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Windows 8

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Windows 8
File:Windows 8 Developer Preview Start Screen.png
Screenshot of the Windows 8 Start screen, as shown at the Build Windows event in 2011, making use of Microsoft's Metro design language
DeveloperMicrosoft Corporation
OS familyMicrosoft Windows
Latest previewDeveloper Preview (6.2.8102.0) / September 13, 2011; 13 years ago (2011-09-13)[1]
PlatformsIA-32, x86-64, and ARM[2]
Preceded byWindows 7
Official websiteblogs.msdn.com/b/b8/
Support status
Under development
This article is part
of a series on

New features
Editions
Development history

This box:

Windows 8 (codename Windows vNext) is the next version of Microsoft Windows, a family of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, netbooks, tablet PCs, servers, and media center PCs.[3] It adds support for ARM microprocessors in addition to the traditional x86 microprocessors from Intel and AMD. Its user interface has been changed to make it better suited for touchscreen input in addition to the traditional mouse, keyboard and pen input.

Microsoft has not yet announced a ship date for Windows 8, although some major media outlets speculate it might be available in late 2012.[4] Some reviewers consider that there is little reason to choose Windows 8 over Windows 7, unless using a touch-screen device.[5]

History and development

Early Announcements

In January 2011, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Microsoft announced that Windows 8 would be adding support for ARM microprocessors in addition to the traditional x86 microprocessors from Intel and AMD.[6][7]

Milestone leaks

A 32-bit Milestone 1 build, build 7850, with a build date of September 22, 2010, was leaked to BetaArchive, an online beta community, which was soon leaked to P2P/torrent sharing networks on April 12, 2011.[8] Milestone 1 includes a ribbon interface for Windows Explorer,[9] a PDF reader called Modern Reader, an updated task manager called Modern Task Manager,[10] and native ISO image mounting.[11]

A 32-bit Milestone 2 build, build 7927, was leaked to The Pirate Bay on August 29, 2011 [12] right after many pictures leaked on BetaArchive the day before.[13] Features of this build are mostly the same as build 7955.[14]

A 32-bit Milestone 2 build, build 7955, was leaked to BetaArchive on April 25, 2011.[15] Features of this build were a new pattern login and more.[16]

A 64-bit Milestone 3 build, build 7959, was leaked to BetaArchive on May 1, 2011.[17] This build is notable for being the first publicly leaked Windows Server 8 build, as well as the first leaked 64-bit build.

A Milestone 3 build, build 7971, was released to close partners of Microsoft on March 29, 2011[18] but was kept under heavy security. However, a few screenshots were leaked. The "Windows 7 Basic" theme now uses similar metrics to the Aero style, but maintains its non-hardware accelerated design, and also supports taskbar thumbnails. The boxes that encase the "close, maximize, and minimize" buttons have been removed, leaving just the signs.[19]

A 64-bit Milestone 3 build, build 7989, leaked to BetaArchive on June 18, 2011 after screenshots were revealed the previous day. An SMS feature, a new virtual keyboard, a new bootscreen, transparency in the basic theme, geo-location services, Hyper-V 3.0, and PowerShell 3.0 were revealed in this build.[20]

Other new features found in leaked builds include a new Welcome screen,[21] a new packaged application model called AppX that is based on Silverlight[22] and Open Packaging Conventions[23], as well as a setting to automatically adjust window color to fit the wallpaper.[24] There is also a stripped down "Immersive" version of Internet Explorer, similar to the mobile version of Internet Explorer, but using the desktop Trident rendering engine[25] and a new "Hybrid Boot" option that uses "advanced hibernation functionality" on shutdown to allow faster startup times.[26] Another is the ability to create a Portable Workspace: an installation of Windows 8 on a USB storage device.[27]

Official announcements in the the meantime

At the Microsoft Developer Forum in Tokyo on May 23, 2011, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced that the next version of Windows will be released the following year (in 2012).[28]

"And yet, as we look forward to the next generation of Windows systems, which will come out next year, there's a whole lot more coming. As we progress through the year, you ought to expect to hear a lot about Windows 8. Windows 8 slates, tablets, PCs, a variety of different form factors."[28]

However, the company quickly corrected Ballmer's words in a company statement issued that afternoon.

"It appears there was a misstatement. We are eagerly awaiting the next generation of Windows 7 hardware that will be available in the coming fiscal year. To date, we have yet to formally announce any timing or naming for the next version of Windows."[29]

On June 1, 2011, Microsoft officially unveiled Windows 8 and some of its new features at the Taipei Computex 2011 in Taipei (Taiwan) by Mike Angiulo and at the D9 conference in California (United States) by Julie Larson-Green and Microsoft's Windows President Steven Sinofsky.[30][31] The main feature that was shown was the new user interface.

On August 15, 2011, Microsoft opened a new blog called 'Building Windows 8' for users and developers.[32]

Build conference and developer preview

Microsoft unveiled new Windows 8 features and improvements on September 13, 2011, day one of the BUILD developer conference.[33] Microsoft also released a Developer Preview build (Build 8102) of Windows 8 for the developer community to download and start working with.[34] Windows 8 Developer Preview can be installed on virtualization platforms including VMware Workstation[35] and Oracle VirtualBox.[36] The host's CPU must support hardware virtualization, and the virtualization usage - enabled in VM, in order installation to succeed.

Microsoft has shown a development roadmap at the BUILD conference stating that the next milestone will be Beta, Release Candidate, RTM, and general availability.

According to Microsoft, there were more than 500,000 downloads of the Windows 8 Developer Preview within the first 12 hours of its release.[37]

On September 16, 2011, Microsoft announced that the Immersive Version of Internet Explorer 10 will not work with Adobe Flash or any other ActiveX plugins. Instead, it will use HTML5. The Desktop Version of IE10 will continue to support ActiveX plugins, including Flash.[38]

New Features

Main article: Features new to Windows 8

Picture Password

This is new authentication method, introduced by Microsoft. This feature allows users to sketch in three different places over the picture to login.[citation needed]

Ribbon interface in Windows Explorer

The ribbon interface, previously available in Microsoft Office applications, will now become part of the Windows Explorer.[39]

Native USB 3.0 Support

According to a press release by a Microsoft developer, another features expected to be introduced in Windows 8 include USB 3.0 support, [40]

All-new file system

Windows 8 will support a new file system, currently known as Protogon.

Windows Store

As preview releases suggest, the final operating system will come with Windows Store, an online market place where you can buy applications similar to those available on the app store of Apple handheld devices.[41]

Windows To Go

Main article: Windows To Go
File:Windows To Go USB Flash Drive.png
One of the Windows To Go USB flash drives offered by Microsoft at the BUILD conference

There will be a portable workstation mode of Windows 8, called Windows To Go (first presented at the BUILD conference), which users can carry on a flash drive.

Restore Functions

The Developer Preview Version freely downloadable from Microsoft's website [42] already comes with 2 new recovery functions. Namely, Refresh and Reset, which both make a complete restore easier than a re-installation. The former keeps all settings & files of the user intact and only reverses all changes to Windows files to its original state and removes all installed programs and apps. The latter deletes all files and effectively re-installs Windows, but without any additional user input such as agreeing to license agreements or selecting a hard disk required. After a reset completed, the user will be asked for the product key and will then proceed to to account creation.[43]

Windows Live ID integration

One big change is that user accounts do not have to be local-only anymore but can be linked up to one's Windows Live ID. This has the advantage that users will not lose their settings and files as they move from their home computer to their work laptop or to any other computer also using Windows 8.[44]

Hardware requirements

The system requirements for the Windows Developer Preview (a pre-release version of Windows 8) are similar to those of Windows 7.[45]

Minimum hardware requirements for Windows Developer Preview
Architecture x86 (32-bit) x86-64 (64-bit)
Processor 1 GHz x86 processor 1 GHz x86-64 processor
Memory (RAM) 1 GB 2 GB
Graphics Card DirectX 9 graphics processor with WDDM driver model 1.0
(Not absolutely necessary; only required for Aero hardware acceleration. Graphics processors with no WDDM support will fall back to software rendering of Windows Aero and other 3D-accelerated graphics.)
HDD free space 16 GB of free disk space 20 GB of free disk space

A multi-touch screen is also required to take advantage of touch input. For Metro applications, a screen resolution of 1024x768 is required.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516/
  2. ^ http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2011/jan11/01-05SOCsupport.mspx
  3. ^ "Sinofsky shows off Windows 8 at D9". CNET. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  4. ^ "Windows 8 ship dates quietly avoided; Delays inevitable?". ZDNet. Retrieved 9/15/11. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  5. ^ http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2011/09/22/windows_8_aimed_at_touchscreens_not_ideal_for_most_users/
  6. ^ "Microsoft Announces Support of System on a Chip Architectures From Intel, AMD, and ARM for Next Version of Windows". Microsoft. January 5, 2011. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  7. ^ Rosoff, Matt (January 5, 2011). "OK, So Windows Is Coming To ARM Tablets...Someday (MSFT)". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  8. ^ "Leak: Windows 8 M1 Build 7850 Screenshots".
  9. ^ Thurrott, Paul (April 4, 2011). "Windows 8 Secrets: Windows Explorer Ribbon". SuperSite for Windows. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
  10. ^ "Registry Hack Enables Windows 8 M1 Webcam, Modern Reader, Ribbon & Task UI".
  11. ^ "Leaked Windows 8 M1 Build 7850 Screenshots".
  12. ^ "Windows 8 Build 7927 x86 leak".
  13. ^ "Windows 8 6.2.7927.x86fre screenshots ".
  14. ^ "Windows 8 (7927) - UltraWindows.nl". 29 august 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "Windows 8 Build 7955 x86 leak".
  16. ^ "Windows 8 - UltraWindows.nl". 15 juni 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Windows Server 8 Build 7959 x64 leak".
  18. ^ "Microsoft begins shipping Windows 8 Build 7971 via Connect". Windows 8 Center. March 29, 2011. {{cite news}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  19. ^ "Windows 8 Aero Light UI Revealed". Windows 8 News. March 16, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
  20. ^ "Windows 8 Build 7989 Leaked, Features Many New Enhancements". ITProPortal.com. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
  21. ^ Thurrott, Paul. "Windows 8 Secrets: Welcome Screen". SuperSite for Windows. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
  22. ^ Thurrott, Paul (April 5, 2011). "Windows 8 Secrets: Modern Reader". SuperSite for Windows. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
  23. ^ http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/apps/hh464929(v=VS.85).aspx
  24. ^ Thurrott, Paul (April 06, 2011). "Windows 8 Secrets: Aero Auto-Colorization". SuperSite for Windows. Retrieved April 10, 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ Thurrott, Paul (April 5, 2011). "Windows 8 Secrets: Internet Explorer Immersive". SuperSite for Windows. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
  26. ^ "Windows 8 "Hybrid Boot" discovered".
  27. ^ "Windows 8 Portable Workspace, push notifications & other apps discovered".
  28. ^ a b Ballmer, Steve. "Steve Ballmer: Microsoft Developer Forum". Microsoft News Center. Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  29. ^ Keizer, Gregg. "Microsoft backpedals from Ballmer's Windows 8 comments". Computerworld Inc. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  30. ^ "Microsoft Computex D9 Conference on Engadget.com".
  31. ^ "Previewing 'Windows 8' at Microsoft Website".
  32. ^ Steven Sinofsky (August 15, 2011). "Welcome to Building Windows 8 - Building Windows 8 - Site Home - MSDN Blogs". Blogs.msdn.com. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
  33. ^ "Windows 8 Developer Preview Guide" (PDF). Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  34. ^ "Windows BUILD by Microsoft".
  35. ^ Tony John, Microsoft MVP. "Install Windows 8 on VMWare Workstation".
  36. ^ Tony John, Microsoft MVP. "Install Windows 8 on Oracle VirtualBox".
  37. ^ "Steve Ballmer touts 500,000 Windows 8 downloads in less than 12 hours". Engadget. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  38. ^ "Microsoft drops Flash from IE on Windows 8 tablets". BBC. September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  39. ^ http://mashable.com/2011/04/03/windows-8-leaked-pics/ Mashable Tech - Spy Shots: Windows 8 With a Ribbon Interface?
  40. ^ http://www.anandtech.com/show/4665/native-usb-30-support-coming-to-windows-8
  41. ^ http://www.electronista.com/articles/11/09/19/windows.8.app.store.limits.raise.antitrust.issues/ Electronista - Microsoft limits Windows 8 Metro apps to its own store
  42. ^ http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/home/br229518 Windows Dev Center
  43. ^ http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2011/09/making-the-lives-of-it-easier-windows-8-refresh-reset-and-windows-to-go.ars Ars Technica - Making the lives of IT easier: Windows 8 Refresh, Reset, and Windows To Go
  44. ^ http://www.askvg.com/what-are-the-benefits-of-windows-live-id-integration-in-windows-8/ askvg.com Tweaking with Vishal - Windows 8 Live ID Integration
  45. ^ "ewindows Metro Style Apps Developer Downloads". Msdn.microsoft.com. Retrieved September 16, 2011.

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