No strings attached, Microsoft released the developer version of Windows 8, its follow-up to the popular Windows 7 operating system, as well as a suite of tools for, obviously, developers.
This download may not be for you. Developer versions are betas of betas, designed to give developer's ideas and a heads-up regarding upcoming changes to the operating system so they can be ready with updates and new projects by the time the final version ships. But it does open a window into Windows, so to speak, and help settle a few debates - like whether Windows 8 will be the best thing ever, or destroy Microsoft once and for all.
Seriously, that's the debate. John C. Dvorak of PC Magazine - one of the most senior of all the high-tech pundits out there, suggested back in June that the graphic user interface of Windows 8 - which is optimized for tablets and similar to the Windows Phone 7 "Metro" interface (but is perfectly usable by keyboard and mouse purists as well) - "will essentially kill desktop computing once and for all - at least for Microsoft."
Then he wrote, "I've been waiting for quite some time to see Microsoft do something incredibly stupid that would open the door so Linux could waltz in and take over the desktop."
As for the fact that Windows 8 will look like their phone and tablet operating system? "The basic thesis that people want exactly the same look and feel across all their personal platforms in frankly idiotic."
Harsh words from a critic who really does know a thing or two about computers. And while history could ultimately prove Dvorak right, the buzz just three months later suggests that he couldn't be more wrong.
As soon as the developer version was made available, complete with a demo at Microsoft's "Build" conference, reviews and user videos that have popped up around the web have generally been positive, with reviewers using both PCs and tablets.
There was some confusion whether the software would be perfectly portable between desktops/laptops and tablets/phones, but Microsoft - after some misleading comments - said it would not be the case, as phones and tablets use completely different processor architecture and have issues to consider like file size and battery life. What remains to be seen is how easily software can be ported between the two systems, which, although they will look alike on the outside, will be very different on the inside.
But that's all academic. You can't run an app made for the iPhone on an Apple computer either.
Ars Technica said that most people will like and use the tile system and the alternative - using a Start window similar to Windows 7, Vista, XP, etc. - will at least be familiar enough that the transition will be more or less seamless.
Cnet.com said roughly the same thing, with some reservations. "The truth is hard to parse right now, although if Microsoft pulls this off, it will have effected a major change in how we interact with our computers and devices."
The Metro interface, using tiles, puts all of your most used software, folders, websites and social networks on your screen in colour-coded blocks, without opening browsers or digging through folders or using the Start menu. You can also have tiles with live updates of things - like Twitter feeds, new arrivals to your email inbox, Facebook updates, weather, news, stock quotes, system specs and so on, all running the background. You can also have multiple screens dedicated to these different blocks - e.g. one for websites and RSS feeds, one for work projects and contacts, one for social networking. Programs open and close as you click on tiles, but you're not really aware of programs launching or closing down.
All the same software you used to run on Windows 7 will work with Windows 8, although you can bet that a lot of companies will be offering updates so they're more "tile" friendly - although Windows 8 can also set up tiles for just about anything.
There's great support for users with multiple screens, including the fact that two or more screens will share the same taskbar.
In tablet form, using a real operating system, you can do things that you can't do right on any other tablet, like connect to wireless keyboards, printers and mice. It also works with peripherals such as your phone easily without going through the whole process of finding the right driver - which, if it works, would be amazing. It also supports multiple accounts on login, which is completely unique for tablets, and gives you a few different options for entering passwords - a QWERTY keyboard option, or a photo that you can scrawl a symbol over.
It will take a while for people to wrap their head around an operating system that works with desktops and tablets, and I expect a lot of people will be rubbing dirty fingers over their desktop screens trying to open tiles - although the mouse commands and shortcuts were built to use a similar type of browsing to touch screens so it should feel seamless switching between the two.
Microsoft has only given 2012 as the official launch date for Windows 8, and I expect that we'll see the next build around Christmas, the test build in the spring and the finished product in the summer.
