Windows 8 "Release Preview" due in the first week of June

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Instead of a Release Candidate, Windows 8 will have a "Release Preview," and Microsoft has announced that it will be released in the first week of June.

<a href='http://meincmagazine.com/microsoft/news/2012/04/windows-8-release-preview-due-in-the-first-week-of-june.ars'>Read the whole story</a>
 
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rolphus

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  • #6
    Kesh":803ji5r1 said:
    Wow. This feels kinda fast for MS. Only 3 years since Win7 came out. I'm just hoping they don't charge an arm and a leg for upgrades...
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    I got Win7 Home Premium, full retail on pre-order for £45 ($72 or so) from Amazon. Hopefully they'll do a similar deal this time.
     
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    Zoyx

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  • #7
    Kesh":1diipp63 said:
    Wow. This feels kinda fast for MS. Only 3 years since Win7 came out. I'm just hoping they don't charge an arm and a leg for upgrades...
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    If you think this is fast, expect Windows 9 to be out by the end of 2014. They have been working on Win9 side-by-side with Win8, so expect an even faster turnaround.
     
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    p014k

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  • #10
    Please people, stop the "no-start menu" nonsense. I've been using Windows 8 as the primary OS on one of my computers (a dual-core desktop I use for web-browsing and text-editing) and I must say that it is not bad at all; in fact, in some cases it's more efficient. All of the most commonly used apps are easily identifiable at the beginning of the start menu, while if a user begins to type something, a search inquiry (what I presume is the way most power users launch their programs) is automatically made for all apps, settings, and files in an easy-to-read, full-screen environment, rather than the confined area of a start menu.

    It takes a while to adapt to, but ultimately I think people will find that the new setup is faster.
     
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    Jebusman

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  • #12
    p014k":3rwoibjk said:
    I've been using Windows 8 as the primary OS on one of my computers (a dual-core desktop I use for web-browsing and text-editing)
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    Web browsing and text-editing is fine, because all you are doing is using a very small group of applications who's functionality hasn't changed.

    But the moment you attempt to do something outside that, all of a sudden you discover Microsoft implemented some assbackwards way of doing it, just to appease to the touchscreen users or to reassure the ultralightweight users that Windows isn't complicated.

    As for it being faster? No. Not at all. Only for people who were dumbfounded by Windows will find it any faster, and that isn't due to any UI improvement, it's due to their unwillingness to learn how to use Windows properly.
     
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    r venosa

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  • #13
    p014k":14lq52eu said:
    It takes a while to adapt to, but ultimately I think people will find that the new setup is faster.
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    I find using full-screen launchers cumbersome, and the garish mess that is Metro is about as bad as it gets. Could you explain why it's "faster"? The extra distance I had to travel using Metro on a large monitor actually made things slower. If you're using IE in Metro, exactly how "fast" is your daily web browsing routing when you don't even have a favorites menu?

    I'm interested to see if MS fixes the whole "try to click on the Metro icon and it vanishes" thing. That was a strange GUI decision. Regardless, Windows 7 is fine, and there WILL be mods to have a normal Start Menu in Windows 8, so I don't think people will even have to deal with Metro if they don't want to.
     
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    Dick Cheney

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  • #14
    p014k":17xg6rh6 said:
    Please people, stop the "no-start menu" nonsense. I've been using Windows 8 as the primary OS on one of my computers (a dual-core desktop I use for web-browsing and text-editing) and I must say that it is not bad at all; in fact, in some cases it's more efficient. All of the most commonly used apps are easily identifiable at the beginning of the start menu, while if a user begins to type something, a search inquiry (what I presume is the way most power users launch their programs) is automatically made for all apps, settings, and files in an easy-to-read, full-screen environment, rather than the confined area of a start menu.

    It takes a while to adapt to, but ultimately I think people will find that the new setup is faster.
    Click to expand...

    Good for you. Ill stick with Windows 7.
     
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    epobirs

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  • #19
    Kesh":whfz0w07 said:
    Wow. This feels kinda fast for MS. Only 3 years since Win7 came out. I'm just hoping they don't charge an arm and a leg for upgrades...
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    It's the long span of XP that is the weird bit. Look at the rate of releases before XP and it shows recent years are just getting back to normal.

    Windows 95 and it's major updates (OSRs), Windows 98, Windows 98 SE, Windows ME (which would never have existed if the consumer version of Windows 2000 wasn't delayed so badly it was canceled in favor of XP for both business and consumer.).

    You can see a similar progression in NT. New versions came pretty regularly until XP and things went off track for a few years while the company finally digested how seriously having every machine connected to the internet changed the nature of security. Remember when a floppy scanner was considered a major third party security feature, making lab computer a tedious pain to use?
     
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    wallinbl

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  • #20
    p014k":3sci1kp0 said:
    Please people, stop the "no-start menu" nonsense. I've been using Windows 8 as the primary OS on one of my computers (a dual-core desktop I use for web-browsing and text-editing) and I must say that it is not bad at all; in fact, in some cases it's more efficient. All of the most commonly used apps are easily identifiable at the beginning of the start menu, while if a user begins to type something, a search inquiry (what I presume is the way most power users launch their programs) is automatically made for all apps, settings, and files in an easy-to-read, full-screen environment, rather than the confined area of a start menu.

    It takes a while to adapt to, but ultimately I think people will find that the new setup is faster.
    Click to expand...
    I had heard you existed, but I didn't believe it..
     
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    MobiusPizza

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  • #21
    I would probably try it on my tablet PC (a proper one with stylus, not those new comers which diluted the branding),

    Other than that, I see no need to upgrade to Win 8 for my desktop.
    They promised multiple monitor support with individual task bars and start menu back then, well now start menu is gone, nice. They should at least offer a legacy option, option is good, and Microsoft had always sucked at options and customizability.

    One thing they can entrice me is better EDID support for HDMI audio. The loss of audio and breaking of programs like flash player when one turns off a monitor which resets EDID is driving me nuts.
     
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    Kesh

    Kesh

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  • #23
    epobirs":1pl60b7i said:
    Kesh":1pl60b7i said:
    Wow. This feels kinda fast for MS. Only 3 years since Win7 came out. I'm just hoping they don't charge an arm and a leg for upgrades...
    Click to expand...

    It's the long span of XP that is the weird bit. Look at the rate of releases before XP and it shows recent years are just getting back to normal.
    Click to expand...

    That's actually a very good point. I suppose XP was just an aberration, then.

    On the other topic in this thread, I don't get the Metro hate. :scared:
     
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    TheShadow

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  • #24
    I've been using ViStart to add back the start menu to Windows 8 and it's been working great. I have Windows 8 in a virtual machine and does feel a little faster than Windows 7.

    That being said, I don't see windows 8 taking off for desktops. I just don't see much demand for it. Windows 7 has only been out not even 3 years, and it works great. Plus how many millions of computers in the world still run Windows XP? I don't think too many companies can afford to upgrade their client OSs every 3 years.
     
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    phear

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  • #25
    From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neologism
    "In psychiatry, the term neologism is used to describe the use of words that have meaning only to the person who uses them, independent of their common meaning. This is considered normal in children, but a symptom of thought disorder (indicative of a psychotic mental illness, such as schizophrenia) in adults."

    Yup, sounds like Microsoft to me...
     
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    PandaCuddles

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  • #26
    TheShadow":mt71nmpn said:
    I've been using ViStart to add back the start menu to Windows 8 and it's been working great. I have Windows 8 in a virtual machine and does feel a little faster than Windows 7.

    That being said, I don't see windows 8 taking off for desktops. I just don't see much demand for it. Windows 7 has only been out not even 3 years, and it works great. Plus how many millions of computers in the world still run Windows XP? I don't think too many companies can afford to upgrade their client OSs every 3 years.
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    Because corporate IT departments are either lazy or cheap, depending on how they frame their complaining about Windows 8? I'd love to see a Win 8 article that doesn't involve people bitching about the start button.
     
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    bittermann

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  • #28
    PandaCuddles":19zqlyhy said:
    TheShadow":19zqlyhy said:
    I've been using ViStart to add back the start menu to Windows 8 and it's been working great. I have Windows 8 in a virtual machine and does feel a little faster than Windows 7.

    That being said, I don't see windows 8 taking off for desktops. I just don't see much demand for it. Windows 7 has only been out not even 3 years, and it works great. Plus how many millions of computers in the world still run Windows XP? I don't think too many companies can afford to upgrade their client OSs every 3 years.
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    Because corporate IT departments are either lazy or cheap, depending on how they frame their complaining about Windows 8? I'd love to see a Win 8 article that doesn't involve people bitching about the start button.
    Click to expand...

    LOL...complete FAIL written from a non IT person I take it...
     
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    AngelusInsomnus

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  • #30
    r venosa":aygogyxg said:
    The extra distance I had to travel using Metro on a large monitor actually made things slower. If you're using IE in Metro, exactly how "fast" is your daily web browsing routing when you don't even have a favorites menu?
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    Is your mouse sensitivity set low? I have several large monitors and all it literally takes is a flick of the wrist to traverse them.

    Usage statistics pointed to favorites not seeing much use even on desktop versions of Internet Explorer, which was one of the motivations for moving them out of the way into a toolbar button in IE9. Microsoft motioned towards pinning common websites to the taskbar (and now the Start Screen in Windows 8) but I'm unclear and doubtful that doing any better than favorites were.
     
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    Goronmon

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  • #31
    Mesago":6npaekef said:
    Well, we've had WinME, WinME v2 (otherwise known as Vista), and now we'll have WinME v3. Nicely rounded.
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    The problem with using WinME as a comparison to other versions is that WinME was not a functional OS. I would get blue screens just by leaving the computer powered on and unattended for a few hours. Vista was a perfectly functional OS that I used without major issue for two years.

    I'm not sure how the two are comparable.
     
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    Metaluna

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  • #32
    TheShadow":3slb98yr said:
    I've been using ViStart to add back the start menu to Windows 8 and it's been working great. I have Windows 8 in a virtual machine and does feel a little faster than Windows 7.

    That being said, I don't see windows 8 taking off for desktops. I just don't see much demand for it. Windows 7 has only been out not even 3 years, and it works great. Plus how many millions of computers in the world still run Windows XP? I don't think too many companies can afford to upgrade their client OSs every 3 years.
    Click to expand...

    I think perhaps MS is expecting this, and has decided it's more important to use Win8 to get Metro into the mainstream and jumpstart their tablet push. They probably realize that this means enterprises will end up waiting for Win9, but most of them probably would have done this anyway.
     
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    greynite

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  • #33
    AutoHotkey & it's cousins were big players in the XP days. Win7 addressed many of the same shortcomings these tools did, and so they have faded, but not disappeared altogether. I expect we will now have a resurgence.

    http://www.autohotkey.com/

    http://sikuli.org/

    etc. will be *better* than the start menu, since you can find a launcher UI that fits your needs best.
     
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    Metaluna

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  • #34
    PandaCuddles":3579tk3f said:
    Because corporate IT departments are either lazy or cheap, depending on how they frame their complaining about Windows 8? I'd love to see a Win 8 article that doesn't involve people bitching about the start button.
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    That is what I find the most mystifying about the Windows 8 hate. I actually agree with many of the criticisms about how Win8 handles the Metro/legacy desktop dual-personality, but when did a visible Start button become such a beloved UI feature to the point that it has now become a kind of poster child for the Resistance? I could understand if they removed the Start menu/Start screen altogether, and you had to launch apps in some radical new way, but they didn't even fundamentally alter the Start concept at all, just changed the visual presentation.

    MS has justifiably taken a lot of heat in the past for not being innovative enough, but seriously, how can you expect any company to innovate when their users threaten to jump ship if you change even the slightest UI element? I mean, as I said I'm not a huge fan of some of MS'es UI choices, but we haven't even started talking about Metro yet and people have already bailed just because of that little faux-glass bubble on the bottom left.
     
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    Nulls

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  • #36
    Is there going to be any significant changes with the release preview? Otherwise if it is just more of the same, I don't see any reason to download the release preview.

    With the release preview being announced in such a low key manner MS is becoming more and more toned down with each of these preview releases. The developer preview had its own multi-day event, the consumer preview was announced at a presentation at CES and now the release preview is announced on twitter...

    Windows 7 works good enough for me, I see no reason to adapt to using a touch focused mobile OS on my non-touch desktop pc.
     
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    NicoleC

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  • #39
    Metaluna":oerwpltu said:
    I actually agree with many of the criticisms about how Win8 handles the Metro/legacy desktop dual-personality, but when did a visible Start button become such a beloved UI feature to the point that it has now become a kind of poster child for the Resistance? I could understand if they removed the Start menu/Start screen altogether, and you had to launch apps in some radical new way, but they didn't even fundamentally alter the Start concept at all, just changed the visual presentation.
    Click to expand...

    I think it's because it's not a "slight" UI change in visual presentation. The new start page is a massive interruption in the user's workflow.

    The start menu isn't beloved to me either (although the taskbar is) -- but the start screen is too anti-productive to ever find it's way onto my computer. I probably could have even stomached a ribbon bar along the top of the screen (although I detest the ribbon) but the full screen monstrosity of jumbled randomly sized icons and flashing notifications? No thanks.

    I've heard the press from MS about how this is supposed to improve your focus on the task at hand, but going to the start screen where everything is nagging for attention is enough to give you ADD.
     
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