I've just installed Build 5754 onto my Alienware Area51m Notebook, and can report that finally, joy of joys, I finally get to play with Glass/Aero, the nifty and much hyped “new UI”, on one of my own machines. Wow, it's taken a while to get a driver and build combination which likes my 256Mb GeForce Go 6800 (on a fairly nifty machine with 2Gb RAM). I was worried for a while I may have lumbered myself with an underspecced machine*
What do I have to report? Well, not a lot so far. Everything I've got installed seems to be running OK. The UI seems snappy, though I'm sure I'll get hacked off by the zooming back and forth window effect. I'm liking the live preview when mousing over taskbar buttons, and I'm also liking the Winkey+Tab window cycling efffect. In fact, I'm loving that, to the point where I can just sit here holding down the key combo and watch as my windows go flying by. And I don't care about the lost productivity one jot.
I am, of course, running the Ultimate SKU, which was subject of an earlier post. Not sure if I'd fork the full wedge over for it myself, given that my Media Center needs are fulfilled already and I don't really need some of the other bells and whistles. Then again, ask me after launch and see what I come up with.
Yes, on the screenshot you'll notice I have Quake1 and a few older apps, and I'm sure you'll spot a few things which indicate this is my personal machine and not my corporate resource. Still, in the spirit of dogfooding, I'm trying it all out... and I'll be posting here the minute something screws up, believe you me.
UPDATE: Yes, I'm running as Administrator. Kids! do as I say, not as I do; And User Account Control is your friend, even if it's not mine, OK?
*actually, my real reaction was a little more cynical than that. I take it all back.
posted @ Tuesday, October 10, 2006 10:05 PM