Windows 8 'Consumer Preview' download

[CLR]

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

[CommonTater]

Well, I just spent most of a day messing with this... and...

... if you think Vista was a major screwup... wait till this hits the market!
 
People are just going to hate it. 
 
It's slow, awkward to use, sucks up memory like there's no tomorrow, it's 25gb on disk with no apps, The interface was slow and chuttery even on a 3ghz AMD dual core... and that metro UI... well, they'd probably delete my message if I said what I'm thinking! 
 
Windows 8 is clearly designed to favour mobile users and kids.  It's applicability in an office where "we just want to get our work done" will be highly questionable since it seems almost entirely based on fancy graphics with little or no thought given to performance or ease of use.
 
Testing my various applications on it... 50% of them would not even start... most of the rest ran with errors. Only one application ran ok... a pop up calendar... but even it wasn't doing to work with the new metro UI...
 
Oh... and have fun uninstalling the preview version... I had to reformat and reload from an image backup to get rid of it.
 
 
Afterthought...
I now quite clearly understand the concept of "Form over Substance"...
 
 
 
 

[Stefan Pendl]

Oh... and have fun uninstalling the preview version... I had to reformat and reload from an image backup to get rid of it.

Thats why I love virtual machines

I have lived with WinXP for a decade, so I will be living with Win7 about the same time.
Might even be I have to kick Windows out the door and turn my face to Linux.

[CommonTater]

Oh... and have fun uninstalling the preview version... I had to reformat and reload from an image backup to get rid of it.

Thats why I love virtual machines

Well, I thought I was being clever putting it on a clear partition in one of my hard disks.  Not only did it mess up my boot loader when I wiped it out... it cancelled my Win7 registration so I ended up reloading from an image file.  It's not too torturous... start it going and by the time the coffee water boils, it's nicely finishing up.

I probably should have used a virtual machine for the job but I didn't expect a *preview* to not have an uninstaller.

I have lived with WinXP for a decade, so I will be living with Win7 about the same time.
Might even be I have to kick Windows out the door and turn my face to Linux.

  Writing this from Ubuntu as we speak ....

I'm seriously getting frustrated with all this. 
Only a handful of years ago, programming used to be fun, windows "just worked" and things were pretty straight forward.  Used a single installation of Win 2000 from 1999 to 2006 ... then a single installation of Win XP from 2006 to early 2011... I've probably reinstalled Win 7, 10 times in the last year.

... and today I wonder where it all went wrong...

[Bitbeisser]

Well, I just spent most of a day messing with this... and...

... if you think Vista was a major screwup... wait till this hits the market!
 
People are just going to hate it. 

In general, I am with you on that...

It's slow, awkward to use, sucks up memory like there's no tomorrow, it's 25gb on disk with no apps, The interface was slow and chuttery even on a 3ghz AMD dual core... and that metro UI... well, they'd probably delete my message if I said what I'm thinking! 
 
Windows 8 is clearly designed to favour mobile users and kids.  It's applicability in an office where "we just want to get our work done" will be highly questionable since it seems almost entirely based on fancy graphics with little or no thought given to performance or ease of use.

That means you installed it to use Metro, you can (at least could in the earlier release) do so without that Metro stuff and it is just a somewhat newer Windows 7...

Testing my various applications on it... 50% of them would not even start... most of the rest ran with errors. Only one application ran ok... a pop up calendar... but even it wasn't doing to work with the new metro UI...

Anyone who installs/uses the Metro UI on any non-touch enabled device just gets what they asked for.

This move to parrot Apple and make it look as if they provide the same OS to both desktop and mobile devices is what will break MS neck in due time IMHO. It's just not possible/logical to do so. They will rather drive more people to use Mac OS X or Linux, though it looks like more and more distros heading down the same path, "just to be hip"...

Oh... and have fun uninstalling the preview version... I had to reformat and reload from an image backup to get rid of it.

Did you install over an existing (Windows 7?) setup? That is likely to screw up. The previous "developer" releases didn't even allow to do that and install it over a work(ing) version.
I haven't gotten around to install the "Consumer Preview" version I downloaded the other day on a test setup (and which should stop working in a few month anyway), but will do so this weekend...

Ralf

[TimoVJL]

PellesC help-file doesn't work in Windows 8:
'Navigation to the webpage was canceled'

EDIT:

Look here to avoid it:
http://www.ec-software.com/products_hhreg.html

[Stefan Pendl]

This move to parrot Apple and make it look as if they provide the same OS to both desktop and mobile devices is what will break MS neck in due time IMHO. It's just not possible/logical to do so. They will rather drive more people to use Mac OS X or Linux, though it looks like more and more distros heading down the same path, "just to be hip"...

A desktop is no mobile device and vice versa, so I support the assumption that this will break a neck or two.

Where are the times where things just were what they are ... ?

[TimoVJL]

Without usable Start menu / Program menu they are in big trouble.
How to see what programs are installed into computer
That start window is just a silly puzzle.

[Bitbeisser]

Without usable Start menu / Program menu they are in big trouble.
How to see what programs are installed into computer
That start window is just a silly puzzle.

But you do not have to use that, you can install Windows 8 so it just looks and works like Windows 7. That "start window" you are referring to is only part of the "touch enabled" Metro UI, which is optional when you install on a desktop. It does somehow make sense when you work with one of those touch-screen "all-in-one" PCs like the Dell Inspiron 23xx or the HP TouchSmart AIOs. Try to work on those with a high resolution screen and "fat fingers" hitting the Start button or any other, more mouse/keyboard designed GUI widget...
But IMHO, those have only a limited range of serious usage scenarios, those will never be able to replace any work place computer with heavy data entry.

I think Microsoft is aware that they would shoot them self not only in the foot but in the head if they would completely stop catering for those kind of use, it's just that M$ marketing (including "Evil" Steve Balmer) is so stupid to overly tout the touch UI and make it look as if they would abandon the more traditional interface.

And too many people are just taking all the marketing hype for face value...

Ralf

[CommonTater]

That means you installed it to use Metro, you can (at least could in the earlier release) do so without that Metro stuff and it is just a somewhat newer Windows 7...

I was pretty careful with options when installing it and I saw no such choice, Ralf... It installed with metro, with no start menu and the only access to the desktop was from either a tile on the metro pane or the bottom left corner of the screen.
 
I had to use WIN+R -> control.exe just to get at the settings.

Anyone who installs/uses the Metro UI on any non-touch enabled device just gets what they asked for.

You need to explain that to Microsoft, Ralf...

Did you install over an existing (Windows 7?) setup? That is likely to screw up. The previous "developer" releases didn't even allow to do that and install it over a work(ing) version.

Separate patition, separate drive... and it STILL blew everything up.

I get that it's an *alphatest* copy, but seriously... NOT fun.


After getting Win7 working again my desktop now displays "This is not a valid copy" for some reason...  Looking around for solutions I discover that Win8 has a kill switch built in and Microsoft can now remotely disable or remove software!!!

OK, they say it's only for misbehaving code from the Ap Store... but given my disabled Win7 install (which I paid nearly $500 for, btw) I have to doubt the veracity of that claim.  It seems obvious they've included something in Windows 8 that is "head hunting" pirated copies... and pulled a "false positive" on mine.

I am seriously thinking this is "bye bye Microsoft" time... 
 
In one of the many promotional videos for Win8 they cart out a bunch of college kids and make a lot of noise about how easy it is to develop aps for the new OS... and it shows.  Win8 looks and acts like it was written by a bunch of "script kiddies".  At the very least MS should solicit the opinions of experienced operators and developers, working on commercial applications... But I ain't holding my breath.

[CommonTater]

Without usable Start menu / Program menu they are in big trouble.
How to see what programs are installed into computer
That start window is just a silly puzzle.

But you do not have to use that, you can install Windows 8 so it just looks and works like Windows 7. That "start window" you are referring to is only part of the "touch enabled" Metro UI, which is optional when you install on a desktop.

Again... I could find no such option... 

I think Microsoft is aware that they would shoot them self not only in the foot but in the head if they would completely stop catering for those kind of use, it's just that M$ marketing (including "Evil" Steve Balmer) is so stupid to overly tout the touch UI and make it look as if they would abandon the more traditional interface.

Serously... I saw no evidence they are even remotely aware of this.  All appearances seem to be that is exactly what they intend to do. 

And too many people are just taking all the marketing hype for face value...

I've seen very little evidence of that... in fact most of the stuff I've read has been overtly critical of Windows 8.  The common opinion seems to run along the lines of Win8 turning into another debacle like Vista.  The only place I see anyone gushing about how wonderful Win8 will be is on Microsoft's own web pages... everyone else seems to be keeping a careful distance for fear of backing another loser. 

Microsoft needs to consider that if something as minor as the UAC nagging people can kill an OS... what will happen when corporations have to pay millions of dollars to retrain employees and revise software that has, until now, worked across multiple generations of the OS. Not to mention the losses in productivity from having to mess with a flakey UI.  How far can they push this before their million dollar customers rebel?

I don't think this will be another mess like Vista... I think it will be much worse. 

[TimoVJL]

Win+Q shows Apps

[CommonTater]

  What a weird couple of days...

Just out of curiosity I stuck Win XP 64 in my system -- it's all bollixed up anyway, what's to lose?....

I have to say that I'm impressed... it's faster than Win7 x64 and maybe even faster than XP x86... It's smooth and easy to work with (just like it's 32 bit cousin)... My amd64 proggies from Pelles all work but I haven't installed the IDE yet... About the only thing I miss is the larger icons.  Those 32 x 32 guys get a little smallish on a 1080p monitor...

Been messing with Ubuntu a little bit  and I'm liking it to... but I sense a very steep learning curve coming on... Maybe I should take it as a dare... .

I've been talking to a few of my clients and they all confirm the same thing... Zero interest in Windows 8... Although the XP x64 idea seems to have some traction.

This is going to get interesting...

[Stefan Pendl]

I am currently investigating Commodore OS Vision for my custom build C64x, seems it is much more user-friendly and has a touch of the Mac.

I might take a peak at Win8 next month.

[Vortex]

Windows 8 Release Preview :

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/download