Microsoft → Windows 8 Release Preview Today

According to this:

Sources confirm Windows 8 Release Preview coming May 31st, includes Flash in Metro browser

We’ll be seeing its release some time today.

Site just went live; downloading now:

»windows.microsoft.com/en ··· download

»windows.microsoft.com/en ··· ws-8/iso

Downloading both 32 and 64 bit versions as well.

I installed the Consumer Preview, and outside of not being able to change the default Metro interface, I was OK with Windows 8. Lets see if they put an option in the Release Preview that allows you to select which "start" interface you want (Metro or Windows 7 version).

--Brian

The "Release Preview" strips tons of legacy code so that 3rd party (and registry) hacks will no longer work... the "Start" menu graphic, functionality, and usability had it's underlying code removed. In addition, the RTM and final release will boot to Metro Start screen only.

Paul Thurrott has an interesting opinion:
»www.winsupersite.com/art ··· s-143238

It's certainly deosn't look consumer-friendly...
How do they suppose to sell the new OS?

Windows 8 Release Preview: Frequently asked questions
More @ »windows.microsoft.com/en ··· s-8/faq#

Yeah this is one we and myself are having to pass on, the removal of the start menu and other legacy features will not allow me to use it in a production environment and I am kinda avoiding it for home use too.

Maybe it will come back in the next version or an service pack.

I didn't think it was possible to make a product that might make Vista look like a shining success (and to be fair, I like Vista and never had a lot of the problems others did with it), but they just might succeed with this one.

Have you even used it yet? I have been using the release preview for about two hours now and I am pleasantly surprised. Its actually not bad.. not bad at all.

Media Center tidbit: »www.zatznotfunny.com/201 ··· ndows-8/

Are you required to use the new Mikey Mouse interface? I can see a lot of pros getting really unhappy quick.

I cant see me using these boxes .. guess will be skipping this good thing. Is there a way to boot this to normal Windows environment?

I'm wondering if this is going to turn into another Vista, in which Tier 1 Vendors will give customers the option of Win 7 or 8 (in the same fashion in which we could get XP instead of Vista).

Not very customer friendly.

It runs fairly well on a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom 230 with on board graphics (82945G express chipset). IMO the new start menu is ugly.

When the final Windows 8 is released, I'm going to assemble a new PC with touch screen. I'm going to get with the program, like they say.

Freddy

Well I just installed it on my test machine here... You guys might hate me for this.. I seem to LIKE IT! Yes the start screen seems pretty damn good! Move mouse to left corner and start button shows up in desktop. I like the live updates on the start screen, shows weather, stocks, etc.

My test machine is Opteron 175 (2.2ghz) 2GB of RAM - runs very well.

You can create a local account OR use Microsoft account (live ID) I used LiveID.

Huh seems like the Aero Glass is working in this build... Thought they are doing away with it?

Indeed, Microsoft has created another XP situation with them wanting the same 'experience' across all platforms and mandating it for desktops. Windows 7 will the OS of choice for the next decade assuming they don't learn from this mistake and continue this bs with Windows 9.

This is what happens when you right click on the start corner. It also show up in the Metro UI.

Instead of continuing to dumb down and complicate navigation, they should be learning from the UIs for Linux. Pros like the UI to be clean, direct, and require a minimum of clicks. Seems everything MS does it bound and determined to fog up the windows and make it more patience destroying.

What they should be focusing on is what is under the hood not making navigaton and setup more obfuscated.

I think I can live without Win8, the whole touch screen thing is a step backwards IMHO. I don't want my screen to get all gummy and icky from touching it. Besides, raising my hands up to shoulder level constantly sounds very fatiguing. With a keyboard and mouse at least I can rest my arms.

This looks like the first version of Windows I might elect to not test drive or move to.

And then there is the UEFI hassle: Dual booting with Linux is endangered. Thanks a lot MS. Might be just the sort of thing to make me leave Windows completely.

Windows 8 is EXTREMELY similar to Gnome 3 and Unity. SCARY similar...There is no UEFI endangering, UEFI is fine on Linux, Mac OS, and Windows 7/8; do you mean Secure Boot? Also, on x86 (Intel and AMD) there is no issue either. Matthew Garrett with Fedora is one of many open-platform folks verifying that no endangerment exists:

1. x86 platform Windows 8 does not require Secure Boot to be installed/boot.
2. x86 platform Windows 8 and Secure Boot is only about certification:
a. The system must have UEFI and Secure Boot frameworks
b. The system MUST have Secure Boot enabled by default at shipping time.
c. The system MUST have a "BIOS" or firmware setting to defeat Secure Boot.
d. The system MUST be shipped in "SETUP" mode to allow the purchaser to set their own PKP's.

If 2a-2d is not adhered, the OEM does not receive the certified for Windows 8 sticker. Why would an OEM sell a PC that doesn't meet certification just to make Windows 7/Linux not an option?

Turn it off if it is in your way, no big deal... at all.

Windows 8 in my opinion is a huge leap. I can't quite decide if it is forward. It is DIFFERENT. Having been playing on Unity and Gnome 3 for over a year, I picked it up in seconds. I just don't know if I'd ever spend money on it while Windows 7 wasn't past EoL. The "store" and constant cloud connecting (music, video, weather, etc) is more of what my Android phone is used for these days, I don't fire up the PC for that stuff.

It's fast, I'll give it that. The animations and screen flips never seem intrusive. They're gone before I can begin to think about complaining The programs I do use on my PC are currently no different.

I agree. Windows 8 takes some getting used to, but in the end it's the next step in OSs. Not necessarily better than Win7, but different. Like it or not, tablet PCs are there to stay, and an OS has to work on that platform to be a success. Microsoft is doing the right thing with Win8. It'll take longer for business to adopt, with their 3-5 year replacement cycle, but they're not going to abandon Windows because it changed.

There's always resistance to change, like the Start button in Win95 and the ribbon in Office 2007.

Sure, but I think the difficulty for most people is the insistence that a single UI makes equal sense for touch screens and keyboard-and-mouse.

I like Windows 7. I like the iPhone UI. They don't have to be the same.

This whole mess seems to be avoidable just by having a program-selection interface (the so-called 'start menu') that doesn't flip you out of one interface paradigm into another.

I agree with what Dave said. I don't see a need to have everything be the same interface. If I had an iPhone and it had one GUI on it, and an tablet (like a galaxy tab) and it had another, and a desktop or laptop with a different OS, that would be fine with me.

While I do see where they are trying to come from (if its all the same, there is no learning curve for new users), the problem is, you may cause existing users of a given platform to not want to upgrade.

I don't own a tablet, smartphone, or i-anything. However, I would not be against any of them, even if the GUI is different from the desktop that I am using right now. To me, a different platform means different GUI.

--Brian

I treat the Start Screen as "Full Screen Start Menu"

I'm using the desktop 100%. I uninstalled all the metro apps (the ones it loads apps inside Metro UI) except the live tiles. Then I added all kinds of software I use. It's different but the concept still seems the same to me except ... "start menu has its own environment for apps".... So all I see on my start screen are my common use software icons (quickbooks, rdp, paint.net, open office, etc) and weather/sports/stock tickers. When you're in desktop, if you move mouse to upper left corner, whatever Metro has loaded (and suspended in background) would pop up, then you'd close them all - if nothing shows up, then no metro apps are running. I kinda like it cuz it's easier to find applications as I always have problems finding applications in the huge list of "All Programs".

Time will tell though. I may end up hating it later. But right now, I pretty much like it. I'd like to have Shutdown/Restart on top right corner on Start Screen though.

Indeed, and it's about as well-integrated as Full Screen DOS Apps were in Windows 3.1.

Usually, I can get used to most UI changes: I've lost count of the number of different desktop GUIs I've used. But this just seems to be half-arsed.

Note: Screenshot is cropped.

If I move the mouse to lower left corner of the start screen, it'll show a snapshot preview of the desktop - when I click on it, I'll get back to desktop. Hit it again - back to start screen, back and forth. I couldn't get a screenshot of the snapshot preview as if I hit Printscreen, the preview disappear.

You can never "close" the desktop.

I agree with you Razzy12345.

Right now, I use a mixture of Windows 7 (Ultimate / Home Premium), Windows 8 Release Preview, OS X Lion (10.7.4), iOS (5.1.1), WebOS (3.0.5) and Android (4.0 ICS). For now I don’t have much of a problem moving in the direction of new operating systems,….even Windows 8. When I get old, crotchety and set in my ways (get off my lawn!) then I’ll likely become inflexible.

As much as I like Windows 7 on my desktop systems and laptop, I find it a poor match for my Asus Eee Slate EP121 PC tablet. So I definitely want to upgrade at least that system.

My Wife is a developer and for economic reasons I’ll probably just buy a Microsoft Technet subscription in the next few weeks. That will give us access to Windows 8 and much more.