I downloaded and installed Windows developer preview on a Core i3 VAIO. Here are some observations from 30mins or so I had a look :
- Can be installed side by side with an existing OS for Dual boot.
- Needs about 20GB of space. I installed on a 60GB partition which I created after shrinking one of the existing partition.
- The OS folder is 15 GB... Don't know if it is going to be the same for Tablets. If so it is doomed...
- Installation ran quicker than I expected but then the machine reboots a couple of times to complete installation.
- Very neat looking boot loader shows you the OS options available.
- Here are some instructions on how to do it http://blog.concurrency.com/infrastructure/dual-boot-windows-8-from-vhd-using-windows-setup/ (I used a logical partition rather than a VHD though)
One other thing I did was to create a bootable USB key with installation files following the steps here - http://kmwoley.com/blog/?p=345 . That saved me from having to burn a DVD.
I didn't notice significant change in startup time. I was hoping it will be much faster than Win 7. I guess a SSD will make a big difference and due to this it will be much quicker on Tablets.
After startup displays the metro interface with the program shortcuts arranged in tiles. Was able to get the tiles scroll across using the touchpad - but this seemed to freeze now and then. Was able to rearrange the tiles by dragging them around.
Tried IE from the metro interface. Looks very different from normal IE with the address bar showing at the bottom instead of the top, with larger buttons etc to make touch input easy. However anything in Flash shows up ugly like a image with missing source. Not good.
Mouse right click doesn't bring up a context menu, either in the tile layout or within the Metro apps.
Tried a few of the metro apps which came with it - all seemed to have been hastily put together, but they worked without crashing. I have not figured out yet as to how to exit those apps. All I have been able do is to hit the windows key on the keyboard to go to Tile layout or use Alt+Tab . I guess there must be a way to exit the programs without having to kill them using task manager.
Clicking the Desktop tile displays familiar Win 7 style desktop with a task bar. Clicking on IE icon opens IE in Win 7 fashion. I tried a website which uses Flash and was promptly asked if I wanted to install Flash. I confirmed and installation completed without any hassle and the website worked as normal.
I installed Chrome browser successfully and it worked fine.
That's where I stopped.
