Is Windows 8 arrival a happy event?

[giwrg98]

With Windows 8, all the applications will be based on HTML 5 and Javascript? What about us, the developers? So many time spent on learning C and Python and Java! Will I have to learn HTML 5 and Javascript in order to be"in"? Also, will Windows 8 have anything in common with the previous versions? Will I have to learn the OS from the scratch again?

 

[Dwarf]

Hi giwrg98 and welcome to W7 Forums

There will, inevitably, be differences between Windows 8 and previous Windows incarnations. New functionality will be included, and some things improved or removed. Much will remain the same, with only slight changes. As regards learning the OS from scratch again, no, I don't think that will be necessary. True, there will be things that have to be learnt, but that is no different than when we moved from Xp to Vista and W7. To what extent, that remains to be seen, but it shouldn't be vastly different.

 

[giwrg98]

Thank you very much...
But all that time spent on other programming Languages will be garbage?

 

[whs]

I expect Win8 to be a major change. It has to be in order to address the new market of portable devices. A good preparation would be to look into the way Android applications are being developed because that is the main competitor in that market.

And knowledge of prior operating systems and languages is never a waste. There are always some similarities - and be it only the logic how programs are being structured.

 

[Barman58]

If, and it is a very big if, the migration to cloud computing takes place, then the use of web technologies such as HTML5 will replace more traditional console based programming languages.

However, the use of languages such as C will still be used to write applications for a long time. Python will also remain for those applications that use it now, (mostly open source), until these applications are replaced, if this ever happens

 

[whs]

Here is something that might be interesting for a developer: Under the Windows 8 hood: Questions and answers from the trenches | ZDNet

 

[fseal]

With Windows 8, all the applications will be based on HTML 5 and Javascript? What about us, the developers? So many time spent on learning C and Python and Java! Will I have to learn HTML 5 and Javascript in order to be"in"? Also, will Windows 8 have anything in common with the previous versions? Will I have to learn the OS from the scratch again?

"ALL the applications?" Uh, no...

Though the use of flash and java may decline slowly as html5 overtakes that functionality... (But wil lbe a LOT slower than most pundits would probably suggest)

It certainly won't be overnight and it will only affect "web apps" which, while a hot topic, are not going to instantly take over the world

A good developer should always be looking to the future. And if you are a web developer than this is especially something to look too. If you are a C/C++ programmer programming back end stuff or embedded stuff or even normal apps, then it's iffy at best...

 

[simmo]

Personally I'm not looking forward to Win 8...reason is I have a PC mainly for gaming and as such I have ab so lutely no need of 90% of the what I call bloatware in Win 7 let alone whats undoubtedly going to be shoehorned in Win 8.

Personally I wish MS would release a stripped down OS for gamers...I can live quite easily without a lot of whats in Win 7 now and quite frankly if XP had DX11 I would never have upgraded.

cheers

 

[Maccman]

Windows8 will be a happy event for Microsoft as it will be another cash cow to milk the public with yet another bug ridden OS that will be no better or different than earlier versions.

 

[Golden]

Bug ridden OS? I don't know about that, Windows 7 is fantastic. I think it is likely to be around for some time.

Regards,
Golden

 

[Dwarf]

Given the millions of lines of code that make up the kernal and other parts of the OS, it is hardly surprising that bugs surface from time to time, or are discovered and exploited. When that happens, and MS become aware of it, they develop and release a patch/hotfix to plug it. This actually costs them money, as they provide the fixes for free.

 

[marsmimar]

On June 1, 2011, Microsoft previewed Windows 8 at the D9 Conference. One of the key points about Windows 8 is, "A Windows 8-based PC is really a new kind of device, one that scales from touch-only small screens through to large screens, with or without a keyboard and mouse."

Previewing

After watching the demo and seeing how Windows 8 is supposed to operate, I don't anticipate moving from Windows 7 to Windows 8 for quite some time, if at all. I used XP for about 7 years, bypassed Vista completely, and decided to get a Windows 7 laptop shortly after RTM in Oct 2009. I'll probably stay with 7 until Windows 9 or 10 comes out.

 

[Imperfect1]

Hmmmmm. Well, I watched the video and I have to admit, it all looks very snazzy! Really! But it seems to me that moving around all of the touch-screen apps works much better on a tablet or iPad type hand-held device than on an actual pc or laptop. Having to continually keep your arm in the air reaching across the computer to the screen, moving all of these apps and windows around the screen all the time seems very uncomfortable to me -- at best. And at the worst, the problem for me is that like thousands of other people, I do a lot of word processing --- which involves typing many medium to long Word documents every day. For this type of work, (not to mention the creation of charts, tables, and other detailed images) for peak efficiency, you want to minimize arm and hand movement, not maximize it. I hope that Microsoft will remember that there are still many, many people who need to use their systems for this type of serious work.

 

[noobvious]

I'll be quite happy to stick with Win 7 on my two current computers for a good while......it does everything I need. If I end up getting a tablet of some sort in the future, then I would be curious about a future OS, be it Win 8 or whatever would be current....but my two monitors and my netbook do not support touch inputs, so for now I'll stick with what I've got.

 

[Maccman]

Bug ridden OS? I don't know about that, Windows 7 is fantastic. I think it is likely to be around for some time.

Regards,
Golden

7 will be around for a long time along with 8, 9 10 etc. More money to cough up but little in return of progress.

 

[fseal]

Hmmmmm. Well, I watched the video and I have to admit, it all looks very snazzy! Really! But it seems to me that moving around all of the touch-screen apps works much better on a tablet or iPad type hand-held device than on an actual pc or laptop. Having to continually keep your arm in the air reaching across the computer to the screen, moving all of these apps and windows around the screen all the time seems very uncomfortable to me -- at best. And at the worst, the problem for me is that like thousands of other people, I do a lot of word processing --- which involves typing many medium to long Word documents every day. For this type of work, (not to mention the creation of charts, tables, and other detailed images) for peak efficiency, you want to minimize arm and hand movement, not maximize it. I hope that Microsoft will remember that there are still many, many people who need to use their systems for this type of serious work.

90% of what was shown in that video as the tablet interface. The desktop interface will be very close to W7 (Like identical with some tweaks to explorer etc). But that doesn't make exciting video, the completely new tablet interface does so that's what is going to be focussed on in print and on you tube etc from now on.

The tablet interface is looking pretty awesome though!

 

[seavixen32]

Got to agree with Golden on that one.

I think Windows 7 is far superior to Vista and I think its rapid take-up by the consumer is testamount to how good the operating system is.

Microsoft must know what a public-relations distaster ME and Vista were, so I see Windows 8 being an improvement on Windows 7. If it is, we'll have another great operating system.

 

[Imperfect1]

Hmmmmm. Well, I watched the video and I have to admit, it all looks very snazzy! Really! But it seems to me that moving around all of the touch-screen apps works much better on a tablet or iPad type hand-held device than on an actual pc or laptop. Having to continually keep your arm in the air reaching across the computer to the screen, moving all of these apps and windows around the screen all the time seems very uncomfortable to me -- at best. And at the worst, the problem for me is that like thousands of other people, I do a lot of word processing --- which involves typing many medium to long Word documents every day. For this type of work, (not to mention the creation of charts, tables, and other detailed images) for peak efficiency, you want to minimize arm and hand movement, not maximize it. I hope that Microsoft will remember that there are still many, many people who need to use their systems for this type of serious work.

90% of what was shown in that video as the tablet interface. The desktop interface will be very close to W7 (Like identical with some tweaks to explorer etc). But that doesn't make exciting video, the completely new tablet interface does so that's what is going to be focussed on in print and on you tube etc from now on.

Hope you're right, fseal! And yes, the tablet interface does look pretty awesome!

 

[jebuchanan]

As a new tablet OS, it is very impressive.
But besides a few features that could be incorporated within Win7 as an update, what benefits will it give desktop users?

 

[pparks1]

I don't want a tablet or phone based interface on my desktop computer. I don't want a touchscreen either. If that's what it's going to be, I will be sticking with 7 for the foreseeable future.