Capture

 

As many of you may or may not know, last night marked the official release for the Windows 8 Developer Preview build. This is, of course, free for all to download and test.

After having a chance to play around with it a bit, I have some first impressions to share, in hopes that Microsoft will take notice and make some quality of life changes for us.

I tested both 32-bit and 64-bit builds of Windows 8 under VirtualBox. I was unable to successfully get the 32-bit version to work. 64-bit installed without any issues, however that’s not to say it runs without issues.

 

Capture2

 

While I can appreciate the simplicity of Microsofts “Metro” style desktop, I am sure it will be great on tablets, which is something we know Microsoft is betting on. It is not, however, intuitive on a desktop system.

The old start menu is completely gone, instead bringing up the Metro desktop, even if you switch to the old Windows desktop. You switch between sets of tiles by (ugh) dragging a horizontal scrollbar on the bottom of the screen. The start button is hidden until you mouse over it. The start button here only provides contextual options and settings.

 

Capture3

 

The included Twitter client, Tweet@rama, is certainly well designed. With vertical scrolling, and its two pane view, it feels natural to use. I am a fan of this one.

 

Capture4

 

A stocks app is also included by default, although as of the time of this writing, it only tracks the Dow Jones, Nasdaq, and MSFT markets. I could find no way to add my own stocks to track, which is a deal breaker for most of us (I need to track my IBM stock!).

 

Capture5

 

As mentioned, the new start menu is hidden until moused over in the far bottom left corner, and even then, is a shell of its former self. I certainly hope for an option to revert to the old start menu behavior. I could not find this option myself, but I only spent 5 minutes looking for it.

 

Capture6

 

You can still access your old control panel if you want, but for non-power-users, you get a new, simpler interface that provides quick access to common settings.

 

Capture7

 

It’s nice to have an RSS reader built in, which is another default app I am sure tablet users will appreciate, but there is no clear defined way to add your own feeds aside of the defaults provided here. I hope that option makes it way into the final build, or I can see this RSS app being rarely, if ever, used by anyone, especially on a desktop.

 

Capture8

 

The built-in weather app is certainly nice, although with no options for location settings. I’m beginning to understand that the developer preview is basically void of any real settings, and is more or less just a preview of things to come (obviously) with basic functionality. The clouds in the background here are animated, so I look forward to seeing this when it’s done.

 

Capture9

 

The new star button is a dark grey, and stands out from the taskbar very noticeably. I hope this is something that doesn’t stick around. Contrast is nice to have, but I hope to find an option for changing this later, but I would hope when you’re on the old Windows desktop that you can get your old start menu back.

 

Capture10

 

Oh, that dreaded Office ribbon. It’s definitely in Windows 8, and I am proud to announce that you CAN hide it.

 

Final Notes

I know that a final release for Windows 8 is a long ways off, but I have some notes that I hope Microsoft will listen to.

  1. Give people the option of using their old Windows desktop, please. If this functionality is not included, most people will not upgrade. I don’t know of any enterprise clients who would.
  2. Provide infinite customization options. If you’re going to try and make a prettier desktop environment, let people tweak it any way they want. Not everybody likes the same thing.
  3. Horizontal scrolling may be second nature on a tablet, but it’s AWFUL on a desktop, especially when it doesn’t work with the scroll wheel on the mouse. Provide an option for vertical scrolling, or the Metro desktop will never be a part of my desktop.
  4. Turn the Explorer ribbon off by default. Some power users MIGHT want this, but most people will not. It’s horrible by design, and will confuse non-tech-savvy users.
  5. Give me back my old start menu! It’s been a cornerstone of Windows for years, don’t change a good thing now.

 

I also have additional concerns regarding Microsofts plans to get into the tablet market. I understand that most (if not all) Windows 8 tablets will run under an ARM processor. While this is fine and dandy for battery life, I know there will be software compatibility issues, since most of us use x86 software. Here’s the important part: If I can’t run my desktop apps on my tablet, I won’t get the tablet, especially if the tablet costs more than an iPad or Android tablet with similar functionality. If it doesn’t run all Windows apps, it isn’t Windows!

Your move, Redmond.