Official: Windows 8 Release Preview Now Out

[Gonad the Barbarian]

People bitching about no free vs for desktop

http://mobile.theverge.com/2012/6/9/3073734/microsoft-visual-studio-express-2012-windows-desktop

Seems like if people weren't bitching there would still be no free VS for desktop. Good job all you bitchers. Now, onto Metro itself! Attack!!

 

[HeXen]

As far as tablets go, not sure how many will reinvest in a new platform with Metro when they may have already spent quite a bit in apps and games on their current.
i got some pretty nice apps i use alot on my ipad that when added up, would be throwing good money away and starting over, possibly even not having a good alternative for on a device that i would have the same uses for.

 

[wirednuts]

As far as tablets go, not sure how many will reinvest in a new platform with Metro when they may have already spent quite a bit in apps and games on their current.
i got some pretty nice apps i use alot on my ipad that when added up, would be throwing good money away and starting over, possibly even not having a good alternative for on a device that i would have the same uses for.

no kidding. first it was wp7 that was WAY too late to the game, and now this. but at least they are doing the right thing- one os for all platforms. its going to be a long time before there is an app market comparable to droid or ios though. likely a couple years after win8 releases.

ive probably spent $75 on android apps myself. its REALLY nice that most apps allow you to use your paid software on as many devices as you want though. i have 2 inactivated droid phones now and they both are loaded with the same paid apps. and someday, when i get a new fancy droid, all those apps will transfer too.

but im still excited, because for the first time, just maybe, my windows computers will FINALLY have creative apps that are tightly integrated with the os. no longer will you install an os and just hope to god that the software you put on top of it works properly. its pretty sad, but in just a few years google made an os that is leaps and bounds more user friendly then windows ever was.

 

[Revolution 11]

[HTPC Troubles, Snip]

This is why I would never install a preview OS as the main OS on any computer. Use VirtualBox or some other VM to safely check out unstable software.

 

[Dominato3r]

As far as tablets go, not sure how many will reinvest in a new platform with Metro when they may have already spent quite a bit in apps and games on their current.
i got some pretty nice apps i use alot on my ipad that when added up, would be throwing good money away and starting over, possibly even not having a good alternative for on a device that i would have the same uses for.

The difference here is that people will be forced into the Metro ecosystem. With smartphones you've got Android and iOS which compete on all price points.

Here you've got Windows, which is an established brand with wide recognition that really has no rival at all. People who want that $500 laptop aren't going to shell out the $400-$600 extra for the only other competitor just because there's a new UI overlay

 

[Munky]

no kidding. first it was wp7 that was WAY too late to the game, and now this. but at least they are doing the right thing- one os for all platforms. its going to be a long time before there is an app market comparable to droid or ios though. likely a couple years after win8 releases.

ive probably spent $75 on android apps myself. its REALLY nice that most apps allow you to use your paid software on as many devices as you want though. i have 2 inactivated droid phones now and they both are loaded with the same paid apps. and someday, when i get a new fancy droid, all those apps will transfer too.

but im still excited, because for the first time, just maybe, my windows computers will FINALLY have creative apps that are tightly integrated with the os. no longer will you install an os and just hope to god that the software you put on top of it works properly. its pretty sad, but in just a few years google made an os that is leaps and bounds more user friendly then windows ever was.

That only works for people who do simple things one at a time with all their computing gadgets - like attention-whoring facebook statuses, watching dumbasses do dumb things on youtube, and such. For power users, the idea of one interface for all devices is vomit-inducing. Power users demand the ability to multitask efficiently - that means juggling multiple windows and applications on screen simultaneously, with fast access to various tools and options, and the ability to customize the UI as they see fit. As such, Windows 8 is a huge step backwards, trying to cram a mobile-oriented UI on a desktop OS. I don't expect my phone to be able to do everything my desktop PC can, so why should they share the same UI? Just so Average Joe won't feel intimidated when he shops for PC's at Best Buy?

As for IOS or Android - they are toys compared to Windows 7. Power users knew that going in, that's why we don't invest in a mobile ecosystem the way we invest in a desktop system. That's akin to investing in all kinds of add-ons and gadgets for a P&S camera that's still a toy compared to a DSLR with even a basic kit lens.

Windows 8 on a x86 tablet has potential though. I don't expect a tablet to replace a desktop PC in all kinds of usage scenarios, but if there's any tablet that can feasibly come close, this is it. Windows already enjoys a huge ecosystem that puts IOS and Android to shame in the amount of software and capabilities it can run. Not from a one-stop-shop for dummies like the app store, but from a vast library of existing x86 software all over the web, and a huge user base which is capable of addressing any major OS shortcomings with third-party freeware tools and software.

Of course, maybe Microsoft will try to out-Apple Apple, and dumb down Windows 8 enough for a two year old. But because it's a x86 tablet, there's a higher potential for adoption by the open source community, and the various Linux distros, which themselves have been undergoing a shift to a tablet-friendly interface recently. Any tablet I get in the foreseeable future will definitely be running x86 software, as opposed to single-task-oriented, adware-bloated, mobile apps.

 

[Zaap]

^ I wouldn't even say the above applies just to 'power users'. My wife (definitely not what I'd call a power user) uses her computer to do tasks like create newsletters (requires multiple apps/windows open for reference, cut and paste, dragging and dropping elements etc.) She would lose her mind trying to do anything productive with idiotic Metro apps wasting all her screen real estate for no reason what-so-ever.

It'd be like suddenly forcing her to use a non-multitasking OS from 1986 to do what she already knows how to do using a modern OS in 2012. The hell for?

I chuckle at this idea of 'force' being a viable alternative to creating a product people actually *want* to use. "Sure, sure, they're going to hate this POS so we can't give them a choice or most people will just refuse to use it. So we'll just FORCE people to use a product we know is this bad and bada-bing-bada-boom ...instant success!"

What an ingenius business plan! Up there with BoB, except someone was bright enough shoot that turkey at birth, let alone force it on hapless users.

From Apple's 'Walled Garden' to Microsoft's 'Berlin Walled Ghetto'. Progress!

 

[lifeblood]

I was reading an article on how Apple is dropping Google Maps in favor of their own mapping software for iOS 6 when I realized the second part of MS's plan. With Metro they are starting down the path of closing their ecosystem. Soon all apps will have to be bought from the MS App Store. Their will be no Firefox or Google, their will only be IE and Bing. Want Google? Go get Android.

Maybe it won't happen, but I bet that's part of their plan. Why not? Apple does it. Soon only Linux will be open.

 

[happysmiles]

I was reading an article on how Apple is dropping Google Maps in favor of their own mapping software for iOS 6 when I realized the second part of MS's plan. With Metro they are starting down the path of closing their ecosystem. Soon all apps will have to be bought from the MS App Store. Their will be no Firefox or Google, their will only be IE and Bing. Want Google? Go get Android.

Maybe it won't happen, but I bet that's part of their plan. Why not? Apple does it. Soon only Linux will be open.

I'm sure anti-trust lawsuits will start appearing if it became like that although I do believe they are all moving to app store only.

 

[lifeblood]

I'm sure anti-trust lawsuits will start appearing if it became like that although I do believe they are all moving to app store only.

Before their was only Windows, OS-X and Linux didn't even register. But now their is Windows, OS-X, Linux, Android, iOS, and ChromeOS. MS is now including tablet OSs as PC OSs. MS doesn't have a monopoly any more IF you look at it that way. I'm not so sure anti-trust lawsuits would succeed like they did in the past.

I may be wrong. Maybe they just want an App Store so they get a cut of 3rd party apps. But the potential is there.

 

[Rezident]

Great thread, just what I was looking for, many thanks for all the info everyone.

So, if you don’t have an iPad (or tablet) stick with Windows 7? Primarily for Gaming, that’s what I plan to do. Am I missing anything?

 

[happysmiles]

Theoretically better battery life. That's it. And less resources used. That's it

I wonder how bloatware will be done on metro mode

 

[hans007]

i just uninstalled this atrocity. hard to multitask, things take more clicking and moving around and having to wait in hot corners.

that alone was already awful. other than looking slightly prettier in metro mode i am not sure this piece of turd has any actual advantages over any aspect of win7

 

[Rezident]

Theoretically better battery life. That's it. And less resources used. That's it

Faster boot would be nice but not worth the additional cost for me. Yes a lot of the changes for W8 seem to be about better battery life. But battery life is completely irrelevant to desktop use, let alone desktop gaming! I’m worried that W8 is, ironically, not for desktop users at all, but for tablets etc. Maybe the confusion will be sorted for W9 but I honestly cannot see the cost/benefit to move from W7.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=24936

The new desktop UI that will be replacing Aero is downright fugly.

 

[Dominato3r]

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=24936

The new desktop UI that will be replacing Aero is downright fugly.

Less faux gloss/glass is good in my book. Looks kinda like Windows Basic theme.

 

[thescreensavers]

Installed W8 on my new SSD.

Is Windows Photo Viewer installed in Release Preview? I can find info that people talk about it in Consumer Preview but it seems removed? I hate that my pictures open in Metro Photo App.

Also the Search sucks, it finds less now. I thought it was supposed to be better? There is no start button so I dont know how to find things without searching or putting its shortcut in "Run"

For instance Disk Cleaner they supposedly fixed it up, search does not find it. But if IIRC its All Programs> Accessories > System Tools > Here

How do I find it? I can just run Cleanmgr but that's dumb...

 

[Munky]

To get around the lack of a start menu, I added a new toolbar to the bottom taskbar which points to C\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs. With that said, this is a test machine, and I have no intention whatsoever of migrating my personal machine to W8.

 

[thescreensavers]

http://www.lee-soft.com/vistart/

It works to put a start menu, and now I can use W8 much better lol

 

[tommo123]

but it could be broken "accidentally" with a windows update and you're back to metro. i wouldn't put it past microsoft considering how dickish they're being about this and how hard they're pushing metro

 

[thescreensavers]

but it could be broken "accidentally" with a windows update and you're back to metro. i wouldn't put it past microsoft considering how dickish they're being about this and how hard they're pushing metro

I dont get how they think this will work?

Well then I guess Windows 9 Will be great when ever it comes out.

I used W7 beta all the way until it came out and was pretty happy with it. With W8 the only thing holding me back from Going back to W7 is that I installed my apps already and was ok with it before I actually started to use it lol

 

[Zaap]

We're not even going to have to wait for 9. This whole episode is so silly.
Microsoft will release W8 trying to force Metro down everyone's throat, the results will be a disaster. PC sales will start to lag as they aren't exactly flying off shelves already, let alone after a large percentage of people go to buy a new laptop or PC and can't stand the candy-colored kludge on it. Dell and others will charge people extra to 'upgrade' back to Windows 7 and restore sanity. Developers actually won't be falling over themselves to hop on the disaster train and fewer than expected will make toddler er, excuse me, Metro versions of their applications.

Microsoft will quietly admit the whole thing was a really dumb idea, and Windows 8 SP1 will include the option of using primarily the desktop without Metro getting in the way. (Although I predict they won't totally give in and bring back the start menu as it was, rather leave that to third parties to do).

Things will start to turn around again as the people who use computers for productive purposes start to like Windows 8 without all the kludge in the way, and the e-wankers that still enjoy the toddler interface and full screen real estate wasting Metro apps can continue to navel gaze to those as well.

 

[dagamer34]

We're not even going to have to wait for 9. This whole episode is so silly.
Microsoft will release W8 trying to force Metro down everyone's throat, the results will be a disaster. PC sales will start to lag as they aren't exactly flying off shelves already, let alone after a large percentage of people go to buy a new laptop or PC and can't stand the candy-colored kludge on it. Dell and others will charge people extra to 'upgrade' back to Windows 7 and restore sanity. Developers actually won't be falling over themselves to hop on the disaster train and fewer than expected will make toddler er, excuse me, Metro versions of their applications.

Microsoft will quietly admit the whole thing was a really dumb idea, and Windows 8 SP1 will include the option of using primarily the desktop without Metro getting in the way. (Although I predict they won't totally give in and bring back the start menu as it was, rather leave that to third parties to do).

Things will start to turn around again as the people who use computers for productive purposes start to like Windows 8 without all the kludge in the way, and the e-wankers that still enjoy the toddler interface and full screen real estate wasting Metro apps can continue to navel gaze to those as well.

Wishful thinking. I'd get ready to learn Linux!

 

[tommo123]

none of this will matter really if linux dudes can make one that isn't in some way retarded to use. then we can all move to linux

 

[HeXen]

i rather liked Stardocks startmenu. reminds me of what Linux mint did to gnome 3