Windows 8 Download

[TheAnimus]

So legend has it that windows 8 will be available for anyone to download. I like this in a way because it stops the elitist you must buy in to our MSDN crap.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/home/

Keep watching, goes live at 3am

Apparently it will include pre-release dev tools too, but only the cut down express editions will remain free.

The interesting thing is you can write 'apps' in javascript now, and it should hopefully lower the barrier to entry for those who want to nock something together.

Leaving the question when are we going to see the hexus 'app'.

mods, posted here to get wider audience.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The Metro UI for desktop looks horrible:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4771/m...beta-preview/9

I hope you can switch it off.

Edit!!

You can't!! No!!

"Overall Windows 8 is extremely jarring right now from a desktop user perspective. Metro is the Windows shell, no ifs ands or butts. Metro applications can only be accessed through the Metro shell (i.e. the Start Screen), and the Metro shell is always what the tablet will boot up into. Explorer as we know it is the Metro shell – if you kill it, you kill Metro shell with it – so at this time it’s not possible to boot up into the traditional Windows desktop. Even if you could, the Start Menu is gone, replaced with Metro charms."

"While we’ve only had a short period of time work play with Windows 8 with a mouse and keyboard, at this point in time there’s not a lot to say that’s positive. Metro works well as a tablet interface, but with a mouse and keyboard it’s like using a tablet with a mouse and keyboard. Hopefully Microsoft will have a more suitable mouse & keyboard control scheme ready to go for Windows 8 farther down the line."

[Behemoth]

Think I'll wait for a proper release candidate before I mess around with this, am very happy with Windows 7, not sure it's going to offer me anything I new, I might if I get bored have a try but I very much doubt it.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

It gets better:

http://www.readwriteweb.com/enterpri...orlds-of-w.php

"The Taskbar retains its place on the Win8 Desktop with only slightly cosmetic differences over Win7. But the Start Button (by default, on the lower left side) no longer brings up the Start Menu. Instead, it switches back to the Start Screen and the Metro staging area. The Windows button on the keyboard (pressed by itself) and the Windows button on tablet screens perform the same function; when you're at the Start Screen, both bring back the Desktop."

[jim]

Seems a bit early to start complaining Mooseman, before you've even tried it?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I have been looking at the previews so far and for desktop use it looks a step backwards from Windows 7 ATM. For touchscreen devices it looks great but the problem is that most laptops and desktops are not touchscreen and also have much bigger displays.

[jim]

Exactly - I can't believe Microsoft would be daft enough to ignore the non-touchscreen market. Given that there are still corporations out there relying on Windows XP and IE6, touchscreens aren't about to become ubiquitous any time soon.

[Lucio]

Well, I'm expecting Windows 8 to fail, and for things to suceed in Windows 9, it's the expected pattern from Microsoft.

[Behemoth]

Well, I'm expecting Windows 8 to fail, and for things to suceed in Windows 9, it's the expected pattern from Microsoft.

We only have to look at Windows ME and Windows Vista, epic fails right there !

[TheAnimus]

Cat have a look at:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/13/w...nd-everything/

The metro UI stuff is really for the touch devices, apparently they will also be selling a cheaper version of windows for lower end devices, which has more fuax multitasking by default, that version there is nothing beneith the metro. The grown up version on the other hand has full metro ui, and the ability to use it in split mode is quite a nice touch.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Cat have a look at:
http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/13/w...nd-everything/

The metro UI stuff is really for the touch devices, apparently they will also be selling a cheaper version of windows for lower end devices, which has more fuax multitasking by default, that version there is nothing beneith the metro. The grown up version on the other hand has full metro ui, and the ability to use it in split mode is quite a nice touch.

I understand metro is for touch devices and it works well on the windows phone 7. However,it looks crap for non-touch enabled devices.

In the article it states the following:

"There will not be a different edition of Windows 8 for tablets, and presumably, not for Media Centers either"

"There's "no overlays" with Windows 8; Metro-style goodness is baked into the core"

So are we stuck with metro for normal desktops too???

WTF?? I really hope Windows 8 switches metro off if installed on non-touch enabled desktops and laptops. If not it is more bloatware running in the background.

So we have to go through all the stupid crap just to get to the desktop which they seem to have obliterated.

In that list where is the option for "switch metro off for non-touch enabled desktops and laptop" for instance??

So they eff up the keyboard and mouse interface for what exactly??

I don't want pretty for desktop,I want functional and efficient.

[TheAnimus]

woh theree.

How have they effed up the keyboard and mouse, all the keyboard shortcuts still work, in fact they've added more...

They've fixed multimonitor mode for "pro" users.

Metro afaik can be disabled upto the GINA point, basically log on and lock screen can't be disabled, but everything else from then down.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

woh theree.

How have they effed up the keyboard and mouse, all the keyboard shortcuts still work, in fact they've added more...

They've fixed multimonitor mode for "pro" users.

Metro afaik can be disabled upto the GINA point, basically log on and lock screen can't be disabled, but everything else from then down.

How about it just disables itself entirely from the desktop installations??

[Splash]

It's a developer preview, not a public beta. It's hardly feature complete.

Still, downloading now, will have a tinker this evening before draw my own conclusions.

[Stringent]

Downloading now, will see if VMWare likes it!

[peterb]

Of course this could be a marketing ploy to gauge consumer reaction to a new interface.

That apart

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