I'm really not able to throw up screenshots or things like that of the sort, but I'm wondering if anyone else has given it a try. Windows 8 is released for free as the "Consumer Preview" (also known as "Beta") at the moment, so I think giving it a try is neat.

If anything, I really like how Windows 8 has stepped up to optimizing what came from Vista and throwing it onto tablets. As ridiculous as it sounds, this is perhaps the largest complaint of all Windows 8 because it's no longer "PC pure" or so. I really have to argue that with their optimization for the tablet, this in turn makes all computers and laptops run with hefty optimizations.

I honestly like the start screen (the start menu is no longer existant) because it's actually quite easy to access programs right off the bat. However, I've cleaned up alot of the gunk I didn't like, so that wasn't too much of an issue. If you really did miss the start menu, I'd recommend Classic Shell because it's a very good start menu addition. You can customize it to keep both the Metro screen and the Windows 9x (or Windows XP-styled via the options) Classic Shell menu for the sake of convenience.

Performance-wise, I really don't have any powerful statistics or so, but on a regular non-Solid State Drive, the boot time has been given a hefty push from a minute or two (Windows 7) to a mere 8-30 seconds (Windows 8). Photoshop, Illustrator, Skyrim, and Microsoft Office all start up much more quickly and all seem to be performing better overall more than ever. It's very neat to see how fluid Windows is starting to get.

There is also the gimmick of the "Microsoft Account" which is really no different from Xbox LIVE. Essentially, you're using an email address to register for your "user account" and you can use it to sync data and settings between multiple computers under the account. However, this is completely optional because I created a local account. Despite that, it still functions like Windows and even without the Microsoft Account, you can still use your email address to pick up things from the store and not have your applications tracked (all changable in the settings).

Overall, I'd say this is a fine step for Windows. Windows 7 didn't have too many problems, so if you're content and satisfied with Windows 7 (or even Vista), Windows 8 can probably wait for a bit. I'm honestly very happy with using Windows 8 just for all the changes. The Task Manager is changed, copy/pasting is slightly changed (it even automatically overwrites folders this time around without prompting until it finds matching content rather than matching folders) to the extent that everything really does end up becoming more convenient. I'm quite excited to see what changes are made in the next Release Canidate (now labeled "Release Preview") in the coming months.

Just to clarify, I'm using Windows 8 on a Fujitsu T5010 AND a Fujitsu T900 Tablet PC, so I do kind of have touch functionality and stylus functionality on both. Windows 8 is actually capable of depicting whether or not you're using the mouse, stylus, or a finger because the interface slightly changes (cursor, dot, or nothing at all). I also have it running on a desktop (that is capable of running Windows 7, but isn't the strongest computer, it's something along the lines of being able to play Skyrim on medium settings) and the performance on that is even signifianctly enhanced. It also seems that everything from Windows 7 is still functional and usable, so I suppose that means we can expect it to have Windows 7's level of compatability, with the exception of resolutions below 1024x768. Supposedly, 1366x768 is now the default resolution, while 1024x768 is still supported. Everything below is no longer supported in Windows 8.

I'm sorry if I sound like a rabit advertising bot, but I'm just a tad bit too hyped because of my experimenting with Windows 8 and so on.

Edit: To further my point, I got too excited and forgot to write about one of the biggest annoyances with Windows 8 at this point. Noticably, the use on desktops is very usable, but quite "odd." Some programs actually let you scroll through the sideways Metro Interface with the use of a mouse wheel or a scrollbar along the bottom edge of the screen. However, I'd actually prefer if they even "emulated" the flick like the Cocoa SDK for iOS devices and such. But that only happens for Metro applications - all the "Aero" applications still work well like they would in Windows 7 and beforehand. I'm not exactly fond of the ribbon interface either, but some new shortcut keys were learned in the process of getting around it. Classic Shell also seems to replace the ribbon interface, it seems.