Windows 8 Consumer Preview can be yours February 29

[parkd1]

http://betanews.com/2012/02/08/windows-8-consumer-preview-can-be-yours-february-29/

[Jeremy Collake]

Thanks for the news parkd1, as always . You are a valuable contributor to this forum.

Of course, I am 'all over' Windows 8 already, so have no fears on that front . Process Lasso is already compatible, but will be improved to work better with Windows 8.

My one fear is their recent announcement of the removal of the Start Menu button .. I just dunno, we'll see how it turns out. Of course, first thing to do on PC is disable Metro, as it is useless on a PC (IMHO). Then you get to basically Windows 7, but with no Start Menu.

[edkiefer]

while I don't have beta I hear shortcuts will possibly work, along with window key . I think its silly to disable start menu button on desktop with Metro disabled . I see most others say same thing so not sure where they are getting there feedback from .
It almost seems like make a change just to make change whether its good or bad change .

Hopefully with public beta they will listen to the feedback and make changes accordingly .

[Jeremy Collake]

I comment about Windows 8 often in at on personal G+ page (publicly). The decisions they've made mystify me. I understand their bizarre reasoning, but the bigger picture is one of a huge fail, and I'm wondering why someone isn't recognizing this. Maybe panic. Maybe apathy (happens at mega-corps). Maybe they think the PC is about to disappear. Many do. I don't subscribe to that theory, as it remains the most efficient form of input and production (of any type, including this post). While tablet makers talk of consumers vs producers, there are far more producers than they realize. In fact, most all people ARE producers, in one form or another.

[edkiefer]

Right , I don't see desktops leaving anytime soon . there are many area's were you need large desktop area and power to do work .

I could envision a portable device that was powerful enough to when you get home/work "park" it into a holder to expand its features (maybe both large monitor/keyboard and vid graphic wise depending on tech available ) .

I can for sure see why there doing this for portable applications (tablets etc ) but on desktop I don't want big icons etc to navigate by ,especially when/if you just got big monitor , just makes no sense to me . I guess what I mean is they need two versions of win8 if it gets to bloated to do both (focus on portables and be able to do desktop environments ).

[parkd1]

Have you got the chance to take a look at Windows 8 Consumer Preview yet? What are your thoughts on it right now? I know that it could still change before it goes final.

[Jeremy Collake]

I've not looked at the *new* build yet, but the last one was very unimpressive. I actually am installing the new one now, though also have *a lot* of development work to catch up on, which I consider a higher priority. Once I re-review the latest build, I'll give my latest impressions, though I strongly suspect they will be what they are now --- that this is a 'downgrade' for any user of a traditional PC or laptop more than it is an upgrade. For tablets and even phones, it is a new OS, and I sure hope Metro is more successful than the Windows 7 Phone model it seems to be largely based off of.

[Miroku4444]

I don't need a New PC yet, but when i do if windows 8 is only availiable, i'm installing windows 7 over it. No need for windows 8, as 7 is barley in its prime. Way to soon for win8.

Why do i hate it so much? One word, Metro. Worst looking interface ever. And also i dont want to keep touching my monitor to do stuff, so stupid. If i wanted that ill get an android, tablet or iPhone.

[Jeremy Collake]

As I joked elsewhere, I too am not planning to *downgrade* to Windows 8 from Windows 7 ;p. That is, unless something big changes between now and release date. Of course, I'll have it in a virtual machine to test with regardless.