I could not do without my old Microsoft Natural keyboard for my work, although I would love to get rid of the mouse. However, the typewriter keyboard is a 19th century invention and, as such, it is an anachronism and an encumbrance. Those who take to the notepad will not want it any more. And, no, I do not really want to spend several hours a day tapping away on my computer keyboard.

Edited by micksharpe (Thu 15-Sep-11 23:27:42)

In reply to a post by micksharpe:

The Windows Start Menu is an abomination that we have all had ample time to get used to - ask anyone new to Windows.

Nothing wrong with the start menu, it have improved over the years.

My computer is set up so that the software i use the most is ont he taskbar, I love the way I can put the icons on the taskbar in windows 7. a bit like the Mac dock, but not as good.

Other software which i use less often are snapped onto the start menu

I hate icons on the desktop, a waste of time.

The next evolutionary step for computing devices is to get rid of the mouse and the keyboard. Touch-screens do the former admirably and the latter partially. Virtual keyboards are simply a stop-gap and will largely be replaced with voice recognition.

Touch screen is useless on a desktop or laptop computer. you got to have small fingers to use menus with touch screens and your arm aches.

Virtual keyboards are also a waste of time, I can just imagine a touch typist using one, not
Oh yeah voice recognition, works fantastic, which is why every one is using it, again not.

for years we have been told we will be talking to our computers, no keyboards or mouse just tell it what we want it to do. Still not happened,

Dragon is pretty good, not still no where near good enough, it is a gimmick

Microsoft are not innovators and never have been. They know that they cannot beat Apple for style and innovation and, unlike other companies, will not even try to do so. All they have to do is play keepy-uppy and produce a usable OS for tablet PCs that:

• Is as good as or better than Android
• Can be sold at a reasonable price
• Will run Windows applications

Tablets are a gimmick as well and will either die out or sell less, many people are still buying computers with keyboards, be it laptops, netbooks or a full blown desktop.

Tablets are fine for browsing the net and watching some videos but that is their limits.

They will also need to produce a decent tranche of native apps to replace traditional Windows applications. The real challenge will be to make sure that native apps inter-operate seamlessly with Windows apps and other services such as e-mail, calendars and mobile phones.

and this is the whole reason why MS is doing this change over to get into the mobile phone market because so far they have failed and I think they will fail again, for the smart phone market Android and Apple have got the market.

i like the Android phones to be honest, certainly my HTC, the only problem is Google,, I will never have another MS phone and I got no interest in tablet to be honest, I like real computers, something can do more than one thing without creaking

In reply to a post by cavillas:

Looks like all the same od arguments as there was for windows xp and windows 7, when it is rolled out properly next year it will soon become mainstream and accepted by everyone, just like windows 7.

Will it? Vista was not accepted by everyone, that is why Windows 7 came out so quick.

In reply to a post by Pipexer:

Microsoft are simply sorting out visuals so that Windows will be able to work on tablet devices and phones in a good manner. The good old Windows will still be there should you choose. Of course the "start menu" will be there, where are you getting your information from?

This way, you can have Windows phone, Windows PC, and Windows tablet, lovely!

I think it will be good.

I don't want it to work on a tablet or phone, I got a computer here that cost me over a grand, I don't want it looking like a mobile phone

No start menu,if you want the start menu you have to use a reg hack. you click on the windows icon where the start menu would be and it take you back to that horrid Metro UI.

In reply to a post by Sark:

Speaking is way more effort than typing. For that reason I think the keyboard is here to stay.

Try editing some video with voice control it would certainly take a lot longer.

Oh dear this isn't going to work. Already running a linux server in a vb add windows 8 and I run out of RAM

which to me is the problem, they creating a portable OS that also will be used on desktops. Not the other way round.

Seems to me they been lazy and really should be making 2 different operating systems.

There is no way a touch screen will be more productive than a proper keyboard and mouse. There is situations when a touchscreen is useful, bot not on a desk where I have a keyboard in front of me. Reminds me of the virtual keyboard on the xbox360 which is hideous to use. Wont be quite so bad as that but wont be great either.

As for voice recognition I think we are decades away from somethng that would be reliable enough to use widespread. I still remember a dodgy demo going wrong from microsoft on voice recognition and all the issues that come with call centre queues that try to use voice recognition for menus.

Change is ok, but not forced change. With the start menu going I can see windows 7 been extended again and again as windows 8 is potentially another windows ME/vista bomb.

Like windows 7, microsaoft is making changes for the sake of it rather than natural progresson, they need to be making visible GUI changes (in their eyes) so people feel they buying something new.

Edited by Chrysalis (Fri 16-Sep-11 08:05:05)

In reply to a post by Pipexer:

Microsoft are simply sorting out visuals so that Windows will be able to work on tablet devices and phones in a good manner. The good old Windows will still be there should you choose. Of course the "start menu" will be there, where are you getting your information from?

This way, you can have Windows phone, Windows PC, and Windows tablet, lovely!

I think it will be good.

I only accepted windows 7 when I discovered I could bring back quick launch and use an app to change behaviour of the taskbar.

I am not using office 2010 as I dont like the gui changes.

To me a phone is to make calls, I think things like the iphone are nothing more than toys, I have a nokia 6300, I have a laptop which is useful but is only normally used when I am out of my home and somewhere else. I have tried a notebook and the screen was too small for me. You could say I am an anti portable device person. eg. I didnt buy a PSP because there is no easy way to output it to a monitor.

In reply to a post by Chrysalis:

I only accepted windows 7 when I discovered I could bring back quick launch and use an app to change behaviour of the taskbar.

I have already done the first part but what is this app for changing the behaviour of the taskbar

Oh yeah the ribbon idea is awful, I hate it on Office.

Couldn't agree more. It reduces productivity as you can't find anything, it's all buried away somewhere.

My expertise is with MS Access databases. Ribbon even worse there.