Microsoft has released the Windows 8 Developer Preview. This download is a full version of the pre-beta Windows 8 build and is chock full of disclaimers regarding its stability. Needless to say, I had to download it and give it a shot. The download (2.8GB to 4.8GB) can be found linked off the front page of the Windows Dev Center. I decided to download the full version with all the Metro development goodness though there is a lighter version without all the developer tools.
The Windows 8 Preview Guide (PDF) is pretty impressive. It is a nice, clean overview of Windows 8. Of course, the net is going to be saturated with info in just a few days now that it is publicly available. I also highly recommend checking out the Build Keynote which provides some of the eye candy you can look forward to.
I wasn’t as surprised to see ARM support as Microsoft has made it clear it was coming. I was surprised to see a 32-bit version for download. I suppose it might be a bit lighter weight (at .8GB < the x64 version) for those just wanting to pull it up in a VM to give it test run.
I was excited when I saw the Live Connect technical preview (site doesn’t work w/ Chrome) until I realized it is only the SDK.