So since they gave us a consumer preview are they going to give us a change to try out the more finalized version of windows 8 in the future? Or do we have to sign up for something? Or is it not happening at all?
Sure there will be, this is the beta version (codename consumer preview) and we are testing it. microsoft will make fixes to it, but there will not be any major new features coming anymore.
Basically i think the Consumers Preview is almost the last stage of windows 8 but on the final version they will fix the bugs and maybe add some minor changes. As opposed for others i really like how it runs and looks, lets hope for the best tho.
One of the things that improved while they were doing betas of Win7 was optimizing boot and multitasking speeds. I noticed a pretty big drop in the boot speed when going from Win8 DP to Win8 CP.
That's sad to hear I guess that means most of the stuff they took out is permanent. Such as the start menu and the weird intermixing of desktop with metro. Will we get to test out the more finalized version?
They did not take out the start menu - they gave us a new one. This together with 'All Apps' is a full replacement of the old Start. The only function I am really missing is Start/Search. The current Search function is a bit retarded.
Well from what they said earlier about desktop and metro being separate and how a user can stay in either or use both. It has been removed in my opinion. What if you don't want to use metro unless you are in a mobile/touch environment? You cannot use the new start screen unless you enter into metro mode which would mean they removed the start menu. It's a new one that isn't connected to the desktop. If it is a new menu then they aren't really letting us choose between desktop or metro anymore. The new menu isn't self contained in their respective environments. There isn't a start menu for desktop just one that works in metro which is a different User experience and environment altogether. So when you are using the desktop you basically have to jump into metro to use the start menu if that is supposed to be the new start menu and that seems to be contradictory to what they said previously about being able to choose to use metro only, desktop only or both. And if they give us the ability later on and there is no start menu how would someone that is just loading the desktop be able to use the start menu? Basically that means no matter what both the metro and the desktop have to boot up. There really isn't a choice then. Sorry if I seem like I'm attacking you WHS! I just don't understand them at all if that's how they think the desktop start menu should be. I'm just hoping that they see the flaw in their approach in this new start menu replacing the old start button on the desktop. The search is also something that I don't understand because in effect you are yet AGAIN going into metro to search which makes a new user or average user confused. Same thing with the network connections dialog suddenly metro just pops up. It just feels a bit ill-conceived to me. Making things more difficult instead of easier. Performance-wise it's really light and fast(don't know if they can keep this up after finalizing)
Once you have your desktop properly setup, there is hardly a need to go into the metro start - maybe once in a while when you installed a new program and want to get to All Apps. Already in Win7 I rarely use the Start menu and then only to search something via Start/search. I have all my shortcuts in the Taskbar, the Rocket Dock and in Toolbars. Have a look at my Toolbar folders.
Well you are right. Technically I always pin my programs into the new "superbar"/taskbar anyway. But I mean I don't want to have to go into the metro screen at all especially when they should be able to be independent of each other. I mean what is the point of them saying you can choose the environment when they both basically have to rely on each other even to some extent. Having the ability to share environments is fine but I just feel they should be able to work without needed to jump from one to the other. It would be nice if they created something like the rocket dock or something or created a better solution than making us have to work around their decisions. I don't mind having the ability for them to work together if you wanted, but I don't like how it is forced upon the user. At least for now it seems like that. Right now I want to just use the desktop unless I get a mobile device or touchscreen monitor. The fact that I have to go from the lock-screen to the log-in than to the metro than to desktop makes me lose my mind. I don't mind having that option but for my usual tasks I rather have the option to just bypass the lock-screen just go from log-in to desktop. What they have now is basically where metro and desktop depend on each other to work. I really admire the fact that you organized your programs and stuff. I guess I just want something where I don't have to find a work around. Do you think we'll be able to test out a more finalized version? (We'll probably have to buy it right?)
It is possible, but then you have to find your programs in the programs files or the system32 folder. If you have no start menu, you have no shortcuts to access programs easily. And the retarded search does not help. Searching directly on C: works better.
I kind of wonder this myself. From past Windows development stages, there were about two or three betas released. vista had I think three if I'm right, with several leaked Longhorn builds. Windows 7 had like, two builds. I bet though, this is as much as we'll get until the Release Candidate, which should be around May-July, then RTM.