Last year at this time, we'd just heard a bit about an upcoming new Desktop and Server. The advance PR made some pretty tall promises, and for a while the paradigms were shifting faster than mountain biker trying to get up Rainier. But now the finished works are out for anyone's perusal, and so... how'd they do? Well, pretty well, overall -- we got everything promised, on time, and in some cases at a lower price than we'd have paid for Windows 7 or R2. But are the new Windows worth upgrading to? Should you replace your SANs with Storage Spaces? Will the cost-saving benefits of Windows 8 outweigh the expense of all the Windex you'll need for the new touch screens? And should you jump on it now, wait for a service pack, or hold out for Windows 10/Server 2012 R2? Join Windows columnist and author of the two-decade-spanning series of Mastering Windows Server bestsellers Mark Minasi for "just the facts"... and maybe a couple of laughs.