Microsoft Windows 8 Release Preview

[buyeye]

I also went back to win 7 when it messed with my shared folders.

 

[bekdik]

If you really wanna understand Windows 8 and the testing that went into it you may wanna spend some time on the Build site http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/

You will see that every desision is carefully planned and have reasons behind them, for example your issues re Start button vs Start Screen was discussed in detail over http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/10/11/reflecting-on-your-comments-on-the-start-screen.aspx

Even better, they even have comments section but I guess its far more fun just to mock about on a forum no one from Microsoft visits.

Oh for the record I am a firm supporter of Open Source a use Linux as my primary OS so its not like I am taking their side, its just that I can understand the reason behind the madness. Besides Ubuntu Unity, and Gnome 3 have gone the menu-less route already.

Having a reason and having a good design are two different things ...

Were you to spent time using Win8 as many of us have done, you would soon understand why the app navigation abortion is not acceptable. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that that the app navigation on Win7, Vista and XP is far more usable.

I have Win8 running in a VM on my desktop and am forcing myself to use it rather than Win7.

I am very happy for Microsoft to to go the Metro route, after all it is the only navigation technique which is going to be accepted by the touch screen user, but that does not mean that it must be forced on the desktop user, especially when there is absolutely no reason so to do. Microsoft has got it wrong and I hope, that as they did with Visual Studio 2012 Express, they will seriously reconsider their position re the desktop menu.

 

[Arthur]

Posting from phone, so brief:

I've been using W8 since DP, on daily office workstation with dual 24" display. I've now learned how to tailor the system to my prefs, and overall prefer it to W7. It's now faster and lighter than W7, and with the SSDs installed last week, even more responsive.

I live in the Desktop and now seldom if ever drop back to Metro. Even logoff has a desktop icon, so it's one click for me.

As a pure Desktop user, I now prefer W8 to W7.

 

[AfricanTech]

Yup - same here - also live in the desktop - Win 8 is fine for me when I use it the way I would use Win 7 - still miss the Start button but that will change in time.

Just don't force me to use Metro exclusively

 

[snugglez64]

The thing is you must have tweaked the system a bit to have it running with only the desktop. Which is the geeky thing to do but that does not work as well for the below average joe.

 

[Ipwn 4]

So my 2c regarding windows 8...

I've been using it on lappie due to there not being any gtx6xx driver available at this stage. I've been enjoying the responsiveness win8 offers, its comparable to win7 on my desktop with a SSD which is super smooth. Metro is a pain at first but after two days I've started enjoying the interface a whole lot more. It makes tons of tasks much quicker then usual and the ability to tweak it to the point where it offers one an overview of everything is nice.

The problem I see windows facing is the effect Metro apps have on your users experience. Currently there are just about no useful apps available but imagine having your gmail coming into the mail tab, lastFM replacing the Music app, a calendar synced to Exchange or even a MyBB app displaying the latest news on your Metro interface?

Apps are going to make or break win8

Edit : Fresh paintits pretty cool...

 

[LazyLion]

I installed it last night, and I have only played with it for a few hours, but my initial impressions are not good.

It seems like they took Windows 7 and stripped out some of the guts and just put a stupid clunky UI over the top.

I can see this OS going the way of Windows Vista and Windows Me.

The windows metro UI is ugly as sin, very minimalistic and counter intuitive.

And when you switch back to the normal desktop you are hamstrung from doing anything because they have taken away all the normal power user features.

Why, o Why Microsoft??? :wtf:

 

[House]

I installed win 8 release preview and have to admit that this is one of the worse operating systems made by MS to date! I think this OS is definately better-suited for tablets and that is where it should stay!

Yes, I know it is still being developed and there is a lot of bugs, but despite that I do not see any use for Windows 8 on desktop PCs or laptops, whether they are touchscreen-enabled or not! It is a mission to navigate through the various screens, apps, desktop, etc. in order to get where you need to be.

Firstly, I hate the Windows 7 desktop on Windows 8. It is a struggle to find programs and navigate around the PC, not even mentioning shut downs and restarts. I hate navigating between the desktop, Metro UI and the programs I use.

Secondly, a large number of my software are experiencing problems. After upgrading to Windows 8, Internet Explorer 9 no longer functions properly and I am unable to make use of a large number of websites such as Facebook. I was also no longer able to make use of a large number websites making use of jQuery scripts. I struggled uploading documents, web pages, etc. to my servers as for some reason, Windows no longer 'see' the files on my Desktop or C drive.

I loved the new Metro 'explorer'. It was easy to use on the Internet and it may actually become a hit in future if you ask me. But, like I said above, the Metro explorer also did not see any files on my C drive when I needed to upload them to the Internet via the browser. Unfortunately, one major, major setback is the fact that the new Metro browser supports Flash, but only that of very large and famous websites. If you have websites, you need to submit yours to Microsoft and they will decide if Metro will accept Flash on your website. I don't make use of a lot of Flash, but I do have a few programs developed in Flash I am making use of on my websites.

Lastly, everytime I change between the Metro UI and the Desktop, my desktop's screen resolution (pixels) do not display correctly on the desktop.

In short, I did not experience a lot of errors with the OS, but it was simply hell while I tested it...

Again, I think I will stick with Windows 7. I can't see how MS will change Windows 8 to make it a unique operating system for desktops and PC's. Hopefully Windows 9 / 10 will do the trick again.....

 

[dualmeister]

Here is something interesting MS is working on for Win 8.

Windows 8 Announces Native 3D Support

Windows is enabling support for new content types for consumption and increased flexibility for content creation and communication. Stereo 3D, accessibility, and DSP effects are just three ways Windows 8 will be awesome.

From MSDN: Over the last few years, the Stereo 3D (S3D) market has evolved from hype to finished consumer products. S3D provides a 3D viewing experience by displaying two overlapping copies of a video (captured from different angles), which appear as a single 3D video when viewed with 3D glasses. Our goal is to enable a viable S3D ecosystem for Windows by enabling key gaming and video playback scenarios on a platform that abstracts away the specifics of the 3D technology from the end-user’s PC.

The Windows 8 media platform provides support for standards-compliant media formats for S3D video. H.264 video with frame-packing metadata represented as Supplemental Enhancement Information (SEI) is the typical format being adopted for online delivery, and is therefore the desirable S3D video format in Windows 8. The frame-packing formats that we support natively in the platform include both side-by-side and top-and-bottom arrangements, as in the illustration below.

In Windows 8, S3D support is available on DirectX 10 or higher GPUs with compatible drivers. A S3D-compatible display is needed to see S3D content. We wanted to make sure that Windows would support a wide range of display technologies with a consistent user experience, and make it easy for software and hardware to develop on our platform. As a result, specific S3D display technologies are largely made irrelevant by the graphics drivers, and a consistent set of APIs are available to apps using stereo 3D.

 

[Arthur]

And when you switch back to the normal desktop you are hamstrung from doing anything because they have taken away all the normal power user features.

Like what? It's all still there.

Edit: Right-click at bottom-left of screen where Start orb used to be ...

 

[Mr Feesh]

any one else experiencing frequent freezing. Have had it freeze about 6 times in the last 24 hours, out of that 5 times was when using chrome and another copying 100gb of files from one HD to another? How could i test if it's a faulty Hard drive? Tried re-installing chrome and it made no difference. Was a clean install

 

[Arthur]

None whatsoever. It's rock stable on all my systems, which run 24x7. Every night at 02h00 one machine copies about 30GB or so from the server. Not once has any system stuttered, shuddered, shivered or frozen.

 

[LazyLion]

Like what? It's all still there.

Edit: Right-click at bottom-left of screen where Start orb used to be ...

Are you serious? Have looked what is on that menu? It's all stuff I can get through Control Panel which is on my desktop anyway.

I hate it... this Microsoft OS sucks Donkey Balls.

I'm gonna uninstall it and put Win 7 back.

 

[Arthur]

Are you serious? Have looked what is on that menu? It's all stuff I can get through Control Panel which is on my desktop anyway.

I hate it... this Microsoft OS sucks Donkey Balls.

I'm gonna uninstall it and put Win 7 back.

What are you not getting that you need, Gary? Just want to understand.

 

[LazyLion]

I want a comprehensive list of all the programs that I have installed alongside a list of those that came pre-installed in a launch environment.
I want a smoother experience between the Metro UI and the Desktop Interface, not two completely separate Operating Systems.
I want more control over the pre-installed anti-virus program (Windows Defender) that allows me to schedule scans, customise them and exclude files and folders.
(It would also help that I have some kind of warning before Defender just goes ahead and starts deleting files by itself)
I want the ability to restore Menus in Apps where they have been hidden.
I want a Metro UI that is polished and refined in design as well as function rather than something that looks like it was cobbled together by a snotty nosed kid with craft paper and blunt scissors.

Here is a much more comprehensive list of things that have been removed or dumbed down....
http://xpwasmyidea.blogspot.com/2012/06/essential-features-missing-in-windows-8.html

 

[rwenzori]

something that looks like it was cobbled together by a snotty nosed kid with craft paper and blunt scissors.

LOL! Well put. I like Tim Cook's comment:

You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those aren’t going to be pleasing to the user.

Windows 8 is an abortion.

 

[House]

I hate it... this Microsoft OS sucks Donkey Balls.

I'm gonna uninstall it and put Win 7 back.

+1

Did the same...

 

[czc]

LOL! Well put. I like Tim Cook's comment:


Windows 8 is an abortion.

I think you mean aberration.

 

[LazyLion]

abortion is a pretty apt term... it refers to something that is ill-conceived, incomplete and cut off due to non-viability.

 

[Arthur]

@Garyvdh: Great answer. Thanks.

I want a comprehensive list of all the programs that I have installed alongside a list of those that came pre-installed in a launch environment.

Full list is one click away, or Win+Q. My irritation is the opposite (ie the list is too comprehensive) - I want to hide all the ancillary shortcuts in app installs.

I want a smoother experience between the Metro UI and the Desktop Interface, not two completely separate Operating Systems.

I understand. As you of course know, it's one OS, not two. What's disconcerting is that Start is full-screen whereas we know and love windowing Desktop. Now that I've gotten to know the system better I only see Metro/Start on first start-up, and it's actually become quite a nifty overview of my apps 'n stuff. MS are not expecting desktop users to live in Metro. And the Win8 Desktop is faster, slicker and smoother than Win7's desktop.

I want more control over the pre-installed anti-virus program (Windows Defender) that allows me to schedule scans, customise them and exclude files and folders.

Yes, valid point. This is a beta. One can also take the view that no-one should have to bother about that sort of granularity in an av program. Hopefully that's where we're going.

(It would also help that I have some kind of warning before Defender just goes ahead and starts deleting files by itself)

Agreed. Unacceptable. But this is a beta. And you can set it to quarantine, not delete.

I want the ability to restore Menus in Apps where they have been hidden.

Not sure what you mean here.

I want a Metro UI that is polished and refined in design as well as function rather than something that looks like it was cobbled together by a snotty nosed kid with craft paper and blunt scissors.

Yes, we'd all like a polished and refined ui. This is Metro 1.0 (on PCs at least).

As I said, I still live in Desktop apps. And Win8RP's desktop is fast and stable.