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Windows 8 Metro UI can only launch IE (not chrome, Firefox, etc)

12 points by giberson ↗ HN
From the Windows 8 Developer forum thread: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winappsuidesign/thread/e74cce2d-9a1f-4bf9-a5f2-733c15e4f297

Metro IE is a special app. You cannot invoke an executable from Metro style apps.

Metro UI is incapable of executing any desktop applications, except for the "special" case of Internet Explorer. That means you can't have a Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera or any other tile--just IE. To me this wreaks of trying to lock in the browser market. Sure you can run your favorite good browser from the desktop but for all intents and purposes with as much focus they are putting on Metro they clearly intend for Metro to be the primary interface. Primary meaning the interface regular Joe users will (only) utilize.

The more we find out about Metro UI the more I'm hating it. Hate is a strong word, but in this case I'm afraid its deserved. Under the cover of its "fresh" and "innovative" appeal there are some really seedy forces like monopolization and censorship [censorship coming from the inability to sideload apps for Metro--everything must be approved and delivered through the store].

What Id like to see to resolve this issue, is a simple implementation of having Metro app require permission from the user to launch desktop apps. The permission could be granted on a case by case, range of time or permanent basis.

9 comments

[ 3.3 ms ] story [ 25.2 ms ] thread
pedalpete
Obviously Microsoft is taking a page out of Apple's book, but this is going to far. Micrsoft needs to recognize it's long-term strength has always been the open(ish)ness of their platform.

Hopefully they recognize the error of their ways and make the app store the best place to get apps, not the only one.

I don't necessarily have a problem with using IE, if IE10 is a decent browser, most people would have no reason to change as the numbers of IE6 has proven over time. If the majority of users aren't going to install another browser anyway, why lock down those who will?

pedrokost
Nor can ChromeBooks run Trident or Gekko.
mauriciob
ChromeBooks (ChromeOS, actually) isn't the market leader.
Random615
It just means Firefox and Chrome have to make a Metro app. No biggy.

I just hate that you're making a big deal out of it.

[deleted]
(comment deleted)
cullend
The point being missed is IE is the only program that can wrap Win32 with a metro UI. Only IE gets to maintain a single rendering engine/ code-base. Chrome/ firefox have to maintain a Win32 and WinRT version.
zmonkeyz
That's because Metro is supposed to run lean as a tablet experience so they don't want every Tom, Dick and Harry just wrapping their windows apps to run on it. Chrome/Firefox/etc. already have Windows apps so now they have to create an app for Metro. No different if they were to create a Firefox/Chrome for Iphone vs MacOS.
steverb
No. I already have a Chrome tile and didn't have to anything special to make it happen. It showed up when I installed Chrome: http://imgur.com/xhnDi

I believe what this is saying is that Metro Apps cannot launch non-metro executables.

giberson
Thank's steverb, that's good news.