I agree that Microsoft should be working to improve the Desktop, not abandoning it as some here like to suggest. Just like how Microsoft made great improvements in Windows 7 with Aero Snap, Aero Peek, and Jumplists, I believe that there are still lots of ways the Desktop can still be improved.
One second per month times 12 months a year times 100 million users is well over a billion seconds a year. Considering a couple of developers could implement and test the feature in a day, I think it’s well worth asking for.
And what would the correct angle be? As a self-described “power user”, I do look at different issues than other folks. I want increasingly powerful and functional applications. Windows has done a decent job of catering to my “power user” needs but with Windows 8, it looks like us “power users” may not be as important to Microsoft as we once were. I hear Ubuntu 13.04 is coming out this month. Maybe I’ll check that out.
Because as a Desktop-only user, I see the lack of Boot-to-Desktop as a regression, pure and simple. It’s an added obstacle in my workflow. From Windows 95 to 7 the Start Menu wasn’t open when you first logged in. They assumed you knew how to launch an application. They didn’t treat you like a “noobie”. Why start now? Maybe as a Desktop-only user, I’m not the kind of user Microsoft is catering to anymore.
And another point:
I understand that Microsoft will eventually have to depricate the Desktop and replace it with something else but not Metro. Please not Metro! Metro apps are so barren in functionality that they make the Web and HTML5 look like absolute powerhouses.
Heck, I’ve seen Windows dialog boxes that use 3 different fonts in the same window! And these aren’t from 3rd party software. Consistency/attention-to-detail isn’t a strong point within the Windows team.
Am I the only one who thinks Metro is ugly as sin? Most Metro apps I’ve seen are less functional than their corresponding websites! IMO Google’s Holo currently strikes the best balance between minimalistic design and functionality.
