I'm listening to Engadget Podcast 283 - 03.02.2012, and they are interviewing a reviewer of Windows 8 Preview. As you may be aware, Windows 8 will combine a desktop interface and a tablet interface in the same OS. Apparently though, the two parts don't really work together, for example they each have an "Internet Explorer 10", but these are very different apps, and they don't share bookmarks or anything (remarkable).
These people are all, like everybody else I have read or talked to, very puzzled as to why Microsoft would combine these two things, which after all are different exactly because they are meant to be run on very different hardware, one has a big screen, keyboard and mouse, the other a small screen and nothing else. So when are you going to need them both? You may want it in specialized hardware which can switch between a small laptop and a large tablet, but I doubt very much this will ever become a mainstream thing.
What is interesting to me is that apparently nobody has any idea why Microsoft would be doing this. And keep in mind that they are investing millions of dollars and man-hours on this, and hanging a big part of the company's future on it. So who came up with this idea at Microsoft, and who are the pretty big number of people who think it'll work (unless they're all just yes-men), and based on what? Surely if there was a solid reason, somebody would know about it, if nothing else then to boost confidence in MS stock.
4 comments:
Windows 8 will combine a desktop interface and a tablet interface in the same OS.
Not “in” but with. I wonder if we readers should set up a bet on how many years it will take for you to get that the UI is not part of the OS. I think I first brought this to your attention in 2004, or so.
Of course, you are far from the only one confused, and Microsoft must be the OS company with the least clear idea of what an OS is (just look at the name of their OS product). BUT! Including a WIMP interface and a touch interface in the same package is a sign that Microsoft is starting to get it. Not lose it, as you imply. This is why I want to defend them here.
Don't forget that in addition to WIMP, Windows has already in the past included many different user interfaces (for very different hardware), such as for example the command shell and voice input/output, to name but two. (They have also done braille and many other things ...)
Wikipedia: Operating system#User interface
What is interesting to me is that apparently nobody has any idea why Microsoft would be doing this.
How many software architects and/or OS hackers have you discussed this with?
Thank you for chastising me, I'm sure I need it. Although I must admit it takes a little courage these days to read comments from you. :-)
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I admit I haven't talked to any software architects. I tend to assume that professional tech reporters and reviewers know their stuff. I apologise for using "nobody" so loosely.
I'm sure you're right that technically the user interface is not part of the OS, but I think that it's not easy to understand. If an OS doesn't have an interface, you can't use it, so far as I know.
So what *is* the advantage for the user of having those two very different interfaces with Win 8? Specifically, and in the foreseeable future? I can see it for a device which can transform between a tablet and a laptop (I've only heard of one or two of such devices), but apart from that?
And doesn't it mean for example that you'll need a very powerful tablet, if it's the same as you'd install on a desktop computer?
I'm sorry if I'm ignorant, I'll say like Milhouse: I'm not a smart nerd, I'm a weak nerd".
I tend to assume that professional tech reporters and reviewers know their stuff.
Those people often talk about technology at the same level as marketers. And marketers do not hesitate to distort the facts if it makes it easier to sell the product. Marketers also often knowingly ride with the pre-existing misconceptions in people's minds, because educating the audience generally does not help (in selling the product).
So what *is* the advantage for the user of having those two very different interfaces with Win 8?
Well, first of all, all tablet apps are developed on a desktop computer, so you need the tablet UI on the desktop for that purpose anyway. Even Mac OS X includes all the iOS interfaces (both for iPhone and iPad) in the Xcode installation option, for this purpose.
But in general, the UI is a relatively small piece of software; much smaller than most apps! So technically it makes no sense to create independent software distributions depending on which UIs are included.
But the reason I applaud Microsoft for this move is because it is an attempt at unification and simplification. Good software architecture does not segregate and resorts to special casing only when it is absolutely necessary. The more general you can keep an architecture, the more options you have available for you down the road.
WIMP is a text book example of painting yourself in the corner. It is a dead end. You can not build on top of it.
But, taking a step back and analyzing the commonalities between WIMP and a touch interface may allow you to correct some design issues, and be able to introduce new kind of flexibility perhaps benefiting both styles of UIs later.
Also, it is quite possible that the two UIs will eventually converge. And if not converge, then used simultaneously. For example, a graphic designer/artist might have both interfaces open in different monitors on a single computer etc.
"the UI is a relatively small piece of software; much smaller than most apps"
OK, did not know that!
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