Windows 8.1 set to bring back the Start button
Microsoft is preparing to revive the traditional Start button it killed with Windows 8. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans have revealed to The Verge that Windows 8.1 will include the return of the Start button. We understand that the button will act as a method to simply access the Start Screen, and will not include the traditional Start Menu. The button is said to look near-identical to the existing Windows flag used in the Charm bar.
Feels like a concession.
» A year and a half without clear choice: Although Microsoft claims that the missing screen was replaced as soon as the issue was brought to the company’s attention, European Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia has announced that the EU is once again on the case. “We are now opening formal proceedings against the company,” said Almunia in a press release, adding, “If following our investigation, this breach is confirmed – and Microsoft seems to acknowledge the facts here – this could have severe consequences.”
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Rather, Microsoft is just cutting back on the extra layers of crud.
IBM and Microsoft worked together on it … at first. It seems like a footnote now, but for over a decade, IBM put a lot of work into creating a great operating system. Problem is, while it worked really well, it wasn’t very flashy, and IBM didn’t really know how to promote it outside of its big-business strongholds, and left the task to Microsoft, which had its own vested interests. As a result, a flashier operating system that had weaker fundamentals — Windows, that is — eventually gained market share. Even though OS/2 never caught on outside of a handful of niches such as ATMs and big businesses, it had its supporters, and by the mid-1990s really hit its stride. (Our family even used it as our primary OS for a few months. — Ed.) It even had a celebrity supporter: Howard Stern once backed the OS on the air, saying it was better than Windows 95. Did you rock OS/2 back in the day like Howard Stern?
Anything important happening at the office on March 22nd? We hope not, because you’re going to be pretty distracted. We might just be suckers for Don Pettit and his colleagues at NASA, or maybe it was the in-space debut at the International Space Station, but we’re kind of excited for Angry Birds Space. source
» On the plus side, that number’s falling: Between 1990 and 2008, roughly 7.3 children and teens per 100,000 fell out of windows each year, which is actually down — especially in areas that have pushed safety campaigns to prevent this from happening. However, it’s not the case in every city. In New York and Boston, previous studies have shown 96 percent declines. In this study, that level is much lower.
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Tumblr this morning. [h/t anne]
#@#$%!.tumblr.com
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» Then again, a lot has: The computer industry has evolved away from Microsoft’s model while still remaining tightly attached to it. With the growth of tablets and mobile phones (two markets where Microsoft simply struggles to stay afloat), and the evolution of open-source and Web apps into methods that get around Microsoft’s dominance, in many ways the company is weaker, even if we mostly still use Windows, even though OSX is probably better. Also, we think Google’s Chromebooks could chip into Microsoft’s market share in short order. None of these things are the Justice Department’s doing, though. The tech industry, instead, worked around Microsoft.
Need any more proof Windows will die someday? Well, here you go. Starting in 2012, HP will start offering WebOS on its PCs, allowing users to choose between Windows and the Web-oriented operating system. This is a huge step, because it means two major companies – Google and HP – are pushing away from the traditional Windows model. But HP’s corner-stoned on the model, so it’s even bigger than Google’s Chrome OS. This is huge. source
» On the plus side: Not everywhere was like San Francisco, apparently. The phone was reportedly sold out at stores in other major cities, including Atlanta, and around the world, the phone is faring much better than in the iPhone-heavy Bay Area. The lesson here: Are Maroon 5 fans really interested in buying a Windows phone?
Complexity kills. Complexity sucks the life out of users, developers and IT. Complexity makes products difficult to plan, build, test and use. Complexity introduces security challenges. Complexity causes administrator frustration.Departing Microsoft Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie • In a “post-apocalyptic” memo he released recently to Microsoft employees. What’s interesting about the memo is that it barely even mentions Windows, but instead emphasizes that Microsoft needs to change its overall approach to cheap, easy-to-use devices if it wants to stay in the game. In fact, in a tag cloud someone did of the memo, the top two words were “devices” and “services,” two things that other companies do much better than Microsoft right now. source (via)
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