Hands On with Windows 8 Consumer Preview

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2392889,00.asp

I've been running it for quite awhile - definitely not a fan here.

So, Inland, no more mouse in Windows 8? Arms outstretched to the desktop monitor?

Gil.

Apparently they neglected to include "desktop" users with Windows 8 - it's really aimed at the tablet market.

That's a relief.

Gil.

Desktop is definitely supported in the Consumer Preview. Mine is downloaded and I will be installing on a SSD tomorrow. I'm anxious to see what it can do. The app store also opened up yesterday.

According to Wired magazine, there were one million downloads in the first day.

SSD?

I suppose Microsoft thinks that desktops will go the way of the dodo eventually and maybe they will but they'll have a hard time getting me to use a laptop. I never have liked fingering the screen to do something. <g>

I wonder what it will mean for us point & clickers or for games in general. Believe me, the tip of my finger is a darned sight bigger than the tip of a mouse cursor when it comes to finding hotspots. <g>

Gil.

Sorry, Gil! Solid state drive. I snagged a 60 GB boot drive in the holiday sales.

Don't know that they think about the long-term, but they certainly realize that the desktop is here to stay for now. Don't know how much time I will have to play this weekend, but I'll definitely try to report in if I can. I'm actually totally OK with touch... just not in my everyday computing here at my desk.

I've read a first view in a Danish newspaper (www.politiken.dk). The reviewer said that we could click on the tiles on the screen in windows 8 with either a mouse or our finger. If we choose to click it with our fingers, doesn't it mean, that we'll have to get a screen as well?

For adventure games, it shouldn't mean much. We can use our fingers or our mouse to click on the hotspots; the dialog interface could be something like a wheel or something similar to the wheel used in ME3.

I'm just worried about playing old games on windows 8, it seems like yesterday that windows 7 was released.

I'm not looking for Windows 8 to be a good platform for gaming. But then we were pleasantly surprised by Windows 7, so who knows. I'll definitely be reporting back - hopefully later this weekend - after I get mine installed.

The desktop has always been there - there's just no "Start" button. Interestingly enough, whenever I criticized the lack of the traditional desktop interface, the threads were removed from the blog. Who cares what these pesky little users want, we’ve got Metro.

Ah, but the Start button IS there now! So, maybe they really did listen. Dear heavens, I hope they get rid of the "charms" nomenclature though - gag me!

From a review by Ed Bott:

I sure don't see it on my copy (MSDN Consumer Preview w/Apps) -

Hmmm... wonder why. Guess I'll find out this weekend if I can find it... I seem to remember reading it wasn't on the Developer's preview though.

I think that Windows 8 will fail worse than Windows ME and Vista did.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of Windows 7 and would definitely not care for touch screen. May have to stop computing soon huh?

There's always Linux.

Jenny,

Isn't there a pretty steep learning curve with Linux? And are most games playable in Linux?

Curious more than anything else.

Gil.

Yes it has been removed. It was on the previous release but just used as a toggle between Desktop and Metro IIRC - there was no start menu. Can't quite see what Window 8 adds that would encourage me to buy it (I dont have a touch screen) and all of the Metro stuff the are shoehorning in just seemed like a clumsily built wall between me and the desktop. Little review here sums it up -

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/03/03/andrew_does_windows8/

The absolute worst part about Metro Apps is their lack of a Close button. Microsoft recommends starting the Task Manager to end them (which seems completely unintuitive to me). All Metro apps that I've seen, those included in the Developers Preview, are suspended when you switch to the desktop, which means no multi-tasking. The whole OS seems like a bad idea to me, they already have a tablet OS, so why they felt the need to inflict the same interface on desktop users is beyond me.


There is a reg hack that returns the start button, but it completely removes Metro.

This article might be worth a read as there are several tricks here for things like closing an app. And they did indeed remove the Windows 7-style start menu. This is definitely going to take some getting used to... To be honest I'm not anticipating liking it, but I'm keeping an open mind.

How Windows 8 Works

An couple of excerpts:

That sure wasn't available in the developer preview (but this old dog just learned a new trick) - it really works.

That depends on what version of Linux you're using and what you use your computer for. Some Linux versions are command line only and some require a lot of configuration details during the install. But others install with a graphic user interface that resembles a Windows desktop. Of course Linux is not Windows, so you have to get used to the differences in installing things.


Most of the older ones are, using Linux versions of ScummVM, DOSBox, WINE, VirtualBox, and VMware. VMware and VirtualBox have 3D video card capability, but I think it's still experimental.

There is at least one Gameboomers member who was using Mandriva Linux for gaming. I forget who it was though.

For most people, hold onto your old Windows versions -- at least until Microsoft fixes their new OS.

But honestly, if it was a choice between Windows without keyboard/mouse/Start button and Linux, I'd choose Linux. I don't know what makes Microsoft think everyone wants an iPad-like interface.


Sounds overly fiddly. I have enough problems now aiming the mouse at the tiny little + signs in Windows Explorer that expand folders. This sounds way worse. Can't we just use Alt-F4 to close the $%#@! app?

I agree, Jenny. There are a bunch of shortcut keys, but I haven't seen one to close an app yet. I just want a single click or a quick key combination!

And what's with the four corners thing??

Most of the time, I have my arm fixed on the table and only move the hand/mouse a little back/forth/left/right.

Having to move it way out in the corner, I have to lift my arm - not cool!

That's how lazy I am.
When I come home from work I sit down and lean back in my recliner - yes a recliner - drop my arm on the desk, grab the mouse, turn on computer and click my browser Chrome to start surfing the net etc.

No need to click an extra icon to get to desktop....