A look at the Windows 8 Developer Preview: REVIEW 2

Windows 8 "classic" UI

One of the biggest losses in this whole Metro thing is the Start Menu. RIP (1995 - 2012). The Windows 8 Developer Preview does not feature the traditional start menu; instead it launches the Metro start screen described above. We emphasize "Developer Preview" because this could very well change by the time it releases.

The classic Window UI is still available and fully functional.

There is just so much new here that we feel we have to list it in points:

• Proper multi-monitor support! Each screen can now have its own taskbar that can show all apps, or only the apps running on that screen. In fact Windows even comes with a theme with a dual-screen wallpaper just for multi-monitor users. The Metro UI can only work on one screen at a time, you can switch between screens at any time.

Through the taskbar configuration you can have the taskbar appear on all monitors, and can configure which apps to display on each taskbar.

• Explorer has a new ribbon based UI. Love it or hate it, it is there; in our opinion it is quite functional. With the loss of menus in Windows Vista, this UI brings back many useful operations. It can always be collapsed and ignored.

The share and home tabs of Windows 8 Explorer's ribbon UI

The Ribbon UI collapsed

• The ribbon UI can show context and content sensitive tools such as pinning apps and running as administrator for exes, extraction options for zip files, mounting and burning options for ISOs etc.

Options relevant to pictures appear here.

• Common operations can be pinned to the Windows Explorer toolbar

Operations can be pinned to the top of the window or below the ribbon for easy access

• An up button next to the back and forward button to move to a folders parent.

The up button is back in Windows Explorer

• Yes, Windows 8 can now mount ISO and VHD files without any 3^rd party software!

Mounting an ISO is easy in Windows 8

• The copy and move interface is revamped such that:
  • All file transfer operations will appear in the same window
  • These operations can be paused

Standard view of copy progress. One copy operation is paused.

• A detailed view will show a graph of changes in speed over time

Expanded view of copy progress

• The UI for resolving conflicts is much improved

Conflicts while copying are now presented much better

A fine-grained control over managing conflicts yet easy to exercise

• There is a new "Automatic" option for Aero window colour which automatically selects the colour of the window borders based on the wallpaper colour. If your wallpaper is set to a slideshow, your window Aero colours will change with each change of the wallpaper.
• There is a new task manager that in its detailed view is very powerful. You can see not only how much CPU and memory each application is consuming, but also its network utilization.

The new process manager is very detailed. This is just one of the tabs!

Windows 8 core features

A number of features in Windows 8 change the core of the Windows experience. One major addition is that of cloud syncing inbuilt into Windows. You can notice it the first time you set up your user account, when Windows asks you to enter your Windows Live credentials. You can use your Windows live account instead of a local account (which too is an option), and in that case, some of your settings etc. will automatically be synched to the web and to other computers associated with the same login. This is quite similar to Chrome OS, which does the same with Google accounts.

Setting up a new account based on a Live ID

Another great example is the new File history feature. Volume shadow copy / system restore from Windows XP was improved in Windows Vista with a "Previous Version" option to get back old version of files. Windows 8 takes it further by building a proper UI around it, allowing you to browse the history of your data folders and restore previous versions of your library folders at any time. All your libraries are automatically backed up. You can now even select where to store these previous versions of files; even network locations can be selected, and you can offer your computer's storage as to others in your HomeGroup.

Windows file history configuration

Browsing through the history of a folder.

Windows 8 now also offers an option to "Refresh" the Windows install, which will reload all Windows files without touching your personal data. In this case the some setting will be reverted and your applications will need to be reinstalled (not the ones installed from the Windows Store though). Another option is to "Reset" your install, which instead removed all personal data from the computer so you can resell it.

The refresh and reset options in the Metro control panel. They are also available in the regular control panel.

Antivirus technology is also inbuilt in Windows 8, including the new SmartScreen filter that was introduced in IE 9. Now files downloaded using any browser will be checked by Windows against an online malware database.

Another core improvement in Windows 8 is in how it shuts down and boots up. Now even on shutting down Windows hibernates its core processes so they can launch that much faster next time. This can lead to some serious improvements in boot speed.

There are numerous improvements in Windows 8; even the Blue Screen of Death has been changed to a less threatening emoticon-laced design. There are many things to hate and many to love. But this is just a hint of Windows 8, released mostly for developers.

The new Windows 8 Blue Screen of Death

Yes, the Windows 8 Developer is not complete; it is not even a beta, but a pre-beta. While all of what we have mentioned here is available in the Developer Preview build - and you can check it for yourself, it's on the DVD - take it all with a grain of salt. The final version of Windows 8 will most likely improve many things and possibly even remove some features.