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[linkboy]

Man the removal of the start menu on the regular desktop really bothers me.

Give Classic Shell a shot, I'm using it with the RP and its working great.

You can also create a script that will bypass Metro and load straight to the desktop upon boot.

Bypass Metro Startup Screen

I've got my copy of the RP setup like this and its working great, with this setup, I barely see Metro at all. If I do need to access it for some reason, I can use the charms bar on the right side.

Classic Shell also has an option to bypass the Metro Startup Screen too.

 

[brotkasten]

Link to the new Office Web Apps beta: https://skydrive.live.com/?officebeta=1

 

[ksdixon]

Is there a program I could use to change those shortcut key combinations so that they at least make sense? E.G.

Win+A = search apps
Win+S = search settings
Win+F = search files

Did this using AutoHotKey. It's not perfect (which I would class as Win7's Start Menu Search Boxy, because it searched everything together at once), but it's a start. One of my major problems with Windows 8 'sorta checked-off'.

 

[tycoonheart]

Link to the new Office Web Apps beta: https://skydrive.live.com/?officebeta=1

This is awesome. Will it be available for free forever?

 

[brotkasten]

A valid complain, but they're still testing the certification process, I think. Once they open the marketplace, the store will be flooded with all kind of apps. It definitely won't be stuck at 10 apps per day.

 

[ksdixon]

So, amongst some of the uproar about Win8's negatives, what do we actually like about Windows 8?

I love the new Copy dialouge, how if I am copying multiple files it binds them together into a 'copy window', and I can pause/resume each instance separately. I thought it was simply a neat addition on Win8 at first, then I went back to Win7 and I REALLY miss it.

 

[Doffen]

A valid complain, but they're still testing the certification process, I think. Once they open the marketplace, the store will be flooded with all kind of apps. It definitely won't be stuck at 10 apps per day.

I will have at least one app ready for the app store at launch, and hopefully another one by the end of the year.

 

[Walshicus]

I'm probably going to spend some budget on a tablet for my department to test our website on IE 10 / Win 8. What would people recommend as a good base to put the Win 8 Release Preview on?

 

[beje]

So, amongst some of the uproar about Win8's negatives, what do we actually like about Windows 8?

I love the new Copy dialouge, how if I am copying multiple files it binds them together into a 'copy window', and I can pause/resume each instance separately. I thought it was simply a neat addition on Win8 at first, then I went back to Win7 and I REALLY miss it.

I'd say boot time. With a normal HDD it is insanely fast so I can't wait to arrive home and test it with the new SSD I just got

 

[letsbereasonable]

Anybody have experience with Storage Spaces? Is there any difference between it Drive Extender from Windows Home Server v1?

I'm thinking of mirroring my whs box to a different Windows 8 machine with drives associated via Storage Spaces.

 

[erawsd]

A valid complain, but they're still testing the certification process, I think. Once they open the marketplace, the store will be flooded with all kind of apps. It definitely won't be stuck at 10 apps per day.

Yeah, once they let folks charge money I'm sure it'll jump up. I'm more worried about the quality of the apps. Right now it seems like theres too much simplicity over function -- I really hope that it gets balanced. If I'm stuck with Metro my desktop then I want some useful apps.

 

[brotkasten]

Yeah, once they let folks charge money I'm sure it'll jump up. I'm more worried about the quality of the apps. Right now it seems like theres too much simplicity over function -- I really hope that it gets balanced. If I'm stuck with Metro my desktop then I want some useful apps.

You'll get useful apps, once the development platform, SDK and documentation gets better.

 

[buhdeh]

So, amongst some of the uproar about Win8's negatives, what do we actually like about Windows 8?

I love the new Copy dialouge, how if I am copying multiple files it binds them together into a 'copy window', and I can pause/resume each instance separately. I thought it was simply a neat addition on Win8 at first, then I went back to Win7 and I REALLY miss it.

I like pretty much everything they're doing with the desktop. I like flattening the UI and getting rid of aero. About the only thing I dislike strongly about the desktop are the old ass Vista icons still being there. Just looks so, so bad.

The Office 2013 icons are pretty bad too (hilarious how badly they clash with everything on the taskbar). But I guess that isn't really a Windows issue.

Metro is still completely useless on desktop though.

 

[dLMN8R]

That's such a stupid tweet. The Store isn't even open for any developers but a small selection to submit apps to. Obviously that's going to change between now and the time Win8 launches.

 

[ksdixon]

I don't really understand the 'point' of Storage Spaces, can anyone explain it to me better?

EDIT: Also, 'File History' only seems to do select folders (desktop, documents if I recall correctly), how do I set it to backup specific folders?

 

[Jayayess1190]

Simplifying printing in Windows 8

The Verge

Microsoft is outlining its printing improvements in Windows 8 today. In a post on the Building Windows 8 blog, Adrian Lannin, a lead program manager on the Printing team, describes a new print system for the upcoming Windows 8 release that supports a range of printers with far fewer drivers. Microsoft is shrinking down its use of in-box drivers in Windows 8 and Windows RT to reduce disk space. As Windows RT only supports in-box printer drivers, not ones from Windows Update, Microsoft has built a print class driver framework to tackle this.

The framework can support additional printers over time and allows manufacturers to support upcoming devices, but it's tightly controlled to ensure device drivers are power-efficient and it also separates the UI part of printing. As a result, Microsoft has reduced the amount of disk space for print drivers from 768MB in Windows Vista to around 184MB in Windows 8. The combination of cutting old device support and an improved framework means Windows 8 should support around 2500 printers out of the box when it ships later this year, compared to 2100 printers in Windows 7.

 

[jagowar]

I don't really understand the 'point' of Storage Spaces, can anyone explain it to me better?

Storage spaces is basically a better raid.... it pools your drives into one big volume so you don't have to segregate your stuff but better than raid because you can use different sized drives and more easily upgrade the size over time.

I haven't tried the earlier versions but in the CP there was all kinds of performance issues and general bugginess. I decided not to try again until win8 is final. I am currently using drive bender on my media server to do the same thing in win7. I will wait for reviews to see if I am going to try again.

 

[dude]

It's Windows, if there's one thing I'm not worried about is the number of available apps.

 

[Steelyuhas]

I'm not really worried about number of apps. Once Win 8 is officially out in October, almost every new PC on the market will have Windows 8 pre-installed on it, alongside OEMs and MS pushing Win 8 tablets.

Even if it doesn't do that "well", I think you still probably see close to 200 million copies of Win 8 and Win RT combined in the first 6-9 months. The apps will come pretty quickly.

 

[brotkasten]

Reading about Windows 8 on the gaming side is frustrating. Microsoft really needs to educate the users more.

 

[jagowar]

They believe gabe is their god.... not surprising he came out against win8 because if its successful it hurts steam.

 

[Jzero]

‎"I think Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space. I think we'll lose some of the top-tier PC/OEMs, who will exit the market. I think margins will be destroyed for a bunch of people. If that's true, then it will be good to have alternatives to hedge against that eventuality."

- Gabe Newell

I loved you Gaben, now i'm not so sure

 

[Windu]

i would think a steam metro client would be possible considering that microsoft does not take a cut for in-app purchases.

 

[JaggedSac]

Gabe might be salty that MS will have a simple marketplace to buy cheap games?

 

[brotkasten]

They believe gabe is their god.... not surprising he came out against win8 because if its successful it hurts steam.

I'm really wondering if we're going to see "real games" like Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed on the Windows Store.

 

[maeh2k]

Even Windows Phone managed 100k apps in under two years. It's reasonable to assume Windows 8 will do better

However, this will still be a common complaint for a very long time. I'm guessing every The Verge review will deduct points for ecosystem and point out that people would be better off getting an iPad...

 

[Windu]

I'm really wondering if we're going to see "real games" like Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed on the Windows Store.

You will probably just see them as desktop applications. I don't expect that kind of stuff to move over until the Windows Store has more marketshare than XP, Vista and 7 because all of those games are made for the traditional PC and will continue to be played on those traditional setups.

 

[brotkasten]

i would think a steam metro client would be possible considering that microsoft does not take a cut for in-app purchases.

I don't think it's allowed to offer your own store through the Windows Store, but I'm not sure about that. Even then, I don't think offering every single game on Steam as in-app purchase is a viable option. How would games get their updates? What about DLC? It would be a mess to organize.

 

[jagowar]

I'm really wondering if we're going to see "real games" like Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed on the Windows Store.

Ms really needs to come out with their 5000 word blog post detailing exactly what the xbox integration will be in win8. We have an idea but they really have not spelled the whole thing out yet which they really need to do.

Looking at the backend stuff it looks like its possible to run any game in the winRT model but I get the feeling they may not want that to happen with metro's preference to be on touchscreens. I could see them only wanting touch/controller enabled games in the store.

 

[Windu]

I don't think it's allowed to offer your own store through the Windows Store, but I'm not sure about that. Even then, I don't think offering every single game on Steam as in-app purchase is a viable option. How would games get their updates? What about DLC? It would be a mess to organize.

there are already stores in the RP, although those are not of digital goods. But yeah i don't know how that would work.

 

[LukasTaves]

i would think a steam metro client would be possible considering that microsoft does not take a cut for in-app purchases.

A client for purchasing desktop apps sure, but they wouldn't be able to sell metro games, and you'd still need a desktop client to install (and launch, perhaps) your games...

I can see why Gabe is defensive, Ms is currently promoting a platform that if someday becomes the norm it will essentially kill their biggest baby who is Steam. Even if in the future 3rd party app stores were allowed in w8 why would the majority of the developers favor steam instead of the default store which every single user is going to have access to?

I also don't see where can he go, too. All the other major platforms seems to be trending towards a closed store system... Pure Linux perhaps the only exception...

Reading about Windows 8 on the gaming side is frustrating. Microsoft really needs to educate the users more.

Probably not at launch, and I'm not sure if it will ever stick as a viable option, but I'm certain we are going to see at least a few tries...

 

[maeh2k]

I'm really wondering if we're going to see "real games" like Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed on the Windows Store.

I don't think we'll see that type of game yet, and I don't think it's a focus for MS. They are more focused on phone/iPad apps and on tablets that won't be able to run the newest games anyway.

As I posted before, I could see a version of e.g. OnLive, however. That would get around all the constraints of slow hardware and in-app purchases are fine with MS.

 

[jagowar]

I don't think we'll see that type of game yet, and I don't think it's a focus for MS. They are more focused on phone/iPad apps and on tablets that won't be able to run the newest games anyway.

As I posted before, I could see a version of e.g. OnLive, however. That would get around all the constraints of slow hardware and in-app purchases are fine with MS.

I think what people should expect from win8 is xbla level games.... there were demo's of hydro thunder and pinball fx in the cp but the store has been closed since so we can't see what all is new in there (a few of the images were games I did not recognize).

The selling point of xbox on win8 is the cross platform play.... being able to take my xbla games on the go or through my pc/tablet will be awesome. The skulls of the shogun team has talked some specifics on how this is being enabled in xbox live. http://skullsoftheshogun.com/?p=818

 

[Doffen]

I'm really wondering if we're going to see "real games" like Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed on the Windows Store.

This will most likely be moved to Windows Store at some point: http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-us/PC

 

[beje]

Just tested it in my new SSD and after the POST ends, it just takes 8 seconds to boot

 

[brotkasten]

This will most likely be moved to Windows Store at some point: http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-us/PC

But those games would have to be Metro-style apps, no?

 

[Doffen]

But those games would have to be Metro-style apps, no?

At this point only metro styles apps are allowed, yes.
But Office 2013 will be the first non-metro app sold on Windows Store.

 

[Fatalah]

Anyway, a funny thing. In Poland we have a free newspaper (handed out for free on the streets, it survives on adds alone) called Metro.

Hmm... NYC, Boston and a few other US cities have free Metro newspapers too.

 

[SCHUEY F1]

Just tested it in my new SSD and after the POST ends, it just takes 8 seconds to boot

That's awesome.

 

[dLMN8R]

Yeah, my Lenovo x220 Tablet with an SSD has been booting faster and faster over the last 1-2 years since i got it. It's just insane now.

 

[Steelyuhas]

Been dual-booting since the CP, but my laptop died and I just got a new one, so going all in on this one.

 

[kehs]

At this point only metro styles apps are allowed, yes.
But Office 2013 will be the first non-metro app sold on Windows Store.

How does that work, do they just link to their website store?

 

[TTOOLL]

I don't get this W8 hate. It is a much better OS than W7 (which is great). Lots of improvements. It's painful to go back...

 

[Damon Bennet]

I don't get this W8 hate. It is a much better OS than W7 (which is great). Lots of improvements. It's painful to go back...

people hate Change.

 

[Windu]

How does that work, do they just link to their website store?

yes. And there are other desktop applications in the store right now, not just office.

looking through the store i see:

Age of Empires Online
Crayola Art Studio
Corel PaintShop Pro X4
Microsoft Skydrive
Microsoft Office 2010
Adobe Reader X (10.1.3)
WinZip 16.5
Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2012 RC for Windows 8
mSecure for Windows Desktop v3.0

Listing your desktop app in the Store

 

[kehs]

yes. And there are other desktop applications in the store right now, not just office.

looking through the store i see:

Age of Empires Online
Crayola Art Studio
Corel PaintShop Pro X4
Microsoft Skydrive
Microsoft Office 2010
Adobe Reader X (10.1.3)
WinZip 16.5
Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2012 RC for Windows 8
mSecure for Windows Desktop v3.0

Listing your desktop app in the Store

Huh, that's so weird I knew that developers would have links to their website, I didn't imagine that Microsoft would have to do it too.

 

[Wiktor]

Gabe might be salty that MS will have a simple marketplace to buy cheap games?

I think he's afraid Microsoft's ultimate goal is to turn Windows into closed platform, where the only place to buy games, media and software is from Microsoft

 

[infinityBCRT]

Link to the new Office Web Apps beta: https://skydrive.live.com/?officebeta=1

Wowzers. Thoroughly impressed with the quality and how close it feels to Office 2013 proper.

 

[Windu]

I think he's afraid Microsoft's ultimate goal is to turn Windows into closed platform, where the only place to buy games, media and software is from Microsoft

hopefully microsoft's goals fail, that is one thing about Windows 8 i do not like, but it will be awhile before that is officially the case (aka no more desktop).

 

[ksdixon]

MS can't do that on non WinRT versions, as they still have the desktop mode, and we can still download Steam etc. I don't follow Gabe's perceived logic at all...