from Hacker News

Windows 8 Arrives

by dragonquest on 10/25/12, 7:03 PM with 213 comments

  • by luma on 10/25/12, 8:02 PM

    I've been running Windows 8 since they release the RTM version to TechNet subscribers on my primary laptop (about a month now).

    Short version - outside of Metro it's basically Win7SP3 and it works great. Metro is every bit the usability disaster that people have claimed when not running on a touch screen.

    The good news is that you really don't have to interface much with Metro at all. It replaces the start menu, but it does so in a manner that works with how I'm used to dealing with the start menu already. That is, I already just hit the Win key and then start typing until the thing I want pops up, and that behavior has carried over.

    So, yeah Metro is awful for all the reasons everybody has already laid out. Despite that, Win 8 has been a solid performer and I won't be loading Win7 back on this system.

    My primary home system will continue to run Win7 until I am comfortable that my production applications will all run successfully (and by that, I mean "games").

  • by jerednel on 10/25/12, 8:22 PM

    I happen to think that Windows 8 is a welcome refresh. At first, I was confused by the dashboard but I am finding it easier and easier to navigate around.

    For instance, going to the traditional desktop is as easy as clicking the "Desktop" tile. And opening a new tab in the metro-IE was a bit confusing but after figuring out that double finger pressing the touchpad brings up the tab list and url bar it has become easier.

    I also like the new native mail client and calendar apps.

    For the record, I am running Windows 8 on a 2011 macbook air via bootcamp and it runs perfect. Guild Wars 2 also gets about 10 fps more than it does on the mac client for what its worth and makes it actually playable on an Air :)

    Following this tangent a bit more, I feel like if the drivers were updated enough to support 3 finger left and right gestures to wipe between the different screens I wouldn't revisit OSX for a while.

    Windows 8 is a fun operating system.

  • by w1ntermute on 10/25/12, 8:02 PM

  • by at-fates-hands on 10/25/12, 9:30 PM

    I see this as a pretty big leap. Remember, this OS isn't about forgetting about Windows or forcing change on anybody. It's about creating an ecosystem similar to what Apple has. They want you to use their apps (Office, Bing Search, X-box Games) across all of their products (Desktop, Surface, Windows 8 phone) and make it so you can access the same info anywhere you are.

    I'm surprised more people haven't picked up on this rather bold move.

  • by rossjudson on 10/25/12, 8:37 PM

    I've gotten to look Metro more than I did at first. I still don't stay in it; I mostly just head to the desktop and use the newer, flatter Windows 7 I find there.

    The elephant in the room for me is the horizontal scrolling. I'm sitting there spinning the mouse wheel vertically, and what's on the screen is moving horizontally. That's a total disconnect.

    Why this emphasis on horizontal scrolling? I don't see how the horizontally scrolling items are in any way easier to use than a vertically scrolling set of items. Seems like different, for difference's sake.

  • by Permit on 10/25/12, 9:28 PM

    Anyone whose University participates in Microsoft DreamSpark will be happy to know it's available for free there already.

  • by engtech on 10/25/12, 7:49 PM

    Windows 8 Pro upgrade for $39 dollars ($15 for newer PCs). [1]

    That's... reasonable.

    I might consider buying a copy of Windows 8 Pro at that price and then waiting until it hits SP1 to install it.

    I might even spin up a VM to try it out.

    I like that the $39 upgrade applies to anyone with Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7. I think they're realizing that a lot of people don't upgrade OS because they don't want to upgrade their hardware.

    (like my old Win XP laptop that I use as a VNC terminal to other machines).

    The only reason why I wouldn't want to jump in with two feet is that I have a general dislike for the Xbox dashboard and I suspect that Metro would be very similar to it.

    [1] You can use this tool to check that you have a genuine version of Windows http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=52012

    [2] Windows OEM licenses are transferable if it included the hardware

    http://www.microsoft.com/oem/en/licensing/sblicensing/pages/...

    [3] Windows retail licenses are transferable

    http://www.microsoft.com/About/Legal/EN/US/IntellectualPrope...

    Here's a direct link to a PDF for Windows 7 Home Basic in English

    http://download.microsoft.com/Documents/UseTerms/Windows%207...

    [4] Windows Anytime Upgrades are pretty much considered to be OEM

       17. TRANSFER TO ANOTHER COMPUTER. (retail)
   a. Software Other than Windows Anytime Upgrade. You may transfer the software and install it on another computer for your use. That computer becomes the licensed computer. You may not do so to share this license between computers.
   b. Windows Anytime Upgrade Software. You may transfer the software and install it on another computer, but only if the license terms of the software you upgraded from allows you to do so. That computer becomes the licensed computer. You may not do so to share this license between computers.
   18. TRANSFER TO A THIRD PARTY. (retail)
   a. Software Other Than Windows Anytime Upgrade. The first user of the software may make a one time transfer of the software and this agreement, by transferring the original media, the certificate of authenticity, the product key and the proof of purchase directly to a third party. The first user must remove the software before transferring it separately from the computer. The first user may not retain any copies of the software.
   b. Windows Anytime Upgrade Software. You may transfer the software directly to a third party only with the licensed computer. You may not keep any copies of the software or any earlier edition.
   c. Other Requirements. Before any permitted transfer, the other

  • by jiggy2011 on 10/25/12, 7:59 PM

    Well looks like this is judgement day for MS then.

    The price is much lower than for previous versions of Windows, this makes me suspect that we should start expecting new releases of Windows much more frequently, similar to how Apple does it.

    With the radical changes going on in Windows 8 it wouldn't surprise me to see a tweaked and improved Windows 9 in less than 2 years.

  • by learc83 on 10/25/12, 9:42 PM

    Metro reminds me of the Acer Computer Explorer (I think that was the name, I was 11 at the time) that was installed on my very first computer (windows 95).

    The computer booted up to a home screen with icons for all of your programs, and you had to click exit to desktop to get into windows.

  • by jaybill on 10/25/12, 9:01 PM

    And it STILL doesn't play DVDs without additional software! sigh

  • by foohbarbaz on 10/25/12, 9:11 PM

    The only way I am going to see Windows 8 is with a new PC (which is a few years away, next purchase is probably an Apple product), or at work.

    At work the IT dept will hopefully skip this version all together, or take a few years before "approving" it.

  • by mikeratcliffe on 10/25/12, 7:44 PM

    Meh, the interface makes no sense without a touchscreen.

  • by itry on 10/25/12, 8:29 PM

    Will this thing behave nicely when I put it on a machine which already has grub and several linux partitions? Or will it insist on killing grub or even do worse stuff to my machine?

  • by tonyedgecombe on 10/26/12, 6:51 AM

    I've been using it since the RTM and it seems fine.

    However I can't say I am any more productive than I was with Windows 2000.

  • by whalesalad on 10/25/12, 8:09 PM

    Microsoft has a problem with not specifying fallback fonts for non-Windows machines: http://wsld.me/KPlc

    Looks like they're setting the font explicitly to 'Segoe UI' and nothing else in many spots. Telerik, a .NET CMS provider does a similar thing.

  • by mbesto on 10/25/12, 8:07 PM

    I'm trying to download it from GB and looks like it only allows from the US. So I hopped on my US-VPN and still redirects me to the GB site. Anyone have any idea how I get around this? (Note - I have a valid US credit card and am prepared to pay in USD)

  • by roryokane on 10/26/12, 2:33 AM

    Ars Technica’s five-page review of Windows 8: http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/10/window...

  • by lucb1e on 10/26/12, 6:33 AM

    Quick question: Which build is released as consumer version now? There's already been a release preview, I wonder if they are the same.

  • by mtgx on 10/25/12, 8:13 PM

    I don't think regular users will like this much, and forcing them to go into Metro will only make more people hate it, rather than like it. Fan bases grow when the growth is natural, not when it's forced.

    http://www.foolproof.co.uk/is-planet-earth-ready-for-windows...

  • by zwischenzug on 10/25/12, 9:53 PM

    ...and screws up my evening by apparently breaking flash. We only warned our clients 4 months ago.

  • by niggler on 10/26/12, 4:02 AM

    Windows 8 has been available for months for free on Microsoft BizSpark (http://www.microsoft.com/bizspark/)

  • by Tooluka on 10/26/12, 10:05 AM

    So how can I buy it? (full, not upgrade). I thought that they'll sell digital Win 8 Pro for 79$ but can't find any option for this at MS store.

  • by Syssiphus on 10/26/12, 7:39 AM

    Run for the hills!

  • by fady on 10/25/12, 10:38 PM

    i like how the kids look super into the new surface (pic 4).. i bet those peeps were either "paid" to be there, or set up so that they would all look so interested in that device.. srsly, why would someone buy a surface?

  • by propercoil on 10/25/12, 9:37 PM

    Someone once said Windows 8 looks like a 5 dollar app. That sums it up for me