Notch, among other game devs, has been pretty outspoken about how horrible Windows 8 is going to be, and that Microsoft is closing the platform down (i.e, forcing software to be verified through the "Microsoft Store").

What are everyone's thoughts on this? Why is Microsoft doing this? Will there be ways around it? Will it be best to simply not upgrade to Windows 8?

Discuss! Invite people! Branch off! Go nuts with this; this is a topic I think is really interesting and important right now.

Windows 8 launches at the end of this month. What are we going to do about it?

It isn't *as* bad as it sounds, as everything (from what I've heard) is fairly optional. Still, Microsoft is pushing it by making it a big part of Windows 8. The long term solution has always been to no support Microsoft and use Linux. Unfortunately, Game Developers aren't paid to design games and program for Linux.

So if you are like me, and play a wide variety of PC games, you are stuck using Windows 7 or XP these days. I actually really like Windows 7, but if any Linux OS, like Bodhi Linux (shameless plug, my cousin's distro), could support games and be fully compatible, I would have already switched in a heart beat. DirectX is a bitch.

Overall, besides the game stuff, Windows 8 really isn't much of an upgrade. There is a lot of nice face lifting Microsoft did, but other than that, Windows 7 is on the same level in terms of quality. Windows 7 also has less annoying features that you probably won't use... yeah. I dunno. Call me a hater, but I'm not seeing the point unless you just end up with it on a brand new retail system.

I'm bored so I'm going to keep talking I guess:

The biggest problem in the industry right now in terms of game development, is that Microsoft/DirectX has a huge monopoly on all things video games in the PC realm. Sure, yes, there are several titles that use OpenGL etc, etc, and even Valve has been expanding Steam into the Linux front along with Source engine games. But the majority of the games you are playing are created natively for DirectX (Microsoft's platform). Until developers are able to directly draw from your computer's resources (video card, processor, etc), they are going to keep using DirectX because its the easiest way.

Unfortunately, this means that everything stagnates until someone with a lot of money pushes a new platform

Not implying that Apple came up with the idea here...but this feels an awful lot like the Mac App Store.

Thanks to my Computer Science studies, I actually have an advance copy of the OS that I'll install once I can allocate the disk space. I've grown quite partial to Win7, and all the touted features of 8 seem to be focused around tablet usage.

In terms of closed ecosystems, there are pros and cons. The pros are that there's the potential for more secure software---POTENTIAL, not insurance---and perhaps a more streamlined way of GETTING software. Cons are fully dependent on how much MS tries to throw behind this. Despite OSX's store, you can still install non-Store apps. Let's hope MS has the sense to do the same.

Sorry, that second paragraph got confusing. My point was that I don't want to replace 7 with 8 at this point--but once I can get them going side-by-side, I hope to have some more experiential knowledge.

Yeah, I was thinking about installing the consumer preview they released, but then I realized I only have one PC, didn't like windows 8 that much, and didn't want to fuck shit up.
Personally, I think having a "certified" software store on such a historically open platform as the PC is egregious. The potential security is not worth adopting a closed model, in my opinion. Ever. And I think it's a little insulting to the intelligence of the user. Power users have always used Windows. I think Microsoft is turning their back on those power users in favor of what they consider to be a larger, maybe less 1337 consumer base. And that sucks.

I think this might be because their primary opponent in business right now is Apple. Mac users will always go on and on about how easy they are to use and how unified everything is and how they never get viruses, without realizing that their computers are like tricycles as opposed to a PC being a motorcycle. Of course crashing it won't kill you, but come on, it's a tricycle. And Microsoft wants to wrangle in Mac users without alienating noobs.

Yeah, it seems like a lot of pandering to the noobs, which is what makes me most angry. It's like they're saying "look, our thing has apps too!"

Yeah, it's pretty sad.

As a desktop operating system, it kinda confuses and pisses me off. As a mobile operating system, it looks pretty good. Like, if Microsoft's third-party manufacturers can get their shit together, Android might have to start worrying.

However, because the hardware we're seeing is mostly convertibles, and a lot of them are so big and bulky and heavy, it makes Windows 8 seem awkward, and they clearly are struggling to come up with something that works. Have you seen Lenovo's Yoga laptop? I think Android is safe for now.

I haven't. And I worry about where Windows is going as an OS because quite frankly the fact that they're getting more Apple-y is distressing. There's a reason I don't use the iOS. The iOS is bullshit and seems to have been designed for small children and other people who have not been around computers much. If Microsoft doesn't get its shit together soon, I can see Linux actually getting attention in a few years, and that'll blow a huge hole in Microsoft's profits if they're not careful. And, quite frankly, they'll deserve it for not paying attention to the needs of their clientele.

Honestly, one of the biggest problems I have with Windows 8 is the design concept of "mixing" the tablet and desktop OS design and making the phone OS distinct rather than combining the phone and tablet design and keeping the desktop distinct. I think this will prove to be an unprecedentedly farsighted move or an unprecedentedly blundering move because--quite honestly--tablets seem much more analogous to phones than desktops.

I get that Microsoft is trying to change that, but in their whole mixed-processor approach (ARM/x86) they're contradicting theirselves by making two "matching" UX that don't run the same software.

I really don't look forward to all of the conversations I'll soon be having about what works on WinRT v Win8.

Honestly, I think as long as Microsoft can hold on to their enterprise users, the businesses that use Windows, they'll be fine. Something like 98% of businesses run on Windows. I don't see Linux ever being a threat to Microsoft.

Of course, my thoughts in video-form are pending...

There's a lot of friction in business in regards to upgrades and conversions. Microsoft would have to not only do something totally irrecoverable and catastrophic to their operating system design but also somehow force their business users to abandon their older OSes in order to give Linux/Ubuntu/Red Hat/etc a fighting chance.

Right, the most likely thing is that business will simply not upgrade, but still stick with Windows. There are people still using XP, and there have been two iterations since then.

Aaaand here's my video on the Surface tablet:

Very informative. The fact that Metro apps are cross-platform makes Microsoft's approach make much more sense.

This will be interesting...

I agree. Completely splitting into two ecosystems would have been a disaster. Microsoft knows that.

But on the other hand, trying to integrate a phone-type OS into desktop computers will only infuriate power users. So there does need to be some separation in the ecosystems, or it'll all just be a homogenized mess.

I just meant app-wise. Power users should be pissed no matter what; the desktop is just another app now. The apps and the home screen are there to stay.

Call me crazy, but I switched from Windows to Linux ages ago only due to text rendering, which Windows fails to do so miserably that for a sharp-eyed guy like me it reminds me of DOS days. And everything else just came as a bonus I guess.

That being said, Windows has matured over the years and Windows 7 is pretty darn good (aside from text rendering). Windows 8 however is weird, filled with bad UI (theverge.com, would of been lovely) and windows store (an idea stolen from Apple, most likely), but mostly weird.