3 ms·

Windows 8 is attracting a lot of vitriol, but personally I'm quite impressed just by how...well..."classy" it feels in comparison to XP or even 7. It seems like

Windows 8 is attracting a lot of vitriol, but personally I'm quite impressed just by how...well..."classy" it feels in comparison to XP or even 7. It seems like Microsoft is taking a page from Apple's book of good design. What Windows 8 needs now is a killer Metro app (sorry for the buzzword). So far the available apps have been pretty neat, if a little unintuitive. A must-have app that also showed off all the advantages of Metro and served a useful purpose would probably erase a lot of the Windows 8 hatred, and spurn more Metro app creation to boot.

halefx 15y ago
Replacing function with form is "classy"?
tikhonj 15y ago
Apple does not have a monopoly on good design! Also, if anything, Metro is farther away from OS X than Windows 7--the whole design is less like anything physical (Apple loves this, but Aero glass is also like this). The whole design aesthetic is what they call "authentically digital" and I like it quite a bit more than Apple's skeuomorphic (what random words I've learned on HN...) tendencies. Overall, I'm actually really happy with Metro styling. I'm also happy with the related design of WP 7 and the Zune software before it. Plenty of color, no rounded corners, fewer gradients and generally simpler, more minimalist design is what I like the most about it. In some ways, it's not dissimilar to the design of HN, which I also like.
glesica 15y ago
I think your point about a "killer app" has some merit. I've certainly found no reason to stay in Metro so far. However, I just can't see where the value is going to come from. Metro is neat looking, but I just can't think of anything that could be done in Metro, while maintaining the "look and feel" (and the tablet-accessibility) of the interface, that wouldn't be better as a web app. Sure, you might have a Metro skin that dumps you into the desktop to do complex tasks, but then there's no real value in the Metro component. Take a look at the Metro-based ERP app "concept" MS has apparently demonstrated: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsoft-shows-off-windows-8-business-app-concepts/12189 http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsoft-shows-off-wind.... Literally everything about it looks like a (reasonably sexy) web app. Plus, it's an ERP, so there shouldn't be anything running locally, or very little. This is basically just a platform-dependent web application. In some ways, it even smacks of Active Desktop all over again. Aside from extremely loyal, MS-only shops (of which, I admit there are probably quite a few), I just can't see anyone using something like this for anything important enough to reach "killer app" status...

halefx 15y ago

Replacing function with form is "classy"?

tikhonj 15y ago

Apple does not have a monopoly on good design! Also, if anything, Metro is farther away from OS X than Windows 7--the whole design is less like anything physical (Apple loves this, but Aero glass is also like this). The whole design aesthetic is what they call "authentically digital" and I like it quite a bit more than Apple's skeuomorphic (what random words I've learned on HN...) tendencies. Overall, I'm actually really happy with Metro styling. I'm also happy with the related design of WP 7 and the Zune software before it. Plenty of color, no rounded corners, fewer gradients and generally simpler, more minimalist design is what I like the most about it. In some ways, it's not dissimilar to the design of HN, which I also like.

glesica 15y ago

I think your point about a "killer app" has some merit. I've certainly found no reason to stay in Metro so far. However, I just can't see where the value is going to come from. Metro is neat looking, but I just can't think of anything that could be done in Metro, while maintaining the "look and feel" (and the tablet-accessibility) of the interface, that wouldn't be better as a web app. Sure, you might have a Metro skin that dumps you into the desktop to do complex tasks, but then there's no real value in the Metro component. Take a look at the Metro-based ERP app "concept" MS has apparently demonstrated: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsoft-shows-off-windows-8-business-app-concepts/12189 http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsoft-shows-off-wind.... Literally everything about it looks like a (reasonably sexy) web app. Plus, it's an ERP, so there shouldn't be anything running locally, or very little. This is basically just a platform-dependent web application. In some ways, it even smacks of Active Desktop all over again. Aside from extremely loyal, MS-only shops (of which, I admit there are probably quite a few), I just can't see anyone using something like this for anything important enough to reach "killer app" status...