Windows 9 set to rewind many of the changes from Windows 8
Two years after the Microsoft released Windows 8 -- an operating system that's been bitterly criticized for force-fitting tablet-centric features onto the desktop and alienating users with a generally tone-deaf update to the popular Windows 7 -- the company is poised to introduce an early preview of Windows 9 to the world at the end of this month. Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley, who has a great track record for this sort of thing, says the company is aiming to release a beta of Windows 9 in late September or early October.
And thanks to a number of leaks in recent weeks (including several videos, readily available on YouTube), we already have a pretty good idea of what we'll find in the new operating system. The good news: It's probably going to make most critics happy, as Microsoft has reeled back a number of the most objectionable aspects of Windows 8. Essentially, Microsoft has found a way to graft some of Windows 8's biggest ideas into the Windows 7 interface, resulting in a hybrid experience that's both familiar and modern at the same time. Based on the leaks we've seen so far, it might well be what the company should have done to begin with.
First and foremost, look for the old fly-out Start Menu to return to Windows. Clicking the Start button won't go to the modern start screen, but instead you'll see your programs listed in traditional menu form. The difference? You'll be able to configure modern live tiles on the right side of the Start Menu, delivering live, contextual information about things that interest you. Weather, tweets, email, news.
The Charms Bar was never especially popular. Navigating to this new UI is cumbersome -- you have to move the mouse to a corner on the right side of the screen, and then move up or down towards the right center. While it's not clear if the Charms Bar will persist in its current form in Windows 9, some leaks indicate that the functionality of the bar will be incorporated into a drop-down menu in the title bar of apps.
Perhaps the most intriguing feature is the presence of virtual desktops in Windows 9. This has been a feature that power users have demanded for decades -- yes, literally for decades -- and have had to resort to third party utilities or to abandon Windows entirely in favor of Linux to get. A leaked video, though, shows virtual desktops in operation.
A control in the taskbar appears to make it easy to add multiple desktops, or workspaces, to your PC, and switch among them as easily as switching among individual apps. By waiting 20 years to implement virtual desktops in Windows, Microsoft has had the benefit of learning from everyone else, and it looks like an elegant solution. But we'll all find out in a few weeks when Microsoft unveils the next Windows to the world.
Photo courtesy Microsoft
Dave Johnson
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Dave Johnson is editor of eHow Tech and author of three dozen books, including the best-selling How to Do Everything with Your Digital Camera. Dave has previously worked at Microsoft and has written about technology for a long list of magazines that include PC World and Wired.
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