5 ms·

Am i the only one who does not like "touch" on a desktop/laptop. It is not the revolutionary input method that makes everything magical. I want to think in boxe

by spdy 13y ago

Am i the only one who does not like "touch" on a desktop/laptop. It is not the revolutionary input method that makes everything magical. I want to think in boxes (desktops) not a fluid streams of desktop space. We need something else for the desktop.

arethuza 13y ago
It is even less appropriate on a server OS - I have no idea what they were thinking making Windows Server 2012 use the same touch oriented start menu replacement nightmare.... [Having to use a demo VM that has 2012 installed at the moment and I'm finding it incredibly annoying].
- LoneWolf 13y ago
  Now imagine having to manage servers everyday with that interface (yep I have to do it)
  - josteink 13y ago
    I guess it's a good excuse as any to finally learn powershell.
    - LoneWolf 13y ago
      Indeed it is
- Freaky 13y ago
  Been using 8 for about a year and have no problem with the start screen without a touch interface - the workflow is pretty much identical to 7: Press the Windows key and type part of the name of what you want, with the bonus that it's significantly faster at giving results. If you do end up having to select something in the menu, you now have more space to see what's available and modifying the layout to match your usage is a lot more accessible.
  - gizzlon 13y ago
    yeah, but that's not how I use 7. I click the "pinned" icon in the taskbar. (It's not as fast as a keyboard short-cut, but it's good enough.)
    - gebe 13y ago
      You can still do that though.
    - Freaky 13y ago
      So then what's the problem? That works exactly as it did before. And the first ten do have keyboard shortcuts - Win-0 to Win-9.
      - gizzlon 13y ago
        oh, ok.. I thought you had to go through the "start screen" for some applications.
  - arethuza 13y ago
    "you now have more space to see what's available" Actually, you don't - on the server I am using there is an (otherwise excellent) Microsoft product installed that prefixes all of it's menu items with the same name so all you see is a number of items with the same logo and "Really long product name...." and to find out which one is which you have to hover the mouse over them, which rather defeats the purpose of the whole exercise.
    - Freaky 13y ago
      So rename them like you would if you would in any previous version. %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu, rename to heart's content. Or right click the tile, Open file location and rename.
      - sesqu 13y ago
        It's funny how many times I've read the same reply to criticisms of Windows 8: "Despite appearances, you can still do X". I wonder how many options will go the way of the shutdown button in Windows 9 - that is, moved entirely.
- hug 13y ago
  I imagine what they were thinking is "maybe people shouldn't be logging on to individual servers in order to manage them." I manage a number of 2012 VMs, and actually log onto them via RDP very rarely. You should use RSAT on a workstation, or perhaps Powershell and Enter-PSSession (alias: etsn) in order to manage your machines. If you're a masochist you could even use winrs.exe from inside cmd.exe. I can't think of much you can do with those two tools that you can't do otherwise, unless it involves [random third-party software]. Even with third party software, I don't see a reason people should be logging on to servers often enough that the start screen should be an appreciable problem -- especially since the start screen is likely to have an immediately obvious and clickable 100px*100px "tile" to get to the software you need to.
- sixothree 13y ago
  Start8 is $5.
- ericcumbee 13y ago
  I think the Idea is that you wont use the GUI much on server instances. I am working through a Sharepoint MCSE right now. and the Server config and admin, your encouraged to use the Server Manager tool on another computer or the command line. Ideally on most installs the Full GUI is not installed. MS considers it best practice to use the Core install if at all possible. Followed by the Min Gui, and then if necessary the Full GUI.
  - arethuza 13y ago
    "I think the Idea is that you wont use the GUI much on server instances" Yes - but this one is a completely standalone demo VM from Microsoft with a pile of different products installed - so logging in directly and using the Screen Eating Menu From Hell is difficult to avoid.
- josteink 13y ago
  Having to use a demo VM that has 2012 installed at the moment and I'm finding it incredibly annoying While Metro/Modern/Whatever is incredible annoying in itself when not on a tablet, having it (which depends on screen-corners) running in a VM which is typically window'ed brings the madness to new dimension. For minimum frustration, I recommend fullscreen.
eksith 13y ago
You're definitely not the only one. Honestly, I feel like it's a break in my momentum and flow of creativity (that really sounds pretentious, but it's true) to move my hands from keyboard to screen. It's not like keyboard and mouse where both forms of input are on the horizontal plane. I rather liked the idea behind the Nintendo DS where inputs are available on both the horizontal and (semi) vertical plane. If a touchpad can be made sufficiently intuitive and comfortable enough to serve as both keyboard, touchpad and display screen, I'm in.
FridayWithJohn 13y ago
Agreed! Thankfully there is something else. Ubuntu baby!
- eksith 13y ago
  Unity is no better IMO. It feels like another counter-intuitive and ultimately awkward (for me) interface. Which is why I'm right now on Linux Mint which ironically has the most "Windows 7-like" post-Win7 UI.
  - RivieraKid 13y ago
    Pretty much, it's another example of the "reinvent the desktop" trend, that is horribly misguided.
- vezzy-fnord 13y ago
  This concept looks as if Canonical designed Windows, quite frankly. If anything, it does borrow elements from the Android interface and modern DEs like Cinnamon. I'll just stick to my window manager. There's something charming about their raw simplicity compared to the overt modern "glossy minimalist" interfaces of today.
jpswade 13y ago
Touch really lends itself to interfacing with objects. Using a mouse, in particular is a little bit foreign to our natural instincts.
- frou_dh 13y ago
  We're already squarely in unnatural territory as soon as an LCD screen is involved.
- RivieraKid 13y ago
  Exactly this kind of pseudoscientific reasoning is behind the bad UI decisions in Win 8 and Gnome 3.
- anonymous 13y ago
  And where in the entire body of everyday natural instinctively useful objects, are things that respond to and are manipulated by caressing them precisely with just the tips of your fingers? Well, sex obviously, but having sex with a large square piece of glass isn't at all enjoyable. Kind of explains the popularity of thinkpads' nipple mouse, though.
freehunter 13y ago
You seriously come to HN asking if you're the only one who doesn't like Windows 8's interface? I know this isn't your first post, so you're basically just posting a popular opinion phrased as a question in an attempt to reap karma. Welcome to 2011. Your complaints are now fresh and new again.

by spdy 13y ago

arethuza 13y ago

It is even less appropriate on a server OS - I have no idea what they were thinking making Windows Server 2012 use the same touch oriented start menu replacement nightmare.... [Having to use a demo VM that has 2012 installed at the moment and I'm finding it incredibly annoying].

LoneWolf 13y ago
Now imagine having to manage servers everyday with that interface (yep I have to do it)
- josteink 13y ago
  I guess it's a good excuse as any to finally learn powershell.
  - LoneWolf 13y ago
    Indeed it is
Freaky 13y ago
Been using 8 for about a year and have no problem with the start screen without a touch interface - the workflow is pretty much identical to 7: Press the Windows key and type part of the name of what you want, with the bonus that it's significantly faster at giving results. If you do end up having to select something in the menu, you now have more space to see what's available and modifying the layout to match your usage is a lot more accessible.
- gizzlon 13y ago
  yeah, but that's not how I use 7. I click the "pinned" icon in the taskbar. (It's not as fast as a keyboard short-cut, but it's good enough.)
  - gebe 13y ago
    You can still do that though.
  - Freaky 13y ago
    So then what's the problem? That works exactly as it did before. And the first ten do have keyboard shortcuts - Win-0 to Win-9.
    - gizzlon 13y ago
      oh, ok.. I thought you had to go through the "start screen" for some applications.
- arethuza 13y ago
  "you now have more space to see what's available" Actually, you don't - on the server I am using there is an (otherwise excellent) Microsoft product installed that prefixes all of it's menu items with the same name so all you see is a number of items with the same logo and "Really long product name...." and to find out which one is which you have to hover the mouse over them, which rather defeats the purpose of the whole exercise.
  - Freaky 13y ago
    So rename them like you would if you would in any previous version. %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu, rename to heart's content. Or right click the tile, Open file location and rename.
    - sesqu 13y ago
      It's funny how many times I've read the same reply to criticisms of Windows 8: "Despite appearances, you can still do X". I wonder how many options will go the way of the shutdown button in Windows 9 - that is, moved entirely.
hug 13y ago
I imagine what they were thinking is "maybe people shouldn't be logging on to individual servers in order to manage them." I manage a number of 2012 VMs, and actually log onto them via RDP very rarely. You should use RSAT on a workstation, or perhaps Powershell and Enter-PSSession (alias: etsn) in order to manage your machines. If you're a masochist you could even use winrs.exe from inside cmd.exe. I can't think of much you can do with those two tools that you can't do otherwise, unless it involves [random third-party software]. Even with third party software, I don't see a reason people should be logging on to servers often enough that the start screen should be an appreciable problem -- especially since the start screen is likely to have an immediately obvious and clickable 100px*100px "tile" to get to the software you need to.
sixothree 13y ago
Start8 is $5.
ericcumbee 13y ago
I think the Idea is that you wont use the GUI much on server instances. I am working through a Sharepoint MCSE right now. and the Server config and admin, your encouraged to use the Server Manager tool on another computer or the command line. Ideally on most installs the Full GUI is not installed. MS considers it best practice to use the Core install if at all possible. Followed by the Min Gui, and then if necessary the Full GUI.
- arethuza 13y ago
  "I think the Idea is that you wont use the GUI much on server instances" Yes - but this one is a completely standalone demo VM from Microsoft with a pile of different products installed - so logging in directly and using the Screen Eating Menu From Hell is difficult to avoid.
josteink 13y ago
Having to use a demo VM that has 2012 installed at the moment and I'm finding it incredibly annoying While Metro/Modern/Whatever is incredible annoying in itself when not on a tablet, having it (which depends on screen-corners) running in a VM which is typically window'ed brings the madness to new dimension. For minimum frustration, I recommend fullscreen.

eksith 13y ago

You're definitely not the only one. Honestly, I feel like it's a break in my momentum and flow of creativity (that really sounds pretentious, but it's true) to move my hands from keyboard to screen. It's not like keyboard and mouse where both forms of input are on the horizontal plane. I rather liked the idea behind the Nintendo DS where inputs are available on both the horizontal and (semi) vertical plane. If a touchpad can be made sufficiently intuitive and comfortable enough to serve as both keyboard, touchpad and display screen, I'm in.

FridayWithJohn 13y ago

Agreed! Thankfully there is something else. Ubuntu baby!

eksith 13y ago
Unity is no better IMO. It feels like another counter-intuitive and ultimately awkward (for me) interface. Which is why I'm right now on Linux Mint which ironically has the most "Windows 7-like" post-Win7 UI.
- RivieraKid 13y ago
  Pretty much, it's another example of the "reinvent the desktop" trend, that is horribly misguided.
vezzy-fnord 13y ago
This concept looks as if Canonical designed Windows, quite frankly. If anything, it does borrow elements from the Android interface and modern DEs like Cinnamon. I'll just stick to my window manager. There's something charming about their raw simplicity compared to the overt modern "glossy minimalist" interfaces of today.

jpswade 13y ago

Touch really lends itself to interfacing with objects. Using a mouse, in particular is a little bit foreign to our natural instincts.

frou_dh 13y ago
We're already squarely in unnatural territory as soon as an LCD screen is involved.
RivieraKid 13y ago
Exactly this kind of pseudoscientific reasoning is behind the bad UI decisions in Win 8 and Gnome 3.
anonymous 13y ago
And where in the entire body of everyday natural instinctively useful objects, are things that respond to and are manipulated by caressing them precisely with just the tips of your fingers? Well, sex obviously, but having sex with a large square piece of glass isn't at all enjoyable. Kind of explains the popularity of thinkpads' nipple mouse, though.

freehunter 13y ago

You seriously come to HN asking if you're the only one who doesn't like Windows 8's interface? I know this isn't your first post, so you're basically just posting a popular opinion phrased as a question in an attempt to reap karma. Welcome to 2011. Your complaints are now fresh and new again.