start menu windows 81
The Start menu and the ability to run Metro apps on the desktop are definitely coming to Windows 9.

Rather than being a sweeping overhaul in the vein of Windows 8, Windows Threshold actually appears poised to dial back the gargantuan changes found in that operating system. Microsoft has already announced that the Start menu is coming back to the OS, joined by the ability to run Metro apps in discrete desktop windows. Recent leaks (including Foley and Warren's own reports) suggest other, mostly pro-desktop tweaks are inbound, including virtual desktop support, the removal of the Charms bar, and?possibly?the introduction of Windows Phone 8.1's sassy virtual assistant, Cortana, to Windows proper.

Hopefully there's more to Threshold than simple UI changes. We can think of other features we'd like to see in Windows 9?15 of them, in fact. We'll know for sure what's making the cut before long, if the two reports prove true. And if they do, Microsoft will reportedly make the technical preview public, so that developers and enthusiasts alike will be able to take Windows 9 for a whirl. Fingers crossed.

Came across randomly while playing with (& being frustrated with) Win 8 Pro. We'll be seeing some real info on Sep 30th.

Reminds me of Vista -> Win 7.
Now we are Win 8.1 > Win 9.

At least the start bar is back.
Metro is back.

This seems relevant to the OCing communit as driver support will slowly die for older OSes. I don't know if Win 7 will stick around as long as XP, but with products like Win 8 (and if Win 9 is closer to Win 8 than 7), it could.

[WangChung]

If there's no new file system, I probably won't bother. We just got all the computers at work switched to Win7, and all my computers at home are on Win7 or Mint (and one soon to be FreeNAS). I hope this is more than just a "New Coke -> Coke Classic" release.

[Tenknics]

that's a screenshot of Windows 8.1

[zalbard]

that's a screenshot of Windows 8.1

This.

And I hope Win9 looks much better than this.

[NEOAethyr]

I really thought that ms would wise up by now.

My opinion, a bit harsh too, unfortunately.
It looks like a dog turd, reminds me to much of win 3.1.

They take out the start menu, good for me, bad for others.
They re-add it, good for others, bad for me because I can't get rid of it.
The only start menu I'm interested in is the classic ver, not vista's bungled mess.

They remove the transparency right before they release the final ver of win8.
A big wtf, a complete turn off.
I'm looking for a modern os that looks halfway ok to the eyes, not this 486 crap you know???

I figure maybe they'll fix everything by win9, doesn't look like it now though.
Obviously Steve Ballmer wasn't the prob, whoever designed this look I don't know they're thinking.
It looks like a cardboard box, that's probably it right there, "oh yay it looks just like the box, awesome derpy derp"...
Welcome to the 90's, oh yeah...

And again what's with the giant taskbar crap you know?
What happened to the normal 16 px icon sized one (it's like 21px's), the crap they have today looks like 72px's or something.
I'de need an 8k monitor to make it look normal.
Windows for old people, windows easy mode...


I did say my opinion was harsh.
And to be honest I'm pretty bummed out.
I mean wtf dude, what is this crap?
Retarded pretty much sums it up, and I know that offends some people, that word, but it's pretty much thee word that describes microsoft.
They're pretty darned lucky no one has put together a more complete distro of linux.
I could see them lasting another 3-5 years before really starts to hit the fan.
I mean if the initiative was really there, windows market would be like the phone market.
Yeah, mac's would outdue windows, and I can see why.
Microsoft didn't improve a darned thing, how long has win7 been out?, 2009, damn...
Almost 5 years, I guess it hasn't been that long, but it's really due for an overhaul (it does handle 3dvision a bit better with it's newer desktop renderer stuff, for watichg movies, it doesn't have that lag when switching windows up).

I know most people don't care, it looks fine to them, they think it's better, whatever.
To each there own, the only use I see for it is coasters and fire kindling, and maybe toilet paper for those times when you have nothing else.
Yeah I think even napkins form mcdonalds or something are more valuable then windows 8 and above lol, at least the paper is softer on your bum.

yep harsh, honest truth, adding transparency back and an option to get the start menu would be a good start.
I would probably try it out then.
Really that's all they need for now, as long as the os was built right, but that's another matter.
Win8 seemed ok, just looked like .

Sorry for the lang flavor enhancher thingys.
But it's pretty much called for I think, wake the hell up microsoft...

[AliG]

that's a screenshot of Windows 8.1

I don't think so, note the the start menu is a bar again like windows 7. It looks very similar to windows 8.1, but if you click the start button you go to the Metro UI home screen (which I actually like).

[Chrono Detector]

Wasn't that screenshot confirmed as a fake a while ago? I really hope Windows 9 has a brand new GUI, I'm sick of Vista like GUI and icons, used on the last 3 generation of Windows is just old and boring and I really dislike the flat look of Windows 8.

[Tenknics]

I don't think so, note the the start menu is a bar again like windows 7. It looks very similar to windows 8.1, but if you click the start button you go to the Metro UI home screen (which I actually like).

Do you have proof? Cause I do.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGf4ZScmxnY

"Start Menu For Windows 8.1 first demo by Microsoft"

Published on Apr 2, 2014 "

That screenshot is from this demo.

[AliG]

Do you have proof? Cause I do.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGf4ZScmxnY

"Start Menu For Windows 8.1 first demo by Microsoft"

Published on Apr 2, 2014 "

That screenshot is from this demo.

lol you win

[IanB]

If there's no new file system, I probably won't bother.

You know that the new MS file system ReFS - the possible replacement for NTFS - is already fully available in Windows 8.1 as well as the latest Windows Server, right? You can access all features and the the ability to set Storage Spaces using ReFS, which create ZFS-comparable RAID arrays, with just a registry tweak on Windows 8.1 - I doubt VERY much if that will be removed on Windows 9. Actually, I'm hoping that they iterate ReFS in that, since it's still to some extent unfinished and in development.

Apart from performance, which is much reduced for writing to parity arrays (apparently by design), Storage Spaces parity arrays have much the same killer features as ZFS - background data scrubbing and repair - which make them VERY suitable for common media arrays which are basically WORM (write once, read many). You can now build a Windows 8.1 based NAS with Storage Spaces that has the same data security, if slightly lower performance, as a FreeBSD NAS4Free or FreeNAS box - which makes the need to deal with UNIX redundant for most people that just want an easy-to-configure home media server. There are still some problems with the Win 8.1 Storage Spaces GUI, however, when setting up parity arrays correctly.

Anandtech's Ganesh has confirmed to me that he will be doing a comparative article covering ReFS/Storage Spaces soon.

[DeathReborn]

I will still use Classic Menu in Windows 9 as I really dislike the tiles. It works on a touchscreen or in a "Console/TV" mode but for desktops and laptops sans Touch it's a nasty thing to use. The 2 organisations I do a lot of IT work for are all sticking with 7 for the next 2 years at least as after trialing 8 it got universal hatred from the staff. That works out at over 6,000 licenses (1 desktop + 1 laptop per employee) lost because they want to force a poorly defined UI onto everyone regardless of input device.

I will be upgrading as soon as Classic Menu is updated to support 9 but I will still avoid at all costs the Metro/Modern interface.

I mean to use defined, that's not a typo by the way.

[Evantaur]

dunno... i kinda like this metro ui thingy, i wish they keep it as an option



if they make the DPC latency go away i'll be all over win9 (it still won't make it linux but atleast it stops ing up my audio after uptime of 3 days)

[STEvil]

It blows my mind how hard it seems to be to put a little button in the bottom left...

[kromosto]

on technical side it is easy but on "swallow one's words" side it is very very hard.

[Sparky]

It blows my mind how hard it seems to be to put a little button in the bottom left...

Win 8.1 put the button back.

I generally still prefer Windows 7, and that is really what I use 95% of the time (work and home). My laptop has 8.1 on it and I hate how the start screen has everything spilled out instead of neat folders. But I realized all i really need to do is take a few minutes to pin to the main screen the stuff I want there.

[MattiasNYC]

dunno... i kinda like this metro ui thingy, i wish they keep it as an option

I like metro as well. Getting to the desktop on Win8 is fast, and accessing my apps/files without the start menu is just as fast as on Win7 for me.

cute girl

[[XC] Synthetickiller]

Sorry for the confusion about the start bar. I should have realized that MS would not release info like that prior to a major announcement.

@ Tenknics, good catch.


I agree with what everyone else says. I wish DPI scaling was on the level of OSX. Never thought I'd say that. I'll be on win 7 for a long time. At this rate, it will will be Windows XP 2.0 in terms of longevity.

[Tenknics]

Seeing Windows 8/8.1 is still kinda weird for me. I consider myself a techie/computer enthusiast, always on the up and up, the new new. But I'm still on Windows 7. Windows 8 seems so foreign and strange to me...and its a weird thought because as computer people, we always want the newest/latest/greatest etc etc. and yet my OS/lots of people's OS - is really old!

Just kinda thinking out loud...dont mind me

[Iconyu]

cute girl

It's the latest Ruby prototype, no idea when Illfonic will get it done now that they are working for CIG too.

[MattiasNYC]

Seeing Windows 8/8.1 is still kinda weird for me. I consider myself a techie/computer enthusiast, always on the up and up, the new new. But I'm still on Windows 7. Windows 8 seems so foreign and strange to me...and its a weird thought because as computer people, we always want the newest/latest/greatest etc etc. and yet my OS/lots of people's OS - is really old!

Just kinda thinking out loud...dont mind me

I hear that argument every now and then and I just can't relate to it. I do some of my work on OSX and some on Windows, and all of my work is done in apps that run on the desktop. So if I'm actually working on a Win 8 machine all I'll see is the good 'ol desktop. It's simply no difference at all.

[Tenknics]

I hear that argument every now and then and I just can't relate to it. I do some of my work on OSX and some on Windows, and all of my work is done in apps that run on the desktop. So if I'm actually working on a Win 8 machine all I'll see is the good 'ol desktop. It's simply no difference at all.

It wasn't really an argument. Just a self-reflection on how I see Win8. It seems foreign to me, yet its the newest OS. And typically I'm always up to date with the latest and in this case, I am not. Just ironic to me. That's all man, like I said, thinking out loud

[Levish]

hoping storage spaces volumes become bootable with Win9 / Server 2014 or 2015 or whatever.

[squawker]

Tenknics

Seeing Windows 8/8.1 is still kinda weird for me. I consider myself a techie/computer enthusiast, always on the up and up, the new new. But I'm still on Windows 7. Windows 8 seems so foreign and strange to me...and its a weird thought because as computer people, we always want the newest/latest/greatest etc etc. and yet my OS/lots of people's OS - is really old!

Just kinda thinking out loud...dont mind me

+1

[NEOAethyr]

Other then transparency for windows and an option to remove the start button (I use quick a launch folder with a ctrl-click)..
I want to see bootable exfat.
So I can get rid of ntfs once and for all.
That's a big one for me, that's the whole reason I went to embedded thinking I could do that, I was so bummed about that.

I like exfat, it's decent for speed, has none of that user right nonsense (I mean come on..), works on arm and linux np.
Though linux these days only wants to install on ext fs..., don't know when the distros started that :\.
:O yawn I gotta work on that...

And I'de also like to see windows to stop using a drive letter c and just go back to what what it did in xp, if it sees that it's the 3rd partition it should pick e: and etc.
I can fix this with a script, but still.
The reason why is, I see it use c every time and I know it's not c... in any sense (it would be f:\ in my case).
And also, every virus out there pretty much looks for c..., "is there a c:\windows, oh yep there's a c... let's mess with that..".

Oh yeah, kinda griping here, but there's a bug in the network stack, what was that again...
I can't remember now the details, I had found a thread on it on some website, but anyways.
It was a bug that effects all ver's of nt, and it's annoying.
The only way I can describe it off the top of my head is that dhcp doesn't work right sometimes.
Ohwell, I wish I remembered exactly what it was about though.

Edit:
Oh yeah one more.
Wish they would fix up ntvdm back up to where it was in winxp.
I think rid of it because of that ring0 exploit, instead of fixing the bug they just got rid of a good chunk of the dos sub system.
I know I could use virtual box, but I used to like ntvdm.
It wasn't perfect but it used to be good enough, now it's crap man.

[Sparky]

..........

I must say, some of your wants sound a bit bizarre to me

You talk about wanting more security, but not at the file system level (what?) and going backwards to reintroducing some old dos subsystem chunk... like why?