Bring back the Charms Bar!

Hi there

Even on a Touch laptop Charms are of limited use if you are primarily working in Desktop mode.

Baring in mind that with the inevitable death of RT who is really going to be running Windows on any TOUCH ONLY type of device - apart from the phone so it doesn't really make sense.

Concentrate on making the Touch parts of the OS that Integrate with Desktop functionality and then you've got a winner

I have a Surface PRO SP3 and the only times I use it in purely "Tablet mode" is in Watching movies / streaming TV or giving presentations (power point demo for example).

The rest of the time it's in DESKTOP mode with a docking station and nice large external monitor.

I LIKE SOME touch functionality but for Windows it shouldn't be overdone.

What WINDOWS devices these days are PURELY TOUCH ONLY. The smaller slabs are usually all ANDROID and sales of those are levelling off quickly. RT is also DEAD. The small screen of a phone wouldn't be useful for charms either.

Lets forget charms --it was part of the disastrous W8 experiment which shold be put to bed. W8.1 was better but IMO W10 is the real NEW Windows.

Cheers
jimbo.

Lady Fitzgerald said:

Expecting one GUI to work equally well on phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops is like expecting one vehicle to work equally well as mass transit, have the ability to haul 20 tons of cargo, and serve as a fuel efficient daily driver/grocery hauler.

I still feel the only way for M$ to meet their goal is to have a lightweight base OS that one can add feature and GUI modules to, based on need and desire.

Good analogy, Lady Fitzgerald.

Coke Robot said:

I voted no, because the Windows 10 way of replacing it seems fine by me.

What DOES NOT seem fine to me is that ugly hamburger button (even sounds disgusting) where the Charms are now at. It's silly to see the ... App commands and then all the Charms. It's redundant.

What should be there is the ... for the Charms. Right click for those app commands or swipe down briefly on the top of the open window.

Just, gross, hamburger button. Ugh. What's next? Hotdog switch? Ew.

Snippet, Robot? I don't see a hamburger bun.

jimbo45 said:

Hi there

Even on a Touch laptop Charms are of limited use if you are primarily working in Desktop mode.

Baring in mind that with the inevitable death of RT who is really going to be running Windows on any TOUCH ONLY type of device - apart from the phone so it doesn't really make sense.

Cheers
jimbo.

Guess what, Jimbo! Microsoft is working on Windows for Android tablets as we type!

They're coming to get us haha, they're coming to get us . . .

LittleJay said:

Lady Fitzgerald said:

I still feel the only way for M$ to meet their goal is to have a lightweight base OS that one can add feature and GUI modules to, based on need and desire.

I have been wishing for this for years, but MS doesn't seem to be very forthcoming.

Y'know, with the advent of Office for Windows 10, we may be a little closer to your wish then we think.

Then again, how many of us would actually buy and expand a lightweight OS? Not moi, cuz I'd have the most gosh awful mess on my hands that gramma's lye soap wouldn't take off! I'd say, though, that at least 90% of the guys and gals here would take it on. The rest of the world? Who knows!

Those like me would give up on their mess and just go out and get a full version of the OS. So it could be a win-win situation for Microsoft.

Wynona said:

LittleJay said:

Lady Fitzgerald said:

I still feel the only way for M$ to meet their goal is to have a lightweight base OS that one can add feature and GUI modules to, based on need and desire.

I have been wishing for this for years, but MS doesn't seem to be very forthcoming.

Y'know, with the advent of Office for Windows 10, we may be a little closer to your wish then we think.

Then again, how many of us would actually buy and expand a lightweight OS? Not moi, cuz I'd have the most gosh awful mess on my hands that gramma's lye soap wouldn't take off! I'd say, though, that at least 90% of the guys and gals here would take it on. The rest of the world? Who knows!

Those like me would give up on their mess and just go out and get a full version of the OS. So it could be a win-win situation for Microsoft.

That's probably what I would do, then I could pick and choose what I want to use or not. OEMs would probably be the ones determining what modules to add to a machine or device they are manufacturing.

Wynona said:

Lady Fitzgerald said:

Expecting one GUI to work equally well on phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops is like expecting one vehicle to work equally well as mass transit, have the ability to haul 20 tons of cargo, and serve as a fuel efficient daily driver/grocery hauler.

I still feel the only way for M$ to meet their goal is to have a lightweight base OS that one can add feature and GUI modules to, based on need and desire.

Good analogy, Lady Fitzgerald.

Not really. The analogy is flawed because we're not talking about the difference between a car, truck, bus, semi-truck, etc.. we're talking about the *INTERFACE* used to control each.

Each of those vehicles has a similar interface. They have a wheel, a gas pedal, a brake, in similar positions. They have other similarities as well, although they may have things that are unique to their specific modes. Now, a motorcycle has a VERY different interface than anything else, but this is because it has to be driven by your hands primarily to leave your feet free for stopping and balancing. It's not really the same argument for touch vs mouse as they are actually very similar.

As I said, just because it hasn't worked so far doesn't mean it can never work. You are letting your past influence your future. You cannot predict what will be invented (or won't be). Maybe you're right.. but you may also be wrong. It would be wise to understand that you don't know what the future holds.