If you want a peek at Microsoft’s next operating system and won’t mind enduring possible pre-release glitches, you won’t have to wait much longer to try it out. Microsoft announced it’s expanding its preview of Windows 8 to the general public Feb. 29. Members of the developer community have had their paws on the preview since September.

InformationWeek is calling Windows 8 the most massive redesign of Windows since Windows 95. The new operating system will incorporate the Live Tiles design from the Windows Phone 7, meaning various sections of your screen will receive rapid updates from your private message and social network feeds, as well as public sources.

Microsoft has yet to set a retail date for Windows 8’s release. The brain trust is giving current OS Windows 7, released in 2009, a bit more breathing room than the much-maligned Windows Vista, which first reared its glitchy head at retail in early 2007.

Windows 8 Consumer Preview Date Confirmed [InformationWeek]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.