Simviation Forums

Hello all!

According to this article from Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/01/13/ ... mp=related) Microsoft is currently working on a new version of Windows known only as "Threshold". It looks like the supposed new OS might be a crossover of Windows 7 and Windows 8 or maybe it might be what Windows 8 could have been. The big surprise is it looks like it could be released in a little over a year! As early as April 2015!

So your thoughts? Good or bad? Will it be like the success of Windows 7 after the embarrassing failure Windows Vista or will it simply sink Microsoft deeper? And possibly the biggest concern for us here on Simviation...will FS2004/FSX be compatible with it?!?!

At this point, there is almost no reliable info to go on.



In the past there were two Microsoft operating systems that I totally avoided.

Microsoft Bob



And Vista.


Some like Windows 8.x, but I don't think that it'll work for me. On a touch screen laptop or tablet ? Maybe.

Using it with 3 large screens would definitely wear out my arm FAR quicker than it will my mouse hand.

Generally, these companies like Microsoft, Apple, Blackberry, etc...are hedging on what the next big thing will be. They are trying to develop a new and improved method for us common folk to access the things we access, and at the same time link everything we do to every other thing we do, and link to every other thing that every other user does to everything we do...

It's all really a gamble, since they have no way of really knowing what the consumers will think when it is released. They can guess, reasonably accurately through market research, but the real answer is never known until sales figures (or lack thereof) roll in.

So is Windows 9 (insert catchy moniker here) the next big thing? Or will we be looking at another "some-thing-or-other" operating system from "who-knows-who", or will the concept of home computers vanish completely and we will all start using some sort of glorified netbook device that relies on everything being hosted in some sort of cloud type system (ie: we don't even have full on operating systems anymore...just a smarter GUI device)?

musicflyer2 wrote:...will FS2004/FSX be compatible with it?!?!

That is always a big "who the heck knows" until it is released and some sim pilot tries to migrate to it. I believe that with the dependence on clouds and internet product distribution and activation, the fact that older software does not work on newer systems is of very little concern to these companies. I personally would not count on it, and even if you could run FSX on windows 9, what could you possibly gain more from FSX?

The short version;
"At this point, there is almost no reliable info to go on."

Pegger may have a good point though. The dreaded cloud. One of the reasons I threw my Apple Ipod on the shelf after only 3 days was because of their stupid cloud system. I tried to snyc my age old music from my pc to the Ipod and could only put it on their Icloud. Meaning.. I could only play my music if I was logged on to Apples Icloud. SOME of this music I already paid for and I need internet access to play it on an Apple. (Even if I paid for it, I didn't buy it from Itunes) No good. I solved the problem by switching to an Android, and in 10 seconds I synced all my music and get it offline at will. My point is, I really think Microsoft is salivating for their own manditory cloud. It's speculation on my behalf of course. So will FSX work on a Windows 9? Based on the Vista, Win 7, Win 8 and Win 8.1 it seems to get progressivly harder to get older programs to run with each so called improvement. I hope I wasn't too long winded but thats my 2 cents worth.

I can tell you now from the horses mouth that Microsoft is working on a secret upgrade to Win 8.1. It is cloaked under the secret code name "Orwell" and will officially be known as Windows 84. It will look so similar to Apple's OS and Google's android that both company's will probably sue for Billions of bucks. Not only that, but Samsung and Blackberry have already copied (should I say that?) the interface, but won't release it until after Bill Gates has given away all of his money. That way Microsoft won't be able to defend any counter suit. The big difference with Win 84(otherwise known as 1984) is that you will not be able to flush your JC (John Crapper) without the rest of the world knowing. Please don't hound me with questions, as I have released everything I know already.

Very cute Logjam.

If you are really asking "Could there actually be a Windows 9?", I guess you haven't figured out what Microsoft has been doing since, well, 1995? Of course there will be another version of Windows. What will you gain from running FSX on it, if that's even possible? Support for modern hardware, that's what, i.e. don't look back more than three years. And, yep, there will be new hardware and people will surely continue to buy new pc's no matter how many Android devices and other gadgets come about. Slamming Vista is kind of dated, guys. After its ugly release in 2008, what many of us IT folks call "The Year of Linux That Didn't Happen", Vista has been patched, pretty much fixed, and it runs reasonably well on older computers. And the Microsoft bashers ought to give a bit of credit. I think their turnaround on mandatory cloud nonsense, dropped like a dead rat from the Xbox Live console, shows they have a bit more customer savvy than Google or some of the other giant software companies. And Windows 8.1 with Classic Shell or any of the other third-party desktops looks and runs pretty much like Windows 7. Touchy-feely Metro, Modern, or whatever the marketing wackos call the original Win8 UI these days, is easily bypassed.

Just to be clear. I was in no way bashing Vista. I was asking if ya'll think Windows 9 might be like Windows 7 after Vista (because at the time Vista was a disaster). I'll admit Vista nowadays is decent on older systems (the other day I used an old laptop that ran Vista and it honestly wasn't that bad. I wouldn't want it as my primary OS but if I had to use it I could make do.)

And for the record, Linux Ubuntu is my all time FAVORITE OS! If I could I would totally put FSX on it and get rid of Windows on one of my computers completely! I dual-booted for a while but eventually ran into problems and had to take Ubuntu off .

I know a lot of people don't like the metro style and everything...but it is a personal favorite of mine. Call me crazy but, despite the obvious hassles with Windows 8/8.1...I really like it. I have two systems. One runs 7 and the other (the one I'm on now) runs 8.1. I would say if Microsoft is indeed working on Windows 9 then keep the metro screen (maybe even update it if they are really feeling crazy! )! Add the old start button (like a third party add on. Not the chinsy little thing in 8.1. The full working start button like in 7) as the default so those that don't like the metro screen don't have to see it. Get the Windows store up and running so it rivals the App store and Google Play (it's good but still kinda pathetic compared to others)...and just over all work out the bugs and make it more to what people are saying they want. But still keep the original Windows 8 idea (one OS for both touch and desktop interfaces). I think that idea could work if it's done right.

As for the FS compatibility issue...some simmer is just gonna have to grit his teeth and try it and hope it works!

After thinking about it and playing around with both my machines that is what I would like to see with the new Windows. If that'll happen...well we can only wait and see!

I love to speculate. And whether we are a highly inteligent IT guy or a know nothing like me, it is still speculation.
So I like posts like this and love to comment on them. There isn't any facts about the future that any of us can be sure of except death and taxes. After all, all of the stock commodities in the world, that control the world monetary system are funded by speculators. So it can be fun to wonder what Microsoft is up to. No harm done! Remember those fun MS Flight opinions? I mean before it was released.. To me it was a lot of fun to read everyones opinions.

Best wishes and have fun!