Interesting debate on Dr. Dobb's: Redo your development or keep going with your current code? 

Over a month ago, Andrew Binstock wrote an article about "Windows 8: Microsoft's Development Re-Do" at http://drdobbs.com/windows/231700224. He claims the new Metro UI and WinRT require developer to rethink their applications and possible change their tools.

This week, Dino Esposito (one of the top Italian technical authors ) in an article titled "What Exactly is Windows 8?" at http://drdobbs.com/windows/231902075 states that most developers should keep their application on classic Windows, that Windows 8 is two operating systems in one but most business applications will stay on the traditional UI. Business as usual.

I've also read lots of reports about the Ballmer squarely positioning Windows at the center of Microsoft's future (and Paul Thurrott claims this might be a bad idea at http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows8/microsoft-windows-141383) and some interesting discussion about "what if Windows 8 fails" (Windows 8 Failure Could Set Off Tech Industry Chain Reaction).

There are still too many things that are not clear to me, so take this list as "impressions" not "ideas":

  • Windows is here to stay in business environments, no matter what, but its role as a consumer OS might decline significantly. No wait, is declining today, because of tablets.
     
  • Having two different flavors of Windows 8 (and different devices optimized for each)  will cause much confusion, at least initially.
     
  • I don't think the Metro UI makes a lot of sense on a business PC, unless you consider using the browser for most of your work. But at that point you can run Chrome on the traditional Windows UI.
     
  • It is good to know Delphi R&D has plans to support WinRT, along with keeping its WinAPI support at its current great level (comapred to Microsoft weak solutions for the Win32 API).
     
  • If Metro will run on tablet which won't have Win32 (they'll have only the WinRT and use ARM), I'd rather buy an Android tablet or a Kindle Fire. Why use Windows if it doesn't run Windows applications? That's the great advantage of the Microsoft OS, but "a Windows not running Windows apps" becomes a limited advantage. Did I already say it will confuse people?
     
  • I think my phone should look like a phone, my tablet a table... but my PC should look and behave like a PC. No fingers on screen, please. And no single window on screen (for example I like keeping a Skype chat on the side while doing some work in a main window). And better multi-monitor support (not sure Metro has it).
     
  • At times I fell Microsoft tried to change the UI with the Sidebar (you know, small tiles powered by HTML and JavaScript) and it failed. Part of Vista overall trouble. Now they have bigger and more "active" tiles you program with HTML and JavaScript. Oh, wait...

 Again, I haven't really used Windows 8 and have not a real opinion, only a few doubts, and I'm really interested in what you think. Would you side with Andrew or with Dino? Are you going to rewrite your applications for Windows 8?