Windows, being one of the most used OS, brings great challenges for
Microsoft to keep its users impressed in the next version of Windows.
Although Windows 7 has done exceptionally well since its release,
Microsoft has been constantly working to make the next version of
Windows a better one by further improving upon the existing features,
and have added new impressive Windows 8 features along with a stunning
UI.
Windows 8 is the codename for the next version of the Microsoft
Windows computer operating system following Windows 7. It has many
changes from previous versions. In particular it adds support for ARM
microprocessors in addition to the previously supported x86
microprocessors from Intel and AMD. A new Start Screen interface has
been added that was designed for touchscreen input in addition to
mouse, keyboard, and pen input.
Windows 8 is a Part of the Microsoft Windows family, which is being
developed by Microsoft Corporation,with the kernel type of Hybrid,
licensed by Proprietarycommercial software. Platform supported are
IA-32, x86-64, and ARM.
The main feature that was shown was the new user interface.
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 x86 microprocessors from Intel and
AMD.
Build conference and developer preview
Microsoft unveiled new Windows 8 features and improvements on
September 13, 2011, day one of the BUILD developer conference.
Microsoft also released a Developer Preview build (Build 8102) of
Windows 8 for the developer community to download and start working
with. According to Microsoft, there were more than 500,000 downloads
of the Windows 8 Developer Preview within the first 12 hours of its
release. Microsoft has shown a development roadmap at the BUILD
conference stating that they will develop Windows 8 using the same
milestones as Windows 7 did.
Hardware requirements:
Minimum hardware requirements for Windows Developer Preview:
Architecture IA-32
x86-64
ARM
Processor
1 GHz TBA
Memory (RAM)
1 GB 2 GB TBA
Graphics Card
DirectX 9graphics device with WDDM1.0 or higher driver
TBA
HDDfree space
16 GB 20 GB TBA
A multi-touch screen is required to use touch input. For Metro
applications, a screen resolution of 1024x768 or higher is required.
Microsoft may also require new PCs to have the UEFI secure boot
feature enabled by default to be given Windows 8 certification. There
has been some concern that it could lead to machines that do not
support alternative operating systems. The manufacturer is free to
choose which signatures are accepted by the feature and to offer the
ability to turn off the secure boot feature.
Microsoft has revealed the following maximum supported hardware
specifications for Windows Server 8 at the BUILD conference.
Logical processors
640 (was 256 in Windows Server 2008 R2)
Random-access memory
4 TB (was 2 TB in Windows Server 2008 R2)
Failover cluster nodes 63 (was 16 in Windows Server 2008 R2)
Windows 8 Minimum System Requirements
It is reported that Windows 8 is expected to have the same system
requirements as Windows 7, and will run on existing PCs/laptops that
run Windows 7. Here are the following minimum system requirements to
run Windows 8:
Processor: 1GHz or faster 32-bit or 64-bit processor
RAM: 1GB (32-bit) or 2GB (64-bit)
HD Space: 16GB for 32-bit (or 20GB for 64-bit)
Compatibility:
Windows 8 for x86 processors will run much software compatible with
previous x86 versions of Windows, with the usual restrictions: 64-bit
Windows will run also 32-bit software but not 16-bit ones; 32-bit
Windows will optionally run 16-bit software if installed to do so, but
will not run 64-bit software. Either 32- or 64-bit Windows can be
installed on x86-64 processors. Some expertise in manipulating
compatibility settings may be required to run, for example, 16-bit
software for Windows 3.x under 32-bit Windows 8, in cases where it is
possible. In particular, applications compatible with 32- and 64-bit
Windows 7 will run in the same way on Windows 8.
Windows 8 for ARM processors will not run software created for x86;
software will have to be ported by its developers to create ARM
executables from source code.
Windows 8 Features:
Windows 8 offers a number of new Windows 8 features from its all new
UI to Windows App Store and improvised security features. Here's a
list of new features and improvements which will arrive with Windows
8:
• Windows 8 will contain a new user interface based on Microsoft's
design language named Metro. With the new change, the Start Menu was
replaced in favor for the new Start Screen, where there are tiles that
contain shortcuts to applications, Metro style applications, and
updating tiles, similar to Windows Phone.
• A new authentication method allows users to sketch in three
different places over the picture to login, instead of typing a
password.
• Windows Explorer now uses a ribbon interface, similar to those used
in Microsoft Office applications.
• Another feature expected to be introduced in Windows 8 is native USB
3.0 support, without the need to load drivers.
• Windows 8 will come with Windows Store, an online marketplace for
buying, selling, and advertising applications.
• Windows 8 can be run from a USB-connected drive, such as a flash
drive. This feature is called Windows To Go. It is intended for
enterprise administrators to provide users with a Windows 8 image that
reflects the corporate desktop.
• Windows 8 will support multiple monitors with the new ability to
natively display different background images on each display and
customized taskbar(s) on each of the connected displays.
• The Developer Preview comes with two new recovery functions. Refresh
and Reset, which both make a complete restore easier than a
re-installation. The former keeps all the settings and files of the
user intact and only reverses all changes to Windows files to its
original state while removing 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 completes,
the user will be asked for the product key and will then proceed to
account creation.
• One big change is that user accounts do not have to be local-only
(or from an Active Directory domain) 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.
• Other new features include a new Welcome screen, a new packaged
application model called AppX that is based on Silverlight, and Open
Packaging Conventions, as well as a setting to automatically adjust
window color to fit the wallpaper.
• There is also a stripped down "Immersive" version of Internet
Explorer, using the similar Metro-based user interface of the mobile
version of Internet Explorer 9. The Immersive Version of Internet
Explorer 10 does not support ActiveX plugins, in order to be an
HTML5-only browser. The Desktop version of IE10 does support ActiveX
plugins.
• A new "Hybrid Boot" option that uses "advanced hibernation
functionality" on shutdown to allow faster startup times.
• A new version of Task Manager with a redesigned user interface is
also present in pre-release versions of Windows 8.
Support for both x86 PCs and ARM tablets
Windows 8 is the first edition of Windows which will work on both ARM
based tablets and traditional x86 (as well as x32 and x64) PCs based
on ARM processors from Intel and AMD.
"Support for ARM-based chipsets, touch, and sensors makes Windows 8
work beautifully on your choice of a full spectrum of devices, such as
10-inch slates with all-day battery life, ultra-lightweight laptops,
and powerful all-in-ones with 27-inch high-definition screens,".
Windows To Go
The "Windows To Go" seems to be an exciting feature that basically
allows Windows 8 to boot from a USB device (called as Live USB),
including user's programs, settings and files. The feature is designed
to work with both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, and on both legacy NIOS and
UDFI firmware. However, Microsoft says that a user will not be able to
"Hibernate" with this feature.
"Windows To Go is a new feature in Windows 8 that enables enterprise
administrators to create USB drives containing complete, managed
Windows images that users can use to boot and run Windows on any
Windows 7 or Windows 8 capable computer. Windows To Go makes it
possible for employees to use a managed device whether they work from
home, a client office or in a free seating environment. This session
will discuss Windows To Go, its hardware requirements and building
compatible and complementary software."
Another interesting thing about this feature is that, if the USB drive
is removed, Windows will automatically freeze, but will continue to
operate if the USB drive is inserted back in the next 60 seconds after
removal.
Windows Store
To compete with Apple, Windows has confirmed the introduction of a
Windows Store, similar to Mac App Store, which allows users to browse
through Windows applications, while developers can publish their
Metro-style apps on Windows 8 devices.
Windows 8 User Interface
Speaking about the UI, Windows 8 certainly has got a mind blowing
interactive UI, which has been extensively redesigned to a
"Metro-style" design, which shows the most important information to
you, embodies simplicity, and gives you full control over it. The UI
is designed to provide a fluid and intuitive interaction and
navigation with touch, or a mouse and keyboard.
Improved Windows Defender
The Windows Defender which was first released with Windows Vista is
getting a security upgrade with the upcoming Windows 8. This would
probably edge-our third-party antivirus and anti-malware programs.
Windows Defender will become a full-fledged anti-malware solution for
Windows 8. This will include protection against all types of malware
such as virus, worms, trojans and rootkits.
In addition to that, Windows Defender will provide real-time
detection and protection from malware threats using a file system
filter, and will interface with Windows secured boot, which is another
security feature.
Internet Explorer 10
The developer preview of Windows 8 comes with a Metro version of
Internet Explore (IE) 10. Since it is a preview version, it does not
support any browser plugins and extension – including Adobe Flash and
Microsoft Silverlight. However, it will feature full screen browsing
mode by default, implements several new HTML5 capabilities,
turbocharges HTML5 performance, and adds some security options for Web
applications.
Windows 8 Release Date
We can expect Windows 8 to be launched sometime in mid-late 2012. The
only question that haunts each and every one of us – Will Windows 8
win the battle against Apple which it had lost several years back?
Let's see to that.
