No, we're not living in the past, and no, there's no typo in the title. Windows 8 RTM, the official build which was compiled nearly two years ago, got leaked and can be freely downloaded by anyone who knows where to look for it.

Windows 8 build 8888, which is generally referred to as the RTM version of Windows 8, leaked to the web recently through the usual unofficial channels, giving users a chance to see what the first “complete” build of Microsoft's modern operating system looked like two years ago, when development was officially finalized.

Before downloading it, however, it's worth taking into account that this old version of Windows 8 does not receive any kind of support, so in case you're experiencing issues with it, Microsoft won't lend you a hand to fix problems.

What's in build 8888?

So, what should you expect when installing Windows 8 build 8888? First and foremost, the desktop is exactly the same as in any other Windows 8 version, so you won't have a Start menu or a Start button.

Everything looks, works, and feels exactly the same, and you should take this into account if you actually plan to deploy this new build for everyday use. Which, by the way, is not recommended, since it doesn't get support from Microsoft.

At the same time, it's worth noting that in Windows 8 build 8888 you won't find any Modern apps, and while we do know that this could actually be really good news for some, it might also make this version unusable for some people.

As WinBeta notes, build 8888 only comes in English, so no multi-language support for now.
What happened next?

Windows 8 hit the market in October 2012 with build 9200, so one could wonder how come RTM was reached at build 8888 and the version that everyone got their hands on was different.

In just a few words, the original Windows 8 build 8888 actually included a bug that Microsoft had to fix before the public launch of the operating system, so after making these changes, it bumped the version number of 9200, a change also confirmed in a TechNet article.

“Windows 8 was going to be build number 8,888. In fact, the team (of which I was a member) actually produced a build with that number, but we discovered a problem. The number 8,888 is not evenly divisible by 16,” the article reads.

In the end, this leaked Windows 8 build is indeed worth a shot if you'd like to see what was before the public launch of the modern operating system, but don't forget that it brings nothing new to the table and you shouldn't install it on your main computer.