Windows 8 Developer Preview

Last month, Microsoft released a developer preview of its successor to Windows 7, code named Windows 8. The big deal about it, which can also be considered more of a necessity than a luxury in today's date and age, is compatibility for the three screens-smartphones, tablet PCs, and laptops/desktop PCs. The OS will be optimized to work on any device, and supports touch. Plus, Microsoft has even added support for ARM processors, making its span much more wider. The developer preview provides developers a chance to develop the metro-style applications before the Windows 8 launch.

Our experience

We downloaded Windows 8 Developer Preview 64-bit version from http://ld2.in/3q5 and installed it on a machine with Intel Core i3 processor with 2 GB RAM. Installation was similar to Windows 7, in terms of user interaction and it took around 25 minutes for the complete thing, which also includes user account creation. Unlike previous versions of Windows, Windows 8 gives you two options for logon. You can either create a local account or you can sign in using your Windows Live account. This is a nice feature that has been added, which actually enables you to synchronize your settings like shortcuts, application settings with your other machines.

We tried to login using Windows Live ID. After validation of the account, it automatically detected the display image of the Live ID and displayed it as user image at the logon screen. Once logged in, it displays a completed re-defined Start Screen, without the conventional Start Menu bar. Instead, it displays the Metro-style tile version of the Start Menu. These tiles can be arranged according to your preference.

As it is a complete 360 degrees change in the Start Menu, so you may not be able to find certain options like search and shut-down. That's because to search for something, you simply have to start typing the name of the application or file on the start screen and it will immediately search it for you. The Shut down option has been placed in the Windows button on the lower left corner.

The Control Panel has been completely changed as well. If you will open Control Panel in Metro interface you will find a totally changed control panel but you can also open it normal desktop mode. Same is the case with Internet Explorer. Windows 8 includes internet Explorer 10 which can also be opened in metro interface and in desktop and in both the scenarios its interface is different.

Since the Windows 8 is also targeted at tablets, it has Metro style apps that are tablet specific, like PaintPlay and Ink Pad. Also if you are on the go, then you can use Near Me, which is an app that works on GPS and will let you know about different places around you like adventure, cultural, family time, etc. We're not sure whether this feature will work in India or not, but it's a good thing to start with. Interestingly, once you've opened an app, there's a roundabout way of closing them, unlike the famous “X” box found in top right corner of traditional Windows apps. Here, you'll have to go to Task Manager to close them.

For now, the new OS looks very promising, but let's see how it all pans out.