Windows 8
Last September (at the BUILD developer conference) Microsoft took the wraps off its next generation Windows OS. Currently known as Windows 8, the software which is scheduled for a 2012 release is largely seen as Microsoft's answer to the threat from Apple's iOS and Google's Android platform.
Windows 8 will be designed to run well on tablet computers, but is also targeted to the 'normal' desktop/laptop PC market.
Microsoft itself calls the new design "reimaging Windows". The need for a complete overhaul is clear: today more than 60 percent of computing devices are mobile (laptops, netbooks, notebooks, tablets, slates, etc.). Nearly all of these devices are capable of wireless connectivity. Screen sizes range from under 10" to wall-sized screens. Storage has jumped from megabytes to terabytes and also starts to include "cloud based" storage. The increasing popularity of smartphones with the touch-screen capabilities they bring, have changed the way users view computing. Most of all, computing is much more focused on applications and on people than on the operating system itself or the data.
The big change most users will note is of course the Metro style user interface. Metro is an app-centric design that's more than just a GUI. Metro is the code name for design language Microsoft created for use in Windows Phone 7. Metro's design principles will not only be introduced in Windows 8, but Microsoft also plans to add these to the Xbox 360 and Windows Live which will create a unified look across its consumer products and services.
An updated 'classic' desktop also exists under Windows 8, something that has sparked some criticism. Some people are calling for a radical break with the past, but that is something Microsoft isn't willing to do. If it did, the outcry of users with non compatible software would be enormous. This also shows the problems Microsoft faces when competing with Android and iOS based hardware: both of these don't have the base of legacy applications they need to support.
Microsoft's stated goal is to make both user interfaces (new Metro and classical Desktop) work together in the most harmonious way possible.
Another first for Microsoft will be that Windows 8 will support ARM microprocessors, the low power CPU design currently found in the majority of smartphones and tablets. Current information suggests that when running on ARM designed processors, only the Metro language will be available, which means that current x86-based applications won't run on devices running the ARM designed processors.
Microsoft Announces Windows 8 Editions
April 17, 2012 - 18:25 GMT
Yesterday Microsoft announced the lineup of Windows 8 editions that will be available, and your choice got a lot simpler: For PCs built around x86 and x64 processors, the lineup has been trimmed to two editions.
Will Windows 8 Fail The Desktop?
April 5, 2012 - 15:20 GMT
Microsoft insists that "Windows 8 is equally a PC operating system for non-touch devices and a "no compromise" OS for both PCs and tablets." PC users disagree.
Windows 8: Log into your User Account Automatically
March 14, 2012 - 16:15 GMT
An often asked question answered: How to log into your Windows user account without having to enter your password.
Missing the Start Menu in Windows 8 Consumer Preview?
March 13, 2012 - 02:00 GMT
In the Developer Preview, Microsoft had a registry setting that allowed you to switch off the Metro Start screen. This would also enable the more 'Classic' Windows 7 Start menu. Microsoft had hinted that this would be taken away in the Consumer Preview, and it seems that they have.
Want to have a look at Windows 8 Consumer Preview? Install it in Oracle VM VirtualBox!
March 7, 2012 - 15:00 GMT
Oracle VM VirtualBox is "virtualization" software that allows users to run nearly any operating system on top of their existing workstations.
Microsoft Releases Windows 8 Consumer Preview
March 2, 2012 - 16:40 GMT
Last Wednesday Microsoft officially unveiled the consumer preview of Windows 8, its next-generation operating system.
Reviewing Windows 8 Developer Preview
December 14, 2011 - 20:15 GMT
I'm reviewing the Windows 8 Developer Preview with focus on running Windows 8 in a PC environment. That means I'm not using touch and have little interest in the Metro apps that are included in this developer preview.
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