official Windows 8 Consumer Preview Discussion

[lalalawawawa]

This is what highly disappointed me. I feel that I cannot experience the full benefit of Windows 8 at the moment because the communication and entertainment apps aren't of decent quality and don't take full advantage of the new Windows 8 features. After having been annoyed by the lack of offline Facebook messaging in Windows Phone's Facebook integration since last June, I was sorely disappointed to see that the Windows 8 Messaging app doesn't allow for sending Facebook messages while offline (and it probably doesn't allow for sending Facebook messages to the recipient while they're offline, either). The latest version of Windows Live Messenger didn't allow for this either. I do hope this is something Microsoft change in the version of Messaging that they ship because it's an important feature to me. Perhaps this is merely something that Facebook APIs don't allow for?

They've already released updates for some applications, hopefully, they'll continue to build them and release them during the lifetime of the CP.

[Ci7]

The font rendering in IE10 desktop version is horrible. Any antivirus which could be installed?

no need for A/V

it already come with one

MSE/Windows defender

[AWilliams87]

I enjoy my 'cluttered mess' of windows. It does not hamper my productivity; unlike the restrictive snapping of only 2 Metro Applications will. It also makes no sense to me that on a PC, IE's address bar and buttons have to waste an inch of screen real-estate of my 24" monitor the IE window take up the whole screen.

Anyone find a way to put the 'Classic' Desktop UI fonts back to being left-justified and less hideously big?

I know people my age (24) who still finds the desktop complicated. My sister still doesn't know how to use an anti-virus program. The fact is, if we started off in metro since 1995, then switched to desktop view now, the vast majority of people who find it a step backwards with it's over-complexity. With metro, you can view right on your start screen any have new mail you may have (or just about anything) instead of opening up a browser, then navigating to gmail.com. This is probably how the desktop show always have been.

[Calum Veteran]

They've already released updates for some applications, hopefully, they'll continue to build them and release them during the lifetime of the CP.

That's great news! Thanks for letting me know :) I watched the Windows 8 Consumer Preview event video that Microsoft released yesterday, and one of the speakers said they will be regularly updating Windows and the preview apps during the lifetime of the Consumer Preview; he said that it's going to be a dynamic experience. I didn't expect updates so soon, though :D

[KevinN206]

I posted this on the Windows 8 Blog earlier:

I really like the new interface. I want to make one suggestion for Metro IE10.

favorites =/= pinned sites. These MUST be treated separately.

Pinned sites within Metro IE10 clutter the Start Screen too much. I've 40 sites using the fake "bookmark" with the "Pin to Start," and it's cluttering up my Start Screen. Please EMULATE the WP7 team and move the "Pin to Start" button to the 3 ellipsis. NO ONE is going to pin sites SO FREQUENTLY to the Start Screen that that button needs to be in the main UI. We don't sit at the browser and make pinned sites. It makes absolutely NO sense.

Replace the "Pin to Start" with "Favorites" that open up the favorites pane where user can add, delete, create folders, and move to other folders, etc... At minimum, treat "Pin to Start" and "Favorites" as two completely different idea because they're actually DIFFERENT.

How do I make feedback to the Metro IE 10 group?

[DarkyDan]

I found something irritating about the metro remote desktop,

I remoted from my netbook into my PC, both running Win8.. then tried to use the hotspots! not sure there is way to use the hotspots on the remoted PC, only seemed to trigger the host hotspots.

Anyone else had a similar experience or figured out a workaround for this?

[joddie191]

I found something irritating about the metro remote desktop,

I remoted from my netbook into my PC, both running Win8.. then tried to use the hotspots! not sure there is way to use the hotspots on the remoted PC, only seemed to trigger the host hotspots.

Anyone else had a similar experience or figured out a workaround for this?

Hm... This worked as normal when I tested Teamviewer into Windows 8.

[Wakers]

So some of the keyboard shortcuts are not working for me in the consumer preview. For instance, Win + D does nothing, which is annoying as it is one that I will likely use a lot.

Also, in the unveiling at the press event, they stated that you could tile a metro app next to a desktop app with Aero Snap. This doesn't work for me either, as I can't dock metro apps to one side of the screen or the other.

Anyone else having these issues?

Also, I'm considering dual booting it on my primary machine to give it more thorough testing, but this would mostly be in the form of games - has anyone got any remarks about gaming performance on the beta yet? If it's not really working properly then it would be a waste of time for me to go through that.

Actually, the metro snap doesn't work either (Win + . / ,)

[Zain Adeel]

I posted this on the Windows 8 Blog earlier:

I really like the new interface. I want to make one suggestion for Metro IE10.

favorites =/= pinned sites. These MUST be treated separately.

Pinned sites within Metro IE10 clutter the Start Screen too much. I've 40 sites using the fake "bookmark" with the "Pin to Start," and it's cluttering up my Start Screen. Please EMULATE the WP7 team and move the "Pin to Start" button to the 3 ellipsis. NO ONE is going to pin sites SO FREQUENTLY to the Start Screen that that button needs to be in the main UI. We don't sit at the browser and make pinned sites. It makes absolutely NO sense.

Replace the "Pin to Start" with "Favorites" that open up the favorites pane where user can add, delete, create folders, and move to other folders, etc... At minimum, treat "Pin to Start" and "Favorites" as two completely different idea because they're actually DIFFERENT.

How do I make feedback to the Metro IE 10 group?

agreed. Thats exactly what i was looking for. And found out that Favorites will automatically pin to the Start Screen. Sometimes you want stuff within an app and not outside. IE is one of them.

Same for many other apps right now. But those apps are like alpha versions. IE10 isnt. Its been there from the very start and they should add alot of funtionality. Atleast mirror WP7 level. Right now Its weaker than that. Also I hope they allow folders in IE10 favorites if they do add the ability. I dont want all my favorites to be like a list. I cant remember the names of all sites and i have more than hundreds of favorites. They should be organizable into folders. Like in desktop.

[~Johnny]

I can't even add my own music collection into the music app!!! Bloody stupid!

The Music Metro app uses your Windows Music Library, so whatever you put in the music Library folder in Windows Explorer will show up in the music app, it doesn't manage it's own collection.

[King Lizzle]

Windows 8 is actually Windows 7 + Metro. It is really going to create some troubles for the users in the future, if not now, because every product will then have two interfaces and thus two setups, one Metro and one Traditional style application.

I don't see the majority of developers making two versions of their software. Why invest time making a Metro version of your software when you don't know whether people will embrace it. Metro isn't going to become the primary application type because it is so limited in functionality and for even moderately savvy computer users Metro apps just won't cut it. I've yet to find a single Metro app I would actually ever use. I have a huge collection of desktop apps which do exactly what I want and are feature-rich - there's no way that could all be replicated into Metro. I imagine Metro apps will be limited to small, quirky and basic apps - essentially their equivalent of the Apple App Store and designed primarily for Tablet or WOA users.

[joddie191]

I don't see the majority of developers making two versions of their software. Why invest time making a Metro version of your software when you don't know whether people will embrace it. Metro isn't going to become the primary application type because it is so limited in functionality and for even moderately savvy computer users Metro apps just won't cut it. I've yet to find a single Metro app I would actually ever use. I have a huge collection of desktop apps which do exactly what I want and are feature-rich - there's no way that could all be replicated into Metro. I imagine Metro apps will be limited to small, quirky and basic apps - essentially their equivalent of the Apple App Store and designed primarily for Tablet or WOA users.

Our company has a C#/XAML application that most of our customers use already, the conversion into metro is about 15-30 minutes of work in total. I can totally see that we offer both a "classic" version and another Metro version of that application.

[Guest]

Our company has a C#/XAML application that most of our customers use already, the conversion into metro is about 15-30 minutes of work in total. I can totally see that we offer both a "classic" version and another Metro version of that application.

Would this conversion make the app fit into the metro design guidelines? Would some of the functionality work on touch and mouse? Would you need to hire a graphic designer to rework the UI for Metro?

Btw, I don't know about you but live tiles only seem to start working for me once the app has been opened. When I restart, any apps that have live tile functionality have to be relaunched for them to work...

[joddie191]

Would this conversion make the app fit into the metro design guidelines? Would some of the functionality work on touch and mouse? Would you need to hire a graphic designer to rework the UI for Metro?

Btw, I don't know about you but live tiles only seem to start working for me once the app has been opened. When I restart, any apps that have live tile functionality have to be relaunched for them to work...

Our application is already heavily adjusted to work on a touch interface. Some customers already use it on a touch screen running Windows XP. The conversion into Metro would of course not enable features such as "dock to the side", but it would be a easy way to make it "Metro".

Adding features such as Live tile update would then of course add more code to it, same as the Windows 7 jump-list and aero-peek did. Thankfully we have a very touch oriented GUI already, and won't have to adjust too much to conform with the guidelines.

I too have seen that I need to open a Metro app before the Live tiles start updating btw.

[ady199]

The only problem I've found is that my MAC OS vmware image no longer works (wmware workstation 7.1)

I keep getting the following error message:-

I've set 2048mb for the image but this message just keeps on appearing.

Any thoughts???

[efjay]

Based on my limited experience with Windows 8 and Windows Server 8 so far, I think the average "mom and pop" user is going to be confused as hell. Even I've had to Google for shortcut key combo's and stuff which I just don't think is a good sign at all :|

I like to think Microsoft are much better these days and indeed I am a very content Windows 7 user but I would be lying if I said I wasn't worried about how Windows 8 is going to be received and how usable it'll be every day, etc.

We keep hearing that the "average consumer" will be so confused by Windows 8. What exactly does the average person being referred to constantly in the negative posts here and elsewhere, do on their computer that will be so hard in Windows 8? Just asked the wife, she uses her personal laptop for browsing, email, youtube, dvd's and that's it. How is that going to be so much more "confusing" in Windows 8? Are they programming nuclear fusion, or trying to cure the common cold? Can anyone list these actions that average, not geeks or so called support tech here, consumers are doing that they KNOW are going to be so confusing and bad in Windows 8?

Because the way I see it, logging in and seeing your start screen immediately tell you how many emails you have having your favourite (pinned sites) right there, is much easier than logging in, opening a program and waiting for it to load before you can get any information from it. Telling someone to move their mouse to the top left corner and click to cycle through their open programs is simpler than trying to tell someone how to maximize a window that was accidentally minimized. Please can someone enlighten us?

[johnporter29]

+1 for efjay's excellent post

[Fourjays Veteran]

We keep hearing that the "average consumer" will be so confused by Windows 8. What exactly does the average person being referred to constantly in the negative posts here and elsewhere, do on their computer that will be so hard in Windows 8? Just asked the wife, she uses her personal laptop for browsing, email, youtube, dvd's and that's it. How is that going to be so much more "confusing" in Windows 8? Are they programming nuclear fusion, or trying to cure the common cold? Can anyone list these actions that average, not geeks or so called support tech here, consumers are doing that they KNOW are going to be so confusing and bad in Windows 8?

Because the way I see it, logging in and seeing your start screen immediately tell you how many emails you have having your favourite (pinned sites) right there, is much easier than logging in, opening a program and waiting for it to load before you can get any information from it. Telling someone to move their mouse to the top left corner and click to cycle through their open programs is simpler than trying to tell someone how to maximize a window that was accidentally minimized. Please can someone enlighten us?

I also don't see how it will effect average users either. Business and productivity on the other hand... I know they can just use the regular desktop, but it isn't really a valid solution IMO. To use the dreaded car analogy, it is like owning a Ferrari - it's wonderful, but you need another car to put your shopping/golf clubs/children/etc in. So what MS has done is attach a towbar to the Ferrari so they can tow their Range Rover behind for the important things. It is a half-baked solution to a major problem with the apparent future direction of Windows. I want the Metro concept throughout, including productivity. It isn't easy, but they don't have to be touch friendly - they just need to fit with the design concept (look at Steam).

[Dot Matrix]

I was sort of hoping for a zune app to sync my windowsphone etc.

The regular Zune software still works on 8. Apparently there is an upcoming release in the works.

[9UnknownMen]

We keep hearing that the "average consumer" will be so confused by Windows 8. What exactly does the average person being referred to constantly in the negative posts here and elsewhere, do on their computer that will be so hard in Windows 8? Just asked the wife, she uses her personal laptop for browsing, email, youtube, dvd's and that's it. How is that going to be so much more "confusing" in Windows 8? Are they programming nuclear fusion, or trying to cure the common cold? Can anyone list these actions that average, not geeks or so called support tech here, consumers are doing that they KNOW are going to be so confusing and bad in Windows 8?

Because the way I see it, logging in and seeing your start screen immediately tell you how many emails you have having your favourite (pinned sites) right there, is much easier than logging in, opening a program and waiting for it to load before you can get any information from it. Telling someone to move their mouse to the top left corner and click to cycle through their open programs is simpler than trying to tell someone how to maximize a window that was accidentally minimized. Please can someone enlighten us?

You assertions are as subjective as those who speak about the average consumer. I had my landlady, well to be I honest I forced her to try out Win8 when she was over couple of hours ago. In your email example, they way she knows how many emails she's got unread currently is via the Messenger balloon popup indicating so. That's something this 60 something ear old homemaker has been used to since forever. I'm sure she would prefer a huge AOL window saying "YOU'VE GOT MAIL!!" and that's brilliantly simple but it ain't exactly indicative of 'progress' now is it?

I'm sure the consumers that will buy these Win8 systems will get used to it because it will primary touch interfaced. You mentioned that the metro multitask preview is easy and I do agree(i prefer program icons or live previews over mouseover) but in that construct, I think the Apple expose is much more richer and this falls way shorter.

Again opinions as they say as are like.... ;)

[~Johnny]

I like they idea of search & share charms, but of course the big problem is discoverability. For example, you can search by people tags and other tags in the Metro photo app, but theres no indication that it can do that. Most people wouldn't even realize there's a search charm right now that can do it.

Obviously that's because our workflow right now is to use search inside an app rather than the charm, but Microsoft is going to have a lot of work on it's hands to try and drill into people to actually use the charms, hopefully it'll become second nature one day.

[trenzterra]

Well, I just tried the Windows 8 Consumer Preview and overall it feels more polished than the Developers Preview, but one thing I can't really stand is the use of the four corners UI.

So now it seems, when I want to close any full-screen Desktop UI window, the charms bar will unintentionally appear. And, if I were to use a program that follows the Windows 7 UI paradigm (i.e. buttons on the top left hand corner in place of menubar) such as Firefox, Opera, or even Microsoft Paint, the buttons at the top left hand corner are very hard to reach (impossible with Microsoft Paint's quick access toolbar) without the app switcher showing up.

The thing with a traditional keyboard-and-mouse (that Microsoft probably doesn't understand) is that most of us use EVERY corner of the screen, and hovering to corners using a mouse will just mean that part of the screen will now be rendered useless as it's now a target "hotspot". For a touch UI, this is a non-issue as I assume they will have to drag in from the left or something.

Also, one of the other things that should be implemented should be a non-full screen Start Screen, perhaps a view to just quickly run an app non-intrusively. Sometimes, when I'm watching a video, maybe I just want to fire up a small little program without taking my eyes off the video. In Win7, I can press Start and type in the program name and within seconds be able to achieve my task, while not taking my eyes off the video. However, this full-screen monstrosity called the Start Screen forces my attention away from my video, even if it's just for a few seconds. Searching for apps shouldn't require a ****ing Start Screen.

All in all, Windows 8 feels great from a content-consumer point-of-view. Yet, when I want to do something productive, I find myself having to make several concessions, which I feel shouldn't be necessary in the first place. As a KB and Mouse user, I want things to be achieved in the most efficient way, in part because I'm lazy. I want to achieve my targets with the least number of clicks possible. As much as I can, I want to only use my mouse, for easy one-handed operations. While I appreciate the numerous keyboard shortcuts added into Windows 8, it seems they are just making these additions only because it is much harder to accomplish using a mouse alone now.

And there must surely be a way to sign out of Messenger without resorting to using a local account... It's getting on my nerves, really.

[Riggers]

I notice that the win + tab key scrolling window display doesn`t work now in aero desktop mode, or am i just missing something? It`s certainly starting to grow on me :)

[0nyX]

i am reading some posts about zune app missing etc.

I just wanted to say (if it hasn't been mentioned already) that the new Music and Videos apps are based on Zune.

On the top right corner of those apps where the "Sign in" is if you are unable to actually sign in an error message will come with a link for more info on the "problem". If you click on that link it will take you to zune troubleshooting webpage here: http://www.zune.net/...lp_locale=el-GR

[Lee G. Veteran]

I notice that the win + tab key scrolling window display doesn`t work now in aero desktop mode, or am i just missing something? It`s certainly starting to grow on me :)

No, it doesn't work and it didn't work in the DP either.