And so it begins… And ends…

Today we’ll begin to see what Windows looks like when it updates like a phone, works on a desktop, and updates without control.
Interesting times.

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The preview of Windows 10 is available for download now from http://preview.windows.com. The standard reminder applies–this is for testing. It’s a beta operating system, with all the “We will not be blamed if you lose it.” that implies. The real thing isn’t this, and the shipping date isn’t announced yet.

After only a quick install and some exploring, this looks like what a hybrid interface should have been. The interface-formerly-known-as-Metro, or ‘live tiles’, or the ‘modern desktop’, hasn’t shown up at all. Apps are available from the desktop, and sizable, and they don’t break if your local sign-in to the computer was a local account–you can sign into them with a Microsoft account individually.

So far, so good.

Here’s a screen capture of bad software design–sometimes you just can’t go online to find out why you’re offline.

OK, if the Internet is down, it’s down. It’s not down for a program, and up for the online help files. OK, I get it–online help files, as part of software design, are easy for a software publisher to update, and there’s value in that. But down is down, and bad planning is bad planning.