I just got back tonight from day 1 of 2 on how to develop applications for W8.

Conclusion tomorrow.

Windows 8 lets you have it both ways. The new metro interface. This one should be for Tablets and Windows phone. I don't see this becoming very popular on desktops.

And the interface we are used to. I changed my mind ;-) I will install it on a virtual machine. I just want to see if there's really something worth mentioning with the ancient approach.

I've been resisting .net all those years and there's something very interesting for me in developing apps for the Metro interface. I like it that JavaScript and Html5 can be used to build Metro apps.

Perhaps I'll never have to learn .net

I think that it would be a wise decision to not learn a development environment that is proprietary to a company. Html5 and JavaScript are perfect here.

But it's too soon yet. So in the meantime I'll continue my VFP development and I'll be following with interest the evolution within MS.

>>I know an MVP that said he used it for a month. He just went back to W7 because he thinks that W8 is a real mess.
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>>So far I haven't tested it and I don't really intend to. And I don't think that I'll upgrade my W7 installation with W8. Unless MS gives it to me.
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>>The thing is that I have a really stable OS environment and I'm very pleased with what I have right now.
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>You see, that is exactly my point. It seems everytime we reach the point of where everything is properly set up, bug free, or almost at the OS level, everything stable, the proper development and powerful environment and so on, that it is time to upgrade the OS. And yes, some will see it's a business and this is why MS is still there. I agree. But, it seems we are in the skip one take one as far as new OS are being released at MS.
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>>I guess that our new clients will get W8 because they will get new computers. But I doubt that those using machines with XP, Vista or W7 will upgrade to W8. With an unstable economy people keep their money as long as they can.
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>Same thing when some VFP applications have been moved to SQL Server, for the backend part, at least, so to be able to remain within the corporate policy. As far as the economy, it reminds me around W2K. Since 1997, most of the corporate software infrastructure remained locked until 2003. This was the result of a major drop of the consulting business. So, when most of them realized that everything was running as is and pretty much ok, why change it? However, this is good for a long as everyone think the same. Then, when the wheel turns and everyone is jumping into a new technology, the next thing we know is to react extremely fast to be at least the same as the competition of better.
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>I do not know about W8. This is probably one of the most unanticipated OS upgrade I can remember. At least, with Vista, many were enthusiast about it. Some are with W8. But, it seems that this is somewhat different. One say that we cannot take a bad decision while we do not. However, this is as good as long as we are not forced to take one, which will come one day or later.
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>>But in the end W8 could help W7. Perhaps because of the bad W8 publicity those thinking of upgrading from earlier OSs will decide to upgrade to W7 instead of W8.
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>For W7, this one was difficult for many of us. Hardware was a factor to be able to move up to the 64 bits environment. It required also more powerful machines. And, there was major changes. At least, with W8, from what I have heard, we are within the 64 bits infrastucture and the current hardware should be sufficient. One of the thing that irritated me with W7 was that we had to reinstall. There wasn't any way to just upgrade. So, I and many others, had to built from scratch brand new PCs. And, then get rid of the one old. lol
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>I sure hope they will adjust as much as possible for W8 so to respond to the community and try to make it more easy to deal with.