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CowboyTeal writes:
"Windows 8 is still being disputed as either the product of a genius or a nerdy sadist but that doesn't mean Windows 9 isn't in the works. That said, how would you guys improve Windows if you could change anything about it? Has windows 8 improved or degraded your overall experience of the Windows platform? If you're not a Windows user, what features would you like to see in Windows for possible assimilation?"
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You are a fluke of the universe; you have no right to be here.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by TheLink on Sunday March 02 2014, @12:07PM
And a bunch of other stuff:
Better Sandboxing - sandbox templates
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/156693 [launchpad.net]
Direct selection of windows with key combos, and quick mapping+remapping of those combos.v ember/msg00011.html [gnome.org]
https://mail.gnome.org/archives/usability/2009-No
(Windows nowadays does something similar but it is not by window but rather by app which makes it less useful if you have multiple windows open for each app).
Filesystem encryption enabled by default for at least one container.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/148440 [launchpad.net]
(the NSA et all will probably be against this)
I would also prepare for "thought macros" and wearable computing. In the future we would likely control stuff like Google Glass with "thought macros" - associate arbitrary thought patterns and pattern sequences with various actions and "objects". This would allow a more seamless brain/mind augmentation (just think of something and the relevant stuff is recalled/done). Need to also handle stuff such as user falling asleep and "sleepsurfing".
(Score: 4, Interesting) by TheLink on Sunday March 02 2014, @12:49PM
Create a decent way to rename two files/directories at the same time atomically - e.g. it either happens or it doesn't happen at all.
This allows us to rename:
NewStuff->ActiveStuff
ActiveStuff->BackupStuff
in one atomic step instead of two steps. BTW windows doesn't allow renames of stuff while they are in use (unlike unix/unixlike systems), maybe that could be changed too.
Next I'd have the windows, microsoft application and compiler people think of better ways for Intel and AMD to use some of the billions of transistors available. Stuff like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transactional_Synchr onization_Extensions [wikipedia.org] are good. Stuff like more cores and cache are meh.
Make gettimeofday more efficient or create an alternative method for checking "is it time yet" which is very efficient, monotonic, unlikely to rollover/overflow and is not affected by someone changing the system time, or even a "wait till now is >= X or thread interrupt occurred" command.
Maybe also stuff like making it easier to do Single System Image with lower overheads and latency (yes many people prefer scaling out but I'm sure Microsoft might be able to make $$$$$ from those who prefer not to).
Lastly, no freezing of the UI just because someone stuck a disc into the DVD drive (or similar). WTF is with that?
(Score: 2) by VLM on Sunday March 02 2014, @01:27PM
"Lastly, no freezing of the UI "
How about RTOS-like latency guarantees for the UI thru the entire system. No freezing ever. You fail to respond to a click in 50 ms your process gets killed or the machine rebooted. And by respond I'm not just talking about the "close program X" button or maybe the back button, but everything you do will have some kind of response or interaction at most every 50 ms. Never, ever, freeze up.
This latency is the primary difference between CLI and GUI programs. GUIs always are implemented with extreme latency and delay and CLIs are always implemented with a fast response UI. Very rare to ever see those "roles" reversed.
(Score: 1) by tangomargarine on Monday March 03 2014, @10:30PM
Kind of like when you load facebook after clearing your cache and it locks your whole OS for an entire minute while it waits on akamaihd.static.somebullshit.net? Good times :D
"Is that really true?" "I just spent the last hour telling you to think for yourself! Didn't you hear anything I said?"