Post Release, Developers Give Their Take on Windows 8

The first release preview of Windows 8 has been available for the general public for over a year to try and test and today, Windows 8 is officially available in India. Microsoft has partnered with over 14 OEMs who will ship their products with Windows 8 on it for the Indian consumer to buy.

For those who haven't used Windows 8, this is going to be a radical shift in user experience. For starters, there's no start button and this has been replaced by a horizontal tile menu, for a mobile device like experience and at the same time it has retained the desktop look and feel making Windows 8 for a kind of a hybrid OS. Furthermore, the same OS will run on multiple devices, which can potentially have some interesting consequences. Here's what the developer community had to say about Microsoft's newest baby.

Hybrid Can be Bad.. Or Not!

A lot has been said about the sudden difference in the UI and UX of the OS. A research engineer from a leading MNC had this to say "One thing that I'm not very happy about it that there is too much of Windows' legacy code on it. From a slick UI you quickly go back to the old view, which I think isn't a great thing. You can either be a mobile like OS or a desktop one. This is like somewhere in the middle.""But the reason for Microsoft this is interesting. The same platform will support different hardware so I think, if Windows 8 clicks, adoption is going to be crazy. A lot of people will use it. Furthermore, Microsoft has enterprise support in place, which is a good thing. It will be interesting to see how this turns out."

Microsoft – Still Innovating

You have to give it to Microsoft for being bold. With most other OS makes sticking to the same user experience on their computer OSs, Microsoft has changed one part of the OS beyond recognition. This is a big risk and a friend from our startup developer community had this to say; "I think its a great platform! The tile layout is radically different and that's a big risk that Microsoft is taking. That is very interesting. There are a lot of good features on it; I was recently watching a video on how you can pause file transfer from USB, disconnect and then resume it later on. These guys have really innovated in the software aspect, while a lot of other guys have stopped doing so. Lets see how this fares.

But personally, I like it!"Laptop? Tablet? What's the difference?

Windows 8's multiple device support might well be the ace up its sleeve. This is a unique possibility that the others might have totally missed out on. A developer advocate from a leading mobile ad network had this to say "Windows 8 is like a single solution for multiple devices. To put it in more profound terms, because of Windows 8, the distinction between a desktop and a tablet might actually cease to exist. A Windows 8 device with a detachable keyboard can actually do everything a PC can do and can also become a tablet when you need it. These devices are more expensive than a conventional tablet but you have to realize that this isn't a conventional tablet. Furthermore the price of these devices will come down over time and these devices, will eat into the existing tablet market as it will be a true replacement for a laptop."

“You know, Windows 8 is actually not that bad after all..” - An Anti-Microsoft Developer

This would make the day of any Microsoft guy and especially those who have worked on Windows 8. A computer Whiz Kid and a GSOC-er from BITS Goa had this

to say “Having used multiple user interfaces over the past year, I have to admit that Windows 8 is actually not bad. I like what they've done with the start menu with the tiles and all; but that's me. How the average users see's this could be an area of concern for Microsoft. Also, the enterprise guys are going to have a tough time. After being used to the Windows XP work flow, which they would have been very productive on, this change might not necessarily be a good thing. It is definitely going to take some getting used to.""Media apps on Windows 8 is brilliant and users who go on Facebook a lot or do a lot of reading on the internet are in for a treat. From an OS's standpoint, it is better than its predecessors in terms of speed and efficiency. Its got a great integration with the cloud and users of cloud applications are also going to enjoy this OS. I think this is a Windows that's actually good!”

The developers have had their say. It is now up to us, the users, to decide this new Windows' fate. If you are an existing windows user, you can upgrade to Windows 8 for INR 1999. Nominal? Feel free to use the comment section below and tell us what you think.

Watch this space for more insights and updates from Microsoft and Windows 8.

We have also extended the entry dead line for the Windows 8 app challenge. Have you registered yet?