Microsoft BUILD: Windows 8, A Pre-Beta Preview
by Brian Klug & Ryan Smith on September 13, 2011 12:05 PM EST- Posted in
- BUILD
- Windows
- Microsoft
- Windows 8
- Trade Shows
First Thoughts
With under a day to see, play with, and write about the Windows 8 pre-beta it’s hard to fully digest what we’ve seen and to come up with a meaningful opinion. With Microsoft it’s a safe bet that there’s more to be seen when they’re still this far away from shipping the final product.
For a tablet-focused event I don’t think you will find much disagreement that Microsoft has hit the mark with Metro. Metro feels like it belongs when used with a tablet – it’s smooth, it’s easy to use, it’s gesture-driven, and it’s finger-friendly. Virtually everything Windows Phone 7 did well as a touch screen OS has been ported over to Metro and it shows.
The converse of that is that Metro feels awkward and out of place when used with a mouse and keyboard as a laptop/desktop. It fails to take advantage of the precision of the mouse or the fact that not everything needs to be in size 28 font when sitting down to use a computer. At this moment it feels like trying to use a tablet with a mouse and keyboard, which isn’t far off from what it really is in the first place.
The underpinnings look interesting, but there’s still a great deal left to see such as DirectX 11.1 and WDDM 1.2. I believe that in the long run the class driver additions will help further simplify using Windows, and integrating Microsoft Security Essentials into the OS is a long overdue change. At the same time if nothing else Metro will go even farther to improve security thanks to the fine grained permissions system.
Ultimately this is just the beginning, in fact it’s the beginning of a beginning. Windows 8 is still at least a year off – Microsoft isn’t even close to committing to a date – and the pre-beta is pre-beta in every sense of the word. The real fight starts today when Microsoft pitches it to developers. Because so much rides on Metro, Microsoft needs to convince developers to start writing Metro applications, otherwise most of the work Microsoft has put into Windows 8 will languish. Microsoft looks to have the tools their developers need, but will it be enough? Perhaps this is what BUILD is meant to find out.
Stay tuned as we’ll have more from BUILD this week, including coverage of today’s opening keynote.
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TEAMSWITCHER - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - link
I'm sure it will be successful as all the other METRO GUI devices - Zune, Kin, WP7.Oh Snap!
UMADBRO - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - link
Cool story, bro!Wraith404 - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - link
Hey, at least 100 people have accepted free WP7 phones.Krussll - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - link
I like it, i think the Metro interface wil provide a much more harmonious windows experience for people who've adopted tablet computing but still use a windows PC for the most of their. I like the fact that it provides you with your key info on start up and is a short cut combo away when you need to check it, i think it has potential to be a great feature if developers can fully utilize it.I dont understand the people saying that it will be impractical for the mouse, umm you do have arrow keys on your keyboard i would have though that would have been obvious to use them.
thrasher32 - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - link
I personally do not like the interface. I don't want a windows phone 7 look or OS on my desktop. I don't build $2000 gaming and production rigs to have the OS look like it's made for a 5 year old.Microsoft, you need to change direction now or you're looking at another Vista.
UMADBRO - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - link
opinions = facts?smithg5 - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - link
Take all of these purely negative comments, and replace "Metro" with "Desktop" and "Desktop" with "Command Line", and I'm sure you could have had the exact same conversation 15 years ago."You mean I always have to boot the desktop? It can't be disabled? I have to access the CLI from the desktop? Why would I use this on a server?"
The argument might be logical, but it clearly wasn't the end of the world then, and it won't be the end now. In fact, I think it's pretty great. Imagining system administration in 20-30 years, we all want some sort of swoopy sci-fi interface that's pretty and works well - this is the start of that.
It would be cool if they could Metrofy server management for simple environments.
UMADBRO - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - link
At least someone around here is forward thinking and isnt stuck on almost 20 year old interfaces.Wraith404 - Thursday, September 15, 2011 - link
full screen, big blocks with no interactive multi-tasking is not forward thinking, it's a return to DOS 6.22 and the task swapper.Trying to drive desktop users to a tablet interface is doomed to fail. Windows are containers, they are required for productivity. In grown up land where we do real work, you often have to look at one application and act on another. Flipping between them in full screen would be horribly inconvenient. Metro might be neat, but it's for toys, period. I understand that Win8 can switch between them, but since the two modes clash horribly that's just not a desirable process. I have the preview installed, and disabled Metro already, simple as that.
ezodagrom - Wednesday, September 14, 2011 - link
The change from Command Line to Desktop was a good change, not just when it comes to aesthetics, but also when it comes to funcionality (multitasking).The change from Desktop to Metro, while good for tablets and other touch screen interfaces, it's just not as functional as a Desktop UI in desktops and laptops that don't have touch screen interfaces, especially when it comes to multitasking.