Yes WinRT Devices Have a Desktop…But Not For Us
- by D'Arcy Lussier
So tonight this convo happened: Intrigued, I viewed the video Lee mentions and found that its the now infamous Brent Ozar video which shows a bug in Word on the Surface RT (you can read this article which talks about the tempest in a teacup that ensued). But Lee is correct – in the video, when Brent starts up Word 2013, we see this: That sure does look like a desktop doesn’t it! But…aren’t Windows RT devices *not* supposed to come with a desktop? Actually, it does. However, it’s not a *full* desktop. From Seth Rosenblatt’s fantastic Windows RT FAQ article: Windows RT will have a Desktop mode, but it will be restricted to pre-installed, Microsoft-produced software. This will include touch-optimized versions of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote as the new Microsoft Office So yes, there’s a desktop mode in Windows RT but no, you won’t be able to install apps to it. Confused yet? Read the rest of the Seth’s FAQ – it does a great job clearing the haze of confusion that Microsoft Marketing Merlins have cast upon all of us. D
