| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Is Windows to die? Thread poster: Heinrich Pesch
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Heinrich Pesch 
Finland
Local time: 10:23
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
To me it looks like Microsoft is losing also this round of the game. I myself own a phone with Windows Phone 8 operating system (Lumia 920), but I believe software developers will not follow suite, because there is no Windows-based tablet that could compete with iPad or Android-based tablets.
Windows 8 seems to be a failure too, people are not eager to use it. And the market share of desktop machines is shrinking fast.
So will we soon start to use Android-based machines for professi... See more To me it looks like Microsoft is losing also this round of the game. I myself own a phone with Windows Phone 8 operating system (Lumia 920), but I believe software developers will not follow suite, because there is no Windows-based tablet that could compete with iPad or Android-based tablets.
Windows 8 seems to be a failure too, people are not eager to use it. And the market share of desktop machines is shrinking fast.
So will we soon start to use Android-based machines for professional work? Is the Windows age coming to an end? ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kevin Fulton
United States
Local time: 03:23
German to English
| Every other Windows release not a significant improvement | Aug 17, 2013 |
I bought my current computer early because I didn't want to have to deal with the predictable shortcomings of Windows 8.
In my opinion, usability in reverse chronological order over during this century: Windows 8, not very good; Windows 7, good; Vista, not very good, Windows XP, so good people still cling to it, Windows ME, a loser; Windows 2000, a significant improvement over Win 98. Most of the Win 7 users I know upgraded from XP, not Vista.
There is a large install... See more I bought my current computer early because I didn't want to have to deal with the predictable shortcomings of Windows 8.
In my opinion, usability in reverse chronological order over during this century: Windows 8, not very good; Windows 7, good; Vista, not very good, Windows XP, so good people still cling to it, Windows ME, a loser; Windows 2000, a significant improvement over Win 98. Most of the Win 7 users I know upgraded from XP, not Vista.
There is a large installed user base that will stick with Windows XP/7 until there's a new version of Windows usable for industrial applications (and I include CAT software in this category). ▲ Collapse
| | | | Michael Beijer
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:23
Member (2009)
Dutch to English
+ ...
I’m not exactly a die-hard Windows fan (I have used both Macs and Linux computers in the past and liked them) but I think I should mention that I actually rather like Windows 8. I like the new Start Screen, and I like the new ‘flat’ UI design. I have a laptop still running Windows 7 and when I use it I realise just how tacky it looks/looked. Don’t get me wrong, Windows 7 is a great OS. It is super stable and I enjoyed using it until 8 came along.
I do hate all of the new Met... See more I’m not exactly a die-hard Windows fan (I have used both Macs and Linux computers in the past and liked them) but I think I should mention that I actually rather like Windows 8. I like the new Start Screen, and I like the new ‘flat’ UI design. I have a laptop still running Windows 7 and when I use it I realise just how tacky it looks/looked. Don’t get me wrong, Windows 7 is a great OS. It is super stable and I enjoyed using it until 8 came along.
I do hate all of the new Metro/Modern UI stuff, but that is easy enough to ignore. Also, the upcoming update (Windows 8.1, or Windows Blue, or whatever they are calling it in the blogs) is supposed to have a start button again and the option of booting straight to desktop mode.
I agree though that for getting real work done the whole idea of morphing PCs into tablets and touch-enabled devices is ludicrous. Microsoft ought to just try and manufacture a decent iPad/iPhone alternative and leave their PC OS alone.
I have an iPad mini myself and love it, but an iPad and a desktop PC for doing real work are two different things and should be kept that way. Who the hell wants to have to touch their screen when coding or editing documents in MS Word? Real work is done with your keyboard.
Michael ▲ Collapse
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If you're looking for a mobile os, I came across this a little while ago and I'm really excited about it. It's a cellphone that runs off of ubuntu (a flavor of linux) and the android os. I just hope that it gets the funding that it needs in order to launch.
http://www.ubuntu.com/phone
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Neil Coffey
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:23
French to English
+ ...
| Survival factors | Aug 17, 2013 |
Kevin Fulton wrote:
There is a large installed user base that will stick with Windows XP/7 until there's a new version of Windows usable for industrial applications (and I include CAT software in this category).
Of course, it's a little more complex than this. Survival of the platform will depend on a combination of factors that together determine how compulsory/attractive Windows is as a platform for its potential user base.
The availability of specific applications is one of these factors (others include e.g. how much investment a company has made in training on a particular platform and the cost of switching vs perceived benefit) but it ultimately depends on whether that factor wins out over other factors. Or put another way: there will be a point where people will sacrifice their favourite industrial application if it brings more benefit overall.
| | | | | The start button is a big laugh from micro$oft at its users | Aug 17, 2013 |
Michael Beijer wrote:
I do hate all of the new Metro/Modern UI stuff, but that is easy enough to ignore. Also, the upcoming update (Windows 8.1, or Windows Blue, or whatever they are calling it in the blogs) is supposed to have a start button again and the option of booting straight to desktop mode.
I just wanted to comment on the start BUTTON thing. The start button is a big laugh from micro$oft at its users as it is only a button directs you to the start screen, so, what do you call this???????
People were calling out for a start MENU, just like other versions of Windows. But, blindly micro$oft ignored their demands or didn't understand it.
I have to admit, there are some users who loved the new Windows without start menu though. So, we are still waiting for the final (RTM) Windows 8.1, which is assumed to be released in midst of October 2013, fingers crossed.
Thanks,
Mohamed
| | | | Michael Beijer
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:23
Member (2009)
Dutch to English
+ ...
| No one can please everyone all of the time. | Aug 17, 2013 |
Mohamed Kamel wrote:
Michael Beijer wrote:
I do hate all of the new Metro/Modern UI stuff, but that is easy enough to ignore. Also, the upcoming update (Windows 8.1, or Windows Blue, or whatever they are calling it in the blogs) is supposed to have a start button again and the option of booting straight to desktop mode.
I just wanted to comment on the start BUTTON thing. The start button is a big laugh from micro$oft at its users as it is only a button directs you to the start screen, so, what do you call this???????
People were calling out for a start MENU, just like other versions of Windows. But, blindly micro$oft ignored their demands or didn't understand it.
I have to admit, there are some users who loved the new Windows without start menu though. So, we are still waiting for the final (RTM) Windows 8.1, which is assumed to be released in midst of October 2013, fingers crossed.
Thanks,
Mohamed
Hi Mohamed,
You’re right. People asked for a Start Menu and are being given a Start Button (leading to the new Start Screen) instead. Microsoft does seems to be somewhat out of touch with what its users want. But isn’t this the same for all of the major OSs such as OS X and Ubuntu? Or CAT tool vendors, for that matter. Take SDL, for example, who are suddenly introducing a ribbon in the interface of the new Studio 2014, knowing full well that many people are going to absolutely hate it (I actually love the ribbon in MS Office). Or memoQ, ignoring very important and basic feature requests from its users for years (I am one of them), while plowing ahead and focusing more and more only on their large server clients in the last year or so.
However, having said all of this, I do understand where they are coming from. Small companies start out paying attention to what their users want (E.g., the CAT tool CafeTran, at the moment. You can email the developer a feature request on Monday night and have your feature implemented by Tuesday morning), but as they grow larger, their priorities change. They have more and more staff to pay and stockholders to please, etc. At first most of their revenue comes from freelancers, but as they grow larger they start making much more off of their server products, aimed at LSPs and large government organisations. As they evolve, their focus will also change. They will start listening to different people.
Regarding Windows 8, I was actually hoping that they would make the 'new' Start Button optional, because I actually like Win8 the way it is: just swipe with your mouse to the left-bottom of your screen and the Start Screen pops up. Or just hit the Windows key and start typing to launch pretty much anything you want. People like to complain, but I actually find Windows 8's UI better than Mac OS X.
Fingers crossed indeed.
Michael
[Edited at 2013-08-17 22:01 GMT]
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Michael Beijer wrote:just swipe with your mouse to the left-bottom of your screen and the Start Screen pops up. Or just hit the Windows key and start typing to launch pretty much anything you want. People like to complain, but I actually find Windows 8's UI better than Mac OS X.
[Edited at 2013-08-17 22:01 GMT]
Michael, Apple copied those novelties from Windows 8.
No Start button: 2001 (maybe earlier, I can't remember pre-OS X anymore).
"just swipe with your mouse to the left-bottom of your screen and the Start Screen pops up": The dock. 2001.
"start typing to launch pretty much anything you want": Spotlight. Tiger, 2004.
Cheers,
Hans
[Edited at 2013-08-18 00:06 GMT]
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| The end is near, | Aug 18, 2013 |
or that's what they've been saying for ages now.
In 2005, I started experimenting with Glide.com, an Internet-based operating system, usually called a web desktops. They idea is pretty old, about as old as the (public) Internet itself, just like wearable, Internet-connected computers (IBM Glass, 1994).
The Internet was a bit (a few megabits, actually) too slow, but apart from that, Glide was usable for daily computer task, a bit like the iPad. Don't rush to the Glide site, though. Glide has been acquired by "certain elements" from Mountain View, for obvious reasons.
I know most people here will be against web-based operating systems, but it's inevitable. It makes sense. Web-based apps just start to pop-up, web-based operating systems will be easier accepted. I tried to convince Atril years ago (and CafeTran more recently) to provide a web-based version of DejaVu so I could use it on a Mac, to no avail. However, if the app is specific enough - and CAT tools are - launching them on the Internet will be successful. MS Office 2013 isn't (I think), Adobe is. As soon as there are enough web-based applications, people will get used to the idea, and won't object to an web-based operating system.
Cheers,
Hans
[Edited at 2013-08-18 03:16 GMT]
| | | | Heinrich Pesch
Finland
Local time: 10:23
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Dying Windows | Aug 18, 2013 |
http://blog.laptopmag.com/android-pc-market-windows
I'm not saying we will use touchscreens for professional translation work, but perhaps soon we will run Android OS on laptops and use pointing devices and keyboards as we are used to. Its a big change for the industry to transfer all software to a new system, but perhaps not a bad thing. Opensource standards would finally... See more http://blog.laptopmag.com/android-pc-market-windows
I'm not saying we will use touchscreens for professional translation work, but perhaps soon we will run Android OS on laptops and use pointing devices and keyboards as we are used to. Its a big change for the industry to transfer all software to a new system, but perhaps not a bad thing. Opensource standards would finally rule. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Anything will do | Aug 18, 2013 |
Heinrich Pesch wrote:
but perhaps soon we will run Android OS on laptops
I don't think so. The only thing we will need is a very slimmed down OS that can run a browser, and that's all it has run. The "real" operating system is irrelevant for the user.
Cheers,
Hans
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 09:23
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Guilty as charged | Aug 18, 2013 |
Kevin Fulton wrote:
... Windows XP, so good people still cling to it... .
There is a large installed user base that will stick with Windows XP/7 until there's a new version of Windows usable for industrial applications (and I include CAT software in this category).
As one of the (hopefully good) people still clinging to XP, I don't think that every upgrade is necessarily an improvement. Windows 8 is mainly designed for use on mobile devices and with tactile, touchscreen applications in mind, according to my techie who I consulted when it came out. Not interesting to me, as I prefer to work on a static PC and only use my laptops when away from the office, which isn't all that often.
I'm still not keen on MS Office 2010 either and use an application that makes it look like the earlier versions I was accustomed to working with, but it looks like we'll be stuck with it for some time yet.
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Michael Beijer
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:23
Member (2009)
Dutch to English
+ ...
| Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. | Aug 18, 2013 |
Meta Arkadia wrote:
Michael Beijer wrote:just swipe with your mouse to the left-bottom of your screen and the Start Screen pops up. Or just hit the Windows key and start typing to launch pretty much anything you want. People like to complain, but I actually find Windows 8's UI better than Mac OS X.
[Edited at 2013-08-17 22:01 GMT]
Michael, Apple copied those novelties from Windows 8.
No Start button: 2001 (maybe earlier, I can't remember pre-OS X anymore).
"just swipe with your mouse to the left-bottom of your screen and the Start Screen pops up": The dock. 2001.
"start typing to launch pretty much anything you want": Spotlight. Tiger, 2004.
Cheers,
Hans
Hi Hans (father of Meta),
I think you might want to reverse that:)
Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of things I really love about OS X, but it isn't perfect. Take for example the Mac Finder and Dock, they look like they were made for children. Although it's hard to compare, because I actually use Directory Opus (a dual pane file broser) instead of the default Windows file explorer, I really don't like the Finder. It lacks important features such as a dual pane interface and proper tree/ folder display of your computer's file system. Incidentslly, Pathfinder is a Mac program that seeks to remedy this.
The Dock is another thing I think should be improved on the Mac. It may have looked cool 5 years ago but it isn't very user friendly. It gets in the way, uses too much space and doesn't give you enough information. I much prefer the good old Windows/Linux taskbar, but then pinned to the top of the screen.
Michael
| | | | | Read the manual... | Aug 18, 2013 |
Michael Beijer wrote:
It lacks important features such as a dual pane interface
Try this view:
An unlimited number of panes.
and proper tree/ folder display of your computer's file system.
It's there, Michael, if you still think you need it:
It gets in the way, uses too much space and doesn't give you enough information.
It disappears automagically, if you want it to, and what kind of information do you expect to find? Other than:
Cheers,
Meta's old father
| | | | Michael Beijer
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:23
Member (2009)
Dutch to English
+ ...
| XP was great! | Aug 18, 2013 |
neilmac wrote:
As one of the (hopefully good) people still clinging to XP, I don't think that every upgrade is necessarily an improvement.
If WinXP 64-bit actually worked, I would probably still be using it. I love(d) XP! The only reason I am now on Windows 8 is so I can access my gazillions of GBs of RAM. 2 GB just isn’t enough for me anymore.
Michael
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