Windows Rt Vs Windows 8

[Tywais]

Windows RT vs Windows 8: On the Surface, there's still a lot of confusion

Summary: Microsoft Surface has been popular enough for pre-orders to sell out but there's continuing confusion among users and IT pros about what the Windows RT operating system it runs is and what the OS does.

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And what of Windows RT? Well, Windows RT has the desktop and Office as well, and the new WinRT apps. It can connect to the camera and the printer and quite possibly the foam missile launcher.

It's very like Windows 8 because it has almost all the same technology under the hood - but it can't run any desktop programs except Office and IE.

But any programs you already have for your PC, a non-IE desktop browser like Firefox or Chrome, or any new PC programs you buy that ask for Windows 8 - they won't work and you can't even try to install them.

So, you can't install any old version of Skype, but you can run the new Skype for Windows 8 (because it's a WinRT app that runs on both). You can't have Photoshop or CorelDRAW on Windows RT - but if Adobe and Corel do WinRT apps like their Android or iOS apps, you could have Photoshop Touch or Pinnacle Studio on your Surface. Or you could wait three months and have Photoshop itself on Surface Pro, because that runs Windows 8.

Full article here - Zdnet.com

[Chicog]

There's one other difference: The RT will be available in a few days (allegedly), the Surface might be three or more months away, and it will be more expensive.

But there are other vendors making Win 8 Tablets and Hybrids which may actually prove to be better. I guess we'll hear all about those on Thursday as well.

[WhizBang]

And let's not overlook the fact that Micro$oft is moving to the app-store model of selling applications for Windows 8. I suspect this will be mainly true of RT programs(?)/apps.

For that reason alone I would avoid the RT version.

[bendejo]

Again MS fails to take the lead, another Apple-wannabe OS/interface, just like Windows.

So now the only plausible alternatives to iCrap is Android and RT. Pretty disappointing set of choices.

And MS is spreading this mediocrity to the desktop. That leaves Ubuntu, but wait, they're trying to be like an iWhatever also.