I'm sorry I bought it! It was so cheap, and I was afraid I'd miss the boat (or train, or whatever the relevant dictum is).

But if it is any consolation, I haven't installed it yet, nor am I yet really planning either. It is there just as a backup. But I felt a small sting in my heart when buying it, just like when I've bought games with DRM...

I figured it couldn't hurt to try either and so far it seems pretty much like W7 once you get under the (metro) hood. Most anything I tried to do with W7 seems to work the same for 8 so far.

The metro thing is ... 'Neat' I guess.

The store, I can see how that rubs people (in the industry) the wrong way. It's basically like Steam but built into Windows, basically skipping all the work Steam did with getting people to use their portal via Steam keys and just plugging it straight into the OS. Considering reaching users is one of the most important aspects to selling stuff that's probably the best move Microsoft could've taken regarding that.

On top of that, couldn't they have still offered the ability to install and obtain (buy) WinRT/Metro apps outside of the Market? The very least like Android does it with its "Allow installations of non-Market applications."-option? That's probably the main reason why e.g. some Humble Indie Bundles include games for the Android platform, but not for iOS, as the latter is locked down the same way like WinRT.

I personally believe the reason for locking Market apps is mostly to lock out the competition, not because "the others couldn't offer the same level of service as Microsoft can yadda yadda yadda".

Yes it is true Win8 can still run legacy desktop apps too, just like Windows 9x could still run MS-DOS games. But that ability was later dropped in the further revisions like Windows 2000/XP, when the user migration from DOS to Win32 was complete (besides some niche hardcore retrogamers who didn't really "matter" anymore :)).

Pro does allow sideloading only windows8 doesn't and since it's the pro version the deal is currently running on...

Yes, I actually asked about this before:

http://www.gog.com/en/forum/general/the_bitch_about_life_in_general_thread/post3007

So:

- What does the sideloading mean in practise? Does it mean installing Metro/WinRT apps which are not even originated from Windows Store, or is it merely the ability to transfer Windows Store-originated apps to another device, without having to re-download them? But you'd still e.g. have to possibly re-activate them through the store also in the other machine?

So for example, could e.g. Humble Indie Bundle start selling DRM-free indie games to WinRT, which will not be tied to Windows Store in any way?

(I can understand that something like this must be prepared at least for the enterprise edition of Win8.)

- Why would MS drop this option from one of the Windows 8 editions, the basic "home desktop" edition?

I don't think that Microsoft is stupid. In the end, that is. It can start off with a boneheaded decision, like making Visual Studio Express work for Metro apps only, or putting an age restriction that's too low on its store, but once there's an outcry it realises the problem and fixes it.

That's why I'm not yet worried. Doom sayers are a dime a dozen.

And like timppu I will buy Windows 8 but won't use it, at least in the near future.

No, not really. You need special Sideloading Product Key to allow sideloading on Pro. That key is available only for additional price, and only in bundles. So it's only for enterprises, not for ordinary customers.

Well, it's not even funny. Not only the way to distribute software you proposed is ridiculous, but it's explicitly forbidden by Microsoft. and Sure, Microsoft closes the platform down, removing any way to run non-Windows Store Metro apps from an ordinary user (even in they want it), only because it cares about customers. Not because it want to solely control distribution of software on Windows.

Oh yeah, it's so beautiful that you can't create a JIT compiler on it, for example, making impossible to create a modern browser on WinRT.

Not really. Of course, fanboys can go on forever, but I am sorta already tired.

Haha, don't worry man! I don't take every Windows 8 purchase as a personal insult :) After all, we are all free to make a judgement of what is a good use of our money!

I'm actually kind of surprised no one has bashed Microsoft for the DRM so far (or at least, I haven't noticed a post about it), knowing the people around here. :)

I've been using and exploring Windows 8 for the past day now and I think people really ARE making too big a deal over the changes. There's a few negatives, that's true, and here they are:

- no more widgets anymore - I liked widgets on my second screen to monitor temperatures and so on while I was gaming
- no more Aero (or specifically, translucent windows)
- Metro interface is a bit overwhelming at first because it's riddled with crappy default apps you won't want to use.
- if you install onto a new drive, it will NOT create a dual boot system.

Positives:
- Windows Essentials is now Windows Defender and included by default.
- Boot times are quite a bit lower
- recovery mode is more fleshed out
- a different task bar for each of my screens!
- Very good compatibility
- If you have a dual screen, you can keep the desktop open on one and use Metro on the other
- very good driver support and very good default drivers
- loads of new shortcuts that really make it so you have as little hassle as possible

Also, to get rid of some falsehoods: you simply press the Windows key to move between desktop and Metro - it's really not a big deal in other words.

I did buy Start8 to get a startmenu back - mostly to quickly be able to reboot and so I could do a classic search. The new search works too, but searches through apps by default so it requires an extra click.

Be sure to check out the bundled Music app. Windows 8/RT include six months of free, unlimited streaming of the Xbox Music catalogue (with limited free streaming after that). It's comparable in features and pricing to competing services and already supports more countries than any of them. A paid subscription can also stream to XP/Vista/7, Xbox 360, and Windows Phone 7/8, and there will apparently be apps for iOS and Android later on.

I'll be interested to see if Apple responds to this growing threat. They still don't have their own streaming service; iTunes Match is cheaper but also far more limited because it only plays music purchased through iTunes or "matched" from local music.

If you like using keyboard shortcuts you can jump to the search categories with Win+W for Settings and Win+F for Files.

Another useful tip is that Enter launches whatever tile you put at the top left corner of the Start Screen, so you can put the Desktop tile there to jump to it even quicker than Win+D.

Thanks for the tip - I'm finding more and more cool improvements. If you move your mouse to the top right of your screen on your left monitor, it stops your cursor from moving to the next screen. While it's designed for the charms, it also helps when closing software.

Except for some trouble during installation (I have 6 drives and it refused to install it on my new SSD drive due to it being "reserved" - I had to remove the partition in Windows 7) it's been smooth sailing. Avoid Nvidia beta drivers though, I had to uninstall them.

Hows compatibility with GoG games? I intend on buying a new laptop in the next 3 years and my guess is that's it's coming with windows 8 bundled.

Compatibility is about the same as Windows 7. The only GOG releases I've had issues with so far are Gothic 1/2 (which need a simple fix). So far I haven't seen any other problematic games mentioned but that may change as more GOG users get Windows 8.