I have been using Windows 8 Consumer Preview (and Developer Preview before that) as my primary OS and I love it. I use Windows 8 like Windows 7. All the applications that I use are pinned to the taskbar and I barely enter Metro UI. The only reason I need enter Metro occasionally is to search for apps, files and/or settings. Doing all that in one place without lifting my hand from the keyboard can be handy.
Windows 8 Release Preview ready for download
11–20 of 94 posts
Re: Windows 8 Release Preview ready for download
#12I do not understand the skepticism against Windows 8, specially from the hacker community.
The only reason I do not use a Windows computer (anymore) is because there are so few ways to build things on it, compared to a Mac. I remember back in the day when I used Windows exclusively because Visual Studio was the only way to do build awesome things fast. With Windows 8, MS has brought back those days. Developing for Metro is absolutely amazing. I have never felt the urge to write native desktop apps in years until Metro. Not that Apple and Google didn't try.
Anybody looking at screenshots and making predictions should download the preview, fire up that Virtualbox, hack together an app and then decide. This is nothing like ChromeOS, believe me, I am running the 30th May build of Chromium on my other machine. This is something that sits between iOS-ified Mac and Web-ified ChromeOS.
Re: Windows 8 Release Preview ready for download
#13I really don't understand what all the complaining is about. For most desktop users Microsoft took away the start button and added a new app launcher. The rest of the OS functions the same or better.
Re: Windows 8 Release Preview ready for download
#14I must say that I am a bit disappointed with the decision to include Flash in this release. Not only will it delay it's death, but it also seems pretty anticompetitive unless other companies are also allowed to release plugins for Metro-IE10.
Re: Windows 8 Release Preview ready for download
#15I do not understand the skepticism against Windows 8, specially from the hacker community. The only reason I do not use a Windows computer (anymore) is because there are so few ways to build things on it, compared to a Mac. I remember back in the day when I used Windows exclusively because Visual Studio was the only way to do build awesome things fast. With Windows 8, MS has brought back those days. Developing for Me…
Developing for Metro might be amazing, but developing on Metro is a non-starter. After all, Visual Studio is not a Metro app (yet). Since most "hackers" will spend most of their time on the traditional desktop anyway, they see little reason to upgrade from Windows 7.
Re: Windows 8 Release Preview ready for download
#16I do not understand the skepticism against Windows 8, specially from the hacker community. The only reason I do not use a Windows computer (anymore) is because there are so few ways to build things on it, compared to a Mac. I remember back in the day when I used Windows exclusively because Visual Studio was the only way to do build awesome things fast. With Windows 8, MS has brought back those days. Developing for Me…
Developing for Metro might be amazing, but developing on Metro is a non-starter. After all, Visual Studio is not a Metro app (yet). Since most "hackers" will spend most of their time on the traditional desktop anyway, they see little reason to upgrade from Windows 7.
The jump from Metro to traditional UI is not that big. Your visual studio can have its own tile on Metro that takes you straight to the app in traditional UI. Except when writing code, I am usually back in the Metro.
It's just like web development. I code for the browser, not on the browser. And still, I am always on the browser, except when I am not.
Re: Windows 8 Release Preview ready for download
#17I really don't understand what all the complaining is about. For most desktop users Microsoft took away the start button and added a new app launcher. The rest of the OS functions the same or better.
They didn't need to take away the start button, and it's going frustrate a lot of users. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4boTbv9_nU
I've been running the preview in a VM, and getting back to the launcher frustrated me so much I had to install a small utility made by Stardock that makes a fake start button that takes you to the launcher: http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/.
I'm a Mac guy, but my job requires me to be in Windows half the time. I hope they take a hint from Stardock and that video and put the start button back in.
Re: Windows 8 Release Preview ready for download
#18Can anyone tell when this preview expires? I can't seem to find that information in the FAQ.
Re: Windows 8 Release Preview ready for download
#19This OS might be the biggest Microsoft flop ever. There are just way too many fundamental changes which are not proven to be actually better. I would rather see new Metro UI as another full-screen app to see if it can stand on its own before they go all-in with it. Something similar to what Microsoft did with Windows 3.10 which was basically another DOS program. I guess, Microsoft is being run by different folks toda…
Oh boy, here comes the obligatory HN-contrarianism and knee-jerk Microsoft bashing. I dislike Microsoft, in particular, Windows, as much as the next guy but you can't just throw out blanket statements like that with nothing to support them. Why will this be such a flop? Are you maybe exaggerating? If it is because of the fundamental changes you mention? Which ones in particular and how are they not proven to be bette…
I'm not bashing Microsoft. Windows is my primary platform, all I'm saying is that I'm disappointed at how radical Microsoft is becoming.
99.9999% of applications for Windows are not going to look like Metro apps including flagship products like MS Office. So Metro is going to get in the way most of the time.
I'm not sure what desktop users should really appreciate about Windows 8.
Re: Windows 8 Release Preview ready for download
#2032-bit: 2.5 GB, 64-bit: 3.3GB
Why?!