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Windows 8 is the reimagining of Windows, an OS used by over a billion
people across the world. It is also the riskiest. In 2010, Ballmer had
said that "the next release of Windows" is the riskiest bet company has
made. In terms of user interface, Windows is the biggest change in the
history of OS after Windows 95.
Consequently, there is lot that
is new in Windows 8. We list 8 big changes that are going to impact the
way people use their computers.
1. Home Screen:
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This is the new 'desktop'. Well, there is no proper desktop in Windows
8. Instead, it has been replaced by a Home Screen, from where you can
access you programs. Also, there are no icons.
Not for programs.
And not for folders. Instead, you have tiles, which can dynamically
show information. Clicking on these live tiles opens the program.
Depending on the resolution of your computer you can see around 25 to 20
tiles. If you want access tiles that are on visible on screen, you can
swipe right on a tablet or use a scroll bar on bottom on desktop and
laptop. Home screen also features a powerful universal that can be used
to quickly access a program, system settings or files.
2. No Start Button:
The 'desktop' has been changed into an app in Windows 8. This means by
clicking the Desktop app on Home screen you switch to the good old
Desktop but only until you have work to do there. The biggest change
here is that users no longer have access to Start button.
If
users have to access some program, they have to go back to Home screen.
Now, there are two ways to switch between Desktop app and Home screen.
One, you can use Windows key. Or you can use Charms, which are hidden.
On tablet, Charms can be revealed by swiping left from the right bezel.
On desktop or laptop, navigating the mouse pointer to the left or right
corner on the bottom of the screen does the trick. Charms also have
options to access search, settings, share, and see connected devices.
All of these change depending on the context, or in other words the
program open on the screen. For example, if you click search on Home
screen, you get universal search. But if you click search in windows
store, you get app search.
3. Morden UI:
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The user interface changes like Home screen, removal of Start button and
big dynamic tiles instead of icons are part of Modern UI. Modern UI is
Microsoft's users interface philosophy for the future. It first debuted Windows Phone 7 and since then gradually making its way to other
products.
The hallmark of the Modern UI are tiles, rectangular
windows with clean lines, lots of while space, lots of play for pictures
and an abundance of bright colours. It is all very eye-catching and
going forward Microsoft wants app developers to use Modern UI design
language in their programs.
4. Windows store:
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Currently, programs are installed after a user downloads the installer
from the web. In Windows 8, all the programs with Modern UI design
language will be distributed through Windows Store, a concept that is
similar to app stores on Android devices, iPhone and iPad etc.
Microsoft says that developers can offer their apps for free or sell
them. If they decide to sell, Microsoft will take 30% cut. But if an app
makes more than $25,000 than Microsoft will reduce its share to 20%.
Installing apps through Windows store is just a matter of looking for
those apps and clicking install. Uninstall is also easy. Just select an
app and click uninstall. Though currently, the number of apps in Windows
Store are rather limited.
5. New Lock Screen:
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The current Lock Screen is boring and useless. So, Windows 8 changes it
to something that is more useful. Just like Lock Screens on iPad or
Android tablet, the Lock Screen on Windows 8 can show information like
battery status, connectivity status, number of unread mails, Twitter
mentions, Facebook updates etc.
The new Lock Screen features
several new ways to unlock the PC. You can use a picture password. This
means on a tablet, you can draw a pattern on a picture to unlock the
device. You can also use your Microsoft Live ID to log on to the
computer.
6. Connected to the Cloud :
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Windows 8 works best when connected to the web all the time. This is
obvious from things like Microsoft ID as login ID or the notifications
on lock screen. Even program tiles can pull in data from the web in real
time and show it as a kind of notification. For example, news apps can
pull in data and show headlines through their tiles. One more way in
which Windows 8 makes use of the cloud connectivity is through SkyDrive,
Microsoft's web-based storage service.
Through SkyDrive, users
can back up files on the web in real time. The connectivity to the cloud
allows Microsoft to offer features like apps and settings sync, which
can help a user get the familiar apps and settings whether he is logging
into the desktop computer at home or on a Windows 8 tablet on the go.
7. Setting Simplified:
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Well,
the good old control panel is still there. But it has been buried deep.
Instead, what most users are likely to find when they look to change
settings is the Settings Panel that uses Modern UI. It is much simpler
and has fewer options compared to Control Panel so when push comes to
shove, many users may have to go to the older settings.
But if
you like few and simple settings options in iPad or an Android tablet,
you will like the Settings Panel in Windows 8. And yes, now you can also
factory reset your computer.
8. Multitasking (or Lack of it):
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There are two ways to multitask in Windows 8. One is the traditional
method. This means all your open programs are accessible from the task
bar. But this works only in Desktop mode. If you want to multitask in
Modern UI mode, you are limited to seeing two windows at a time. Of
these two one, occupies 80% screen and other 20%. These windows can't be
resized.
Other open programs run in the background. On a
tablet, a user can switch between open programs by swiping right on the
left bezel. On a desktop or PC the way to bring the list of open apps in
Modern UI mode is by navigating to the corner on the top left. Once the
thumbnails of open apps show, you can select an app to switch to it or
you can snap it in either 80% screen or 20% screen for two-app
multitasking.
SOURCE: Times of India
