Windows 8 Consumer Preview

Microsoft today announced that Windows 8 Beta/ Consumer Preview is releasing on February-29th at Mobile World Congress, Barcelona.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/microsoft/microsoft-to-launch-windows-8-consumer-preview-at-mwc/11856

Awesome! And they are including the WMC! WOOT! Oh wait... but it's exactly the same as W7...

Word on the street the MC guys (like the DevDiv guys) didn't get along with WinDiv and there ya go... Microsoft politics: 1, Customers: 0

"We'll tell you where to go today and why you should like it." (tm)

As far as Media Center is concerned I have always been a fan but it is also clear to me that it has not captured the greater general publics imagination in a way that it really needed to (and should have - its a great product).  One of the premises of MC was the "10 foot screen" - Metro picks up on this but also has the flexibility required to work elsewhere as well as working well with touch.  So internal politics aside* I think MS is probably doing the right thing.  Media Center isn't going away, but it is being relegated to the status of being an App, at least as far as I can make out (It is already an App in the new XBOX UI).  This is clearly something that was not a part of the original plan for it but to my mind is an acceptable compromise when you look at the bigger picture.

* And my take on this as an outsider is that it is just the dog exerting its will on its own tail.

@Ian2:

You're probably right. They'd rather sell more xboxes and kinects than Windows licenses. Microsoft keeps whaffling on the TV front on the xbox though so I kinda wonder if that will go anywhere. My guess it the MC in xbox will die quietly and Microsoft will rely on Netflix and like like to provide apps for their platforms. Love to see Google TV show up on the xbox.

I guess I better go buy a Roku box. Maybe look into Google TV.

A thousand little cuts...

I have no doubt MS will continue to pursue the TV market aggresively but sometimes that isn't enough.  We are a fickle bunch.

http://winrt.devppl.cc/article-Yjmp6346.aspx?source=Tco

Only desktop apps for ARM are MS Office.  That sounds like good news to me!

12 minutes ago, Ian2 wrote

http://winrt.devppl.cc/article-Yjmp6346.aspx?source=Tco

Only desktop apps for ARM are MS Office.  That sounds like good news to me!

Sounds like a platform who's software ecosystem will have to start from scratch.

1 minute ago, DCMonkey wrote

*snip*

Sounds like a platform who's software ecosystem will have to start from scratch.

Windows 8 - the "No Compromise" OS that seems like it has plenty of them!

Sinofsky said there were none, that they were giving us the best.... yeah right....

sorry folks .... just have to see the beta and see what else they have done.

In other words, WOA is capable of running desktop apps, but that will not be allowed except for the blessed applications, which currently only include Office.  Just like the Windows Phone situation.  It is an interesting/ballsy strategy, very Apple-ish, sure to upset a bunch of people.  But it is probably the right decision, and will work out well for ARM tablets.  It does make for some awkward situations around the Intel/ARM boundary. 

I am curious why they would bother to support the Desktop Experience (Explorer, IE desktop, etc.) on ARM if it's only there to run Office.  Seems pointless, but maybe it was just the easiest path.

There have been lots of hints about some support for native code on Windows Phone coming.  I would seem obvious now that the native support will be in the form of writing WinRT apps -- exactly the same as for ARM tablets.

@ryanb:Desktop Explorer could be useful for management of App files if it sits on top of iscolated storage acroos all the WinRT Apps, though that could be dangerous to the integrity of apps I guess so is perhaps unlikely?

The DE for ARM appears limited because MS is worried about battery life amongst other things. From what I've read it appears they have "specially tuned" the apps to use less batter and be more touch friendly.

That said I wholeheartedly agree with fig.

1 hour ago, figuerres wrote

*snip*

Windows 8 - the "No Compromise" OS that seems like it has plenty of them!

Sinofsky said there were none, that they were giving us the best.... yeah right....

sorry folks .... just have to see the beta and see what else they have done.

Sinofsky is quite the spinner of "truths". It's clear he has an agenda and he's not afraid to walk all over consumers nor devs to get what he wants.

I gotta tell the Truth, of one of the OS manufacturers get smart and bring the MAC/PC/ Linux issue. I'd probably try a different OS. Each has it limitations unfortunately. I've dealt with Steve befoere on hardware issues emailing back and forth. I can tell you first hand the previous post has got it "nailed" perfectly.