Windows 8 Release Preview

My friend from way back in grade school ("A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away"), Brian, tagged me in his screen shot of the Windows 8 Release Preview;

...and the comment thread below ensued:

Brian: Still confusing. Goodbye Start button... Brian: What do you think (EJ)? Me: It looks like it is designed for touch screens. Brian: Feels like it's designed for touch screens. Too iffy with the trackpad. Me: Understandably. The point of the Start button was to make finding stuff efficient. This new GUI looks like you have to point and click all over the screen. Me: Usability fail? Brian: Not there yet... But it did crash once already. Should have partitioned Me: Ooh, what does the Win8 BSOD look like? It must be the most awesome BSOD yet. :D

Edit - Moar comments on 2012-June-5 below:

Brian: No BSOD it just froze. Crash count up to 3 now. Also the desktop takes ages to load once you boot it the first time. Lastly just to confirm our suspicions that this is more compatible with a tablet it took me a good 1 hour to find the power off button, it looks like it doesnt want to be shut off just put to sleep, Me: Doesn't want to be shut down? OMZG, it's part of SKYNET! Judgement Day draws nearer! O.O

The Official Word from Microsoft: Windows 8 Release Preview

It's Windows reimagined and reinvented from a solid core of Windows 7 speed and reliability. It's an all-new touch interface. It's a new Windows for new devices. And it's easy to try now—whether you're installing it for the first time, or moving from Windows 8 Consumer Preview.