If you were asked to pick the most annoying of the various Microsoft Windows interfaces that have appeared over the years, there’s a reasonable chance that Windows 8’s Metro start scree…

If you were asked to pick the most annoying of the various Microsoft Windows interfaces that have appeared over the years, there’s a reasonable chance that Windows 8’s Metro start screen and interface design language would make it your choice. In 2012 the software company abandoned their tried-and-tested desktop whose roots extended back to Windows 95 in favor of the colorful blocks it had created for its line of music players and mobile phones.

Consumers weren’t impressed and it was quickly shelved in subsequent versions, but should you wish to revisit Metro you can now get the experience on Linux. [er-bharat] has created Win8DE, a shell for Wayland window managers that brings the Metro interface — or something very like it — to the open source operating system.

The most beautiful horror to ever exist lmao

  • Affidavit
    1052·
    8 days ago

    This is mean-spirited. Someone created something that they like and shared it with others, and people (who are clearly not the intended audience), are taking a big public dump on it.

    I didn’t like the Windows 8 start menu, but attacking someone who did like it and who is sharing how to experience the same thing on Linux, is pretty dickish IMO.

    • massive_bereavement@fedia.io
      36·
      8 days ago

      That’s one of the aspects I like from Linux: The ability to make the desktop your own. And, like you, I’ll defend that preference and choice regardless of how terrible it is ;)

      Sometimes for no apparent reason I will reconfigure my desktop to look like an old OS (Workbench, MacOS, OS/2, Nextstep, etc…)

      • Affidavit
        16·
        8 days ago

        That’s one of the aspects I like from Linux: The ability to make the desktop your own.

        100% this.

        Every time I try a new distro I spend 1-3 hours messing around with the settings, themes, and widgets to get things exactly the way I want it. This is why Linux rocks.

        I am not a developer, but I can only imagine how demotivating it would be if I were to put in the effort to develop a layout I like, share it with other people, and then encounter a post like this.

    • prettybunnys@piefed.socialEnglish
      9·
      8 days ago

      The windows 8 start menu could be dope if you took the time to theme it like we did with windows of yesteryear.

      My start menu was customized for the things I wanted, steam quick launch links that looked like steam big picture links.

      It was clunky at first and quite the change from the normal start menu … but MacOS JUST ditched its full screen “start menu” and gnome still has one

    • AbsolutelyClawless@piefed.socialEnglish
      7·
      8 days ago

      Duality of Linux community. On the one hand people can be extremely helpful and nice; I’m way more likely to find a solution to a problem, niche or otherwise, for a Linux system than Windows. On the other hand the community can be unbearably toxic and gatekeep like no other.

      • Logical
        5·
        8 days ago

        My feeling so far is that there are few meaningful generationalizations that can actually made about the online Linux community. It’s a very diverse set of individuals. To me the gatekeeping elitists seem more like a vocal minority, but I’m sure that varies a lot by distribution and forum.

        • AbsolutelyClawless@piefed.socialEnglish
          1·
          7 days ago

          The main thing I encountered has been gatekeeping the OS itself. I.e. you have to be a Linux nerd/expert to be allowed to use Linux. I personally haven’t seen that type of gatekeeping for other OSes. It’s literally just an OS. There are dozens of distros one can choose from. There’s something for everyone. I’m sure it’s just a vocal minority, but they do exist.

          • emeralddawn45@discuss.tchncs.de
            2·
            7 days ago

            I’ve pretty much seen the opposite. Windows fanboys love to come up with excuses for why they COULDNT POSSIBLY switch to Linux but most of the Linux users I’ve seen are constantly trying to convince people that it’s NOT that intimidating and that you DON’T need to be a super genius or nerd to use it.