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Windows 8 Release Preview ready for download

windows.microsoft.com

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Re: Windows 8 Release Preview ready for download

#22

Post by megaman821 »

webXL wrote: post #17
megaman821 wrote: post #13

I 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 require…

It seems that the only people who click the start button are people who don't use Windows all the time. Commonly used apps go in the launch bar and infrequently launched apps are found by hitting the Windows key and typing the name. Nothing in Windows 8 changes that workflow for me.

Re: Windows 8 Release Preview ready for download

#27

Post by pvidler »

flyt wrote: post #9
lubos wrote: post #3

This 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…

This OS might be the biggest Apple flop ever. There are just way too many fundamental changes which are not proven to be actually better. I would rather see new iOS touch 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 Apple did with Classic which was basically another pre-OS X program. I guess, Apple is being run by different folks today.

The difference is that Windows 8 is an upgrade that will replace older versions entirely. Apple's users who didn't like iOS could stick with Mac OS X, but getting back to old-style Windows from Metro looks tricky (if it can be fully achieved at all). The Classic to OS X transition is a much closer match, except that Apple didn't really attempt to change the way you interacted with the computer at that time (it was/is still basically a WIMP interface).

That's not to say that Microsoft will fail, or that Metro will be worse than the Windows 7 GUI. It's certainly going to be more interesting than the average OS launch, but my gut feeling is that the reaction to this will match the reaction to the Office ribbon.

Re: Windows 8 Release Preview ready for download

#28

Post by richbradshaw »

billpatrianakos wrote: post #8
richbradshaw wrote: post #2

The new non-Aero interface is interesting, I find it interesting how they are very delibaretly going in the opposite direction to Apple in their interfaces... Don't like the Calendar app - try Windows 8!

It's easy to assume Microsoft is basing decisions on what Apple is doing but I don't think Apple's design choices have any bearing on the new Windows8 interface. I can definitely see why it's easy to assume the connection because of Microsoft's "embrace and extend" motto and their one-step-behind lime of products like Zune, Windows Phone, etc. This time I really think they're thinking independently. It seems as thoug…

Yeah, don't get me wrong, I do like the overall feel of Metro. Bearing in mind that this is in part a tablet OS, it is directly in competition with iOS, which has a very glossy, gradient rich, often skeuomorphic design. This is the the antithesis of that. Squares, rectangles, block colour etc.

Re: Windows 8 Release Preview ready for download

#30

Post by jjcm »

lubos wrote: post #3

This 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…

Disagree. It will be the biggest investment in research Microsoft has placed in the mainstream market to date. Windows 8 is effectively a research project. Microsoft wants to know and understand how people will be using different modalities in their everyday work. Windows 8 will have huge issues, no doubt, but Microsoft will learn enormous amounts from it. Metro is a smart move - window chrome is unnecessary, and takes up more space than it should. Moving to a tighter and more relevant UI will prove beneficial in the long run. It will also test out some of the more tablet friendly interfaces, and most importantly Microsoft will learn how and why those fail in the desktop settings (and how to fix that). These are unknowns right now; Microsoft is going all in so they can discover them.

That said, Metro dashboard aside, it's a nice OS. If you stay in the desktop mode it's really just a faster and more stable version of windows 7. I've been using it as my primary OS for the last few months. The lack of a start menu will confuse people at first, but the keyboard driven execution of programs should be a welcomed change for many power users. There will certainly be a backlash from users, much like there was from Vista. Down the road though, I can see Windows 9 learning a ton from 8. That's where I see the true value of Windows 8.

Disclaimer: I work for Microsoft.

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