I can't believe there hasn't already been a thread for this. Come on, HLP.
WARNING: WALL OF TEXT BELOW. TL;DR at the bottom.(Disclaimer: This post is more editorial rather than encyclopedic in nature with cited facts used as much as possible to keep it from looking like useless rambling.)Now, unless you've been living in a cave, under a rock, or in a submarine with no Internet access whatsoever, you're probably already aware of
the next generation of Microsoft's flagship product, Windows 8. The new OS features oodles of handy new features, such as integrated USB3 support, the ability to save the vital portions of your Windows desktop to a bootable flash drive, and a
touchscreen-tablet-centric interface, among
other things--also sporting a
substantially lowered price tag. All of this kept in mind, Windows 8 looked like a package filled with awesome--for a Windows release, at least--for the first few stages of development. Then, in recent months, it's all beginning to look rather bleak for consumers and serious PC users (such as gamers) who, after this next release, may feel like they've been alienated or abandoned by Microsoft.
To start with, Windows 8 has
dropped (and in some less extreme cases, deprecated) support for the Win32 API--essentially, the API (application programming interface) that has been used by developers on the Windows platform for nearly 17 years, is officially gone, and--unless another subsequent release of Windows resurrects this API--when Windows 7 ends its support life, Win32 will no longer be supported or added onto by Microsoft. In short, everything that many serious software developers spent years (nearly
two decades) learning is about to disappear and no longer be relevant. Thanks, Microsoft.
(Note: It appears that this isn't going to be breaking compatibility with already-made Win32 applications--at least for the initial release--but it does indicate that Microsoft will be ditching Win32 compatibility very soon if they're no longer allowing developers to use it on their new platform. Put simply: Microsoft is pushing for us to start using the replacement, WinRT, instead of Win32, by pulling the rug out from underneath veteran developers. Not all hope is lost, but building graphical applications for Windows 8 is now going to be a hell of a lot harder.)
Additionally, Microsoft has now implemented a new UI, the most obvious change to Windows 8. Arguably not as bad as the previous point (until you hear that it's
now impossible to use anything but the new interface and restore the old Windows desktop), the Windows 8 interface--
now called "Modern UI" as opposed to the original "Metro"--introduces what was originally the Windows 7 Phone/Zune interface to the desktop. Instead of neat icons and a taskbar featuring the legendary Start menu, the Windows 8 interface introduces you to your workspace
in the form of tiles that become full-screen when clicked. With the Start menu, taskbar, and traditional desktop gone, the well-known Start menu has been replaced with
the new fullscreen Start screen. The interface is highly elegant and very much geared towards tablets and touchscreens, but as a result, appears to be more or less moving away from the traditional mouse and keyboard interface--possibly serving as a source of alienation for many veteran PC users. Additionally , multi-tasking is slightly hindered by the fact that you can only run two apps side by side--but then again, quite a few people use every program maximized--myself included--so this isn't that much of an issue.
As a result of the new interface, Microsoft will now only be deploying apps through the new
Windows Store.
This does not mean it's impossible to install apps outside of the store--it's similar to Apple's App Store. Come to think of it, it's exactly like the App Store, because it's still possible to install non-appstore programs onto OS X--obviously, with FSO being an example.
Windows 8 has also served as a new springboard for the deployment of Microsoft's new tablet competitor:
Microsoft Surface. Imagine a netbook and an iPad combined together, using Windows 8, and bearing the first-party Microsoft logo (i.e. they're somewhat stabbing their OEM partners in the back, yet the OEMs
don't seem to care). That's pretty much it.
Given the fact that it's now impossible to disable the Metro/Modern/whateverthehelltheycallit UI, this may prove as a source of confusion for many novice-ish users who have been using computers in the workplace for years (i.e. our parents or older siblings) with the sudden change. Combined with much fear, uncertainty, and doubt from the consumer market, as well as popular game developers such as
Valve (calling it a "catastrophe") and
Blizzard (calling it "not awesome") disagreeing with what Windows 8 is to bring to the table, this may be the beginning of the end as we know it for what you've come to expect, know, and love in Microsoft's flagship OS--which, especially in Windows 7, has turned into quite a bit.
I personally expect to turn this into another Windows Vista for the desktop platform. PC desktops aren't going away any time soon--perhaps they'll be less common--but Microsoft appears to be taking a ham-fisted approach with Windows 8 at making the desktop appear to be deprecated.
What do you guys think about Windows 8 and its apparent bull****? (I know I'm being incredibly biased here, but I'm not very happy with Microsoft at the moment. Bear with me.)
On a completely related note: this may be a boon for Linux users, especially with Valve's apparent port of Steam and the Source engine (and all of its various forks and versions) to Linux--notably, the Linux port of Left 4 Dead 2's fork of the Source engine (the most recent fork of Source, powering Left 4 Dead 2, Portal 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive)
outperforms the Windows version of itself. With AAA quality games coming to platforms like Linux, could this be the chance for Linux to finally put its foot in the door as a consumer OS? Perhaps there won't be a mass-exodus to Linux or other operating systems, but this may be the chance for Linux to raise its
1% to 4.8% market share in the desktop environment.
Okay, done ranting. Discuss.
TL;DR version: Windows 8 slaps developers in the face by deprecating Win32 and making it incredibly hard to port non-Windows 8 programs to it; the new interface is shiny and nice but there's no way to go back to the old traditional desktop; the app store is a literal carbon copy of Apple's app store approach; Microsoft's using Windows 8 as an excuse to make a first party tablet computer to compete with the iPad/Samsung tablets; Steam's getting a Linux port because Valve can't stand Windows 8's crappiness, and Source games ironically run better on Linux than they do on Windows.
