If you were asked to pick the most annoying of the various Microsoft Windows interfaces that have appeared over the years, there’s a reasonable chance that Windows 8’s Metro start screen and interface design language would make it your choice. In 2012 the software company abandoned their tried-and-tested desktop whose roots extended back to Windows 95 in favor of the colorful blocks it had created for its line of music players and mobile phones.
Consumers weren’t impressed and it was quickly shelved in subsequent versions, but should you wish to revisit Metro you can now get the experience on Linux. [er-bharat] has created Win8DE, a shell for Wayland window managers that brings the Metro interface — or something very like it — to the open source operating system.
The most beautiful horror to ever exist lmao
44 Comments
Affidavit@lemmy.world · 105 pts · 216d
This is mean-spirited. Someone created something that they like and shared it with others, and people (who are clearly not the intended audience), are taking a big public dump on it.
I didn't like the Windows 8 start menu, but attacking someone who did like it and who is sharing how to experience the same thing on Linux, is pretty dickish IMO.
massive_bereavement@fedia.io · 36 pts · 216d
That's one of the aspects I like from Linux: The ability to make the desktop your own. And, like you, I'll defend that preference and choice regardless of how terrible it is ;)
Sometimes for no apparent reason I will reconfigure my desktop to look like an old OS (Workbench, MacOS, OS/2, Nextstep, etc..)
Affidavit@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 216d
100% this.
Every time I try a new distro I spend 1-3 hours messing around with the settings, themes, and widgets to get things exactly the way I want it. This is why Linux rocks.
I am not a developer, but I can only imagine how demotivating it would be if I were to put in the effort to develop a layout I like, share it with other people, and then encounter a post like this.
massive_bereavement@fedia.io · 4 pts · 216d
Most opinionated people hated the Appearance Manager in MacOS, but for me it was a huge highlight of running that OS, with a dear preference towards "Drawing Board".
There's a mockup that mocks me as I do really wish this could be done: https://www.pling.com/p/1219916
And then Apple decided to close down any tweaking and convert it into a single look because the great leader wanted uniformity and some brand bs: https://www.wired.com/2002/10/the-mac-os-that-cant-be-tweaked/ - paywall
prettybunnys@piefed.social · 9 pts · 216d
The windows 8 start menu could be dope if you took the time to theme it like we did with windows of yesteryear.
My start menu was customized for the things I wanted, steam quick launch links that looked like steam big picture links.
It was clunky at first and quite the change from the normal start menu … but MacOS JUST ditched its full screen “start menu” and gnome still has one
AbsolutelyClawless@piefed.social · 7 pts · 216d
Duality of Linux community. On the one hand people can be extremely helpful and nice; I'm way more likely to find a solution to a problem, niche or otherwise, for a Linux system than Windows. On the other hand the community can be unbearably toxic and gatekeep like no other.
Logical@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 216d
My feeling so far is that there are few meaningful generationalizations that can actually made about the online Linux community. It's a very diverse set of individuals. To me the gatekeeping elitists seem more like a vocal minority, but I'm sure that varies a lot by distribution and forum.
AbsolutelyClawless@piefed.social · 1 pts · 215d
The main thing I encountered has been gatekeeping the OS itself. I.e. you have to be a Linux nerd/expert to be allowed to use Linux. I personally haven't seen that type of gatekeeping for other OSes. It's literally just an OS. There are dozens of distros one can choose from. There's something for everyone. I'm sure it's just a vocal minority, but they do exist.
emeralddawn45@discuss.tchncs.de · 2 pts · 215d
I've pretty much seen the opposite. Windows fanboys love to come up with excuses for why they COULDNT POSSIBLY switch to Linux but most of the Linux users I've seen are constantly trying to convince people that it's NOT that intimidating and that you DON'T need to be a super genius or nerd to use it.
Velypso@sh.itjust.works · -1 pts · 216d
Lmao, you must be new to the linux community.
That's like the main linux nerds do
janus2@lemmy.zip · 72 pts · 216d
this is INCREDIBLE news for approximately 3 people on the planet lol
Catoblepas@piefed.blahaj.zone · 33 pts · 216d
I have to imagine at least 2 of those 3 worked on it
squirrel@piefed.kobel.fyi · 20 pts · 216d
It's gotta be 4 to make a full set of tiles
jimmy90@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 216d
i'm one of them - i loved the ideas behind it and its potential
it was realised in the zune and windows phone UIs but unfortunately too unpopular to make progress in the desktop
stephen01king@piefed.zip · 4 pts · 216d
Windows Phone UI, especially version 7, was amazing to use. Unfortunately the UI got worse in version 8, IMO, and the concept was even more badly implemented in Windows 8.
janus2@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 216d
I KNEW one of you 3 was a Lemmy user
curbstickle@anarchist.nexus · 3 pts · 216d
Another here - it was great if you bothered to set up groups. Filter for the name quickly on the keyboard.
It was set up by default to be kind of shitty, wasn't explained well to users, and overall a failure - IMO - of presentation, not product.
Hubi@feddit.org · 1 pts · 215d
I loved the Windows Phone UI but I absolutely hated the tiled menu on desktop. It was actually the main reason I left windows behind.
Funnynate08@fedia.io · 19 pts · 216d
This belongs in a category of things I'm glad exist but I will never use
DmMacniel@feddit.org · 17 pts · 216d
It lacks the most fundamental part of it though: live tiles.
brian@programming.dev · 10 pts · 216d
no it doesn't, you just have to add them for apps yourself. the readme has a whole section dedicated to live tiles.
hexagonwin@lemmy.sdf.org · 17 pts · 216d
I didn't really like it on desktop, but it was pretty okay on a tablet (Surface Pro). Also ran really smoothly on my potato machine with Pentium 4, so I kinda get why some people miss it.
xxce2AAb@feddit.dk · 17 pts · 216d
Gee. Um, thanks.
TheBat@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 216d
sorghum@sh.itjust.works · 8 pts · 216d
Makes you wonder why it died on tablets and phones.
e8d79@discuss.tchncs.de · 26 pts · 216d
The few people I know who had a Windows phone really liked the UI, the platform was just mismanaged by Microsoft. For example, they already had a problem with having too little apps in their store and then they broke app compatibility between Windows phone 7 and 8. I guess Google intentionally breaking compatibility of their services on Windows phones didn't help adoption either.
sukhmel@programming.dev · 14 pts · 216d
A bit ironic when Microsoft struggles because someone else keep breaking compatibility. Although I would prefer it to keep trying because that would have been more choice and competition in the mobile OS land
silasmariner@programming.dev · 9 pts · 216d
Microsoft windows has historically had pretty great backwards compatibility compared to macos, android or iOS; and pretty great device compatibility compared to basically everything.
TacoSocks@infosec.pub · 13 pts · 216d
I think this is because they are forced to because of how many companies didn't want to update software to the latest OS. I remember the times when Microsoft had all sorts of compatibility issues with XP.
silasmariner@programming.dev · 2 pts · 215d
I remember being able to play fairly old games with 'run in compatibility mode for '98' or something (a right-click menu item maybe?), so guess we have different recollections there
TacoSocks@infosec.pub · 2 pts · 214d
That feature came about because of all the compatibility issues. I can't remember but I believe one of the service packs really enhanced compatibility mode to make it functional.
sukhmel@programming.dev · 5 pts · 216d
Yeah, I had in mind their office they changed every now and then to break compatibility with FOSS office, afaik this is not the only thing they did like that, but support for running old software usually was decent, true
angstylittlecatboy@reddthat.com · 9 pts · 216d
Unironically could be great for Linux tablet users...is there any?
Die4Ever@retrolemmy.com · 4 pts · 216d
Some people run Linux on the x86 Surface tablets
ScientifficDoggo@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 215d
Yup, and i might just grab this to try on mine.
varnia@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 8 pts · 216d
I see one use case: After office computers switched to Linux and someone forgot to lock the desktop.
xep@discuss.online · 6 pts · 216d
I loved Metro and miss it.
AnarchistArtificer@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 215d
That fact that this exists is Art
notso@feddit.org · 4 pts · 216d
BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 216d
Thanks, I hate it.
irelephant@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 215d
This would be great for Linux tablets/touchscreen stuff
Soapbox@lemmy.zip · 3 pts · 215d
I actually loved this interface on my surface pro 2, especially when windows 10 came out and it would auto switch between this in tablet mode and a normal desktop when the keyboard was attached. I grew to like the same design language in the desktop start menu as well. Windows 11 was such a downgrade in UI.
That said, I will take the freedom of linux and customization options of KDE plasma any day.
finalaccountforreal@piefed.social · 1 pts · 216d
Finally!
ulterno@programming.dev · 0 pts · 214d
The looks of the UI were never bad at all. There were other problems:
Esckey.There was a similar looking UI in Windows Phone and it worked pretty well for me. I actually liked that one more than the Android UI. So, in this case it really was the substandard execution.
BuboScandiacus@mander.xyz · 0 pts · 216d
Looks cool, would try it