Free Windows 8 Free Developers Preview

[Robby]

Everybody is now able to download a free copy of the Windows 8 Developers Preview! Windows 8 is Microsoft's answer to the emerging popularity of tablets and is aimed at bridging the gap between your desktop PC and portable tablet. Thanks to a unique dual GUI environment, one aimed at touch-screen devices and the more traditional one aimed at keyboard & mouse users, Windows 8 is aimed to be lightweight enough to work on a wide number of devices.

There is no MSDN subscription requirement or other obstacles to hold anybody from having a chance to to play with the new Windows.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/home/

The Windows Developer Preview is a pre-beta version of Windows 8 for developers. These downloads include prerelease software that may change without notice. The software is provided as is, and you bear the risk of using it. It may not be stable, operate correctly or work the way the final version of the software will. It should not be used in a production environment. The features and functionality in the prerelease software may not appear in the final version. Some product features and functionality may require advanced or additional hardware, or installation of other software.

There are, of course, a few limitations though. Chiefly amongst them is that this release will stop working after one year. This is not a free copy of Windows 8 meant to be used on your daily machine but rather is a preview of Windows 8 for developers and others who need to be familiar with the new operating system before it is released to the general public.

Engadget.com has compiled a list of the bigger differences between Windows 7 and Windows 8.

How does Windows 8 compare to Windows 7?

• All Windows 7 applications will run natively on Windows 8
• Security update notifications have been minimized to the lower right of the log-in screen
• Refreshed Windows Task Manager suspends apps when they're not running on-screen
• New "Reset and Refresh PC" functions enable simplified system wipe and restore
• HyperV virtualization software comes pre-loaded on Windows 8
• Multi-monitor support now enables a single background across screens, as well as monitor-specific task bars
• Multi-touch support enabled for Internet Explorer 10
• Magnifier function enhanced for desktop manipulation
• Optional thumb-by-thumb input mode
• SkyDrive storage support integrated into all cloud-based apps
• Metro-style refresh for Mail, Photos, Calendar and People apps with Windows Live ID
• Settings roam allows for preferences to sync across a user's Windows 8 devices
• Continued update support for Windows 8 Developer Preview Beta
• Even a Lenovo S10 (first-gen Atom + 1GB of RAM) can "run" Windows 8
• There's "no overlays" with Windows 8; Metro-style goodness is baked into the core
• Both Metro-style and conventional Win32 apps will be sold in the Windows Store
• Windows 8 devices equipped with an NFC chip will be able to use a tap-to-share feature to either send content from one device to another, or simply receive content from something like an NFC-equipped card.
• Logins will use a photo-based system
• Apps will be able to natively connect and understand one another (if written as such)
• Built-in antivirus software will ship in Windows 8
• There will not be a different edition of Windows 8 for tablets, and presumably, not for Media Centers either
• It's unclear how many "editions" (Home, Professional, Ultimate, etc.) of Windows 8 there will be
• ARM devices will be supported, but not in the developer preview

 

[Kevin]

I've downloaded the ISO files but haven't had a chance to do anything with them yet. Heck, at work we are just rolling out Win7, slowly, let alone even thinking of Win8.

 

[Gemma]

3.6GB is a big download, I'll get the OH to download this over the weekend and fire it onto a machine

We've run Windows 7 Ultimate since the day it was released and I don't think I've ever had any issues with it - I must admit I've been very happy with Windows 7 after the major failure that was Windows Vista

 

[Kevin]

3.6GB is a big download, I'll get the OH to download this over the weekend and fire it onto a machine

If you're on a slow connection, warn him that it might take longer than usual to download. Downloading it Friday over our corporate WAN took a few hours because of the volume of people all trying to grab it at the same time. It is unusual for Microsoft to have a wide-open beta preview like this so their servers are getting hammered with downloads.

We've run Windows 7 Ultimate since the day it was released and I don't think I've ever had any issues with it - I must admit I've been very happy with Windows 7 after the major failure that was Windows Vista

At home we went straight from WinXP to Win7 skipping Vista. I had played with Vista but really wasn't happy enough with it to upgrade to it. Last year though it was time for new machines so the laptops we picked up at Win7 Home Premium pre-installed and so far I have not had a single bad thing to say about it yet.

 

[Gemma]

Downloaded it now, it took about 2 hours. Burnt the image to a DVD. Something to play around with tomorrow

 

[neo127]

How do you guys generally prefer to test Windows, I mean on a whole system or via VMware?? Sometimes it becomes quite difficult for me to take a decision about it because I think that originality can't get tested upon virtuals but still for the test, I need a complete device which should be prepared to be crashed. So I just want some suggestions about that.

 

[Kevin]

How do you guys generally prefer to test Windows, I mean on a whole system or via VMware?? Sometimes it becomes quite difficult for me to take a decision about it because I think that originality can't get tested upon virtuals but still for the test, I need a complete device which should be prepared to be crashed. So I just want some suggestions about that.

I am running out of spare real machines so these days I usually just do virtual machines.