According to the latest leaks out of Microsoft, the next major version
of Windows — Windows 9, Windows Threshold — will kill off the Charms
bar. And, if that wasn’t enough to win back the droves of Desktop users
who were scared off by the disgusting blight of Windows 8
Metroficiation, Windows 9 will also have
virtual desktops!
virtual desktops!
According to various sources,
current internal alpha builds of Windows Threshold do not have the
Charms bar. It isn’t clear if the Charms bar is only being removed from
the Desktop, or from the Metro interface as well. Metro apps, which
currently rely on the Charms bar for sharing and settings, will be
changed so that these functions are exposed elsewhere. Don’t forget that
Windows 9 will also allow for Metro apps to be run on the Desktop in a
window — in which case, the working theory is that these
Metro-on-Desktop apps will gain a Settings button in the top corner of
the title bar, along with minimize and close. Desktop users will go back
to using the resurrected Start menu and system tray — if they ever stopped using them in the first place, anyway.
As a full-time Windows Desktop user, I’m
rather excited about Windows 9. Bear in mind that these are just a
few of the changes that are coming in Windows 9. Microsoft isn’t
expected to release a preview build of Windows 9 until this fall — ahead
of a final RTM release in April 2015 — and I wouldn’t be surprised if
there’s a lot of cool features targeted at mouse-and-keyboard
users by the time it rolls around. It might be too much to hope that the
Metro-style PC Settings pane gets integrated into the Desktop Control
Panel, but you never know.
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