I may be the last one to learn about this, but...

[tranglos]

http://www.ghacks.net/2012/10/05/microsoft-details-how-ads-in-windows-8-apps-work/

Like ads in the "free" apps on your smartphone or tablet? Now you'll have them on the desktop, too.

If anyone, like me, wondered what on earth Microsoft was doing replacing the convenient traditional desktop with a dumb, dysfunctional mobile-device interface, here's your answer: New environment, new rules.

We pretty much won the war against adware on the desktop years ago, but we totally dropped the ball on smartphones and tablets. They were so new and shiny, after all! Well, now your computer is going to be just like your phone.

O, M, G.

[mouser]

Ugh.

If we are going to go down this awful road, these app stores NEED to start VERY CLEARLY labeling software that shows ads as such.  We are getting very dangerously near a situation where ever damn app on the planet is going to be shoving ads down our throats and that's going to become the new definition of "freeware".

[40hz]

I just have one thing to say: Debian!

[superboyac]

I know this news sucks, but isn't also probably true that someone like ad muncher will just implement windows 8 ad blocking features into their programs?  Also, same issue with the desktop/metro thing...wouldn't someone (rather quickly) create a program to default send the user to the desktop?  Just like how DOPus can replace your windows explorer?

(I'm not being sarcastic.)

[joiwind]

I know this news sucks, but isn't also probably true that someone like ad muncher will just implement windows 8 ad blocking features into their programs?  Also, same issue with the desktop/metro thing...wouldn't someone (rather quickly) create a program to default send the user to the desktop?  Just like how DOPus can replace your windows explorer?

(I'm not being sarcastic.)

About the second bit : Classic shell

[eleman]

I know this news sucks, but isn't also probably true that someone like ad muncher will just implement windows 8 ad blocking features into their programs?  Also, same issue with the desktop/metro thing...wouldn't someone (rather quickly) create a program to default send the user to the desktop?  Just like how DOPus can replace your windows explorer?

(I'm not being sarcastic.)

These are just temporary solutions to a problem which will decisively go worse by time.
Just watch it when visual studio 2015 or something stops supporting desktop applications.
Or when windows 9 makes it much harder to get a desktop, which will be completely deprecated by win10 anyway.

If people wanted a closed ecosystem, they would go apple, wouldn't they. But, what do the people know in any case. They will just buy the latest hype.

[rgdot]

Locking out a massive user base (those who have used desktop forever and still need to) will not be easy. Remember Apple did it - at least as a start - with something that was practically a new device altogether (iPod, iPhone). Even Apple would have failed if they want/wanted that fully on Mac computers.

[eleman]

Locking out a massive user base (those who have used desktop forever and still need to) will not be easy. ... Even Apple would have failed if they want/wanted that fully on Mac computers.

Uh, Apple does it all the time. Remember the transition from 68000 to Powerpc?
From classic os to os x?
From Powerpc to x86?

Just dump the old API. Provide a crude emulator. Let the PR machine roll and tell the story that the emulator works marvellously, and you shouldn't need it anyway.

Wait and see that the PR machine of MS telling the story of how you don't need legacy desktop applications anyway, and if you need them, there is a virtualization solution in win9.

Granted that Microsoft does not have the hypnotism powers Apple has over the media, this may fail, but the failure is far from certain.

[rgdot]

Locking out a massive user base (those who have used desktop forever and still need to) will not be easy. ... Even Apple would have failed if they want/wanted that fully on Mac computers.

Uh, Apple does it all the time. Remember the transition from 68000 to Powerpc?
From classic os to os x?
From Powerpc to x86?

Just dump the old API. Provide a crude emulator. Let the PR machine roll and tell the story that the emulator works marvellously, and you shouldn't need it anyway.

Wait and see that the PR machine of MS telling the story of how you don't need legacy desktop applications anyway, and if you need them, there is a virtualization solution in win9.

Granted that Microsoft does not have the hypnotism powers Apple has over the media, this may fail, but the failure is far from certain.

Yes, but to me hardware changes or programs not running on new code is very different than having the walled garden.
The temptation to do the former has existed at MS too, for a long time, believe me.

[eleman]

Locking out a massive user base (those who have used desktop forever and still need to) will not be easy. ... Even Apple would have failed if they want/wanted that fully on Mac computers.

Uh, Apple does it all the time. Remember the transition from 68000 to Powerpc?
From classic os to os x?
From Powerpc to x86?

Just dump the old API. Provide a crude emulator. Let the PR machine roll and tell the story that the emulator works marvellously, and you shouldn't need it anyway.

Wait and see that the PR machine of MS telling the story of how you don't need legacy desktop applications anyway, and if you need them, there is a virtualization solution in win9.

Granted that Microsoft does not have the hypnotism powers Apple has over the media, this may fail, but the failure is far from certain.

Yes, but to me hardware changes or programs not running on new code is very different than having the walled garden.
The temptation to do the former has existed at MS too, for a long time, believe me.

Uh, I gave the examples of dumping existing user bases out in the cold, not erecting walled gardens