Windows 8 Dev build
- Thread starter deeFive
- Start date
Blazkowicz
Legend
then go to reactos, which had a new release a few weeks ago 
http://www.reactos.org/en/download.html
it runs quick too. better than windows 7 : you can change the classic mode colour scheme. a tragedy my host comp doesn't have internet access (for an unkown reason) and whatever software couldn't make use of my proxy so I couldn't try the browsing and downloading free software yet.
it feels interesting. weird to see pixel perfect rip off of win9x/XP dialog settings.
http://www.reactos.org/en/download.html
it runs quick too. better than windows 7 : you can change the classic mode colour scheme. a tragedy my host comp doesn't have internet access (for an unkown reason) and whatever software couldn't make use of my proxy so I couldn't try the browsing and downloading free software yet.
it feels interesting. weird to see pixel perfect rip off of win9x/XP dialog settings.
Silent_Buddha
Legend
I just noticed that you can install Win8 onto a USB flash drive. Does the recently released consumer BETA build support that functionality? That would make testing it far easier and less of a hassle for me.
Regards,
SB
Regards,
SB
Blazkowicz
Legend
a DX9 card and Vista-type driver are said to be in the minimum specs. does it mean it craps out if you run unsupported hardware or a 2D-only VM?
does it still support windows classic, and DOS / win 3.1? the latter probably so in the 32bit edition, as you can see that edition itself hasn't even been killed. running windows 8 on a decade old computer with good parts is an actual option.
does it still support windows classic, and DOS / win 3.1? the latter probably so in the 32bit edition, as you can see that edition itself hasn't even been killed. running windows 8 on a decade old computer with good parts is an actual option.
That feature is called Windows To Go, and it is not available in this build.
I generally don't drill down, but I use it for many common things. Properties on computer - device manager, access to management console, access to control panel and various other things that I've pinned to start menu (prefer pin to start rather than pin to taskbar). Occasionally I do have to drill down for things that I use maybe once a year and hence don't remember the name or even part of the name.
Recent applications are handy for things I use semi-frequently but not frequently enough to actually pin. And there's a nice convenience to just clicking start and having it available without having to start typing in the name.
The search in the start menu is my catch all for starting anything that I haven't pinned or isn't in the recent applications list, and I absolutely love it. It is not however, a replacement for the pinned applications and recent apps list however.
I realize you can do some of that stuff with the tiles interface, but I'm not keen on that for regular desktop use. Without the start menu, my ownly option would be pin to taskbar, something I avoid at all cost.
Actually you can just type in "Battle" and it should list it. "Bad Co" should list it as well. Or "comp" or any other sequential combination of letters and spaces from the name of the application not the name of the executable.
That's the beauty of the search system in the start menu. You don't have to know the name of the *.exe. Any part of the name will start populating the start menu results. Oh, and if you know the *.exe name or even just a part of it, that works also.
Really it's a fantastic system. It's just not as fast or a convenient replacement for what I personally use the start menu for.
Regards,
SB
You should check out the new "power user" menu. Put your mouse in the bottom left corner so the new Start Screen icon pops up and instead if left clicking, do a right click. You'll get access to a ton of often used power user features like disk management, computer management, control panel, events, etc...
Blazkowicz
Legend
you sort of have that with "win+r" and "compmgmt.msc" but this is quite a good addition they have done there!
I have three problems with the current build:
1. Still no swiping with mouse. In some apps you can scroll horizontally with mouse wheel but this doesn't work everywhere.
2. The hotspots don't really work well with multiple monitors. I have two monitors and the secondary monitor is on the right side. To find the hotspot I must move the mouse to the right side of the main monitor. If I move it too far, the mouse will go to the second monitor.
3. Searching on Start. It works great if I want to find an app but I usually like to find tasks like "Adjust screen resolution". In Windows 7 I could type "resolution" and the OS would show the correct tasks automatically, but Win 8 doesn't. Instead, Windows 8 shows "No apps match search" and I have to click the "Settings"-pane to see the tasks. Or I can click Win + W and search the settings. But I don't like having to define what I want to search, I just find the thing, be it an app or a task.
1. Still no swiping with mouse. In some apps you can scroll horizontally with mouse wheel but this doesn't work everywhere.
2. The hotspots don't really work well with multiple monitors. I have two monitors and the secondary monitor is on the right side. To find the hotspot I must move the mouse to the right side of the main monitor. If I move it too far, the mouse will go to the second monitor.
3. Searching on Start. It works great if I want to find an app but I usually like to find tasks like "Adjust screen resolution". In Windows 7 I could type "resolution" and the OS would show the correct tasks automatically, but Win 8 doesn't. Instead, Windows 8 shows "No apps match search" and I have to click the "Settings"-pane to see the tasks. Or I can click Win + W and search the settings. But I don't like having to define what I want to search, I just find the thing, be it an app or a task.
Blue Smiley of Death
I've installed the consumer preview directly onto an iSCSI target from my old T43 Thinkpad (initially shipped with XP). Works pretty well (all devices work save for the TPM module, w/Win7 driver for the graphics card).
The graphical overlays (especially in the metro apps) are pushing it for this hardware (ATI X300 Mobility, Pentium M 2GHz) but otherwise it works fine and there's only 530 MB in use after booting.
I tried booting the same Win8 iSCSI target from my desktop (Intel P4 2.8 on i875 platform) but no luck. I get a blue smiley of death with inaccessible boot device. I guess the LAN driver (Intel CSA) is not included on my iSCSI image.
I've installed the consumer preview directly onto an iSCSI target from my old T43 Thinkpad (initially shipped with XP). Works pretty well (all devices work save for the TPM module, w/Win7 driver for the graphics card).
The graphical overlays (especially in the metro apps) are pushing it for this hardware (ATI X300 Mobility, Pentium M 2GHz) but otherwise it works fine and there's only 530 MB in use after booting.
I tried booting the same Win8 iSCSI target from my desktop (Intel P4 2.8 on i875 platform) but no luck. I get a blue smiley of death with inaccessible boot device. I guess the LAN driver (Intel CSA) is not included on my iSCSI image.
Attachments
then go to reactos, which had a new release a few weeks ago
http://www.reactos.org/en/download.html
it runs quick too. better than windows 7 : you can change the classic mode colour scheme. a tragedy my host comp doesn't have internet access (for an unkown reason) and whatever software couldn't make use of my proxy so I couldn't try the browsing and downloading free software yet.
it feels interesting. weird to see pixel perfect rip off of win9x/XP dialog settings.
Funny, and really small which is neat, but fairly useless for me in practice. And pretty far removed from what Windows 8 is ... This is more like XP SP1
I've then noticed that the Windows 8 tablet simulator that comes with Visual Studio 11 actually contains this feature. Would be nice to have the same feature on the OS rather than the simulator.
It's a hideous operating system - if you can even describe it as that. I'm usually first in line to embrace every new Windows version but there's zero chance I'll be upgrading to this, probably ever. It's such a gigantic leap back as a desktop OS that it beggers belief. It's basically just a less usable version of my phone without the portability and other usual functions like phone/camera/touch etc...
Why anyone would ever want to replace Windows 7 on their desktop (or laptop) with this piece of rubbish is beyond me.
p.s. don't get me wrong, I'm sure as a tablet and phone OS it's just fine, and that's clearly what it's been designed for. But as a desktop OS it just plain sucks balls.
Why anyone would ever want to replace Windows 7 on their desktop (or laptop) with this piece of rubbish is beyond me.
p.s. don't get me wrong, I'm sure as a tablet and phone OS it's just fine, and that's clearly what it's been designed for. But as a desktop OS it just plain sucks balls.
I think the way Microsoft is pushing Metro in this beta is to get feedback on Metro. They have feedback on the desktop thing, but Metro is new for them.
If it is like this in the RTM where Metro is the main event, I agree with you W8 will be a dud for me and I think on the desktop for most businesses in the world.
Metro with a mouse is not good, IMHO.
I am totally no longer interested in the start menu. I think the full screen version of a start screen menu that the Metro interface basically is, is fine, and the option to have a few alternative views is a decent idea. However, you do need a touch/mouse version to bring that full screen start-menu into focus to be easily identifiable when you are on the desktop, just like the Windows button does.
I actually think Windows 8 so far seems pretty functional, but very limited, and very, very ugly. A desktop version of Windows 8 shouldn't be this limited. I think you need to have the option to have interactive tiles that mean and do something other than be gigantic buttons. Drop Box need to basically be able to be the actual user interface of the application and show the files in there, rather than an empty button with Drop Box on it. Weather needs to show the weather, rather than be a button to something that shows the weather, etc. If they do that, and give the ui some nice GUI effects polish making them look more flashy and shaded, then I think we have a good shot here. But at the moment, this looks like Vista all over again, with the main priority here to get it to run in a touch environment / tablet, and a big rework of the UI necessary before we get to 'Win7' level of polish.
I actually think Windows 8 so far seems pretty functional, but very limited, and very, very ugly. A desktop version of Windows 8 shouldn't be this limited. I think you need to have the option to have interactive tiles that mean and do something other than be gigantic buttons. Drop Box need to basically be able to be the actual user interface of the application and show the files in there, rather than an empty button with Drop Box on it. Weather needs to show the weather, rather than be a button to something that shows the weather, etc. If they do that, and give the ui some nice GUI effects polish making them look more flashy and shaded, then I think we have a good shot here. But at the moment, this looks like Vista all over again, with the main priority here to get it to run in a touch environment / tablet, and a big rework of the UI necessary before we get to 'Win7' level of polish.
Silent_Buddha
Legend
Cool, although it doesn't seem like an actual menu. Just a button to make it easier to access the default start page with a few added features.
Going to install it on my slate PC sometime this week, so will see how it is...
Regards,
SB
My general view on the Windows 8 GUI concept is, as a grotesque contradiction to a steady 20+ year long evolution in graphics interfaces. Metro basically turns a sharp departure to a well forgotten times of the past, where DOS ruled the scene -- a single application, full-screen and aesthetic interface -- totally opposite to what all of the desktop users have been accustomed for generations, with the advent of object embedding and multi-tasking. Now we live in times, where high resolution spacious screens are commodity (both in desktop and mobile), but Metro GUI design just makes a waste of all that powerful real estate for the sole sake of visual styling - putting the form over the function. I still remember when I was working on mostly 14 and 15-inch workstations and thinking how much more productive my work would be, if there was just a couple of inches more space on the monitor. Now we have dead cheap 24"+ panels readily available, and MS is literally shouting at us that all this space is best suited for their gigantic tiles. Touch-screen consumer interface is simply not functionally transitive to a precise desktop productive environment!
Metro isn't meant for the workplace desptop. It's purpose is to turn PCs into regular CE devices from a usability POV, a movement Apple started and has successfully cashed in on.
Yes, that implies dumbing down.
Cheers
Not necessarily. The Lion OS is the exact same as it was before with a regular desktop (but now more easily multi-page, as each full-screen app can optionally run full screen, and then becomes another page you can 'swipe' to. But you have access to an iOS like panel with your installed Apps from the App Store (I put it in a hot corner for instance). There is another panel that has 'active content' where you can put 'widgets' type stuff (which I put in another 'hot corner').
So there is no real dumbing down, just offering more options (which taxes my poor Mac Mini with 2GB pretty heftily in the process btw).
However, right now it's still an incongruous affair. The old style desktop and the new style need to be more tightly integrated for both. Backward compatibility issues will need to be solved. I could see panes and widgets transform into something that can be an actual window that you can drag things between, and that you can zoom and make active, allowing for a hybrid approach of having several windows next to each other, having active content, and still having the ease of organisation of something like the tiles, to eventually become something that could take over the 'old' desktop experience, while still allowing Phone level Apps to coexist in that environment and share the basic UI premises.
In that respect, right now I think Window's Tile based setup has more potential. But they currently seem quite far removed from realising it.
