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I think I'd rather be able to subdivide it vertically than just add another column. (1+2) Multi-mon Metro is pretty huge though.

That'd be the next step, then having four per screen if you wanted. I think they went with vertical first because it's the best way to support apps from the phone as well if we go with the rumors floating around.

That'd be the next step, then having four per screen if you wanted. I think they went with vertical first because it's the best way to support apps from the phone as well if we go with the rumors floating around.

I could get excited for the evolution of Metro using the same 'tile sizing/pin' idea for the app space (and some onapp zoom events).

It's just a bunch of minor tweaks to Metro UI and apps.

- No effort to unify Metro with Desktop and make them both usable

- No effort to allow customization and bring back the features from Win 7 that they removed - why can't I choose a background color for desktop windows ??

- Still the same terrible joke of a 'tutorial', now with 'try this later' added

So MS will keep repeating the same nonsense -

1. This is a OS optimized for touch

2. yet all the touch paradigms will be forced on desktop users

It's just a bunch of minor tweaks to Metro UI and apps.

- No effort to unify Metro with Desktop and make them both usable

- No effort to allow customization and bring back the features from Win 7 that they removed - why can't I choose a background color for desktop windows ??

- Still the same terrible joke of a 'tutorial', now with 'try this later' added

So MS will keep repeating the same nonsense -

1. This is a OS optimized for touch

2. yet all the touch paradigms will be forced on desktop users

Sounds like you you an expert.. You should email them your resume..

TgRVy.gif

nah.. i just wanted a reason to post this awesome gif

I assume you cleared out your username and that isn't some goofy search box on SS? :)

The 50/50 is just ok. The 3x and 4x screens are just silly.

All snap is overrated at the moment except when watching Netflix :p, really though, when meaningful apps are created with snap view in mind this will be awesome.

I'll be honest, when I need a calculator on the desktop, it's actually better for me to have it in Snap view. Would be great if you can copy/paste, drag/drop from snapped Modern app to Desktop app.

Is it still listed in Windows Explorer favorites?

I think it sits in it's own area and not with the favorites like now. There's a few screenshots that show it's position exactly so you can see.

It's just a bunch of minor tweaks to Metro UI and apps.

- No effort to unify Metro with Desktop and make them both usable

- No effort to allow customization and bring back the features from Win 7 that they removed - why can't I choose a background color for desktop windows ??

- Still the same terrible joke of a 'tutorial', now with 'try this later' added

So MS will keep repeating the same nonsense -

1. This is a OS optimized for touch

2. yet all the touch paradigms will be forced on desktop users

It's been said a number of times that this is a early build and we don't know what else will be in it. You're jumping the gun here.

All snap is overrated at the moment except when watching Netflix :p, really though, when meaningful apps are created with snap view in mind this will be awesome.

I snap Skype and chat with it in the snapped view, and keep OneNote in the filled view... pretty good way to multitask while taking notes in class. And I made my app, Hurricane Tracker, useable in the snap state, but other developers haven't. I'm going to have to do a bit more work to optimize for 50-50 and other splits, though.

On that note... has anyone got this installed on their Surface Pro? I tried and failed epically, but it could be that my burned dvd is somehow not bootable. And yes, I did turn off secure boot when attempting to boot from dvd in external dvd drive.

I snap Skype and chat with it in the snapped view, and keep OneNote in the filled view... pretty good way to multitask while taking notes in class. And I made my app, Hurricane Tracker, useable in the snap state, but other developers haven't. I'm going to have to do a bit more work to optimize for 50-50 and other splits, though.

On that note... has anyone got this installed on their Surface Pro? I tried and failed epically, but it could be that my burned dvd is somehow not bootable. And yes, I did turn off secure boot when attempting to boot from dvd in external dvd drive.

Yes! Install it to a USB/HDD, turn of secure boot, and boot! I usually use wintoflash with some custom settings but the standard Microsoft DVD/USB burning tool should work!

Screenshots of the movie moments app:

Neat for a tablet. But I have to tell you, MovieMaker+Keyboard+Mouse will edit circles around this or any other touch editor. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, as serious apps for productivity/creation will be better suited for the Desktop Environment IMO.

In the end, we may just end up with tablet apps and desktop apps :/

This build is awesome, despite some nasty counter-productive bugs.

My impressions on an Acer W500, both good and bad things:

Bad:

- Got bugs on the Control Panel that affected the whole OS (I was messing around when that gray line from Smart Screen appeared and blocked the screen);

- Sound app didn't work properly, all it captured was noise and then crashed;

- Store being inaccessible;

Good:

- Faster, FASTER than Windows 8 (both desktop and Metro enviroments);

- More personalization options and everything else people are talking about;

- METRO MULTITASK NOW ON RESOLUTION BELOW 1366x768 (tried on 1280x800);

Anyone managed to use the Refresh feature successfully ?

I set the new control panel back to normal 8 style and couldn't work out how to set it back again, so went for the refresh (VMWare), the ISO was mounted and it rebooted, then failed the refresh and restarted back into windows

Neat for a tablet. But I have to tell you, MovieMaker+Keyboard+Mouse will edit circles around this or any other touch editor. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, as serious apps for productivity/creation will be better suited for the Desktop Environment IMO.

In the end, we may just end up with tablet apps and desktop apps :/

Exactly what I was thinking mate! At the moment that movie moments app is a load of crap, most of the stuff doesn't work and i had to hack some reg values to get it even doing any bloody thing but we'll see how it goes. If Microsoft can pull this off right then they can start exhausting some desktop functionality like Movie Maker, especially with the new multitasking features! I for one will be sticking with mostly desktop apps on my main PC for the time being!

Anyone managed to use the Refresh feature successfully ?

I set the new control panel back to normal 8 style and couldn't work out how to set it back again, so went for the refresh (VMWare), the ISO was mounted and it rebooted, then failed the refresh and restarted back into windows

Had the exact same problem, just reinstalled into vmware because I couldn't hunt down the registry key. Let us know if someone works out how to toggle after the change!

Hang on hang on.

So Windows Blue is an update to Windows 8? Is it a fresh install?, mini service pack? (via windows update), is this for PC's or just tablets? I've not touched Windows 8 at all, so lagging on whats going on :p

No worries :p Yeah it will be an update over the top of Windows 8, kind of like a major service pack like XP SP2 was (even greater than that even so far). Rumor (and build files that I have personally read) has it that the "Blue" wave of updates will be released to Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows Phone 8, Windows Server 2012 and perhaps even Azure and embedded but who knows. So yes the same version will be pushed to PCs and tablets! Jump in on the fun!!

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    • BATorrent 3.0.2 by Razvan Serea BATorrent is a lightweight, open-source BitTorrent client built with modern C++ and Qt 6, offering a clean, fast, and privacy-focused alternative to traditional torrent apps. It supports magnet links, .torrent files, resume data, sequential downloading, per-file priorities, and even imports from qBittorrent. Power users benefit from integrated RSS auto-download with regex filtering, duplicate detection, and automatic tracker lists from Stremio. Streaming is seamless thanks to auto-detected players like VLC and IINA. BATorrent includes robust VPN tools—interface binding, auto-detection for WireGuard-based services like Mullvad and NordLynx, kill switch, proxy support, and IP filtering. A full WebUI enables remote control, while integrations with Plex, Jellyfin, and Emby automate library updates. With themes, speed scheduling, system-tray alerts, and cross-platform support for Windows, Linux, and macOS, BATorrent delivers a polished, high-performance torrenting experience. BATorrent features: Core .torrent file and magnet link support Resume data — picks up where you left off after restart Import torrents from qBittorrent Create .torrent files from any file or folder Sequential download mode Per-file priority control (skip, low, normal, high) Seed ratio limits with auto-pause DHT, PEX, UPnP, NAT-PMP RSS Auto-Download Subscribe to RSS feeds — automatically download new torrents as they appear Regex filters — match only what you want (e.g. 1080p|720p, S01E\d+) Per-feed settings — custom save path, check interval (5–1440 min), enable/disable Auto-download — matched items are downloaded automatically in the background Supports magnet links, .torrent URLs, and tags Tray notifications when items are auto-downloaded Duplicate detection — never downloads the same item twice Stremio Stremio Addon System pre-installed — works out of the box Auto tracker list from ngosang/trackerslist Streaming Play while downloading — stream video files before the download is complete Supports mp4, mkv, avi, mov, wmv, flv, webm, m4v, ts Auto-detects installed players (VLC, IINA, system default) VPN & Privacy Interface binding — lock torrent traffic to a specific network interface (e.g. tun0) Auto VPN detection — identifies VPN interfaces (tun, tap, WireGuard, Mullvad, NordLynx, ProtonVPN) Kill switch — automatically pauses all torrents if the VPN interface drops Auto-resume — resumes only the torrents paused by the kill switch when VPN reconnects Proxy support — SOCKS5 and HTTP proxy with optional authentication IP filtering — load P2P blocklists to block unwanted IP ranges Protocol encryption (enabled / forced / disabled) WebUI Remote management — control torrents from any browser at http://localhost:8080 REST API with JSON responses Add torrents via magnet link or .torrent upload Pause, resume, remove torrents remotely View peers and files per torrent Dark theme matching the desktop app HTTP Basic Auth with SHA-256 password hashing Configurable port and remote access (localhost vs 0.0.0.0) Interface 3 themes: Dark, Light, Midnight (bat/vampire aesthetic) Real-time speed graph Detailed panel with tabs: General, Peers, Files, Trackers Filter bar: search by name, filter by state (Active, Downloading, Seeding, Paused, Finished) Drag & drop .torrent files and magnet links Drag & drop reorder in torrent list System tray with notifications (download complete, kill switch events, RSS auto-downloads) Splash screen with bat animation Bilingual: English and Portuguese (BR), auto-detected from system locale Bandwidth Scheduler Alternative speed limits — set different download/upload limits on a schedule Time range — configure active hours (e.g. 01:00 to 07:00), supports overnight ranges Per-day control — choose which days of the week the schedule applies Automatically switches between normal and alternative speeds Media Server Integration Plex — automatically trigger library scan when a download completes Jellyfin / Emby — same automatic library refresh via API Configure server URL and authentication token/key in Settings System Cross-platform: Windows, Linux, macOS Auto-shutdown — automatically shut down PC when all downloads complete (60s cancellable countdown) Auto-update system (AppImage on Linux, installer on Windows, DMG on macOS) CLI arguments: pass .torrent files or magnet: URIs directly Keyboard shortcuts: Space to toggle pause, Ctrl+A to select all, Ctrl+O to open BATorrent 3.0.2 changelog: Phone pairing & WebUI The browser WebUI was reskinned to match the desktop app — same dark palette, Inter font, flat surfaces, the real BATorrent logo (it was a random bat before), and a proper magnet icon. 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    • How about a global switch to turn the awful things off instead of a registry hack? Then everyone wins.
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