Windows 8 News » Windows 8

Microsoft Reveals Windows 8 Embedded In Job Opening

Martin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:33:44 +0000

Microsoft continues its policy to reveal as little information as possible about upcoming software releases. This change became apparent during the development of Windows 7, and has continued ever since. The lack of information however is a breeding ground for rumors and speculations, which may influence the perception of the public.

First hand sources about Windows 8 are very rare, and those that are available are often not directly related to the development of the operating system. The latest tidbit of information came for a recent job opening posted on the Microsoft Career website. Microsoft is looking for a software engineer for the Windows Embedded team:

The Windows Embedded for Vertical Industries team is looking for an experienced and strong SDET. Our team delivers Windows Embedded toolkit and Windows Embedded Ready solutions for several key device categories like Point of Service, Thin clients, Set top box/Connected TV, Digital signage, Multi-function printers, Industrial automation, etc…

Windows Embedded 7 is a spin-off of the Windows 7 operating system that is optimized for embedded systems.

Our current product, Windows Embedded 7, is the next version of the Windows Embedded tool kit that uses the same binaries and technology as the regular Windows 7 product, but with the potential for much smaller footprint and more robust OS. The idea is to remove any and all unnecessary features so that the device works in custom and usually down sized environments

The last paragraph of the job opening mentions the next iteration of Windows Embedded, called Windows 8 Embedded.

As an SDET on our team, you will be an expert in providing feedback on product design and user scenarios, ensuring testability of our product, developing test suites, and contributing to our automated testing infrastructure. Additional responsibilities include mentoring other SDETs in testing methodologies. A passion for Engineering Excellence will also be essential as it will be crucial to enabling our Product Unit to rapidly innovate in the Mobile space. This team offers an opportunity to development significant knowledge about many features in Windows, gain significant customer exposure through a combination of blogs, DLs, and customer events, develop an early view on future expansion to other areas including thin clients, POS, multi-function printers, and Win 8 Embedded and last but not the least, an opportunity to work with a product and organization that is very successful in the financial and business sense.

This means, Microsoft is not only working on Windows 8 Client and Windows 8 Server, but also Windows 8 Embedded, which is likely to be released some time after the two other products have been released, as was the case with Windows 7 Embedded.

Windows 8 To Include Direct Experience Platform?

Martin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:26:52 +0000

A recent patent by Microsoft reveals a new feature that could make its way into Windows 8. The patent calls it Direct Experience, and it basically speeds up the execution of media, and maybe other data, in the operating system.

This is done by circumventing some of the necessary steps to play media. In Windows 7 for instance, a user would have to start the computer, or resume from standby, login, wait until the desktop loads, before the appropriate application can be launched to play the media files.

Direct Experience checks for media to play before login. If media is found it can automatically launch a maximized media player and start playback mode.

direct experience

windows8 patent

Fig. 4 shows the user experience. The direct experience application needs to be loaded with the press of the button, but it may also be initiated by inserting media like USB devices into the computer.

The patent goes into further detail, and can be viewed in full here.

Described is a technology by which a computer system operates in a mode that is different from a general purpose operating mode, upon detection of a special actuation mechanism coupled to the computing device. For example, actuation of a special hardware button may boot or resume a sleeping computer system into a direct experience upon actuation, including by launching a special program corresponding to that button. The computer system may thus enter a mode in which it mimics a special purpose device such as a consumer electronics device, e.g., a dedicated media player. When in a direct experience, the computer system may also operate in a constrained/sandboxed mode in which operating system limits available functionality to less than what is available when running as a general purpose computer system, e.g., keyboard operation and/or file access may be limited. Different actuation mechanisms may correspond to different modes.

A feature like Direct Experience would be especially beneficial in mobile computing, considering that the devices might need less battery power to operate in Direct Experience mode. It also adds to the usability of the device, considering that it will speed up media playback considerably.

What’s your take on this? Would you like to see this in Windows 8? Let us know in the comments. (via Being Manan)

Poll: What do you want in Windows 8?

Mike Halsey — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 07:17:09 +0000

Tech blogger and programmer Raphael Rivera has opened a public poll on his website asking what features you want to see in Microsoft’s next operating system, Windows 8, due in 2012.

The poll is extremely comprehensive and includes all types of features that users have been clamouring for. These include support for different form factors and third-party match management.

As Raphael says, “Worst case, Microsoft simply ignores the whole thing.” but this is no reason not to step forward and make you views known. Why not have a go with the poll and we’ll see what new features in Windows 8 the public really want.

Microsoft Got Windows 7 right, but so much is still so wrong!

Mike Halsey — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 14:44:22 +0000

Microsoft got a great deal right with Windows 7, there can be no argument about this. The one thing that constantly strikes me about it is how I tend to leave it largely unmodified.

With Windows XP I’d have all sorts of tweaks and settings programs running. I’d have to change any number of annoying settings. Then there came the TellyTubby wallpaper, urgh!

With Windows 7 there are only a very few settings I change and I happen to really like the default wallpaper. This, as a power user, is an absolute first for me and proof so far as I’m concerned, that Microsoft have got it right.

But then there’s all the stuff that still hangs on from XP and that, frankly we have got to get rid of for Windows vNext (or Windows 8, whatever it ends up being called).

File Open / Save Dialogs

Why are we still using the same file open and save dialogs that we’ve had for over a decade now? Microsoft Office 2010′s Backstage view gave a tantalising glimpse of what we could have but, alas, even that reverts to the standard boring pop-up dialog.

I’ve got to admit, these file open and save dialogs are my pet hate in Windows 7, even more so that the horrible Taskbar / Start Menu dichotomy (and that’s up against some stiff competition).

The Taskbar / Start Menu Mess

I didn’t like the new Taskbar when it first appeared, not because it’s difficult to use or badly designed, but simply because couple with the existing Start Menu it’s a messy hybrid of the old and the new. I understand why Microsoft did things that way, but this really HAS to be sorted out for the next version of Windows.

If Microsoft are moving us towards a new interface then we need a bold jump, not a mixture of old and new styles at the same time.

Improved Updating for Third-Party Products

It’s far past the time now when Microsoft allowed other companies to plug their software updates into Windows Update. This feature has had such promise for years, and it’s long past time Microsoft did something positive with it.

The Libraries Fiasco

I’ve gone on about Libraries for ages now. Theyre another half-baked idea that needs serious attention. It’s not difficult Microsoft, come on, give us the ability to build libraries of file types (PDFs for instance), that would be a start. It also takes Windows far too long to build its indexes, we need the return of the WinFS file system to the OS.

Strip out the remaining XP Legacy Settings

Why am I still having to manually change the Virtual memory settings when I install Windows 7, or why is the Data Execution Prevention setting in the Visual Effects panel? Come on Microsoft, get your act together.

Clearly there are still pet peeves with Windows 7 that I believe badly need to be addressed before we get the first beta of codename Windows vNext in about nine months time. It’s much much closer than you might think!

Windows 8 Release Date, Projected Late 2011

Martin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 07:37:36 +0000

The Windows 8 release date has been shrouded in a cloud of rumors. Most experts expect a late 2011 early 2012 release of the operating system. A recently leaked Windows 8 product cycle chart provides the answers needed to determine the release date of the next Windows OS by Microsoft.

You can take a look at the image here. The chart lists the planning, development and readiness product cycle of Windows 8 and related Microsoft products such as Internet Explorer 8, Windows Live Wave 4, Windows Live Wave 5 and Windows 7. It also lists major events.

Some events and products have already been held / released and it is possible to pinpoint the release date of Windows 8 by making the remaining calculations.

Here is what we know. Forum I and Forum II have been major events, the former held in December 2009, the latter in April 2010. The listing lists four additional event, Forum III to Forum VI. The next two events fall into the development phase of Windows 8, the remaining two into the readiness phase.

Internet Explorer 9 and Windows Live Wave 4 have either been announced with final dates (at least for the beta) or released already.

Forum II was held 4-5 months after Forum I. If we take this approach we can calculate the approximate month of the other four forums. This would mean between 16 to 20 months from April 2010 on which coincides perfectly with the projected late 2011 release date.

The Windows 8 beta should be released around June 2011 and the final release might even hit the stores at the same time that Windows 7 was released, which was October.

The Internet Explorer 9 product cycle confirms the findings. Microsoft has announced a beta release of Internet Explorer 9 for August 2010. This would be the same time that Forum III will be held, which is exactly four months after Forum II.

The chart may be a bit off since Windows Live Wave 4 was released in June. It could be that Microsoft has projected the Forum III conference for June / July instead.

Could also be that the chart is not 100% accurate and it can happen that development cycles need to be shifted, especially if major issues are encountered during development.

Still, we are pretty sure that Microsoft will release the beta of Windows 8 in or around June 2011 and the final release of the operating system in or around October 2011.

What’s your take on the chart? We are very interested in users who can provide us with additional information including Forum III to Forum VI dates.

Windows 8 Tablet PC Hardware Requirements

Martin — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 20:05:59 +0000

It is projected that tablet PCs will see a boom in the coming years, largely thanks to the success of Apple’s iPad device. Leaked Microsoft documents gave us a first impression of the Windows 8 Tablet PC hardware requirement.

It has to be noted that Microsoft may change these at any time. The requirements have been extracted from a sheet detailing sensors and hardware capabilities. Some requirements might be optional as well.

A 9″ diagonal display, at least 768px width
A Direct X accelerated graphics processing unit (GPU)
GPS for location aware applications (likely optional)
Wireless LAN connectivity
Camera for facial detection
3-Axis Accelerometer (likely optional)
Ambient light sensor with adaptive brightness (likely optional)

Making those sensors a requirement makes sense, considering that Apple’s iPad offers most of them in one form or another.

Windows 8 To Support Facial Detection, Calls It My PC Knows Me

Martin — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:48:33 +0000

The confidential document that leaked earlier this week gave us a first glimpse of what we can expect to see in Windows 8. Everton’s last post offered an overview of the features that were mentioned in the leaked document including improvements in power management, boot time and shutdown time.

Microsoft plans to improve sensors in Windows 8, and one specific application was only mentioned incidentally in the article: Proximity sensors.

The document contained a set of screenshots that exemplified how proximity sensors would be implemented in Windows 8.

Microsoft calls the technology My PC Knows Me and it basically means that the PC can use a connected camera to recognize a user and act depending on the user’s position in the room.

The PC can automatically change its state to sleep mode if the user walks away and resume if the user walks to the PC.

Facial recognition will also be used to switch PC users quickly. Being Manan has posted the pages of the document that contained information about the feature, visit his page to see them in action.

The key features as stated in the document are: Proximity detection, facial detection, Rapid “on”, User authentication and login, fast and easy user switching, desktop lock using face detection and proximity detection, fast switch to sleep mode.

Key scenario features and opportunities list presence detection, system wake and lock, user authentication via face recognition, fast desktop switching, fast sleep mode.

Partner opportunities include combined authentication for enhanced security, e.g. face and fingerprint or face and password.

The hardware capabilities are listed with a 17″ to 30″ touch display, DirectX gpu, 5 or more contact points and improved sampling rate for high quality touch experience and HD video.

Sensors used are infrared proximity sensors to use proximity based sleep and wake and ambient light sensor for changing the screen brightness based on the lighting conditions.

Have other news to share about Windows 8? Tip us off by sending us an email or leaving a comment below.

Windows 8 and Server “Next” to Be Developed in Parallel

George — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 21:19:51 +0000

The transition according to Microsoft for client and server operating systems are … minor…then major…then minor…etc. That is how server and tools unit president Bob Muglia sees it. Basically, Microsoft is sticking to a schedule presented several years ago. It stated that the server and tools unit would put out alternating minor and major versions every two years. The most recent update of the server version of Windows 7, called Windows Server 2008 R2, was a minor update. This update was completed last year.

What will the be the name of the next version of Server 2008? That was not revealed in the interview, but Muglia did point out that Windows Server “vNext” will be a major release of the OS. This is similar to the upgrade of Windows Server 2008 R2 as a minor upgrade to the plain version of Windows Server 2008.

“We’re not talking a lot about the next version of Windows Server today but I think what you’ll see is…that the learnings that we have from Windows Azure will be pulled back into Windows Server, just like there’s features in Windows Server and SQL Server that are being pulled up into Windows Azure and SQL Azure.”

Muglia did say that the next version of Windows Server is progressing in development alongside the next desktop operating system. As of yet, Microsoft is not displaying their cards about a formal codename, or list of features, or even a target date. But according to Muglia, the two teams, one on client and one on server, worked together side by side in the development process.

This goes with the development of the next version of Windows 7, probably to be called Windows 8. Why? Because of Steven Sinofsky.

Steven Sinofsky, whose position is president, of the Windows and Windows Live Division, has made an interesting feature known about how the development process of Windows has changed after he came to the helm of the project. He had been brought in from the Office team.

When Sinofsky was leading Office, Microsoft used product numbers. They did not use code names for future releases of the productivity suite. Office 2010, for example, was Office 14. The next version of Office has already been labeled Office 15.

So when Sinofsky moved over to Windows division, the follow up to Windows Vista became Windows 7, as Vista was Windows 6.0. Thus, it is only natural to assume, and apparently some of Microsoft’s own employees have done so, that the next version of Windows will be labeled Windows 8.

Let the Windows 8 Concepts Begin…

Jason — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 17:31:06 +0000

The tech industry is always about the next big thing. Even before the release of Windows 7 there were those speculating about the possible features and changes in the next version of Windows.

I’m sure there are many readers, like myself, who are thrilled by the anticipation of a new Microsoft OS. If you weren’t, you probably wouldn’t be reading this. Either way, months and sometimes years before a new early build or beta is released, there are users guessing what the changes in the new OS might be. Longhorn felt-like and actually did take forever to go from concepts to Vista, then we also saw our fair share of pre-Windows 7 concepts way before the beta, which is normally the case. Alot of these concepts are elementary and most will never be looked at twice, but there are some very talented users out there with some very good ideas.

I ran across this picture on a blog and thought it was funny:

Maybe this is the next version of Windows?

Often times a user will post screenshots or a video with their concept of what the next Windows might look like and Windows 8 is certainly no different. Personally, I am always excited at the prospect of new UI changes in the next OS and I’m sure that Microsoft employees keep their eyes peeled for interesting concepts as well. I thought I would gather some interesting concept images and videos of the next iteration of Windows that users across the web have already posted.

Here are some concepts videos that I have found:

Windows 8 Concept

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKm1jeR_uL4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNLIu6n-cKY&feature=related

Of course, these are just a few concepts out there right now and many more will certainly pop up in the coming months. We’ll do our best to stay on top of the betas and early releases and keep the readers posted on any breaking stories about the next OS, but for now, looking at what the users want and come up with will have to make do. As always, stay tuned into Windows 7news and Windows8news for all of your windows news and tips. If you’ve seen any good screenshots or conept videos, link them in your comments, because I’m always interested in seeing good concepts.

Windows 8 – 128bit Rumours Were Fake?

Everton — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:46:34 +0000

Last month a number of sites, including this one, picked up on rumours that Windows 8 would support 128-bit processors. The main ‘source’ of the rumours was a Robert Morgan who was a “senior member of Microsoft’s R&D team” who leaked information about Windows 8′s 128 bit capabilities on his LinkedIn profile.

However, it looks now like the information was fake and that Robert Morgan never actually existed:

The LinkedIn page has since been removed (cached version)
When questioned about Robert Morgan, Microsoft have replied that “Microsoft has no comment regarding Robert Morgan”

i.e. Microsoft have made no attempt to quash or confirm any leaks that have been made, maintaining the official radio silence around Windows 8. As George has stated on our sister site, the official position from Microsoft is that Windows 8 is under development and that’s all they are prepared to say for now.

That’s not to say that Windows 8 won’t support 128bit processors, but it looks like this particular leak was probably started by sites looking to benefit from the traffic. It was a nice story, but unfortunately it looks like we are still waiting for the first set of concrete information concerning Windows 8.

Windows 8 ‘Confirmed’ for 2012 Launch

Everton — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:00:52 +0000

More and more evidence is emerging that Windows 8 will be released in 2012. At this years Professional Developer’s Conference (PDC 2009), budding attendees managed to get their hands on two Windows roadmap slides that show ‘Windows 8′ launching in 2012:

Now these slides don’t really provide any information that we didn’t know; Microsoft typically leave 3 years between each release and with Windows 7 launching this year, Windows 8 was always likely to be in 2012. It is unlikely that Microsoft would pull Windows 8′s launch forward to 2011 because it would impact Windows 7 sales with customers delaying upgrades, and unlikely they would delay until 2013 as Windows 8′s development seems to be progressing quite nicely.

Source: Microsoft Kitchen

Looking Forward To Windows 8, What Microsoft Missed In Windows 7, Part 5

Everton — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:58:07 +0000

Resident editor Mike Halsey has just published on Windows 7 News, the latest post in his series ‘Looking Forward To Windows 8, What Microsoft Missed In Windows‘. In part 5, he covers improvements he would like to see to Windows 7′s libraries and search in Windows 8:

I’ve spoken before about Libraries being an excellent example of this. You can add folders to libraries, even on Homegroup connected PCs, but why can’t you filter those folder by content type, or have a library of all your Adobe Acrobat (.PDF) files? This is a very annoying omission and one that makes the otherwise excellent Libraries feature much less useful than Microsoft would like it to be.

To read the full post, click here. Below you can find links to the earlier instalments in the series:

Windows 8′s Known Knowns

Everton — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:12:01 +0000

Long after Donald Rumsfeld has died, he will be known (sic) for one of the worst quotes ever:

There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don’t know we don’t know.

Now although information about Windows 8 will eventually become available, rather than the lack of information to this day about WMDs, Windows 8 details still remain sketchy. Here are Windows 8′s Known Knowns:

It will be called Windows 8 and there’s even a Windows 9 in the pipeline
It will be released no earlier than 2012 – it is unlikely it will be released in 2011
It will have new networking features
It will include 128 bit support and will see the end of 32 bit Operating Systems
It won’t be Microsoft’s last client based OS - Steve Ballmer says that won’t happen for 10-20 years.

Hopefully soon we will unravel Windows 8′s known unknowns and unknown unknowns!

Windows 8 to support 32, 64 or 128-bit?

Mike Halsey — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:45:17 +0000

Recently there have been rumours that the next version of Windows will move the whole platform completely over to 128-bit architecture, dumping 32 and 64-bit compatibility completely.

This first came about because of a news story broken by Microsoft Kitchen a few days ago in which Robert Morgan, a senior research and development officer at Microsoft posted the following on his LinkedIn profile.

Experience
Senior Research & Development
Microsoft
Public Company; MSFT; Computer Software industry
January 2002 – Present (7 years 10 months)
Working in high security department for research and development involving strategic planning for medium and long-term projects. Research & Development projects including 128bit architecture compatibility with the Windows 8 kernel and Windows 9 project plan. Forming relationships with major partners: Intel, AMD, HP and IBM.

Since then the sweaty masses have, frankly let their imaginations run away with themselves so I thought we needed to look at the situation more objectively, fact by fact.

It’s true that AMD and Intel are working on 128-bit chips, this is something that’s been out there for a while now. But Windows 8 can’t possibly be 128-bit only. The reasons for this are as follows.

Windows 7 is still, sadly, saddled with 32-bit compatibility. This is despite the fact that almost every modern processor supports true 64-bit computing. This is purely to maintain compatibility with older software (primarily in Microsoft’s most important market, business). XP Mode, the virtualisation plug-in that allows you to run older software in a licensed copy of XP, goes some way towards addressing this and many people are hoping that 32-bit support will be dropped from Windows 8 completely. Sadly though, it can’t happen.

This is because in order for XP Mode to work you need hardware virtualisation support on the motherboard and nowhere near enough motherboards yet support this. By the time Windows 8 comes out it’s possible that all motherboards will, but Microsoft have to get started on Windows 8 code now, and they can’t guarantee this will happen.

It is for exactly the same reasons why Windows 8 can never be 128-bit only. By the time the technology is mature enough Windows 8 will be ready to launch but the cost of the chips will still be extremely expensive. They will, I predict, only be used in server farms for hard-core virtualisation tasks on servers.

It’s much more likely that Windows 8 Server will offer full support for 128-bit architecture and that the feature will then be ported to the business and consumer editions of Windows for Windows 9.

The move to 128-bit in itself isn’t such a big job, but it becomes a nightmare when you consider that you also have to maintain compatibility with 32-bit applications. I can’t foresee a situation where we can have an operating system that supports 32, 64 and 128-bit code simultaneously while still remaining stable. The only reason that Windows 8 Server could support it is because the 32-bit legacy support has already been dropped from Windows 7 Server.

For all the people who want to see 128-bit support in Windows 8, forget it. Frankly you wouldn’t get any benefit from it at all anyway. No software will be written to support it for years to come, full 64-bit support in software is only beginning to appear now, and it will offer the average user or gamer no additional benefits over the 64-bit architecture you already have.

Unless and until the whole computing experience we use in our daily lives demands a move to such technology, it will remain in the server farms of the future.

How Long Until We Get Our First Windows 8 Leak?

Everton — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:11:36 +0000

There have been a number of fake Windows 8 leaks over the last couple of weeks, most of them probably packed with viruses and spyware which I’d advise readers to steer well clear off. As soon as a verified leak appears, you will hear about it first on this site.

My money is on a Windows 8 leak appearing in November after Windows 7 has been launched.

Windows 8 To Launch In 2012?

Everton — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:34:25 +0000

Windows 7 isn’t out the door yet, but Microsoft seem to be making good progress with Windows 8. A roadmap slide from Microsoft’s Italian subsidiary has Windows 8 penciled in for a 2012 release:

Note though that Windows 8 is down as approximately 2012. Even still, it looks like Microsoft are sticking to their 2.5-3 year release cycle, with Windows Vista launching Jan 2007 (it was late), Windows 7 in October 2009 and Windows 8 in 2012.

Windows 8 is also denoted as ‘codemane Windows 8′ – does this mean that ‘Windows 8‘ will not be called Windows 8?

I’m expecting big things from Windows 8. Although Windows 7 is a great release and adds several much needed improvements to Windows Vista, it’s still too familiar for me and doesn’t feel ‘new’ enough and I’m looking forward to getting a new OS to get my teeth into!

Why Windows 8?

Everton — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 19:51:16 +0000

Windows 8′s name was chosen because it will be the 8th version of Windows. Double-checking this isn’t as easy as you may think and trips up many people. Here are the Windows versions that preceded Windows 8:

Windows 1.0
Windows 2.0
Windows 3.0
Windows 95 (Windows 4.0)
Windows 2000 (Windows 5.0)
Windows Vista (Windows 6.0)
Windows 7 – Launching October 22nd 2009
Windows 8!

Now, some of you who are paying attention will notice that Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE and Windows Millennium. This is because:

Windows NT was actually treated asw Windows 3.1
Windows 98, 98SE and Windows Millennium shipped as 4.0.1998, 4.10.2222, and 4.90.3000

Now, to make matters even more confusing Microsoft have versioned Windows 7 as Windows 6.1. However, they are still treating it as ‘Windows 7′ because of the significance of the release.

There you go – hope that makes sense now!

Windows 8 Feature Wishlist

Everton — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:11:53 +0000

Although Microsoft don’t intend to make a big splash when launching Windows 7, it will probably be Microsoft’s finest release yet if the feedback from testers and readers on our sister site Windows 7 News is anything to go by.

There’s still plenty of room for improvement in Windows 8. Mike from the Windows 7 News editorial team has published a series of posts detailing what he’d like to see in Windows 8:

Features Mike would like to see improved in Windows 8 include a better explorer, improved libraries and game support. Personally I would like to see more options for organising multiple windows. Aero Peek helps, but I don’t want to go over to the sidebar everytime I want to locate one of the many windows I have open. There has to be a better solution that ALT+TAB and Aero Peek.

What features would you like to see in Windows 8?

Microsoft Hiring For Windows 8

Everton — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 22:39:19 +0000

Windows 7 is almost complete and due to be launched on October 22nd, and Microsoft are already turning their attention to creating Windows 8. To some this may seem premature, but putting together a new OS takes a considerable amount of work and much longer than the 3 years gap between Windows releases.

A recent job posting on the Microsoft job site gives some hints as to what we can expect in Windows 8:

For the upcoming version of Windows, new critical features are being worked on including cluster support and support for one way replication. The core engine is also being reworked to provide dramatic performance improvements. We will also soon be starting major improvements for Windows 8 where we will be including innovative features which will revolutionize file access in branch offices
We are looking for a strong lead who has the right blend of technical passion, leadership skills and testing experience. From a technical standpoint, we are looking for a candidate having an understanding of and a passion for large scale distributed systems. From a leadership point of view, you will need to be able to build the vision for the team, work with your development and PM counterparts on engineering excellence and effectively drive the quality of the component. In terms of testing experience, the ability to define and deliver test solutions affecting all release criteria (functionality, scalability, performance, stress, longhaul, security, etc.) is a must.

As more details of Windows 8 features become available, you’ll find them first on this site.

Welcome To Windows 8 News!

Everton — Thu, 21 May 2009 13:55:18 +0000

Dedicated to bringing you all the news & rumours about Microsoft’s new operating system Windows 8, which will replace Windows 7 in 2012/13. New to the site? Check out the Windows 8 FAQ. We also recommend:

The Archives to search all posts, checking out the latest Windows 8 Screenshots, Windows 8 Wallpapers & Windows 8 Videos
Visiting our sister site, for the latest Windows 7 News

Need help with Windows 7? Then join the Windows 7 & 8 Forum (over 3,500 members) for expert advice.