Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Windows 8 is two operating systems

My  son has  been building a custom built desktop computer for his friend for Christmas. However, when he went to install Windows 8 he found it difficult until he watched something on Youtube called "How to use Windows 8 in 3 minutes". Since he was a computer tech and had his own business in his twenties doing this sort of thing I was interested in hearing what he said about it.

Learn Windows 8 in 3 minutes (OK, it's really 4) - YouTube

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wi8NpwiEuzc
Oct 22, 2012 - Uploaded by shanselman
Learn Windows 8 in 3 minutes (OK, it's 4). I run through the basic concepts you need to know to use Windows ...
by Scott Hanselman - in 37,999 Google+ circles - More by Scott Hanselman
end quote from Google.
He was saying that he realized there are actually 2 OS's in Windows 8. The one they lead with is the mobile OS which is called "Metro" but underneath Metro is "Desktop". He was even showing me how one could access old Windows features like "My Computer" by just turning them on while you are at the desktop page. And he showed me how to install old Windows Icons on the desktop page (which is not the first one that comes up first) The one that comes up first is Metro.
He explained and then showed me how the Windows 8 system is like if you took a Tablet and shoved it into the OS of a PC. So, both work together. The advantage to this is long term in that all Windows Tablets, Smartphones, laptops, and Desktops will all be seamlessly operating under the same operating system. By shoving a Tablet into a PC operating system this is accomplished. The only real limitation right now is I think so far there are only 99 APPs that I know of at present for Windows 8. But, for example, if you own simultaneously a windows Smartphone, a windows Tablet and a Windows Laptop and a Windows Desktop they all can run basically the same software, except that the mobile or Metro part of windows 8 would be running on the smartphone, the TAblet, and then both Metro and Desktop together would be operating on your laptop and desktop. However, they all work together seamlessly because of Metro being "Shoved into" on top of Desktop in Windows 8.
So, I think over time Android might interface into Chrome, and the mobile OS for IPhone and Ipod and Ipad and others might also interface more seamlessly with Apple Laptops and Apple Desktops like IMac.

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