I get what you are saying, and I understand I can still use desktop programs etc. I have been playing around with the latest preview version of Windows 8 and as a PC gamer I'm not abandoning the Windows platform but I sincerely wish there was an option to disable Metro all together or at least have the "classic" desktop as the first thing I get when my PC boots up rather than the metro thing.
I completely get that people don't like the change. I wasn't sure at first and I think I even used the word "jarring" myself. But I've personally reached the point where I hardly notice the transitions. The problem is, "disabling Metro" isn't really possible because it's a significant part of the OS now.
Can you honestly expect power users, IT departments, and even non-technical pc users that just use word and excel to need a flashy metro screen pop up when their machines start, do you need Metro on Windows Server?
Do they
need Metro? At the moment I would say almost certainly not. There are barely any Metro apps out there worth having. But this will change over time. The deployment method alone will be very interesting to businesses in the future.
As for today, I really don't think if you deployed it on an average workstation it would be the unmitigated disaster people make out. I would say that 95% of the people I deal with fall into one of two categories - the tech-savvy and the not-so tech-savvy.
The savvy folk go all day flirting between XP, Win7, iPads and Blackberries etc. I don't think learning a few nuances of Windows 8 is going to be a showstopper.
The non technical folk tend to learn in a procedural fashion. They will rigidly follow a series of actions to use a computer from pushing the power button, logging in and right through to whatever line of business apps they use.
Obviously there will be some retraining required, but just because people aren't particularly into technology doesn't mean they are stupid and they will get it. The main problem with this group is that the new UI elements aren't particularly discoverable i.e. shutting the computer down. Without
some support this group will struggle as they won't, by their nature, experiment with the OS.
My answer to Metro on Windows Server is that people shouldn't be running GUIs on servers anyway, so they don't have a leg to stand on if they start getting cute about Metro.
I'd say have metro as a default on home versions and for Pro/Enterprise/Ultimate/super duper edition have it disabled by default with an option to turn it on via control panel or something, kinda like how the windows games are not installed by default in Windows Pro.
The problem with this is it just doesn't fit within Microsoft's Windows everywhere ambition. They have gone to GREAT lengths to unify their platform - even Windows Phone is now running on the NT kernel and will run (with some modification) WinRT apps. If they fragment the platform by giving enterprises (which are hundred of millions of licenses) a version "without Metro" then, as a developer, are you going to write that great WinRT app knowing that a large proportion of Windows 8 computers can't even run it? I'm oversimplifying here but I hope you get my point.
And yes before anyone comments "why don't you just stick with 7" that is fair enough and I'm sure 90% of businesses will, but under the hood of the OS there have been a lot of improvements such as speed and security and sometimes those are enough for some to warrant an OS upgrade.
Just my two cents
I think the reality is a lot of people, and especially businesses, will remain on Windows 7 and use their downgrade option. That's what I would do.
And as for under the hood features in the OS, there are quite a few. Native USB 3.0, file copy windows are miles better, faster boot, Microsoft account, Storage Spaces, baked in MSE, less annoying Windows updates, bitlocker in the Pro version, new chkdsk, new task manager (I've been using Process Explorer a lot less often now), native 4K disk support, native ISO and VHD mounting, hyper-V etc. etc. There are loads of geek features!
I know I come across as a bit of a Microsoft apologist in this thread sometimes, but the truth is I own a PC, a 2009 MacBook Pro, an iPad 3 and an iPhone 4. I try to tell it how it is and use the best tool for the job, and for me on the desktop PC that's Windows 8. When people come on and start shouting that Microsoft have given us a tablet OS I sometimes think, "am I using the same OS?"
