You will decide whether Windows 8 is a success or a failure

There's a lot of debate lately as to whether Windows 8 will be a flop, a success, or just some in between. Here at ZDNet we've got a lot of thoughts on the matter. Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols offered up five reasons why he thinks Windows 8 will be dead on arrival. I countered with my own set of five reasons why I think Windows 8 won't be a flop, and then David Gewirtz joined in, telling us why Windows 8 matters for real work, and so will Windows 9.

As you can see, opinions are divided, even by pundits. But the success and failure of Windows 8 won't be decided by pundits, it'll be decided by people like you, folks who buy PCs at home, for a small office, or for a large enterprise. That's how the success or failure of Windows 8 will be decided; not on websites, blogs, or forums.

I also think that it's rather premature to be declaring Windows 8 dead based on how little information we have about the platform. We have the developer preview (which is now quite long in the tooth) and we have a bunch of blog posts from the Building Windows 8 blog. Between those two resources there's a lot of information to digest, but we still don't have a beta or consumer preview or whatever Microsoft will call what it releases next.

From what I've seen so far I see two key, maybe even killer, features present in the new operating system:

• PC refresh and reset, which will appeal to home users
• ReFS file system in Windows 8 Server, which will appeal to enterprise users

I also see risks, specifically relating to tablet pricing, system requirements, the possible increased cost of Windows 8 systems, Microsoft making big UI changes like dumping the Start button, and the heavy focus (not to mention ambiguity) Microsoft is placing on Metro UI and touch.

So, I'm interested in hearing from you. Based on what you've seen of Windows 8 so far, what do you think of Microsoft's next operating system? Do you think that it will be a success or a failure?

[poll id="753"]

If you could expand on your thoughts in the TalkBack section, I'd love to read what you think of Microsoft's new OS and how you see things panning out.

Related:

• Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols: Five Reasons why Windows 8 will be dead on arrival
• Microsoft removes ‘Start’ button from latest Windows 8 build
• Windows 8 to help save you money when on the move
• Windows 8 ARM devices to have a ‘classic’ desktop experience?
• Windows 8 and the death of ‘rich’ apps
• It’s time for Microsoft to come clean over the Metro UI
• The PC industry is heading for collapse