Windows 8 – How does it fit?

I have had a few emails from friends who have installed Windows 8 and are skeptical to say the least. With all due respect to them, I believe that Microsoft is working two angles with one OS here.

Some have said that the corporate world will not accept Windows 8 with the Metro UI. I think Microsoft knows that.  They have, after all, been the dominate OS in the business setting.  This is where they have their roots. Windows NT through Windows XP and now Windows 7.  I believe Windows 7 will be the workhorse corporate OS for many years to come just like XP was before it.  It will live as long as XP, if not longer. In fact, as I write this, my office still has users on XP.

The separation of Windows Desktop and Metro UI in Windows 8, I believe, was done on purpose.  Microsoft needed to enter the tablet world and the world of touch with a bang.  The only way into the tablet/touch world is to support ARM processors which are so prevalent in the mobile and tablet market.  They couldn’t do that with Windows 7.

Metro is their answer for the ARM processors. (Qualcomm and Texas Instruments are happy about that.) Microsoft has made it clear that they will only port a limited number of x86 apps to Metro. Though Ballmer did hint today that Office may be ported. So this indicates ARM will be Metro only.

The reason for this is simple. All those apps are power hungry. ARM processors wont give them that power while still protecting battery life.  Metro apps will be asynchronous and the apps processes will be shut down by the OS just 5 seconds or so after they are no longer in the forefront.  This does not allow for any long running process to work in the background.

But IE has both a Desktop version and a Metro version.  Or do they?  The engine is the same according to Microsoft but the UI is different.  The Desktop version supports plugins and can persist and all that client side stuff can happen.  But in the Metro version? Not so fast. No plugins. No Flash, No LastPass. This is Microsoft saying we need to move on. Many pages optimized for the mobile experience are already plugin free.

So what Microsoft is kind of doing here is the opposite of what Apple has done.  Apple supports 2 OSs. One for the iPAD/iPhone and one for their hardware like AIR.  The iPAD is the touch experience to beat. Microsoft feels they can. In NASCAR in order to succeed, teams try to always do the opposite of what their nearest completion does.  This may or may not work out for Microsoft.  This isn’t a NASCAR race.

On a side note:
Interesting that all around the web some people are praising and some people are condemning Windows 8.  What is interesting to me is that people are condemning it because it doesn’t support this, it doesn’t have that,  some comments on blogs I have been reading are like:

“I don’t see InPrivate viewing on IE10 Metro.  What’s up with that. I am throwing this in the trash! No one is going to use it.”

You have read these comments or comments with the same implication all over the web. It is comments like these that make me wonder what people are thinking.  This is a pre Alpha developer preview.  Of course it isn’t going to have all of your little favorite features yet.

Microsoft spent a lot of money this week to show us all what it has planned.  this is not even close to what will be delivered.  Have you seen the slide regarding what Microsoft didn’t show us? Here is a big picture of it.

Till next time…

Technorati Tags: Windows 8,Metro UI,Microsoft,Internet Explorer

Windows 8 – Initial Thoughts (part 2)

Interesting turn of events.  I couldn’t see any of my other PCs on the network. I know I was connected because I could get to the Internet.  So I tried adding the Windows 8 box to my Home Group but it wouldn’t let me. Windows 8 only allowed for me to create a home group not add to an existing one. Not sure why.

So I decided to try and find the Workgroup and see if I could add it to my workgroup. Me being who I am, I did not want to go to the desktop and right click on My Computer, select properties etc.… to change my work group. I tried to do it the Windows 8 way using the Metro UI.  I found Control Panel. hmmmm.



I couldn’t find it here. but I selected the last option which is called More Settings.  That brought me to the Windows 7 Control Panel interface and there was System.  I changed the Workgroup and then it told me to reboot. Which I did.

Ok, I think. I am ready for this to reboot.  And it does so. Quickly too, I might add. But what has it done? Now all I see is the picture of the road, the time in a BIG font, and the date. I do not know what to do. So I click here and there. Sometimes a little green bar shows on the bottom but not always.



Then I double click. The picture slides up out of the way and I am asked to login with my Live ID and password again. Cool. Also, I logged in to Windows Live and changed my name a little while ago and it knew it. This is Great!



Simple things for simple minds, I guess.

Till next time…

Technorati Tags: Windows 8,Metro UI,Microsoft

Windows 8 – Initial Thoughts

So I have finally installed Windows 8 on a Virtual Machine. I am pretty pleased with how things are going.  The first thing I discover is that pressing the Windows key on the keyboard goes right to the Desktop.  This is the Desktop like Windows 7 with everything exactly like this Windows’ predecessor. Or is it? I press the Windows key again and I am back to the Metro Start screen.

Then I click the Internet Explorer icon.



And voila, I am in IE10.  I’m thinking, this is cool.  It is a little to get used to but, cool.  I type in my blog’s address in the address box and there is my blog.  But the address bar disappears.  I have know Idea how to get it back. How can I get to other sites?  I will have to figure it out.

Oh, and pressing the Windows key again I think will bring me back to the Desktop but it doesn’t. It brings me back to the metro Start page. Then back to IE. Seems like it is acting kind of like a quick switch between the last thing you launched. (Still can’t get the address bar in IE to come back.)

So I start through the F keys. F1: does nothing. F2 does nothing. F3: brings up a search bar. Well at least Microsoft is consistent there. F4, ah, there it is. But wait, this looks like a frequently accessed page



I see these arrows that are very familiar. so I click the back arrow and… It brings me back to my page.  I’m guessing F5 is a refresh like every other version of IE.  Yep. Oh and there is the address bar.  But I don’t want to have to refresh every time I want to see the address bar. How about F6.  That is it! Yay! and there is a little pin icon.



I’ll bet it will pin the address bar for me.  Better do that before I can’t navigate again. Nope. It did pin my blog though to my favorites I guess. let me press F4 and see. Nope. I must have done something wrong. OK, I have to click Pin to Start. There it is.  I am getting better.

I will continue to play and update. Probably all night long (much to my wife’s chagrin!)

Till next time…

Technorati Tags: Windows 8,Metro UI,Microsoft

Installing Windows 8 Developer Preview – Second Attempt

So after not being able to continue my first attempt at installing Windows 8 Developer Preview, I have moved to a different tactic.  I am using Oracle VM Virtual Box.  I created a new virtual machine with a 40GB hard drive.  I started it up with my G: drive as the start drive.
I am immediately brought to this screen. A standard LTK (Language, Time Keyboard) screen.

I believe I am already way past where I got in my first attempt.  Interesting.  So I click Next.

I am then presented with the “Install now” screen which looks very similar to the Windows 7 install now screen. So I click Install now.  So far it is typical Microsoft Installation.

So remember when I said I might be further than I go before. Well, no.  I am again presented with the Licensing terms.  Interesting the difference between this screen and the one found in my first attempt.

So again I accept the terms and click next. I am now presented with the “Which type of installation do you want?” screen.

Even though Microsoft says there is currently no Upgrade path in the Developer Preview, I am asked if I want to. I am curious what will happen if I click upgrade, but I wont. So I select Custom.

Now I am asked where to install.  Here I only have one option which is the VHD I created when I setup the VM. As with Windows 7 install, if I click the drive options link in the bottom right corner, the additional selections become available to me.

I am going to just click Next from here.

Now the all familiar Installing Windows screen.  It got through Copying Windows files pretty quickly.  Not so much on Expanding Windows files. That took about 15 minutes.

A split second for installing features and updates. for Installing Features.

And then the reboot.






Then the restart again. I do like the new spinning dots.  easy to follow and a few different patterns.

Then again I am presented with the License terms. Only this time it does look more like the terms in my first attempt.  It even has the words “Make the lawyers happy by reading this carefully.”  I am not sure I like the black back ground, but my blog has a black background so I guess I am not one to speak.

There was a quick screen that I think had almost like an agenda of what was going to happen next.  This time the background is green.  It them went to the Personalize screen.

I think I will name this machine Boss-Win8-64.

So here I have 2 choices.  Either Express or Customize.  When given the choice I will more than likely always choose Customize.  This lets me at least see all of my options.  So here it goes.

Here I am going to select Yes, share and connect.  I do this because I want to see how this affects my other machines and how Windows Home Server will react to this new machine.

I will leave the defaults here and click Next.

Interesting to note the third item here. Definitely thinking of mobile apps.

One interesting thing to note is the magically disappearing and reappearing scroll bar. Don’t forget to use it because there are settings down there. Next.

Now this is something new. Logging in using your email address.  I wonder if it will recognize the fact that the email I put in already has a live ID associated with it. Probably.

And it did. so now I enter my password. Next

It logs me in. And it knows who I am. Except it doesn’t know that I prefer to be called David.

It took a while but now it is telling me to wait some more.

Personalized Settings.

And finally the Initial Desktop that I am used to. But wait.

The Desktop disappears and then went to the new Start page. No icons at first but then it showed them.

And here they are.

Al together this wasn’t more than 45 to 50 minutes installing from start to finish. I am pleased with the experience so far. We shall see what comes of it.
Now it is time to play!  Let me know what your experience was like. If it is anything like mine it was a piece of cake!
Till next time…

Technorati Tags: Metro UI,Windows 8,Microsoft

Installing Windows 8 Developer Preview – First Attempt

So I really wanted to get started with Windows 8 so I can move forward with investigating the new Metro UI.  If you want to do the same you can download the Windows 8 developer Preview at Microsoft’s Dev Center.

There are a couple of options that you will be presented with.

1. Windows Developer Preview with developer tools English, 64-bit (x64)
2. Windows Developer Preview English, 64-bit (x64)
3. Windows Developer Preview English, 32-bit (x86)

I downloaded the Developer Preview with developer tools, 64-bit as well as the stand alone 32-bit version.  I have a 32 bit laptop that I want to install it on as well as on a separate partition on my main machine.  Beware that you will require a DL DVD burner if you intend to burn the 64-bit version with tools.  Here is what Microsoft says about it:

Note: The .iso file that contains the developer tools requires a large capacity DVD called a DVD-9, as well as a DVD burner that can handle dual-layer (DL) DVDs. Most modern burners should be able to handle this format.

I don’t have a touch screen yet, but will be looking to get one in the future to truly test Windows 8 the way it was designed to be used.  I am hoping there will be some Windows 8 phone emulators out there that I can test my mobile apps on.  I already have a few ideas.

So lets get started. first I mounted the 64-bit with tools .iso to my G: drive using UltraISO. Upon inspection of the DVD drive the folder structure looks like this:

This is pretty typical so I double click on the setup.exe file to see what happens.  I am first presented with this splash screen.

Next it shows me the Setup screen that asks if I want to Go online to get the latest and greatest. of course, I say sure and click next.  One thing to note I also leave the check mark on wanted to make the installation better.  Just doing my part.

Then I am told it will take a few minutes.


After only a couple of minutes The setup screen changes to this Checking you PC Screen.

Notice the navigation across the top of the screen.  It looks like there are going to be 4 parts to the install. Preparation, Compatibility, Install and Config.  It quickly shows a screen and says something about a product key.  The screen went to fast for me to get a capture of it.  It looks like this will be where future versions will ask you to input your product key.

After this page it goes to the License terms page.  I like the line “Make our lawyers happy by reading this carefully.”

I comply because I have a friend who is a lawyer and she would be very upset with me if I didn’t.  One thing it says is that I can use but not share any images or icons or sounds. Oops.  I guess I broke that one. I check the box and click Next.

Now I am at a screen that scares me.

I haven’t seen anyone else post their install experiences yet and I am not willing to lose everything.  I thought I could tell it to install on a specific partition but I guess not.  So I guess I will try again on a VM.

After clicking the Close button (X) in the upper right hand corner I am shown this dialog box.

So I click Yes.  To be continued….

Technorati Tags: Metro UI,Windows 8,Microsoft