Someone reviewed v on Jul 5, 2022

Pros: 555

Cons: 555

Bottom Line: 555

B__B reviewed vRelease Preview on Jun 7, 2013

What a mess!
Schizophrenic UI to say the least, I've not seen such a bad software engineering work since MS Bob times.
"Modern" UI concept is a joke, functionally it resembles more Windows 1.0 (or Bob) than a software of this millennium, maybe it is time for MS to move to "PostModern" era as soon as possible!
On the other hand, under the hood improvements are welcome, nothing groundbreaking but welcome anyway, and I even like the Glass-free desktop.
It is a pity a good minor Windows 7 update like 8 is in its guts was ruined by forcing the Zune/Phone/Toys'r us GUI as first place to start, as new start menu, as where you find yourself after you click on a file associated with a Metro app and so on.
Really a bad move, thinking that Windows GUI paradigm is still a winning one and that phone/mediacenter OS GUI paradigm was always a big loser in any market it has competed.

acee_2000 reviewed vRelease Preview on Mar 16, 2013

I am deployed and my computer crashed in Afghanistan. So, I got my mother to send me an hp laptop. She told me that it had windows 8 on it so I was excited to get my computer. Little did I know that windows 8 operates like a smart phone and I did not want to buy a smart phone computer, I wanted a regular operating system that is user friendly and doesn't require you to sign into a dang account just to download Skype. Sine the internet sucks here, I have been on this retarded operating system trying to download Skype so I can talk to my family back home. This operating system keeps kicking me out. Bottom line is, Microsoft messed this one up big time. I completely and utterly hate this operating system. I have to navigate to another window just to try to get to Skype that can't even download here. This is the worst experience I have ever had with an operating system and I completely hate it. For people who wanted smart phone features on a laptop, then this is for you. But for people who want a regular computer you should choose something that has Windows 7 on it. What was Microsoft thinking? I absolutely hate this operating system with a passion. I cannot even download anything without it being a stupid app. Uh. All in all this is the worst mistake that I could have possibly made. Once before, if I wanted to use a smart phone, I would have bought one instead. I want a regular operating system. Oh by the way if you get something with Windows 8 on it, you cannot replace it with Windows 7 because it will not let you.

pascal_indarto reviewed vRelease Preview on Aug 30, 2012

good

cltx99 reviewed vRelease Preview on Jun 13, 2012

I recently purchased a nifty HP pavilion dm1 notebook. It came with Windows 7 64 Bit and it was doing just fine. Then, a few days ago I made a very stupid move and downloaded the Windows 8 pre-release evaluation. What I didn't know was that once downloaded Win 8 can't be removed. I tried to bring it back to factory settings, but Windows 8 wiped that out, as well as all other HP programs that came with the note book. As I write, my bluetooth still doesn't work.

I had to find Hp drivers for my notebook to try and bring back to standard. Some of them work and some don't. Since my HP notebook doesn't come with a DVD optical drive I had to order one and also had to order a recovery disk from HP. As soon as these items arrive, I'll be nuking Win 8 and get back to using Win 7, which when you don't have it, one knows how good it was in comparison.

As for Win 8, it has some interesting do-dads. The start screen looks like my wife's Lumia and quite frankly it sucks. To me it's gimicky and a bit childish. It gets in the way of doing what you want to do do with the computer. I could go on, but I've said enough. In short, I won't be shelling out any shekels for Win 8, as it already has cost me a considerable amount of money attempting to get my new notebook back to its original condition. And yes, I was stupid.

nilst2006 reviewed vRelease Preview on Jun 4, 2012

Crap !

thartist reviewed vRelease Preview on Jun 2, 2012

ViStart solves this piece of sh1t of an interface quite well even in the RP, makes the desktop somewhat approachable. But even that can't save it from feeling like a FrankOStein.

Sorry, there are good CONCEPTS floating around but the IMPLEMENTATION has left a lot to be desired for non-touch users.

You know what? It would have been much less jarring if the Start Screen could have the same wallpaper as the Desktop. Then sort of the overlay could slide in and ta-da! not so nerve crushing!

gatorfan95 reviewed vRelease Preview on Jun 1, 2012

Typical Microsoft crap. Instead of making a OS that's designed for the PC market they helped to create, they are trying to move in to and take over a market in which they are a late comer. This of course, at the expense of the 90% of us who dont use tablets. Here's some review advice Mircrospud............trash this mess and build a real OS for real world PC users. If this thing is published as is, I'm sticking with Windows 7 until they stop supporting it or my PC goes tits up. Then I'm going back to Apple.

niknetpc reviewed vRelease Preview on Jun 1, 2012

Better for tablet PC,not for desktop.

Music4Ever reviewed vRelease Preview on Jun 1, 2012

'Here's your chance to be one of the first to try it out. We'll be using information from preview users to make the final product even better. '

I don't think so MS has ignored the 80% that feel there is some difference between a tablet PC & a 27" monitor ~ It's a shame as MS could so easily kept everyone happy.

Artem S. Tashkinov reviewed vRelease Preview on Jun 1, 2012

Yet another Vista, and even though technically it's superior to Windows 7, Windows 8's UI is such an abomination, it's absolutely unhandy for most serious users.

Corporates will shun it like a plague.

The MAZZTer reviewed vRelease Preview on Jun 1, 2012

Lots of little imrpovements over the previous beta that made me happy. Only problem I ran into is they broke Google Update so Chrome will not install until Google gets around to fixing it.

grizzlyadams reviewed vConsumer Preview on Mar 5, 2012

OMG...

This is the worst thing microsoft has ever put out. I tried the developer ver and hoped maybe it would improve. That hope is now dead. its harder to use than anything I've ever seen, everything is hidden, nothing works like you would expect it to. NO WINDOWS PHONE ON MY PC!!!!

psycros reviewed vConsumer Preview on Mar 5, 2012

This could be the beginning of the end for the house that Gates built. Microsoft's obsession with chasing Apple even when it makes no sense to do so has led them to this: the OS that nobody asked for almost nobody likes (unless you count hard-core Microsoft apologists, fanboys and those who rely on the Windows break-fix cycle for a living). There's just no way to put a good spin on this, so I'll simply say it: Windows 8 is a complete failure, a disaster on every level and needs to be trashed. Microsoft should immediately switch focus back to to supporting Windows 7 and building a Windows 9 that's actually worth using. Its that simple.

glassdesigns reviewed vConsumer Preview on Mar 4, 2012

The UI sucks and it only took 4 hours from install to get a blue screen and constant reboots. Back to Windows 7 and I will most likely skip windows 8, just like I did with Vista. Why put a tablet OS on a Desk Top? Why would a desktop user want to use a smudged up touch screen while running a graphics program. Yes I said program, not app! Some people actually work on their computers so give us something we can work with. Those that use a computer as a toy, enjoy your Windows 8.

roj reviewed vConsumer Preview on Mar 4, 2012

I love pundits who praise the new just because it's new, claiming it's "revolutionary" and gushing over how it heralds a Brave New World.

Metro makes GREAT sense for tablets.

It's absolute utter garbage for desktops.

Anyone claiming otherwise is talking out of their azz (are you listening Robert Johnson?).

You take a user interface and refine it for literally decades until it's at the peak of usability. Then you toss it away in favor of a limited interface that makes sense in the minimalistic world of the tablet but fails abysmally in the multiprocessor multitasking world of today's modern desktop.computer.

Ya Blew It MS.

Similarly you perpetuated the abortion you started with Vista and carried over to Windows 7 of myriad "flavors". Stop gouging the market like so many other corporations and limit the choice to TWO: home and pro. ARM should be bundled with Pro.

This isn't breaking new ground: this is playing the hackneyed "common look and feel" card and getting it WRONG. The only company to have it reasonably right is Apple and Microsoft, you ain't no Apple. Oh, and shoehorning the Windows OS into a a tablet? Not so much. That's about as retarded a concept as Metro is on the desktop.

I've been in this business a long time (over 25 years). I've seen interfaces come and go across many platforms. On the desktop, this one deserves to go. On the tablet, it's brilliant.

ONE star for turning a meaningful piece of desktop hardware into a shiny useless toy.

alalec reviewed vConsumer Preview on Mar 3, 2012

When looking at the software industry, certainly Microsoft products have not been the worst but the problem today is double. The new Microsoft products lack vision and the new releases of mature products, like Windows 8, lack real innovations and they are becoming too fat like their own mother Microsoft.

The installation of Windows 8 over Windows 7 went smoothly but it was long (about 1 hour) and the printers configuration was lost.

As soon as you open Windows 8 you feel as if you are forced to wear three pairs of socks, one over the other, on a hot summer day. It smells bad and makes your feet sweat and transpire!

Since the first release of Windows there has been not only 3 pairs of socks but a huge number of software layers one over the other. In Windows 8, it appears that Microsoft instead of being creative by really improving and optimising Windows, they added 2 or 3 superficial layers to the user interface in an attempt to make it tactile in an imitation much like a smartphone/ipad user interface.

They expanded what they can put on less than one screen into several screens and they cached essential links and functions behind firewalls of useless clicks.

Windows 8 now occupies the three sides of the screen with no less than two superposed layers of sliders on each side, all in a very ugly and impractical way. The new icons are rough copies from smartphone OS. The new Start screen is a collection of external links to promote Microsoft products and tools.

The new UI implementation is incapable of dealing efficiently with practical usage. It is ugly and lacks ergonomics. It is unbelievable how the people at Microsoft are becoming dummy.

It appears from Windows 8 preview that it will sink in deep sees as soon as it appears and by the same token it will submerge its mother at the same time.

Beyond the question of Windows 8 issues, splitting Microsoft, in the future, into manageable and creative small entities might help!

CyberDoc999 reviewed vConsumer Preview on Feb 29, 2012

if you go to the desktop
it is the same as windows 7

Terumo reviewed vConsumer Preview on Feb 29, 2012

s***, not all news are god news, and this is one of them.

The best was xp and win7

SoundMix reviewed vConsumer Preview on Feb 29, 2012

Strictly a PREVIEW not a beta.

nilst2006 reviewed vDeveloper Preview on Sep 15, 2011

Same category as Windows Millenium and Vista. (It is a pre-beta - not a beta)