Windows 8

[Hatta]

This. The key focus/catchphrase for Windows 8 development is "Without compromises". You caught the idea that with a mobile device, as well as a stationary desktop device, it should be possible to do everything you want on the new OS without the restriction of the device you are using.

I don't know how well this can be done. You're going to have to make compromises somewhere. "one size fits all" seldom fits anyone particularly well.

Some things just aren't doable on a cell phone without compromises. How are you going to display a full page of a PDF at readable resolution on a cell phone? You can't do that. So you compromise and display the full page pdf at unreadable resolutions, and let the user zoom in. If you're going to offer the same experience on a desktop as on a cell phone, then you're going to tie the desktop users's hands.

[MrPopo]

Some things just aren't doable on a cell phone without compromises. How are you going to display a full page of a PDF at readable resolution on a cell phone? You can't do that. So you compromise and display the full page pdf at unreadable resolutions, and let the user zoom in. If you're going to offer the same experience on a desktop as on a cell phone, then you're going to tie the desktop users's hands.

I can't read many full page PDFs on my desktop; I usually have to zoom them some and scroll around. You're taking the "don't compromise" thing too literally. What this integration will do is allow me to work on a something on my desktop, then move it to my tablet and keep working during the bus ride home, and spot check a coworker's file on my phone when I'm waiting for the concert to start. Yes, I'll have to play with the zoom more on the phone, but the same software will run with the same capabilities.

[BoringSupreez]

I have trouble believing any report that Vista was "fine". Fresh out of the box ... [t]he computer was virtually unusable.

People can suck it, Vista was fine. Not problematic like the internet made it out to be.

Yes it was, early on and right out of the box. A few patches and changed options later, it's even better than XP.

Um, just to clarify, I meant that Vista was problematic at first, but was later fine. Not sure if Yoshi misunderstood me or not.

[isiolia]

Yes, I'll have to play with the zoom more on the phone, but the same software will run with the same capabilities.

I think that's the real point. The actual capabilities of a low-power slate PC and a triple-monitor overclocked desktop system are quite different. The difference with MS's approach as compared to, say, Apple's, is that MS is going to try to have the same basic OS running on both of them.

Done right, there are a lot of nice possibilities there. For example, this series of article about playing older PC RPGs on a slate PC: Main article Follow up 1 Follow up 2.

In an ideal world, the OS/software can scale to fit the features available, and you aren't artificially limited because your portable device is running a slimmed-down OS.

So, for example, you'd not be limited to using a cut-down portable PDF reader just because you need it to scale to the screen or respond well to touch input.

That said, I agree with Hatta to the extent that I'm skeptical that they can pull it off without compromise on either side. I'd like to see it, don't get me wrong, but I'm going to assume that MS is going to err on the side of trendiness until proven otherwise. Hopefully they'll actually get around to a new filesystem n' such as well, like Vista was supposed to have, then 7, etc.

[MrPopo]

Very good concern to have, but it's good to see that you understand the end goal. One thing to keep in mind is that not all apps developed after Windows 8 launches will be Metro apps. The old desktop is not going away. The new Visual Studio will still be a desktop app, because the desktop is superior to Metro for productivity apps. Similarly, Crysis 3 wouldn't gain anything from Metro integration, as it's a full screen app that is going to use the majority of your resources.

[YoshiEgg25]

Um, just to clarify, I meant that Vista was problematic at first, but was later fine. Not sure if Yoshi misunderstood me or not.

I understood completely. What I was pointing out was that it was fine AFTER the patches.

[isiolia]

Very good concern to have, but it's good to see that you understand the end goal. One thing to keep in mind is that not all apps developed after Windows 8 launches will be Metro apps. The old desktop is not going away. The new Visual Studio will still be a desktop app, because the desktop is superior to Metro for productivity apps. Similarly, Crysis 3 wouldn't gain anything from Metro integration, as it's a full screen app that is going to use the majority of your resources.

Yeah, but at the same time there's no real Start menu. You hit that button, and you're in the Metro UI, which is crappy for the desktop. Not that the Start menu is particularly great - most of my commonly used apps are pinned to the taskbar anyway - but it's preferable to bouncing the whole PC to some made-for-touchscreen interface just to get to a less-used app.

My initial impression was that the Metro UI would be more like Media Center, but the level of integration in the dev preview shows that not to be the case. I'd be less leery if it was completely optional.