David Murphy over at Maximum PC has a love / hate relationship with Microsoft’s still-in-beta operating system Windows 8. There is a lot to love about the new OS, but the things he hates are genuinely very good points. They really aren’t a deal stopper, but they are things that Microsoft should really look at before the final release of Windows 8. Unless things change for the better, I think I may end up buying a Windows 8 tablet and leave my desktop with Windows 7. I honestly tried to give MetroUI a chance on the desktop. It’s not bad, but it is lacking so much (not able to be customized much, too simple, I could go on for a while). Put it on a simple tablet, and you’re golden. For the most part.

My desktop is my productivity machine. That is the single most reason I won’t go with a Mac. I need to get work done – whether it’s gaming or writing an e-book or designing a new application. Windows 8 makes that more difficult, not easier on the desktop.

My tablet is my fun machine. Read books, play simple games, watch Netflix, read websites, nothing really needing much power or much of an OS. Just an application launcher, basically.

Will Microsoft make some very much needed changes before it hits RTM? Will they take the massive consumer and IT professional advice (more like backlash!) and use that input to make MetroUI an optional desktop interface or better integrate it into Windows? I sure hope so, but I don’t want to take that bet. Way too risky.

This quote from the article puts it about right – I might not upgrade my desktop if it remains like the Consumer Preview.

Note, we said usually. For Windows 8’s errors are so flagrant and its annoyances so widespread, this might be the first operating system in your Windows lifetime that you’re going leave right there on the retail shelf. That’s right. We said it. Microsoft’s not only created a new operating system; the company has also created a healthy amount of doubt in the minds of potential purchasers.