First tranche of Windows 8 released via MSDN and TechNet

The first version of Windows 8 RTM code is now available those who have a MSDN or TechNet subscription. Before you all get excited, remember this is the is x86 code for Intel PCs and tablets, not the preloaded Windows RT operating system that's been stirring up such a kerfuffle of late. This is Redmond's baseline, as it were, …

[Anonymous Coward]

True.

"Microsoft deserves serious kudos for making the EULA a lot more user friendly by changing its first half into a Q&A style format that explains what you can and can't do with the code for the less technically minded."

True. Irrespective of what it says, the mere fact that it will be intelligible is laudable.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: True.

Anyone got a link? i would be interested in seeing precisely what a plain language EULA looks like.

[Robert Carnegie]

"Kneel before Zod"? Golly. :-)

[Efros]

Technet site

Buckling I think, getting errors on request for license keys and for downloads.

[Jason Bassford]

Re: Technet site

I'm always amazed that they never plan the right infrastructure to support the concurrent access and their site always falls apart every time a major release comes out. Oh, wait. On second thought, maybe I'm not that amazed by their lack of planning...

[RICHTO]

Re: Technet site

When a percentage of 400 million users decides to all download on the day of release, it takes Azure a few minutes to spin up enough VMs and for Akamai to add the bandwidth to cope - It is fine now - I am downloading at 12MB a Sec from home.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Technet site

"When a percentage of 400 million users"

When a TINY percentage of 400 million users - fixed that

[Efros]

Working now

but very slow. Would seem to me that they really need to embrace torrenting when this sort of release happens.

[Dan 55]

Re: Working now

Heresy! Burn the witch!

[Gordon Fecyk]

OK devs, here's your chance to get it right

Test, test, and test some more. If you're developing for Windows, you're part of MSDN. Right? Right? Go get the kit. I'm looking at you, Roxio.

You fell on your faces with Vista, and (hopefully) learned from that when 7 came out. You should have plenty of practice now to make it right on 8.

[Keith 72]

Re: OK devs, here's your chance to get it right

If you've left it until now, then you'd better get your bloody skates on.

[b166er]

Is Enterprise up for grabs then?

Would like to kick the tyres on Windows-To-Go

[Thomas Duffin 2]

Windows 7 Keys

Since they launched Windows 8 on MSDN it seems I no longer have any access to my Windows 7 licence keys and if I look on the downloads it says the Windows 7 downloads are not available. I can still download and get keys for Win 8, Win XP and even Vista.

[Corbett Enders]

All editions available

For those asking, at least on the MSDN website, x86 and x64 editions are available, including Enterprise.

[James 100]

Availability

Weirder still, my MSDN account will only let me get the Checked builds of Win8, not the regular ones - but says I don't have access to license keys for the checked builds either.

Presumably a glitch, since I had access to Win7 all along and there's very little point allowing a multi-Gb download but refusing to hand over the code to install it!