I do heavy technical documentation and software development. Trying to do that by voice and touch would be worse than stupid. It simply would not be sufficiently productive by a factor nearing a hundred.

For example, I once was required to write an embedded system software driver in assembly language using a KSR 33 teletype as my only IO device. The editor, the compiler, the source code, and the object code had to pass through a 15 bytes/sec paper tape interface for each cycle of the development. It took me a month to write, test, and validate a mere 100 byte portion (~10% of the estimated total). A functional driver was due to be mated with the rest of the software and hardware in three months. After demonstrating the inadequacy of a KSR 33 for the purpose, a high speed paper tape reader and punch was ordered and delivered. I completed the driver in less than two weeks afterward. Yes, this is ancient history (ca 1972). However, it demonstrates the necessity of using the right tools for the job.

There are things for which voice command and touch are absolutely wonderful but there are many other things for which they are not in the same ballpark let alone marginally useful. Hence, different people with different needs will require different combination of IO devices to be effective and productive. Up till now, that was the strength of MS Dos and Windows. You could pick and choose and generally make it work. Now, by decree from on high, we are to be restricted to a toy of a touch user interface and a very crippled keyboard-mouse interface - both of which I find visually and functionally offensive to the point of being not worth trying to use for any purpose.

In case you wish to accuse me of not trying it out, don't. I actually did try very hard. I spent a lot of time over abut a week trying to make it work for my technical writing and a 275K line software development project. I was even able to make it work sort of. If I had had a gun to my head, I might have been able to live with it for a short while before asking the trigger to be pulled. But why do it when Windows 7 does everything I want and need the way I want to do it? The Windows 8 system is no longer and never to return to my venue until Microsoft wakes up and starts serving its customer base as actual customers rather than as mindless captives without will or independent purpose.

From my perspective, I do not exist to serve Microsoft in any capacity. Microsoft is merely a source of paid for capabilities that fit MY purpose for a lower cost and effort than to develop the capabilities myself. Otherwise they are welcome to go down any path to hell they wish to follow.

In a few years there will be 2 billion laptops and desktops in use around the world. Don't know why no one bothers to mention this. It will take a minimum of many decades, perhaps a century or more, to transfer the work human beings do on them to something else. Even then they won't be eliminated.

It's like saying in the 1500s, in five hundred years people will not be using boats.

Making things different is easy. Making the different thing valuable is difficult. Making that difference valuable enough to people to cause them to buy it is very difficult. To have that to happen frequently enough to satisfy the business needs of a mega corporation the size of Microsoft is way beyond vary difficult.

As for Windows 8, I think Microsoft took the easy way out and simply made changes for the sake of making a change. The excuse was they were after the world of touch devices. unfortunately, they lost touch (pun intended) with a huge user base happy with Windows XP and Windows 7. The unintended consequences will multiply from here on out. I predict the consequences will make the Vista debacle look like a dance in the park.

Layback Bear said:

I wonder what operating system was used by the people who created Windows 8. Then could these same people use Windows 8 to create Windows 9. Reading about Windows 8 and watching a bunch of How To videos about Windows 8 makes me think the only thing that can be created on a Windows 8 system is a mess. Just my 3 brain cell over working again.

Very good observation.

Wouldn't it be a hoot if they used Linux?

Colonel Travis said:

In a few years there will be 2 billion laptops and desktops in use around the world. Don't know why no one bothers to mention this. It will take a minimum of many decades, perhaps a century or more, to transfer the work human beings do on them to something else. Even then they won't be eliminated.

It's like saying in the 1500s, in five hundred years people will not be using boats.

Hi there
Cars and Trains haven't deprecated Horses and Bicycles. Some tasks are better performed with the former, some the latter -- apart from "non work related" ideas such as simple recreation -- what's wrong with Horse or Bicycle riding even (or especially) in 21 st cent.

Incidently most people can type much much faster than they can write - or enter via touch screens

Also most of these touch screens are designed for inputting normal "Latin" type QWERTY symbols.

What about entering a load Chinese text / other text that uses special characters outside the normal European "Latin" type typeset via a touch screen -- No thanks.

I tried a Chinese smart phone in Hong Kong -- now I know I'm no expert in ANY Chinese dialect but I knew enough basic Mandarin to throw this wretched phone into the muddy water at the bottom of the Victoria Harbour -- and nearly got fined for "Dropping Litter" !!!.

I'm sure native speakers get on all right with this stuff but for people doing any sort of translation a keyboard is still IMO 100% essential whether you are using a tablet or PC.

Cheers
jimbo