As a “professional,” I expected the transition to Windows 8 to be seamless. I’ll be honest though; it was tough. I am going to give a quick review of my thoughts on Windows 8 after a month of use. Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see how to get your own free version of Windows 8.
Windows 8 has a new default interface called “Metro” which is based on the Windows 7 Phone Operating System. This OS is based on a touch-screen platform that begs you to interact with your monitor. Except you can’t, you’re limited to your mouse or track pad, which to me seems like a tease.
Be prepared, nothing you’ve learned with XP, Vista and Windows 7 applies to Metro. You are starting over from scratch.
As the default, Metro seems like a good idea. It’s clean and bright. But once you start loading programs up (Adobe, Office, etc) the interface starts getting a bit busy. Metro seems more like a barrier to the desktop rather than an enhancement.
Lets talk a moment about Windows 7. As someone who grew up with Apple Operating Systems, Windows 7 was the first time I had been impressed with Microsoft. Windows 7 is friendly, control panels and personalization are intuitive and the system really seems to take care of itself. I commonly say that Windows 7 is the most Apple-like I’ve seen. (That’s a good thing in case you are wondering)
Back to Windows 8. Once you get past Metro, you have a somewhat familiar Desktop. The lack of the start button/menu was startling. I literally spent 5 minutes trying to locate simple functions like the control panel or even the power button. Not intuitive. I’ll give you a hint; mouse over to the right side of your desktop. Once there a new interface appears. However, it’s not easy to click anything, I found the buttons disappearing as I tried to interact with them.
Other than that, the desktop seems much the same except that it’s missing the things I liked in the past.
THE GOOD: Windows 8 is faster. Sleeping, waking, shutdowns and restarts were all much smoother. There is a better interface with social media websites; you can post from within Windows 8.
All my old programs still work. Nothing seems broke. I’m guessing that is because under the hood, Windows 8 is fundamentally the same as Windows 7.
THE BAD: Radical changes. Be prepared to relearn how to interact with Operating System. This will not be an easy transition for anyone, so know that you are not alone. Windows 8 seems stuck between the old and the new. Metro is a hindrance at first. It may be good but personally I just can’t embrace it.
Sold yet?
You can get your free pre-release copy of Windows 8. There are a few important things to remember though.
1. Windows 8 could change again before the final release.
2. You will become part of the development of Windows 8. Meaning Microsoft will be watching you a little closer than normal in attempts to make the product better.
3. The current downloaded version will expire on January 15th. Now clear word on if you will have to reinstall the operating system at that time or if you will be able to just pay for it at that time.
4. You will need be able to burn a bootable DVD with the downloaded ISO.
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/download
Product Key: TK8TP-9JN6P-7X7WW-RFFTV-B7QPF
Good luck and let me know what you think.