Bill Gates: New Windows 8 system is 'very exciting'
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NEW YORK (AP) - Microsoft founder Bill Gates on Thursday called the new Windows 8 operating system scheduled for release next month "a very exciting new product" and "a very big deal" for the world's largest software maker.
Gates said in an interview with The Associated Press that he is already using Windows 8 "and I'm very pleased with it."
Windows 8 is Microsoft's biggest overhaul of Windows in more than a decade and the company's attempt to stay relevant and exciting in a world where mobile gadgets have started to overshadow personal computers.
"Hardware partners are doing great things to take advantage of the features," Gates added. "It'll be a big deal."
Microsoft Corp. will release Windows 8 on Oct. 26 along with a new version of Internet Explorer.
Gates responded to a question about Windows 8 during an AP interview about the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's key role in a new global campaign to eradicate polio.
Windows 8 will replace Windows 7 on practically all personal computers sold to consumers.
It features major changes in the way consumers interact with their machines, and versions of it will also run on tablet computers and smartphones.
Although Microsoft has grown into much more than a maker of computer operating systems - providing computer services to corporations and Xbox gaming machines to game enthusiasts - Windows still accounts for a significant chunk of the company's annual revenue.
In 2011, Microsoft's "Windows & Windows Live" division generated 27 percent, or $19 billion, of the company's $69.9 billion in annual revenue.
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Associated Press Technology Editor John Simons contributed to this report.
Gates said in an interview with The Associated Press that he is already using Windows 8 "and I'm very pleased with it."
Windows 8 is Microsoft's biggest overhaul of Windows in more than a decade and the company's attempt to stay relevant and exciting in a world where mobile gadgets have started to overshadow personal computers.
"Hardware partners are doing great things to take advantage of the features," Gates added. "It'll be a big deal."
Microsoft Corp. will release Windows 8 on Oct. 26 along with a new version of Internet Explorer.
Gates responded to a question about Windows 8 during an AP interview about the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's key role in a new global campaign to eradicate polio.
Windows 8 will replace Windows 7 on practically all personal computers sold to consumers.
It features major changes in the way consumers interact with their machines, and versions of it will also run on tablet computers and smartphones.
Although Microsoft has grown into much more than a maker of computer operating systems - providing computer services to corporations and Xbox gaming machines to game enthusiasts - Windows still accounts for a significant chunk of the company's annual revenue.
In 2011, Microsoft's "Windows & Windows Live" division generated 27 percent, or $19 billion, of the company's $69.9 billion in annual revenue.
__
Associated Press Technology Editor John Simons contributed to this report.
Bill, it's time to check into an old folks home. The mind is clearly gone.
Nice. Â Ubuntu just released 12.10! Â I'll be back in 10 minutes - that's about all the time I need to have this up and running! Â :-)
<--- hates Windows 8 ... does not intend to push windows 8... not interested in windows 8 idiocracy tile menu... I'l be using windows 7 and likley waiting for windows 9... windows 8 is crusing for a windows ME repeat suppose MS was due for that....
It had better be good, or MSFT will continue to lose market share in a big way. I think this is almost do or die for them in terms of personal computing. People need to love it like they've been loving the last several apple roll outs. Windows could become a relic... even in the business world.
 @Scoondog Windows has a lockdown on the business world. You have two choices. Windows or Linux. With windows, all windows servers will work together. they are easy to maintain. Linux is many issues: which distribution to choose, how to configure, etc.
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I don't see windows workstations going away either. Why would a business buy every user a 2,000$ Apple computers (even if they are only receptionists) when they can buy a 400$ workstation and 100$ monitor from dell?Does Microsoft NEED windows to work at the consumer level? Yes. Why? Because that is part of what drives business decisions. Is this a do or die situation? No. Why? Windows XP and Windows 7 are on more machines around the world then any other operating system.Windows is not going away anytime soon.
 @Jalharad  @Scoondog "I don't see windows workstations going away either. Why would a business buy every user a 2,000$ Apple computers (even if they are only receptionists) when they can buy a 400$ workstation and 100$ monitor from dell?"
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Sadly many businesses are stupid enough to use that exact reasoning for what to purchase. There is so much more to the cost than the price of the machine and it is quite true that you get what you pay for. When you figure in TCO, ease of use, etc the cost of the Mac / PC options narrow considerably especially when you consider that you can buy Macs at $800 not $2000 and they typically last longer than PCs etc.
The interface is fine for end users, but they applied the same interface to Server 2012, and it is frustrating as hell. Now I have to learn how to find the things I already know about all over again in this new tiled, "mosaic" interface on the Server 2012 OS. Its a server operating system, there is no need to constantly screw with the interface. Find the bugs that existed for the last decade, fix them and stop screwing with the damn gui.
@northwestsurfer You could always install the Server Core only. :P
@robmo I still need to learn the UI; employers will still use the user interface, it is something I need to learn
@northwestsurfer Right, I was only playing devil's advocate...
 @northwestsurfer  @robmo technicly if you know all the commands for core, then you can use those in the CMD on a standard server and it'll work fine.Better yet, learn Power Shell. Its what DOS command should have been.
only if you know all the commands by heart since there is no tab complete, and the help files....well....you can see them, but they really aren't helpful.
is that what they're calling it how - exciting? ada buggy...
 @Theonedog ADA? What the...? Are the disabled somehow not being served properly by the new OS?
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Or do you mean AKA (also known as)?
Bill needs to pay some bills.
http://www.komonews.com/news/va?vaid=f4d35a3d2151b8155a65137b77e3ba81Pretty good article on what windows 8 is, and what it means (only part 1 so far)
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Looks like Billy just sprayed himself.....
What's Bill going to say?? "It's the biggest load of cr*ap I've had the displeasure to work with, it's buggy and full of spyware..."
Oh goody. Another upgrade forced on us. I see them discontinuing to support other, older programs that work or have less issues and then we have to pay for the upgrades because they didn't create a program that works properly the first time... in other words, standard practice.
 @responsible adult? several years ago, mr softy figured out that he could get you and me to do the user acceptance testing for them, saving them millions. didn't take long for them to think, well, if that worked, perhaps we can get the do the beta testing, too.
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and so it goes. we're not paying attention, they're screwing us...
@responsible adult?  They NEED to make new software to introduce products and features that you WILL want and use. Windows 98 and Window NT 4.0 did not support USB. Today most of the peripherals you connect to your computer are USB devices. Time marches on and technology improves. Get on board.
@scared_citizen Rather than re-write my post, just read my reply to Jalharad.
 @responsible adult? such a friggin' racket software is... sometimes I feel developers intentionally slow your computer down with crap to force you to seek so called upgrades....
 @Funky-Munky  @responsible adult? it is very clear that you have no idea how computers function, or how advances in programming has introduced a whole new environment to the world.You think your computer is slow...well, I bet you bought a off the shelf computer for less then $500 (600 if it was a laptop) and I bet it is more then 4 years old (probably closer to 6). When you buy a cheap computer, you can hardly expect it to run forever. It'd be like buying a Kia and expecting it to last as long as a Toyota...
Jalharad: Your assessment is amusing.... Apparently you're unaware your computer is only as good as the software running it.... doesn't matter if you have the fastest internet connection etc. if you have crap software.....
@Jalharad I have more than one computer, one is a computer that is several years old and another that is less than a year old. Our older one with older programs (XP) runs much faster and better than our laptop. Both computers are top of the line, customized computers. We customized each of them with the anticipation that they would last about 5 years. Our older one is now over 8 years old and is still running fast and we still have room for more programs. Please don't assume you know what a person has unless you have personal knowledge.
I've had a chance to play with Windows 8 - its FAST, remarkably fast. It is primarily designed for tablets or smart phones. I wouldn't use it for a PC since I find the UI to be less than intuitive. Windows 7 is my Microsoft OS of choice. But since Microsoft is Microsoft -- I dual boot. Yay Linux!
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I don't expect great things from W8 since this version has been completely redesigned. Microsoft doesn't have a very good track record with new technology.
@acmariner99 hey, read the comments in this forum about some changes that were made to Windows Server 2008. I thought it was pretty funny, because that was my exact thought, before I even read the forum. Microsoft constantly takes a good product and tampers with it until it sucks. Its just like the military.
http://www.vistax64.com/drivers/168477-installing-32-bit-odbc-drivers-vista-x64.html
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 @northwestsurfer  @acmariner99 Where in there does it talk about changes to server 2008? It looks to me like its a vista forum, talking about vista64....
@Jalharad @acmariner99 yeah, but the UI is the same for Vista/2008 x86 -> W7/2008 R2. I had 2008R2, was trying to add drivers to ODBC but couldnt find them, so I searched and found the forum above. The instructions were the same as for 2008 R2
 @acmariner99 "Microsoft doesn't have a very good track record with new technology."  Hence the reason some corporations have a strict rule that doesn't allow upgrading to a .0 release.
 @SeattleJoe  @acmariner99 Hardware compatibility is also another reason
Tried Windows 7, wasn't impressed at all. Went back to XP. But capitalism requires that things change, whether they are good or bad changes. Its the only way to keep the money flowing from the poor to the rich.
@Blindman That's the safest bet with Windows OSs - don't upgrade unless you absolutely cannot do your essential work without doing so. I like 7, but among other quirks and errors, its file manager is dangerous and can cause serious data loss because you can highlight something for deletion in one panel and it will delete something else - likely an entire folder - that is residually highlighted in the other panel.
 @wysoumible  @Blindman thats called user error. Windows XP will do the same thing. Sounds like you need to pay attention to where you click and when you hold the SHIFT key....
 @Blindman  @wysoumible Windows 7 also offers 64 bit compatability, multithread programming, SSD optimization (with updates), More granular control over the system settings, fast boot times, CPU/Memory optimizations.
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Btw: you dont need to use the command line to install programs into linux, they have GUI applications for that now. Many things don't even require WINE anymore.
Windows 7 just hat nothing to offer me over what XP already does. A little slicker GUI but thats about it. Most of the accessories that come with Micro$oft OS is just junk. Like their browser, photo editing, media playing software. The 3rd party software works much better. I would use Linux again but I don't really care to go back to the days of DOS just to load a new program. @Jalharad  @wysoumible  @Blindman
 @Blindman how long did you "try" windows 7? Did you try and see what the differences were, or did you do "This is different then XP, I don't like it"?
Has there been any word on how Windows 8 (touch screen technology) will work with older computers. Also, will it be able to play DVD/CD's. I heard that it wasn't going to be able to do that.
 @J LAKE Good questions.....
 @Funky-Munky  @J LAKE The developer releases I've tested have been able to play DVD/CD's in a virtual environment.On another note: who uses cd/dvds anymore?
@Jalharad @SeattleJoe @Funky-Munky @J LAKEÂ Â CD/DVD Are still a very good source for long-term permanent storage.
@SeattleJoe @Jalharad @Funky-Munky @J LAKE all physical media is dying. do a google search on Blu-Ray is dying media
 @SeattleJoe  @Funky-Munky  @J LAKE It is not likely that they will drop support for it, but in this world, use of the CD/DVD has dropped significantly with itunes, Pandora, Netflix, and flash drives being widely accepted.
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I have not used a DVD or CD in over 4 years, in fact, I removed the CD/DVD drive from my laptop and replaced it with another hard drive (solid state).
 @Jalharad  @Funky-Munky  @J LAKE Lots of people use cds dvds still. Dropping support for something like that would be a bad idea.
You mean another windows operating system other than XP because every other feeble attempt made by Microsoft to improve said operating system was an absolute failure.... gee... can hardly wait... (sarcasm off) side note: There has been some buzz about improvement... waiting to hear more...
@Funky-Munky You can always download Visual Studio C++ Express and write your own operating system. It's so easy to write your own operating system. One release of an OS should satisfy everyone in the entire world, no sweat...
 @robmo What do you think of Firefox?
 @robmo I use chrome the most, and use firefox to fill in some things that chrome cant do or doesn't have
@Funky-Munky Mostly I like it but it has some things I don't like. That is not uncommon when it comes to software. I use Firefox the most but I do use Chrome and IE on occasion.
 @Funky-Munky Windows 7 is a vast improvement over XP. I don't believe windows 8 will improve anything other then its ability to interact with touch hardware. Windows 8 also drops legacy support (XP).And I would love to have a good long conversation about how Windows 7 is FAR superior then Windows Xp
 @Jalharad XP was sufficient and familiar to me.... I believe the refusal of learning the difference between 7 and XP was what it truly came down to for me.... Oh yes, VISTA is what pushed me away completely from using any other Microsoft operating system...
 @robmo  @2009Ultra I could never get Windows ME to run Counter Strike properly on a network game
@2009Ultra We could debate that all day long. Windows ME had some major problems for me. At least Vista worked reasonably well, albeit slow. Windows ME was almost unusable (for me anyway).
 @Jalharad  @Funky-Munky Yea, now that I think about it ME and (its painful to type this) Bob were really bad.
@SeattleJoe @Funky-Munky @Jalharad I'm pretty sure that Windows ME had Vista beat hands down!
@SeattleJoe @Funky-Munky @Jalharad I don't know, Windows ME was a real stinker...
 @SeattleJoe  @Funky-Munky I would say Windows ME was the worst OS out of Microsoft. I think Windows 8 will be great for mobile users (tablets/phones) since that is what it is optimized for. For those of us who use desktops, or work in a corporate environment, it wont be as useful.
 @Funky-Munky  @Jalharad Vista was the absolute worst OS in the history of man. Win 7 on the other hand is quite good, after a few tweaks. I can definitely understand Vista pushing you away but I'd say give 7 a chance its pretty good. As for Win 8 I don't see how many people are going to jump on it. It has no definitive value for many people and corporations to justify the upgrade. With new PC sales and the fact people just like to have the latest whether they need it or not, I think it will sell ok but won't be a blockbuster. Pretty much everyone I know has said the first thing they will do is turn off the Win 8 UI on anything that isn't touchscreen.
 @Funky-Munky I agree, Vista was a joke. Still is.I adopted Windows 7 when it was still in development and haven't turned back.
10+ year OS, I was trying to say...
@Funky-Munky @Jalharad Please know that Windows 7 IS NOT Vista and you shouldn't be so narrow minded to think Windows 7 is more Microsoft garbage. I am way more productive with Windows 7 than I ever was with XP. Much thought has went into improving Windows. I would be willing to bet that Windows 7 will be the next 10+ operating system by Microsoft.