Windows 8 Developer Preview

Basjohn said:
Why not just avoid a migration all-together? Plenty of (cheap) companies still refuse to even move from XP.

Though I can absolutely agree with you, in IT too and W8 is a nightmare for practicality. The constant switching between interfaces to do each task and having specific applications built for EACH UI is just going to cause even more headaches.

The only thing that could get me even remotely interested in W8 is a supported, fully featured Metro disabling option. Not a registry hack that might die off during any random critical update MS pushes out and cause utter hell.......
Click to expand...

The way I see it after reading a lot and watching the entire Build, there will basically be 3 modes(not products) in Windows 8

x86 Business where people switch to Windows 7 look and never see Metro - Ever
x86 Mixed (Home + slate) with the Metro look as default and switching to Windows 7 look as needed as we see it now.
Arm Metro only where you will not see the Windows 7 look, and all applications developed for Metro will run on this form factor

So Businesses roll-outs will be unaffected and people will still use Windows as they are use to it.
 
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My 2c on the new Win 8:

Looks awesome, though I would like to see some changes....
- I like new metro apps for quickly looking up something on the web, play a dumb game or something like that. Just would really like a close button for the apps...I like to have things open and close things as I please, not having to open task manager for closing it...its one of the things I dislike with the iPad and I am disappointed with Microsoft for thinking like fruits on this matter...
- Integration of Metro UI and standard desktop is a disaster....the metro screen that popup at for instance networking connections feel like its hacked on top of 7. Also, I like to use my taskbar on the left side of the screen. This moves the start button to the left top. Now the "show desktop" and notification area is left bottom, where the metro start thing still pops up and renders the "show desktop" button and some of the tray icons useless. The should move the metro popup with the start button to the top then.
- Have no problem with the ribbon, find it quite nice actually, but would like the option to have the ribbon and the old menus, like one could do in 7. I regularly use the folder options menu and find it tedious to look for it in control panel every time. Also the shortcuts comment by Elimentals, very valid.
-Really appreciate the ISO mounting feature....no more daemon tools.
-Also resource usage is astonishing. OS memory usage is far less than Win 7.
- Audio volume mixer...not including the Metro apps...why? I want to set volume for apps separately as well.


- Has anyone figured out if one could have multiple desktops? That would be awesome. Seeing as "Desktop" is presented in the Metro UI as an "app", maybe they could let you have multiple instances?
- Havent really had many compatibility problems. Didn't have to install any drivers for my PC. Cannot get my Vodacom internet dongle to work though. The modem drivers refuse to install.
- Found the BSOD posted here fascinating. How does one "induce" this? I haven't had a BSOD in a long time in Win 7, but then again, I haven't been forcing it to play with old drivers lately.
- My Win 8 install didn't pick up my Win 7, probably because they are on different disks. Tried to fix this using bcdedit, no luck....using bios to pick boot drive now.
 
hannodewind said:
Has anyone figured out if one could have multiple desktops? That would be awesome. Seeing as "Desktop" is presented in the Metro UI as an "app", maybe they could let you have multiple instances?
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Basjohn said:
... fully featured Metro disabling option.
Click to expand...
Metro is in fact a live Start Menu replacement, so I doubt it'll be disable-able. Everything else, including Desktop, is just an app.
 
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MyWorld said:
I just got the chance to test Win8 and I'm quitting, right now while I'm ahead.

I just know this will not go down well with most of our staff and I'm going to be on the phone for ever trying to explain where what went and how it now works, I'm sending out an email as soon as this hits the shelves that they should not bother phoning me unless it is *nix related, no more Windows support thank you.
:whistle:

EDIT:
If that hack still works on the final release I'm pushing it to ALL the PCs.
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As with any systems change, surely your company will implement a proper Change Project, which must include quick training for users? A 15-minute training session for all staff - such as at departmental meetings -- in which you communicate the main concepts, is all that's needed. I find the Metro UI extremely intuitive if you mentally leave aside the Olde Worlde desktop way of driving a PC and engage the new paradigm with a fresh attitude. Everything you need is super-easy to find once you've spent 10 minutes in Metro.
 
Arthur said:
As with any systems change, surely your company will implement a proper Change Project, which must include quick training for users? A 15-minute training session for all staff - such as at departmental meetings -- in which you communicate the main concepts, is all that's needed. I find the Metro UI extremely intuitive if you mentally leave aside the Olde Worlde desktop way of driving a PC and engage the new paradigm with a fresh attitude. Everything you need is super-easy to find once you've spent 10 minutes in Metro.
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We are spread throughout SA, 12 different branches and not a lot of IT knowledge between them. Most of the senior staff is 50+, and you know the thing of old dogs and new tricks?
:(
 
hannodewind said:
- Has anyone figured out if one could have multiple desktops? That would be awesome. Seeing as "Desktop" is presented in the Metro UI as an "app", maybe they could let you have multiple instances?
Click to expand...

Sadly for me I would need Nvidia Driver's to get this to work, havent spend time on trying to see if Windows 7 drivers work yet.

hannodewind said:
- Found the BSOD posted here fascinating. How does one "induce" this? I haven't had a BSOD in a long time in Win 7, but then again, I haven't been forcing it to play with old drivers lately.
Click to expand...

As with most BSOD's out there, play with known faulty hardware. In my case its a USB drive that I know is functioning well.
 
Only enterprise and developers can bypass Windows Store for Metro apps

http://arstechnica.com/business/new...s-can-bypass-windows-store-for-metro-apps.ars

Microsoft will restrict general distribution of Metro apps to the Windows Store, but grant exceptions to enterprises and developers, allowing them to side-load applications onto Windows 8 devices. While Windows 8 will be an operating system for both desktops and tablets, Microsoft is creating two sets of rules for traditional desktop apps and Metro-style apps, which are optimized for touch screens but will run on any Windows 8 device.

A primer for Windows developers on Microsoft’s website states that distribution of traditional desktop applications will proceed as usual. “Open distribution: retail stores, web, private networks, individual sharing, and so on” will be allowed, Microsoft says. Metro apps, on the other hand, will be “Distributed through the Windows Store. Apps must pass certification so that users download and try apps with confidence in their safety and privacy. Side-loading is available for enterprises and developers.”

This approach is similar to the one taken by Apple with its iPhone and iPad App Store, and also similar to Microsoft’s own Windows Phone 7 Marketplace, although jailbreaks and workarounds allowing side-loading have been released by independent developers for both iOS and WP7. With Google’s Android, by contrast, it is easy for any user to install non-market applications from either third-party app stores such as Amazon’s or by downloading software directly from an app maker’s website. The exceptions carved out by Microsoft will let developers test apps and businesses distribute custom or private apps to employees.

Windows Phone 7 uses a 70/30 revenue split in which Microsoft keeps 30 percent of app payments, and a similar split seems likely for Windows 8 Metro apps. According to the IStartedSomething.com blog, Microsoft’s primer for Windows developers briefly confirmed the 70/30 split for Metro apps but later deleted the information. In other news, we learned last week that while Windows 8 devices with ARM processors won’t run apps originally built for Intel-based computers, Microsoft is working on a Metro version of its popular Office software.
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So I guess they trying to get the best of both worlds, old PC rules for desktop, and Windows Phone rules for Metro.
 
I find it interesting that people feel the need to re-invent the desktop. The thing is, the old desktops work fine. There might very well be better ways of doing things on the desktop, but I have yet to see it. Gnome2/Win 7/OSX all have very usable desktops.
This whole move to have single user interfaces for multiple devices is a bad move (for now).
 
Nuro said:
I find it interesting that people feel the need to re-invent the desktop. The thing is, the old desktops work fine.
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I think the desktop in alot of people's cases are unused. Some slap on some favorites etc. Most people use the start button or quicklaunch bar. I believe MS is taking the desktop in the right direction. The desktop becomes a portal of your most frequently used applications. More than that - the shortcuts are alive and interactive. The desktop becomes a dashboard of information.

Nuro said:
This whole move to have single user interfaces for multiple devices is a bad move (for now).
Click to expand...
Yes and no. Again - what MS have done on the Windows Phone is pretty cool*. The social hub on a phone pretty much encapsulates the phones function. Not much different on a PC. Same info, different layout - more screen real estate. I'm giving MS the benefit of the doubt. It may suck - but it may work really cool.

Time for a touch screen.

*While I think the Windows Phone UI is pretty cool I won't be changing devices any time soon.
 
Elimentals said:
Sadly for me I would need Nvidia Driver's to get this to work, havent spend time on trying to see if Windows 7 drivers work yet.
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I can tell you Win 7 Nvidia drivers did not work for me (Windows starts up, but gives you a blank screen when you log on, seems as if Metro UI is failing, but you can't reach you desktop...), I am downloading the latest beta from Nvidia, have read somewhere that it works. Will post here if it does.

If the new beta driver does work, how do I get multiple desktops (since you say one needs Nvidia drivers for that...)?
 
hannodewind said:
I can tell you Win 7 Nvidia drivers did not work for me (Windows starts up, but gives you a blank screen when you log on, seems as if Metro UI is failing, but you can't reach you desktop...), I am downloading the latest beta from Nvidia, have read somewhere that it works. Will post here if it does.

If the new beta driver does work, how do I get multiple desktops (since you say one needs Nvidia drivers for that...)?
Click to expand...

Will answer you as soon as I get mine working ;)
 
Gonna install this on my spare laptop tonight
 
hannodewind said:
I am downloading the latest beta from Nvidia, have read somewhere that it works. Will post here if it does.
If the new beta driver does work, how do I get multiple desktops (since you say one needs Nvidia drivers for that...)?
Click to expand...

Well the latest beta driver does work :D. Now only for multiple desktops....
 
hannodewind said:
Well the latest beta driver does work :D. Now only for multiple desktops....
Click to expand...

Hey Hey...
Virtual / multiple desktops is part of the nView Desktop Manager that comes bundled with nVidia drivers...
or for my notebook Quadro NVS at least...

large-virtual-desktop.jpg


The latest nVidia drivers for my NVS work fine with multiple desktops in Win 8 as well.
Perhaps see if you have nView bundled somewhere with yours and install it ??
 
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