Developers flay Microsoft for withholding Windows 8.1 RTM

[theyarecomingforyou]

It would be in Microsoft's best interests to release Windows 8.1 to developers and enthusiasts through official channels, as otherwise that only encourages them to turn to unofficial channels. I can understand delaying the consumer release to allow developers and manufacturers to update their software / drivers for Windows 8.1 but there's no sense in hurting those who most contribute to the ecosystem.

 

Windows 8.1 should be the ultimate goodwill tool, a free update to a widely criticised operating system. The delay here is doing nothing to help Microsoft.

[BetaAddict]

It would be in Microsoft's best interests to release Windows 8.1 to developers and enthusiasts through official channels, as otherwise that only encourages them to turn to unofficial channels. I can understand delaying the consumer release to allow developers and manufacturers to update their software / drivers for Windows 8.1 but there's no sense in hurting those who most contribute to the ecosystem.

 

Windows 8.1 should be the ultimate goodwill tool, a free update to a widely criticised operating system. The delay here is doing nothing to help Microsoft.

 

The problem is that MS doesn't want to deal with the complication of having to market digital copies while the products in stores are still Win8.0. It gets confusing from a marketing perspective and is bound to lead to a mess, so their holding off is justified. But this still does not preclude them from not giving access to devs before general release, especially when devs pay hundreds of dollars to maintain subscriptions for the exact reason of getting early access. If devs were expected to update their apps on the preview, which was not final either, then what is so unfinished in rtm that devs cannot use it? They need to get with the times.