WIndows 9 Preview - Feedback Feedback, All About Feedback + Notification Center

[GoodBytes]

Neowin reports that Windows 9, project named Threshold, preview version (alpha/beta) will all about feedback, and those will determine the development of the features. Telemetry data will also be collected.

The OS in it's preview stage will have several locations where you can post feedback and have options about it's usefulness to you, and how valuable it would be (options will vary based on the feature to make more sense).

It's not a big surprise and this is why Threshold will have tons of feedback surveys to make sure that they avoid this issue with the next iteration of Windows. So what will these surveys look like? Well, they appear in large windows and cover a wide range of topics but for this example, we will use searching as a feedback item.

At the top of the survey, it says "Please share your feedback with Microsoft about Searching". Anything related to your search experience can be entered here, whether related to the Start Menu, Cortana or a bunch of other items. The next question asks if you were successful in "Searching" and provides you with Yes, No, or Not Sure.

You then move down the page to another area where you are asked about the following parameters: 'Ease of Use', 'Valuable to me', 'Enjoyable', 'Is it Fast?' and a couple more general questions as well. You rate these items on a scale of 1 to 5 and then send them off to Microsoft.

Microsoft will be using the telemetry data gathered over the beta cycles of Threshold to help shape the features to exactly what the user needs and more importantly, expects.

Last time Microsoft has done this, was with Windows 7. Where every window had a feedback button to post feedback to Microsoft. This has helped shape Windows 7 to what we know and love. Windows 8 took a different approach of listening to comments being posted on Microsoft own blog sites primarily, which lead people providing feedback online, but not where Microsoft monitors. Also, apparently, Steven Sinofsky (no longer at Microsoft), was focusing in making the OS he envisioned, so was a bit closed to feedbacks. So now feedback is back, and will be front and center, and Microsoft is said to encourage constructive feedback. (Now, watch Microsoft haters, say everything is bad, and they should make extend XP support)

In other news, Neowin reports that Windows 9, based on a leak, will include a notification center, similar to Windows phone. However, it won't be full screen. It will be a small panel, like the action center (my guess is that it will be replaced, or added within that panel) on the notification tray (next to the clock). It will have a button to dismiss each notification one by one, or clear all. It will start basic, as a starting ground, and grow over time (probably based on user feedback).

One feature that many suspected would be coming to the OS, seeing that it is now on Windows Phone, is a notification center. In fact, that feature is indeed coming to Windows Threshold and we have some details to share with you.

In the later builds of Threshold, a new notification center is now present that works exactly like you would expect; a central area of the OS that highlights notifications.

The current functionality has the notification center launching from the system tray and much like Windows Phone, notifications are sorted by the app that triggers the event. There is also a button that allows you to quickly clear all of your notifications or you can remove them one by one.

The notification center, unlike Windows Phone, does not take over the entire screen but lives in a small window in the bottom right corner of the desktop. The size of the window right now is fixed and if you have a long list of notifications, you can scroll up and down; the current background of the window is white and has a very clean look to it.

The current iteration is quite basic and doesn’t offer any advanced functionality like Windows Phone where there are shortcuts to feature settings. More features will likely be added as the feature matures but right now, it is quite basic.

I think, if it works the way I think it will, this is pretty interesting for having an easy way to recover passed error messages, to help diagnose a problem. The worst is when a game crashes with a message you can't access, and hit enter, or try to access it in some fashion, and the game and error closes, so you can't properly diagnose the problem, let alone report the issue properly, beside going "it crashed".

Sauces:

http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-threshold-technical-preview-its-all-about-feedback-feedback-feedback

http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-threshold-say-hello-to-the-notification-center

[Deletive]

My Dreamspark account is ready!  

[Askew]

Metro, prepare your button.

[rambi36]

Pretty cool

[beebskadoo]

Now, well this be a free upgrade to surface users?

[ObeseWalrus]

Can ordinary users like me get into this preview thing?

[GoodBytes]

Can ordinary users like me get into this preview thing?

It is expected, yes.

Close partners to Microsoft have Win 9 alpha build(s) already.

[Bloodyvalley]

So Win9 will be the new Win7? FINALLY AN UPGRADE FOR US???

[GoodBytes]

Now, well this be a free upgrade to surface users?

Probably not. But expect DEEP discount for the first to 3 months after release, like Win7, and 8 had.

[Mooshi]

So this means I can grab a legit test version of Win9 from MS and run it in a  virtual machine for testing, ya?

[GoodBytes]

So this means I can grab a legit test version of Win9 from MS and run it in a  virtual machine for testing, ya?

Every version of Windows that people do this, end up HATING Windows. Win7 included.

For the best experience, always install it as a dual boot, or main OS of a system (be sure to have a backup system. example, install it on your laptop. Assuming your desktop has a backup of everything). Personally, I install it as main OS, But I have daily backups, and now hourly one with Windows 8 File History. Also, I like to live dangerously. And I have 0 problem re-installing my system and everything, in fact, I expect it. Like this, I don't get frustrated. I know this is beta, and things can go wrong.

[Giddyguy]

Now, well this be a free upgrade to surface users?

I hope Microsoft gives all Surface and Surface Pro owners (like me) a free update to windows 9 for their surface devices(and only surface devices) like Apple did with the Macbooks.

[AlexGoesHigh]

omg yes, a notification center for desktop is a nice add on, i dont have a phone at the moment and when you have a smartphone opening gmail or outlook just to check mails gets annoying for me since i don't save my password locally, also since its desktop, it could be expanded exponentially, how about responding and email whit just hitting a reply in the notification center just to pop a small text editor, similar to how gmail is now, that would be sweet for productivity

[GoodBytes]

I hope Microsoft gives all Surface and Surface Pro owners (like me) a free update to windows 9 for their surface devices(and only surface devices) like Apple did with the Macbooks.

I hope so too, but I don't have my hopes up. It's best to wait for a surprised than be, most likely, disappointed. Even if it's only 40$ for the Pro version.

[TheGosuStandard]

Now, well this be a free upgrade to surface users?

 

It better be with how expensive it is!

[Mooshi]

Every version of Windows that people do this, end up HATING Windows. Win7 included.

For the best experience, always install it as a dual boot, or main OS of a system (be sure to have a backup system. example, install it on your laptop. Assuming your desktop has a backup of everything). Personally, I install it as main OS, But I have daily backups, and now hourly one with Windows 8 File History. Also, I like to live dangerously. And I have 0 problem re-installing my system and everything, in fact, I expect it. Like this, I don't get frustrated. I know this is beta, and things can go wrong.

 

I should grab a couple of cheap flash drives to have backup installs of Windows. Only have the one desktop along with a tablet, my important files on a seperate HDD. I'm down for trying Win9. Hopefully I won't run into compatibility issues somewhere since I'm a Win7 users.

[ObeseWalrus]

It is expected, yes.

Close partners to Microsoft have Win 9 alpha build(s) already.

Cool, thanks!

[StingBull]

 

They are already planning Windows 10.

[LAwLz]

I am not sure if I should be happy or annoyed about this.

On one hand, this could be a huge step in the right direction.

On the other hand, shouldn't it be obvious that you listen to the feedback from your users?

 

Microsoft aren't alone in ignoring feedback as of lately either. *Cough* Google *Cough*. It seems like all companies try to mimicked Apple's "we know what's best for you, so don't complain" attitude that I dislike so very much.

 

Two thumbs up to Microsoft! You might have taken one or two steps back in the Windows 8 period, but it's nice to see you moving in the right direction again. The next step for you now is actually take any common critique you get to heart, and not just ignore it.

[shiftberry]

 

They are already planning Windows 10.

 

all the pairs don't seem to work that well :lol:

[Misanthrope]

Wouldn't it be great if the results were public like the FCC thingie so we could see 800k feedbacks reading like "Kill Metro UI on all Desktop versions!" In any case I suspect that this just might become their most successful enterprise version to date since that is what I would be getting.