First computers that cannot boot anything but Microsoft Windows due?

[sebt3]

You and I are unlikely to buy such hardware, however I suspect that the people that care about such things are in the vanishing minority. Microsoft will still sell them by the boat load to the mass market that simply doesn't understand or care and will call it a success because that's what it will be, despite the niche group that they've bypassed.

Far from all apps on Windows have switched to .Net. Anyway .net on ARM is less than ideal.


So MS is trying to sell a a locked down Windows that wont run windows binary... yeah sound as good as the kin to me.

 

[milkshake]

I wouldn't, myself, but the whole thing would set a horrible precedent, and going on history, the concern is that these tactics would be used to bully these so-called "partner" manufacturers out of even offering anything else as an option (See: Netbooks).

Microsoft wasn't the first company to use these approaches, Apple beat them to it long ago so lets complain about them too, lets not let microsoft get all the complain glory

 

[Prometheus]

I wouldn't, myself, but the whole thing would set a horrible precedent, and going on history, the concern is that these tactics would be used to bully these so-called "partner" manufacturers out of even offering anything else as an option (See: Netbooks).

Microsoft wasn't the first company to use these approaches, Apple beat them to it long ago so lets complain about them too, lets not let microsoft get all the complain glory

Erm, this thread is about *Microsoft* and its efforts to prevent people from installing other OSes on forthcoming computers. Apple's approach to that on their computers is quite the opposite! (In the PowerPC days they very heavily helped in promoting the software "Virtual PC", and when they switched to x86 they made a simple partitioning tool available to allow for the native installation of the things.)


Moreover, Apple has not, to my knowledge, prevented manufacturers from allowing other OSes to be installed on "generic" hardware, because they don't license their OS to other manufacturers, as far as I'm aware.


So, yes, the Apple reference seems to be completely irrelevant.

 

[milkshake]

Well im pretty sure the arm windows 8 will be tablet based anyway so when u look at it that way U can compare it to apple products like the iPad.

 

[Prometheus]

Well im pretty sure the arm windows 8 will be tablet based anyway so when u look at it that way U can compare it to apple products like the iPad.

Not at all. Apple is a hardware designer and manufacturer. Microsoft is not.


And you can bet your bottom dollar that this won't just be restricted to tablets (again, Microsoft tried this with netbooks without even needing hardware to do it for them). ARM laptops exist, too, for example, and that's leaving out other hardware existing or yet to come.

 

[sebt3]

Not at all. Apple is a hardware designer and manufacturer. Microsoft is not.

Beauty, you forgot the zune, the kin and many other things it looks


also Windows 8 is not only for tablet. MS is trying to merge tablet computing with desktop (yet an other failure to come imho) in the same way iOS and Android cover phone and tablet.

 

[Prometheus]

Not at all. Apple is a hardware designer and manufacturer. Microsoft is not.

Beauty, you forgot the zune, the kin and many other things it looks

I know of the Zune, but I have no idea what the Kin is/was - I only heard of it for the very first time today. What is it?


Anyway, I'm pretty sure my point still stands: Microsoft's primary business is as a software vendor.

 

[sebt3]

I know of the Zune, but I have no idea what the Kin is/was - I only heard of it for the very first time today. What is it?

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/30/microsoft-kin-is-dead/


Probably biggest MS faillure (vista and millenium are wonderful success compared to the kin, even more if you look at the developement cost)

 

[Prometheus]

Wow, that device sounds like an embarrassment on the scale of Microsoft Bob... (And for those who don't know what that is, just be thankful - some of us actually had to use it. )

 

[milkshake]

it doesnt matter if they are a hardware company or not what im trying to say is microsft wants what apple has which is a locked down (portable) system (maybe not OSX yet..) but as they intend win8 to be a very prominant tablet OS and they have deals with hardware vendors just like they do with windows phone (they basically set the minimum system requirements these companies need to use to be allowed to install the microsoft OS to it).

 

[WizardStan]

Microsoft wants to use brute force to get what Apple has evolved into.


It is possible to install alternative software on the iPhone. Not easy, but possible. Most people do not because for the market Apple is going for the iPhone and iOS work great for them, well enough that it simply isn't worth the hassle of changing to iDroid. Microsoft wants to get into the ARM computing market with more powerful hardware, and then lock that hardware down to their own software so it is actually impossible to install alternate OS's. Rather than actually trying to design something better with a software library big enough that none but a small sliver have an interest in switching, they are browbeating hardware vendors so that people will not have the choice. I prefer companies that win on innovation and (though I often loathe to admit it) marketing (but definitely innovation first by a long margin, make no mistake) over lockouts.


If companies continue to produce equal tablets across the board, just that some of them are hardware locked to only ever run Windows, then there isn't really a problem: people vote with their dollars and get the tablet that runs the software they want.


My fear is that Microsoft will use this as a leverage tool, push hardware companies to release their best and fastest tech for Windows first, giving Microsoft a head start. If that happens, and Windows is actually terrible, it will take two generations of hardware to weed it out (about 3 or 4 years I think, on the assumption that most people don't buy a new tablet every year) but by then the people who jumped on the "faster/better" band wagon might already be marketplace committed, and that's how Microsoft will win.


But like I said, that's only if Microsoft, being not an actual hardware vendor themselves, convinces the tablet manufacturers to release Windows branded tablets a step faster than the similar Android tablets, and if they can get ahead of Apple in this as well. While the first might happen with enough money, I doubt they're going to beat Apple at their own game, so I am not actually worried.

 

[milkshake]

I agree 100% with this well apart from the fact I actually like windows stuff.

 

[WizardStan]

That's fine. Some people do and some people don't, and so long as those that don't like Windows actually have a choice (other than not buying at all, which isn't a choice so much as a boycott doomed to failure) then I don't forsee much problem: market forces will work as they should, the superior system will dominate, but the alternate option should survive regardless.

 

[gadgetoid]

if Microsoft, being not an actual hardware vendor themselves, convinces the tablet manufacturers to release Windows branded tablets a step faster than the similar Android tablets, and if they can get ahead of Apple in this as well.

Judging by Microsofts past performance with the Zune, and their currently hilariously shite and massively behind the curve Windows Phone... I don't see them having a chance in the tablet market. Ever.


Microsoft aren't winning anything, no matter what they do. They're just losing very, very slowly.


As for Linux... if the communities and companies behind it actually got their shit together and produced something worthy of the consumer desktop, I'd be a lot more behind seeing it successful over Windows. But at the moment, it's nothing short of a terrible, awful, horrible mess as a desktop OS. It has already fallen short of consumer expectations and failed in the netbook market- it's not soon going to get a second chance.


OSX for king!

 

[craigix]

I think that even if MS paid ARM hardware developers to use Windows they would still get no market share.


As I said before people only tolerated windows for the last 15 years because they had no choice.


G is right, they are going though a very public, very slow death.


No doubt though that they will continue their money making existence via patent wars for many decades to come.


Windows will be at less than a 50% share in the next 5 years, Google will see to that.

 

[milkshake]

lol I find my behind the curv windows phone excellent actually and thats an opinion of one who previously used an iphone for 3 years, yes its true the OS is not quite as mature as iOS or android in terms of developer API's etc, but thay have had quite a bit longer to mature. In terms of usability, social intergration and visual appeal I really think the windows phone OS is pretty sweet, and can only continue to get better as it catches up with iOS or android in maturity.


Microsoft are moving in the right direction with the metro UI, windows phone has a lot to offer if you give it a chance.

 

[Batou456]

Who needs Google when you have Sugary Fedoras, Active Plasma Mers, and Boxes of Pandora driven cholestoral free by mice?

 

[Link]

Microsoft and locked down, this is an early April fools joke, right?

 

[Blue Protoman]

As for Linux... if the communities and companies behind it actually got their shit together and produced something worthy of the consumer desktop, I'd be a lot more behind seeing it successful over Windows. But at the moment, it's nothing short of a terrible, awful, horrible mess as a desktop OS. It has already fallen short of consumer expectations and failed in the netbook market- it's not soon going to get a second chance.


OSX for king!

Why do you think that?

 

[Stradian]

The only reason I have to stick with a 250 gb partition of windows on my disk is because of my pc game library. I don't think that power is going to be taken away from windows anytime soon. At least pc gaming will die with consoles and cellphone "gaming" ... cough...


If all the big developers are not moving off of windows anyway, since I image windows 8 or 9 having the best DRM built in the box.