Windows 8 Developer Preview

Last night, I burnt some midnight oil and tested out Windows 8 Developer Preview.  First off, I was not going to dedicate a machine to this.  I invested in VMware Workstation for just this purpose, but when I invested; I bought VMware Workstation v7 (which so happens to not work with virtualizing Windows 8).  So I had to purchase an conveniently released VMware Workstation 8 which will virtualize Windows 8 (Windows 8 Dev Preview was released just days before VMware Workstation v8).  There was some anticipation buildup as the upgrade was not available to purchase for electronic download until the Sept. 19th even though the Windows 8 Dev Preview was released on the 13th.

So I stayed up late for midnight to hit and then went to town getting everything setup.  From what I had read, Windows 8 wasn't going to be a straight forward install within VMware, but I was pleasantly surprised.  I also read where VMware tools (utilities and drivers to allow certain functionality and performance within VMware) breaks the Metro UI of Windows 8.  I installed VMware tools without any problems.

So it was then time to test out some apps and see what the buzz was all about.  There was nothing dazzling about any of the apps, but this to be fair this is all in alpha release.  It really felt like Windows 7 with the Metro UI, which is great because Windows 7 is rock solid for me.  I felt a little taken back to the Zune until I configured some of the apps, then the icons became live (the icons would then become backgrounds for the meta data of the app).  Therefore the Facebook app icon, after configuration, will display pictures from your photos and photos of friends.

Like I said there was nothing fancy about the new UI, but I do see the value in having a consistent UI between your desktop, phone, and tablet.  The Metro UI allows Windows 8 to scale to all of these form factors.  Also, Windows 8 is still not even in beta.  There is much more to come in refinement and functionality.  There are also other facilities that contribute to the smaller form factors.  You can now use a sequence of clicks (or touches) on a picture as your login password.  Windows 8 also allows you to use your Windows Live login which I am sure will allow some configuration info to follow you between any Windows 8 device that you use.

I did read where Microsoft is pushing HTML 5 like Apple, by not allowing Adobe Flash in the smaller form factors of Windows 8 (desktop will still be able to run Adobe Flash apps).  USB 3.0 is to be support natively.  I did read something a while back about a new file system, but I don't know the details.  I am sure much of this will solidify as the launch date nears.

If you want to check it out for yourself, download the ISO for yourself.  It does work with VirtualBox which is free virtulization software for Windows!