After hearing a bit about the upcoming Windows 8...

[Roj]

and having heard enough about it, I have to ask: Is there a version of Linux (or any other commonly used OS) that's remarkably close to the Amiga? I think Windows 7 will be my last version of Windows.

The things I find most useful are:

A GUI that doesn't force the active window to the front, and makes use of window depth gadgets. I've had enough of not being able to stack my opened windows the way *I* want them stacked.

String gadgets that don't automatically Select All on first click. I don't know how many times I was in the middle of renaming a file when Windows arbitrarily highlighted the entire line on me, and my next keystroke cleared everything I typed. I wound up loading UAE and renaming stuff from there.

Has a dual-paned file manager as standard. I'm thinking a DOpus Magellan-type manager would be fantastic.

Does its best to alleviate "click-fests" when doing file management. Renaming files in Windows 7 is a lot better, being able to tab down the list, but DOpus Magellan's method, where it essentially turns into a text editor for renaming is the most functional method I've seen to date.

Doesn't try to "help me" by automating things that don't need automation. I generally find myself getting frustrated very quickly trying to do simple file management in Windows, and I'm wanting to find something that has plenty of software support with none of the baggage and garbage that accompanies Windows.

[Duce]

You will be able to entirely disable the Metro interface (the Win7 phone tile interface) on Win 8 on a desktop computer.  They aren't going to cram a iOS icon/tile fest interface down the consumers neck.  It would be corporate suicide, seeing as MS's profits are primarily in the enterprise.

You won't notice anything different by upgrading to W8, however as a Win 7 user I see no reason to upgrade to Win 8.

Try the pre release version.

[nicholas]

and having heard enough about it, I have to ask: Is there a version of Linux (or any other commonly used OS) that's remarkably close to the Amiga? I think Windows 7 will be my last version of Windows.

The things I find most useful are:

A GUI that doesn't force the active window to the front, and makes use of window depth gadgets. I've had enough of not being able to stack my opened windows the way *I* want them stacked.

String gadgets that don't automatically Select All on first click. I don't know how many times I was in the middle of renaming a file when Windows arbitrarily highlighted the entire line on me, and my next keystroke cleared everything I typed. I wound up loading UAE and renaming stuff from there.

Has a dual-paned file manager as standard. I'm thinking a DOpus Magellan-type manager would be fantastic.

Does its best to alleviate "click-fests" when doing file management. Renaming files in Windows 7 is a lot better, being able to tab down the list, but DOpus Magellan's method, where it essentially turns into a text editor for renaming is the most functional method I've seen to date.

Doesn't try to "help me" by automating things that don't need automation. I generally find myself getting frustrated very quickly trying to do simple file management in Windows, and I'm wanting to find something that has plenty of software support with none of the baggage and garbage that accompanies Windows.

KDE 4.x is probably the most configurable desktop available and it has a dual pane file manager called Krusader that can be installed alongside the traditional browser-like file manager.

OpenSUSE is considered by many to have the best implementation of KDE.

http://OpenSUSE.org

[haywirepc]

Thats the great thing about almost any good linux distro, you can configure it completely and totally to your own needs and tastes.
 
Some may argue you can do the same with windows with add ons and alternative windows shells, but I don't think you can customize things quite as deeply as you can with linux.
 
steven

[persia]

We are moving to a touch world, your average monitor in a year or two will be touch sensitive.  People will go back and forth between keyboard/touchpad(or mouse) and the touchscreen.  

The average person couldn't care less about file names, they may want all the photos of uncle joe and aunt jane but they don't want a directory structure to deal with.  The question isn't getting the file name right, the question is getting the metadata right so that you can find what you are looking for quickly and efficiently.  The average user has tens of thousands of photos, music files and videos.  I can see a time when iTunes and iPhoto like programs are a part of the OS.  You touch a picture of Uncle Joe and get all his photos.  Or your computer acts like Pandora and you play a song and ask it to play all the other songs that are similar to it.

[Crisisdog]

KDE 4.x is probably the most configurable desktop available and it has a dual pane file manager called Krusader that can be installed alongside the traditional browser-like file manager.

OpenSUSE is considered by many to have the best implementation of KDE.

http://OpenSUSE.org

Agreed.  I'm not a big Linux fan, but I have had the least amount of issues with the OpenSUSE distribution.  KDE has its own "feel", taking aspects of OS X and Windows and putting them together in a fairly good manner.  There is a learning curve, but again I've had the best luck with OpenSUSE.

[jorkany]

The average person couldn't care less about file names, they may want all the photos of uncle joe and aunt jane but they don't want a directory structure to deal with.  The question isn't getting the file name right, the question is getting the metadata right so that you can find what you are looking for quickly and efficiently.

If so then BeOS should have crushed Windows long ago. Or maybe there just weren't enough ADD computer users back in 90s.

[Khephren]

We are moving to a touch world, your average monitor in a year or two will be touch sensitive.  People will go back and forth between keyboard/touchpad(or mouse) and the touchscreen.  

Computer users want touch monitors as much as they want 3D TV, as in, they don't. This is just tech companies forcing things on the consumer.

I'm all for touch on phones/pads, but I don't think many people want greasy finger prints and arm ache on a large size stand up monitor.

[Duce]

Touch interfaces will not be on desktops anytime soon.  Try using one to do day to day tasks like Office stuff - it's simply unusable, and the fancy touch UI in Win 8 won't revolutionize touch on desktops.  If it worked well, Apple would have turned OS X into iOS by now, but I'm sure that's only a matter of time.

Touch is fine for consumption devices like tablets and phones, but it's downright miserable for desktop users.  MS has tried it 20 times over for desktops and pen style/touch tablets and it's always been a trainwreck.

[commodorejohn]

Computer users want touch monitors as much as they want 3D TV, as in, they don't. This is just tech companies forcing things on the consumer.

I'm all for touch on phones/pads, but I don't think many people want greasy finger prints and arm ache on a large size stand up monitor.

Amen. Anybody who thinks they're going to want to use a touchscreen for daily tasks hasn't tried resting their elbow on a desk with the full weight of their upheld arm on it for hours at a stretch.

Someday there will be a revolution in which all the Star Trek-obsessed prognosticators and graphic-design majors are thrown out of tech companies, and people who actually care more about usability than gimmickry take over in their place...

[koaftder]

I think people would like touch interface capability on OS X. Sure you wouldn't want to use it for work but it would be fine for casual stuff. People spend hours playing those touch screen mini games in bars and their arms don't get tired.

[Tripitaka]

Yes but those people have built up endurance from holding pints for hours and they only get so interested in those games because they are half pi55ed and failed to pull.

[SamuraiCrow]

If so then BeOS should have crushed Windows long ago. Or maybe there just weren't enough ADD computer users back in 90s.

If it weren't for Microsoft's politics it should have crushed Windows.  I've got Haiku installed on my spare computer and it's beautiful in its simplicity and speed.

[Tripitaka]

If it weren't for Microsoft's politics it should have crushed Windows.  I've got Haiku installed on my spare computer and it's beautiful in its simplicity and speed.

Do any good solutions for running Windows within Haiku exist? Virtual machines or the like. I seem to remember that Bewine was abandoned some time ago.

[runequester]

Why not have computers navigated by wiimotes?
Gimmicky AND unusable at the same time.