Windows 11 is Getting Android Apps, Taskbar Improvements, and More Next Month (theverge.com)
- Reference: 0158053365
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/22/01/26/1450217/windows-11-is-getting-android-apps-taskbar-improvements-and-more-next-month
- Source link: https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/26/22902477/microsoft-windows-11-update-android-apps-preview-taskbar-notepad-media-player
> The taskbar improvements include a mute and unmute feature and likely the ability to show a clock on secondary monitors. Both were missing at the launch of Windows 11, but Microsoft is still working on improving the taskbar further to bring back missing functionality like drag and drop. The upcoming Windows 11 next month will also include the weather widget returning to the taskbar, something Microsoft started testing last month. Microsoft is also redesigning its Notepad and Media Player apps, and both include dark modes and design tweaks that more closely match Windows 11.
>
> The big new addition will be Android apps on Windows 11, though. Panay says this will be a "public preview," indicating that the feature will still be in beta when it's widely available next month. Microsoft first started testing Android apps on Windows 11 with testers in October, and the feature allows you to install a limited number of apps from Amazon's Appstore. There are a variety of workarounds to get Google Play Store running on Windows 11, but Microsoft isn't officially supporting this. Panay also shared a variety of stats about how important Windows has become over the past couple of years. Windows 10 and Windows 11 now run on 1.4 billion devices each month, and the PC market has experienced strong growth throughout the pandemic.
[1] https://www.theverge.com/2022/1/26/22902477/microsoft-windows-11-update-android-apps-preview-taskbar-notepad-media-player
Wonders never cease (Score:2)
> and likely the ability to show a clock on secondary monitors
Is this really a feature that makes a huge difference in people's lives. Yes, I know Windows 10 displayed the clock on all monitors, and I'm sure some people are a little annoyed that it was removed. But it's hard to believe that small things like this even get mentioned. Are people really that inflexible in their work that removing a clock display causes them any amount of problems?
Re: (Score:2)
I think it is more about the lack of choice for no good reason.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes. Yes, they are. If you ever just sort of watch your coworkers, you'll notice that most of them will continue to do a task exactly the same as they were initially taught. It's the rare person who stops to think that maybe there's a better way, and even rarer that they will attempt to change the way things are done.
As a general rule, people are resistant to change. Most of the complaints I've ever heard about Windows Me was that they rearranged things in the control panel compared to Win98 and that upset
Re: (Score:2)
My income is base on doing my job effectively. You start to fuck around with things that prevent me from doing it effectively I am the one that gets fired not Microsoft. I care more for my income stream than any fucker working at Microsoft. Hell if one of there employee were on fire, I would just walk away.
If it is suppose to help me do my job even more effectively, it needs to be thoroughly and quickly demonstrated or it isn't.
Re: (Score:2)
If you read the complaint comment on many Windows 11 reviews one of the biggest complaints is not having the clock on the taskbar of all screens (or at least an easy way to assign the clock to a specific screen). From what I have seen there was enough complaints that it looks like Microsoft is actually listening to its users and adding this feature back into Windows.
Re: Wonders never cease (Score:2)
Yes. When troubleshooting voip issues with desk phones, you would be surprised how much people whine if the clock is blinking or wrong, or simply off by the exact time offset from GMT. On the heels of dealing with all their handsets losing registrations and not processing calls, they wont let a tech move onto the next user and get their phones working so they can also make calls. Theres a goddamn clock on the computer and their cellphone they use to check their Facebook newsfeed every 6 min instead of doing
Win11 plus Android apps (Score:2)
It seems you can get two cancers at the same time.
An M$ article - let the thrashing begin! (Score:2)
I've been running Win11 for a few months now. It's not that big a deal, no matter how much Microsoft seems to think it is - and, yes, it looks like the changes were mostly cosmetic.
But, of course, changing anything about Windows is automatically considered bad, especially here at Slashdot. Of course, that sort of logic means Windows should probably have never been developed beyond 3.0 (3.1 was the first version to include "New Technology" - they changed things, after all. Shouldn't have done that).
I'm
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, until they start forcing features that should only be found on sedans and station wagons into trucks and sports car.
Re: (Score:2)
So . . . back to 3.0, then?
Y'know, I remember when Linux modular kernels came out. Thought it was a terrible idea - and I can still tell you all the things that're wrong with it - it was an unnecessary change to the Linux kernel and it changed the way I handled device drivers. All because some developer somewhere thought kernel modules made sense.
Installed a new network card in a Linux server lately? :^)
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, or let me use my computer in the way I want, not the Microsoft approved way.
Then why are you running Windows? (Score:2)
Go run Linux. You'll spend considerable effort making it exactly what you want it to be, you'll succeed, and you'll enjoy every minute of getting what you want the way you want it.
Now, once you stop using Windows, I assert your opinion on changes made after you moved on to Linux is about as meaningful as a vegetarian's opinion of whether a T-bone is better than a Ribeye.
Seriously, if you walked away from Windows a while ago, what are you complaining about? Did Windows take your favorite shirt and refuse
Re: (Score:2)
Except for the fact that corporate America where all the job are run Windows.
Windows and Office experience is a job requirement at this point.
Re: An M$ article - let the thrashing begin! (Score:2)
> that sort of logic means Windows should probably have never been developed beyond 3.0
I do not think that garbage OS should have made it that far.
Real link (Score:1)
[1]https://blogs.windows.com/wind... [windows.com]
[1] https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2022/01/26/a-new-era-of-the-pc/
vertical taskbar (Score:1)
Until you can position the taskbar vertically on either side of the screen I won't be upgrading.
"/dev/null 2&1" (Score:2)
You lie! That's *NIX shell code in you sig. Admit it, you'll NEVER choose to upgrade to Windows 11 because you CAN'T. There IS no upgrade path from RHEL 7.9 to Windows 11 and you know it!
By the way, can you help me with that stupid GNOME taskbar across the top of my screen? It looks almost as retarded as a Macintoss. I want it on the BOTTOM, where the taskbar belongs!
:^P
Wow I can't wait (Score:2)
Combining the horrible cellphone UI experience with the horrible Windows experience. The last word in UI horribleness! What's not to love eh?
The google play situation is a big deal (Score:2)
For those that have never used an android device without play services running, a *lot* of apps even sideloaded will flat out refuse to execute without google play services running. It's not just missing out on play store apps, it's a presumed part of the platform for many apps.
High chance of disappointment if you are hoping to run popular Android apps, without hacking around the issue (the writeups I've seen look too tedious to be worth my while)
"Improvements" (Score:2)
So adding unneeded bullshit to the taskbar and a stupid redesign of Notepad and WMP.
How are these improvements.
Re: (Score:2)
Windows 11 user here.
Windows 11 is buggy in a million little ways. It's kind of maddening. I wish they'd freeze all feature development and fix the myriad bugs.
Re:"Improvements" (Score:4, Interesting)
It's all meaningless to me now. I've walked away from Windows. They can make the icons into Mr. Hanky images for all I care. Windows is a bloated gawdawful mess. What the hell do I care whether it can run Android apps, when it's so bad at running the software built for it? And believe me, I tried WSL and WSL2, and they're both broken garbage compared to an actual *nix system, so I've moved over to an M1 MacBook for my main workstation, and Linux servers for development. About the only reason to use Windows now is when I need to test out some cross-platform code, and the kind of stuff I work on now, I honestly don't care if it works on Windows.
Re: (Score:2)
Yup, I bailed 100% on the desktop after Windows 10 was offered for "free", and haven't looked back.
I keep a Windows partition around just to play games, but treat it like a console system.
I tried WSL and WSL2 . . . (Score:2)
For what? I've used both of those products; neither was ever intended to turn you Winbox into a Linux server (annoyingly, you can run Linux services, but you still can't turn a Winbox into a Linux server). So, did you find a coding situation where your correctly written code wouldn't run under WSL/WSL2? No? Perhaps you were writing device drivers, HAL code, doing direct memory management?
If you need a server, I guess WSL/WSL2 isn't for you. If you're rewriting the Linux kernel, I suppose it wouldn't b
Re: (Score:2)
> It's all meaningless to me now. I've walked away from Windows.
And I don't drive a Ford. Can I get modpoints now? It seems to be that going off topic and declaring that you don't even give a shit is what counts for quality discourse on Slashdot these days.
Re: (Score:2)
Yea, for me the fact they took away the ability to change the location of the taskbar and forcing you to use only icons on the taskbar are non-starters. Maybe do that instead of crapping it up with Bing ads.... sorry weather.