Windows 8 Pre RTM Metro UI Leaked

An anonymous reader writes with this snippet from PC Tech Talk, which features screenshots of what is said to be something very close to what users will see in Windows 8: "One of the biggest changes Microsoft announced for Windows 8 was the change from the 'Aero Glass' interface we had in Windows Vista and Windows 7 to a new Metro UI. Until today these changes had not been fully seen as the weren't included in the recent Release Preview. A number of changes have been made to the UI since the Release Preview 2 weeks ago. Microsoft have said the new Metro UI will appear crisper following the removal of shadows and transparency. Gradients have been removed from buttons. The task bar is no longer has the glass, transparent look or blur effect. The new design brings with it some heartache for those that loved the Aero Glass effect as it has now been completely removed from Windows 8." Maybe it's more exciting in motion than are these static shots.

Actually, not too bad.

[bodangly]

Its pretty clean and I was baffled at the need for fancy glass and transparency, heck, those things were cliche by the time Win7 came out and are beyond cliche already. I like an interface made up of flat colors much better personally.

Re:It looks the same

[Anonymous Coward]

YES IT'S IMPORTANT OK ? There is a problem when the U.I. looks worst than anything else we've seen before ! It's so disgusting !!! Erk erk erk get away you parasitos from the tostitos in my burritos will you lick my anos dos tres quatro seize there is a pizza moving on the floor it's getting to me, please HALP the universe has open a breach that will swaala9o.;d

They removed transparency?

[cpu6502]

Why?
It's like a step backwards to an old 80s OS where everything consisted of solid bars with no shading or variation.

That's the best they can do?

[Ashbory]

If the goal is to simplify the interface they have failed. The first screenshot in the article: "Computer" is the most cluttered confusing thing I have seen in a long time. I counted 8 icons of computer screens.

Re:Clean and simple

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm one of those people, and after I've had my say and lambasted Windows compared to the wms I've experienced with Linux (Windows should really decouple its window manager more so that it's easier to run 3rd-party wms), I sit down, spend 5 minutes searching through rearranged menus, and turn on Classic Theme.

It's unobtrusive, it's simple, and it works. Win+R is vastly inferior to the Mod4+P dmenu binds I could set up, the lack of multiple workspaces is atrocious, multimonitor support is a joke, but at least it works.

I agree, this looks a lot better

[spitzak]

Just because you can compute transparency does not mean you should use it.

IMHO this is looking infinitely better, the first time they have improved over the "Classic" appearance. Clean is much better.

The title bars and resize edges are really thick however. And they seem to be cluttering the titlebar with icons. Not sure what the colored text that seems to be attached to the "ribbon" tabs is either, it would seem better to move the ribbon tabs and menu bar up into the titlebar.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Re:It's shiny and pretty

[Anonymous Coward]

People want computer interfaces they can relate to and that feel "human" and that means pretty effects and cool graphics.

Which is fine...as long as I can turn it off and have a clean and efficient UI to work with. When I'm spending 8 hours a day flipping between Visual Studio and SQL Server Management Studio and various spreadsheets and documents...the last thing I want is pretty graphics and bloated ribbon style toolbars taking up screen real estate and making me have to scroll around a lot more to see all the important stuff. Windows (file) explorer and it's task bar has just been getting progressively more and more annoying. I'm at the point now where I'm just writing my own taskbar and file explorer. I just want something that takes up minimal space, provide quick access to RUN, CMD, Admin Tools/Control Panel, allows me organize the running programs in the taskbar...and spot them easily... and a file explorer that doesn't try to figure out what view I need based on the files in the folder...I want to see the detail view...always...filename (w/extension), date modified, and size. That's it...even for media files. I just want to see my drives and be able to drill down into the folders. I want to be able to expand folders without the damn tree view dancing all over the place. I want the folders contents to load quickly, not sit around while windows does whatever the fuck it does that causes me to have to wait five minutes to see the bloody files in some folders. ok...I'm done ranting. I guess I'm just an old guy resisting change. But when that change is just stupid and slows me down, I get annoyed.

Re:Wow

[thegarbz]

It get's better. I tried Windows 8 yesterday. Actually gave it a go in the environment it was designed for, a tablet PC just like the adverts show. Except that this is a widescreen tablet so every icon on the metro interface brought up the same thing "Your screen resolution is too low to run metro apps, 1024x768 minimum".

WELL FUCKING DONE MICROSOFT. About the only tablet convertibles released recently have been eeePCs with tiny screens. Way to fucking go releasing an OS that doesn't run on those because your interface is a measly 168 pixels too high.