Windows 8: The Thread

[Jayayess1190]

Official Windows 8 Blog

Facts about Windows 8:

• Late 2012 or Early 2013 Release
• To include Internet Explorer 10
• Separate Interface for tablets (based off Metro UI)
• Built in PDF Reader
• Ribbon Interface
• Will run on ARM processors, possibly without legacy app support
• Aero Auto-Colorization
• Ability to mount .iso's
• Modern Task Manager
• Online Sync of your Windows account
• Hybrid Boot
• Windows App Store

News on Windows 8:

• Windows 8: features, screenshots, and everything else you need to know
• 10 Hidden Features in Windows 8
• The mystery of Windows 8's new 'Protogon' file system
• Windows 8′s user account roaming feature revealed
• News From Around the Web
• Portable Workspace allows you to run Windows from a USB device
• Windows 8 to include its own Time Machine rival, History Vault
• Windows 8 to play Xbox games?
• Microsoft’s Kinect integration spotted inside Windows 8?
• Multiple desktops, smart sticky notes, and more

Videos:

• Building Windows 8

[Rodster]

Thanks for starting it off even though W8 looks just like W7.

EDIT: the article at the end suggests that W8 will not be released in 2012.

[ironman]

Win8, why u no come faster?

[Jayayess1190]

Win 8 Tablets being shown off now at D9:
Close Up of the UI


Exclusive: Making Sense of Our First Look at Windows 8

Windows 8 essentially supports two kinds of applications. One is the classic Windows application, which runs in a desktop very similar to the Windows 7 desktop.

The other type of application, which has to be written in HTML5 and Javascript, looks more like a mobile application, filling the full screen. Internet Explorer 10, which is part of Windows 8, has already been configured to run in this mode, as have several widget-like apps for checking stock prices and weather.

Although Microsoft didn’t offer any details, the start screen that it is showing on Wednesday includes a prominent link to a store, ostensibly confirming that Microsoft plans to get in the business of directly distributing Windows programs, much as Apple has on both the iPhone and Mac.

Although Windows 8 is clearly influenced by the iPad and other mobile devices, the plan for the new operating system has been in the works since Windows 7 shipped in July 2009–several months before the iPad was first shown.

“We really did take a step back after Windows 7,” Sinofsky said. “We were clearly influenced ourselves by phones.”

On a technical note, Sinofsky stressed that after decades of ever-increasing system requirements that characterized Windows releases through Vista, Microsoft is once again building an operating system that demands fewer resources than its predecessor–a trend started with Windows 7, which worked on all Vista-compatible systems.

[thomaskc.dk]

Windows 8 will include Internet Explorer 10... not 9

[Leon]

I'm quite ambivalent about Windows 8.

On one hand, I absolutely adore the Metro UI. On the other, this just seems like an awkward front end for the basic Windows 7 operating system.

During the demo, when Steven launched Microsoft Excel, the beautiful Metro UI transformed into the jerky, plain Windows 7 UI.

Microsoft needs to decide one way or another. Either aim towards transforming the entire operating system into its Metro UI or refine the basic Windows 7 system.

[dummy27]

I'm quite ambivalent about Windows 8.

On one hand, I absolutely adore the Metro UI. On the other, this just seems like an awkward front end for the basic Windows 7 operating system.

During the demo, when Steven launched Microsoft Excel, the beautiful Metro UI transformed into the jerky, plain Windows 7 UI.

Microsoft needs to decide one way or another. Either aim towards transforming the entire operating system into its Metro UI or refine the basic Windows 7 system.

I agree with you on the Excel part, it kind of looks out of place to me.

[granyte]

the window 8 leak boot faster inside a vm cause of hybrid boot then winodw 7 does on my system

microsoft has gone completly mad even if only half the rumors for windows 8 are true as long as they keep the performance similar to what it is windows 8 is gonna be a hit

[davepermen]

now combine that with kinect, and you have the perfect media center with all sorts of apps.

i can't wait for it, it'll be awesome.

the win7 mode does look too much win7 to me. i'd love to see a metro-styled theme at least (no transparency, no round borders, no glass.. )

but well, that's the price you have to pay for being still able to support apps that are older than some of the members in here. no one else does that (except linux). thanks microsoft to still do that.

the pure tablet-only joy will be on arm and co, then.

[granyte]

pure tablet joy can happen on x86/c64 just don,t use the legacy app then ;p