win beta 8

[bonilla]

Re: win beta 8

On June 18, 2012, Microsoft announced a tablet computer called Microsoft Surface that will be available in two versions: one that runs Windows RT and one that runs Windows 8 Pro.

No news about a Windows RT beta?

By the way,for person like me who didn't knew the RT version and the differences :

[QUOTE]
Differences from other Windows 8 versions

While Windows RT does share a significant amount of code base with other Windows 8 versions, there are some notable differences. Windows RT will not include Windows Media Player, a multimedia playback software found in other Windows 8 versions. In addition, Windows RT will include Microsoft Office 2013 RT for free whereas users of other Windows 8 versions will need to purchase and install Office separately.[7] Also, users will not have an option to disable UEFI secure boot on Windows RT systems. As a result, only operating systems can be installed that have been signed for secure boot by their developers.[8]
[edit]Limitations
Only software written using the Windows Runtime (Metro style apps) can be used on Windows RT with the exception of Microsoft Office 2013 and the desktop version of Internet Explorer 10. Developers will not be able to create applications to run on Windows RT using the Win32 APIs.[9]
[/QUOTE]

[microchick]

Re: win beta 8

Windows RT is the version of Windows 8 that doesn’t run Windows programs. Windows RT is the version of Windows 8 that runs on lightweight, battery-friendly, ARM processors. It’s based on the Windows 8 Metro interface. Microsoft doesn’t use the term “Metro” anymore. But Microsoft has used “Metro” since Windows Phone 7 days, and now it’s firmly stuck in our mental catalog of Win8 terminology.

[bonilla]

Re: win beta 8

Thanks for the update!
In a few short months consumers will have a new choice added to the tablets that run Apple’s iOS and Google Android: Microsoft Windows slates will arrive in time for the holiday season. These devices will be markedly different from prior attempts at Windows tablets, with a more touch-friendly interface and the use of smartphone chips to power the devices. As we have known since April , a special version of Windows 8 called Windows RT will power these slates, and Microsoft has now officially picked which companies will provide the hardware .
[QUOTE]The other new factor is that Microsoft is competing against its own licensees with the Surface. My first impressions are fairly positive here: Microsoft has designed a compelling choice for this market, and the product has some of the sexiness equated with the iPad. The cover with integrated keyboard in particular looks not only useful but also to be an extension of the Surface tablet itself.
[/QUOTE]

[microchick]

Re: win beta 8

With the launch of Windows 8 approaching, microsoft has ruled out discounted windows 7 in the market. Many people are waiting for windows 8 launch in October. You can buy windows 7 for 3 computers for about $115. Its effective from 10th September.

[bonilla]

Re: win beta 8

They could sell a whole package discounted ,with office included.
Windows 8 will be launch in October and the only tech news which make buzz is the new Iphone.
Where is the microsoft marketing ?
Announcing the dates this morning at the company’s Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto , Windows marketing and finance chief Tami Reller said the end-of-October timeframe will mark not just the first Windows 8 PCs but also the ability to upgrades to Windows 8 on existing computers.

[microchick]

Re: win beta 8

Microsoft is treading a thin line with its decision to allow people to downgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 7 or Vista when they buy a PC with the new operating system -- and it might not pay off.

[mahrkpat]

Re: win beta 8

[QUOTE=microchick;242530]Microsoft is treading a thin line with its decision to allow people to downgrade from Windows 8 to Windows 7 or Vista when they buy a PC with the new operating system -- and it might not pay off.[/QUOTE]

Is it true they will be allowing people to downgrade from Win 8, are they that confident that people will not downgrade or that the os might be so bad that they downgrade instead of waiting for patches.
Either way not such a good marketing ploy will leave the consumer with lots of questions.

[microchick]

Re: win beta 8

@mahrkpat: Yes its true. It will be a part of the windows 8 licencing that they will allow users to downgrade to Windows 7 or Vista. They can't downgrade to Windows XP and XP is going to be unsupported from April 2014. According to PC world Magazine the downgrade rights would be available only on Windows 8 Pro.

[bonilla]

Re: win beta 8

That could confirm the point of touch screen.
If many customers are disapointed because they don't have any touchscreen or social media activity , they will happily downgrade to 7.
The Win8 is ,for me,like a Ipad (with the Metro interface).
Also,there is a application for IPad to test win 8:)
hxxp://www.splashtop.com/win8
Splashtop is the ONLY app that allows you to experience the Windows 8 Metro UI on an iPad or Android tablet. If you’re a Windows 8 app developer, this is a great way to preview the capabilities of your app on an actual tablet using touch gestures.

[microchick]

Re: win beta 8

Yes Windows 8 has been built with keeping touch screen in mind but its also available for the normal PC's in its RTM version. The downgrade will be only available on Pro versions. Touch screen is going to be the thing of near future and I wont be surprised if if a proper touch screen laptop comes out in the market for sale soon. (if its already not there?)

[bonilla]

Re: win beta 8

You can activate on Win7 the touchpad too.
There are some specific driver :
A Web search discovered other testers and users bumping into the same obstacle. This is odd, because I ran into no such problems with the Windows 8 Release Preview. So why doesn't Windows 8 RTM handle touch-pad gestures right off the bat?
A Microsoft representative confirmed to CNET that Windows 8 RTM offers a generic driver that recognizes the touch pad as input, but the edge and multitouch gestures are not supported. In contrast, the Windows 8 Release Preview came with Elan alpha drivers to give people a taste of the full multitouch experience.
Elan and Synaptics are both working on updated touch-pad drivers, according to the rep. Those aren't yet public, so Microsoft can't distribute them. Many PC vendors also offer drivers that can enable multitouch gestures, but those aren't yet fully optimized for Windows 8.

[bonilla]

Re: win beta 8

To clarify one point :
Microsoft Office 2013

According to the Microsoft system requirements, Office 2013 will only be available on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2012. Companies using XP or Vista must therefore:

retain an older suite (even if they’ve paid for ongoing Office upgrades), or
migrate to Windows 7/8.
Those choosing the second option will not (or cannot) remain on IE8. It’s possible that the decision to drop XP/Vista support from Office will encourage more browser upgrades than Windows 8 itself.

Internet Explorer 10

While IE10 could arrive earlier, I suspect Microsoft will reveal their new browser on the same date. IE9 may have been a match for competing browsers when it was released, but it is 18 months old in October. It’s been left behind and an upgrade is long overdue.

IE10 looks impressive. If they can deliver the promised HTML5 feature set, performance and automated updates, Microsoft will regain more respect from the web developer community.

Unsurprisingly, IE10 will not run on Windows XP. Unfortunately, it won’t run on Vista either. While Vista was hardly a success for Microsoft, it currently accounts for 8.1% of desktop users — that’s higher than all versions of Mac OS combined.

Vista is dropping, but at a far slower rate than XP. It was Microsoft’s flagship OS less than three years ago and anyone who purchased a PC at the time still has capable hardware running Vista. While it’s easy to berate the early versions, the OS did improve with age — many users had little reason to upgrade.

We therefore have Windows XP users stuck on IE8 and Vista users stuck on IE9. That situation could continue for many years if Windows 8 isn’t a success.

[ath2800]

Re: win beta 8

In the microsoft page you can download the preview release of Windows 8 for testing. I've tried it and I think it would fail like the windows millenium. It is an operating system for tablets and mobiles, not for pc's.

[microchick]

Re: win beta 8

[QUOTE=ath2800;242840]In the microsoft page you can download the preview release of Windows 8 for testing. I've tried it and I think it would fail like the windows millenium. It is an operating system for tablets and mobiles, not for pc's.[/QUOTE]

There are many versions of Windows 8 available. Some of them are for touch screens whilst the other are for desktop style computers.It will be totally your choice which one are you interested in. Keep in mind that a downgrade option would be available on Windows8 Pro, in case people didn't like it.

[bonilla]

Re: win beta 8

Interesting news about windows 8 (still beta) and Linux compatibility.
The war is still on :)
[QUOTE]Microsoft's “Secure Boot” plans for Windows 8 have already caused no end of controversy in the Linux community, and certainly one of the more divisive announcements in recent months was Canonical's decision to drop the GRUB 2 bootloader as part of its solution for Ubuntu Linux.[/QUOTE]
Microsoft wants to keep their customer for life ;)
[QUOTE]As a quick recap, the problem at the root of all this is that Windows 8 hardware will come with the Secure Boot technology enabled in the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), meaning that only operating systems with an appropriate digital signature will be able to boot.[/QUOTE]