If Windows 8 as a full OS ends up a disaster, I say release the interface as a paid option for Windows 7, but make it a toggle, not forced. I’m sure there are people who enjoy that front end. I’d give it a shot if it was a Windows 7 option, and only if it was fully customizable.
Speaking of customizing.. for the love of all things geeky, I really wish they’d allow us access to uxtheme.dll by default, but that’s another issue. >.>
The first version of Windows 8 that I saw running on a friends computer was before it went into open beta and before they added metro. That version was much better than the crap that is being put out. It was also suppose to come with native support for the kinekt or a desktop version of the kinekt
You can think of it this way
its windows Vista 2 or windows Mojave 2
Its a dumbed down less user friendly version of windows 7 with the added metro.
In order for me to use this version I have to hack the registry and bring back the start menu.
because of all the feedback about the removal of the start menu, Microsoft have said they will not add the start button back to the windows 8 desktop and are going to add code that will prevent running the start menu, I assume this will affect software like windowsblinds as well as registry changes
The longer article (in my second link, above) points out that if Win 8 is a train-wreck, Microsoft may not be able to survive.
And this is bad, how??
Personally I would love to see Microsoft OUT of the PC Operating System business.
” Windows 8 is coming…”
Well wake me up when it LEAVES!
...The other problem is the millions of business workers who use Windows everyday. Corporate IT departments aren’t going to switch to a colorful tile OS: Win8 may be cutesy and fun to the average user, but how distracting will it be to people in offices? Will companies turn off Metro so their employees can get some work done, much like how they block access to eBay and Facebook?
Hell, Microsoft is still pleading and threatening to pull the plug on companies to force them to migrate off of WindowsXP! Companies hate change. They have a death grip on WinXP. I think I hear a collective mantra chanted from Corporate America ... “...pry it out of my cold dead hands...”.
The longer article (in my second link, above) points out that if Win 8 is a train-wreck, Microsoft may not be able to survive.
And this is bad, how??
Personally I would love to see Microsoft OUT of the PC Operating System business.
” Windows 8 is coming…”
Well wake me up when it LEAVES!
I remember the good old days when the OS came with the machine and all updates were free!
Of course, the machines cost a hundred thousand dollars but hey, I didn’t have to buy them.
Will companies turn off Metro so their employees can get some work done, much like how they block access to eBay and Facebook?
They won’t be able to turn off the Metro start screen, at least - apparently the first betas could lose it through a registry hack, but that was removed in CP.
There are actually more alternatives than Windows 8 or staying with Windows 7/XP ... if you want to try something new, try Ubuntu Linux, I bet many will be surprised what intuitive desktops some Linux distributions have today and how well their support is for almost everything. I recently bought a Laptop and installed Ubuntu… unlike Windows, every driver was installed out-of-the-box, while on another Windows partition I installed I had to install several drivers separately. I’m using it for .NET development and all-day-things and so far I had not once the need to switch to Windows at all or missed anything that I would use Windows for.
But how well would Ubuntu run modo, or the Adobe applications, or ZBrush, or Painter, or 3D Coat, or Genetica? A lot of my software is Windows/Mac only, and a fair bit of it charges for platform switching even between those two.
Companies hate change. They have a death grip on WinXP. I think I hear a collective mantra chanted from Corporate America ... “...pry it out of my cold dead hands...”. 
