What's the deal with Win 8.1 ?

On Mon, 20 Jan 2014 18:55:30 -0500, philo wrote:

Just have touch screens default to Metro

and standard screens default to classic


very simple

I actually think this is a rather brilliant solution.
--
Silver Slimer
GNU/Linux is Communism
The average GNU/Linux user:
http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instanc...x/38314453.jpg

"That is incorrect. GNU/Linux is worse then communism because at least in
a communist country you would be paid a wage for your work. In GNU/Linux
your work helps some fat cat on wall street earn bigger dividends in his
stock portfolio because nobody had to pay for your work.

Of course, Linus is a big winner since he earns millions of dollars on the
sucker programmers free labor." - Michael Bachmann

On 1/20/2014, philo* posted:
On 01/20/2014 05:08 PM, Gene E. Bloch wrote:
On 1/20/2014, Silver Slimer posted:
I would have absolutely agreed to that. In fact, I'm surprised
that
the installation process didn't allow users to simply choose which
interface they'd rather have. Allowing the user to select whether
they
would rather have the Classic interface or the New one would have
removed a lot of the complaints people had about the operating
system.
People would not have felt forced to acquaint themselves with an
incredibly unintuitive product.

OK if it *allows* users to choose the interface, but not if it
*requires* them to do so[1].

How would I, Sally Silly, new to W8, have any idea what to choose?

[1] And the installation process should make it clear - *really
clear* -
how to make or revise that decision later.




Just have touch screens default to Metro

and standard screens default to classic


very simple

For those who prefer it that way.

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

On 01/20/2014 06:07 PM, Silver Slimer wrote:
On Mon, 20 Jan 2014 18:55:30 -0500, philo wrote:

Just have touch screens default to Metro

and standard screens default to classic


very simple

I actually think this is a rather brilliant solution.



Thanks. If it is a brilliant idea, I'm sure that's why it was not done.

On 01/20/2014 06:23 PM, Gene E. Bloch wrote:
On X



Just have touch screens default to Metro

and standard screens default to classic


very simple

For those who prefer it that way.




Since it would be Microsoft doing this, of course the customers would
like it that way.


BTW: If I was designing it they could easily switch GUI's with a simple,
easy to find button. Just one click and no hunting for it.

On 1/20/2014, philo* posted:
On 01/20/2014 06:23 PM, Gene E. Bloch wrote:
On X



Just have touch screens default to Metro

and standard screens default to classic


very simple

For those who prefer it that way.




Since it would be Microsoft doing this, of course the customers would
like it that way.

:-)

BTW: If I was designing it they could easily switch GUI's with a
simple, easy to find button. Just one click and no hunting for it.

I've posted before that a special hell for software designers would be
to spend eternity using the interfaces that they designed. That's my
typically involuted way of expressing agreement with that idea :-)

So much software and so many consumer devices seem to be designed and
built by people who never use them...

I posted recently that I had the good experience of writing some
software for use in house at a couple of places where I worked. The
feedback was quick and decisive, and as a result the software got more
useful to the users.

One quick example (paraphrased): "We always run in Mode X, but the
program always starts in Mode Y, and it takes too long to get to X -
plus it's annoying...".

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

On 01/20/2014 07:09 PM, Gene E. Bloch wrote:

I've posted before that a special hell for software designers would be
to spend eternity using the interfaces that they designed. That's my
typically involuted way of expressing agreement with that idea :-)

So much software and so many consumer devices seem to be designed and
built by people who never use them...

I posted recently that I had the good experience of writing some
software for use in house at a couple of places where I worked. The
feedback was quick and decisive, and as a result the software got more
useful to the users.

One quick example (paraphrased): "We always run in Mode X, but the
program always starts in Mode Y, and it takes too long to get to X -
plus it's annoying...".




If I was in charge of the world and could control all software design,
we'd still be using mechanical typewriters.

On 1/20/2014, philo* posted:
On 01/20/2014 07:09 PM, Gene E. Bloch wrote:

I've posted before that a special hell for software designers would
be
to spend eternity using the interfaces that they designed. That's
my
typically involuted way of expressing agreement with that idea :-)

So much software and so many consumer devices seem to be designed
and
built by people who never use them...

I posted recently that I had the good experience of writing some
software for use in house at a couple of places where I worked. The
feedback was quick and decisive, and as a result the software got
more
useful to the users.

One quick example (paraphrased): "We always run in Mode X, but the
program always starts in Mode Y, and it takes too long to get to X
-
plus it's annoying...".




If I was in charge of the world and could control all software
design,
we'd still be using mechanical typewriters.

Well at least you're not advocating styli on wax tablets, coupled with
abaci for computation :-)

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

On 01/20/2014 07:29 PM, Gene E. Bloch wrote:




If I was in charge of the world and could control all software design,
we'd still be using mechanical typewriters.

Well at least you're not advocating styli on wax tablets, coupled with
abaci for computation :-)




Hard to believe that I can recall when an IBM Selectric was state of the
art! I actually had a service call once at their plant in Lexington.

On Mon, 20 Jan 2014 15:08:54 -0800, Gene E. Bloch
wrote:

On 1/20/2014, Silver Slimer posted:
I would have absolutely agreed to that. In fact, I'm surprised that
the installation process didn't allow users to simply choose which
interface they'd rather have. Allowing the user to select whether
they would rather have the Classic interface or the New one would
have removed a lot of the complaints people had about the operating
system. People would not have felt forced to acquaint themselves with
an incredibly unintuitive product.

OK if it *allows* users to choose the interface, but not if it
*requires* them to do so[1].

How would I, Sally Silly, new to W8, have any idea what to choose?

[1] And the installation process should make it clear - *really clear*
- how to make or revise that decision later.


I'm with you 100%. And even more, all the advertising, web pages, etc.
that show Windows 8, should show or talk about the choices, not make
everyone think it has to be Metro/Modern and there's no other choice.

On 1/20/2014, philo* posted:
On 01/20/2014 07:29 PM, Gene E. Bloch wrote:




If I was in charge of the world and could control all software
design,
we'd still be using mechanical typewriters.

Well at least you're not advocating styli on wax tablets, coupled
with
abaci for computation :-)




Hard to believe that I can recall when an IBM Selectric was state of
the art! I actually had a service call once at their plant in
Lexington.

An elderly relative (since deceased at age 98) just couldn't manage to
get into computers a few years ago, but then she lucked into a
Selectric and was deliriously happy with it. For her that was state of
the art in 2008 or 2009.

I discovered that ribbons and other accessories were still available,
and I also was able to locate, download, and print a manual for her.
She needed the hard copy - obviously PDF wasn't going to do it for her
:-)

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

On 1/20/2014, Ken Blake, MVP posted:
On Mon, 20 Jan 2014 15:08:54 -0800, Gene E. Bloch
wrote:

On 1/20/2014, Silver Slimer posted:
I would have absolutely agreed to that. In fact, I'm surprised that
the installation process didn't allow users to simply choose which
interface they'd rather have. Allowing the user to select whether
they would rather have the Classic interface or the New one would
have removed a lot of the complaints people had about the operating
system. People would not have felt forced to acquaint themselves
with an incredibly unintuitive product.

OK if it *allows* users to choose the interface, but not if it
*requires* them to do so[1].

How would I, Sally Silly, new to W8, have any idea what to choose?

[1] And the installation process should make it clear - *really
clear* - how to make or revise that decision later.


I'm with you 100%. And even more, all the advertising, web pages,
etc. that show Windows 8, should show or talk about the choices, not
make everyone think it has to be Metro/Modern and there's no other
choice.

Good idea.

It might even help their sales figures :-)

--
Gene E. Bloch (Stumbling Bloch)

On Tue, 21 Jan 2014 11:00:54 -0800, Gene E. Bloch
wrote:


An elderly relative (since deceased at age 98) just couldn't manage to
get into computers a few years ago, but then she lucked into a
Selectric and was deliriously happy with it. For her that was state of
the art in 2008 or 2009.



It was around 1987 when I acquired a Selectric typewriter. That was a
year or two after I got my first PC, so I used it very little. When I
retired in 1993, and moved to a smaller house, the Selectric was one
of the things I gave away.

On 1/21/2014 1:53 PM, Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
On Tue, 21 Jan 2014 11:00:54 -0800, Gene E. Bloch
wrote:
An elderly relative (since deceased at age 98) just couldn't manage to
get into computers a few years ago, but then she lucked into a
Selectric and was deliriously happy with it. For her that was state of
the art in 2008 or 2009.

It was around 1987 when I acquired a Selectric typewriter. That was a
year or two after I got my first PC, so I used it very little. When I
retired in 1993, and moved to a smaller house, the Selectric was one
of the things I gave away.

When I was about 6 years old, I was walking home from school and I saw
an old Remington Model 18 in the trash. I got home and it wouldn't
return the carriage on its own. I fixed it and that is where I learned
to type. Still got it and it still works and all. I never did find out
when Remington sold the model 18 though. That thing is heavy, about
50lbs I would guess.

--
Bill
Motion Computing LE1700 Tablet ('09 era) - Thunderbird v12
Centrino Core2 Duo L7400 1.5GHz - 2GB RAM - Windows 8 Professional

On 01/21/2014 02:17 PM, BillW50 wrote:
On 1/21/2014 1:53 PM, Ken Blake, MVP wrote:
On Tue, 21 Jan 2014 11:00:54 -0800, Gene E. Bloch
wrote:
An elderly relative (since deceased at age 98) just couldn't manage to
get into computers a few years ago, but then she lucked into a
Selectric and was deliriously happy with it. For her that was state of
the art in 2008 or 2009.

It was around 1987 when I acquired a Selectric typewriter. That was a
year or two after I got my first PC, so I used it very little. When I
retired in 1993, and moved to a smaller house, the Selectric was one
of the things I gave away.

When I was about 6 years old, I was walking home from school and I saw
an old Remington Model 18 in the trash. I got home and it wouldn't
return the carriage on its own. I fixed it and that is where I learned
to type. Still got it and it still works and all. I never did find out
when Remington sold the model 18 though. That thing is heavy, about
50lbs I would guess.




I might have a non-working Selectric in my attic but more than likely I
threw it out.

However I do have one of IBM's first electric typewriters that was
working when I put it upstairs.


It had a lever for adjusting pressure...so you could make up to ten
carbon copies. If I put the dial on "10" and just put one piece of paper
in it...typing a zero will punch a hole in the paper!



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_Electric_typewriter




Also: My wife did a painting of an eccentric book store owner that we
know. He still uses his old mechanical typewriter.


http://www.plazaearth.com/philo/images/Frank.jpg

On 20 Jan 2014, =?ISO-8859-15?Q?philo=A0?= wrote
in alt.comp.os.windows-8:

Hard to believe that I can recall when an IBM Selectric was state
of the art! I actually had a service call once at their plant in
Lexington.

I threw a Selectric out in the trash about a year ago. It had been
sitting in the garage for a couple of decades and seemed too rusted to
salvage. I tried to sell the type balls on craigslist, but didn't get
even a nibble. They eventually went in the trash, too.

I shed a quite tear.