Goodbye NTFS hello ReFS. That is one main element of Windows 8. Microsoft has announced one of the most significant changes that will come with the Windows 8 OS, a new file system. Called ReFS, for Resilient File System, the system will be available through a staged evolution.

Starting as a storage system, ReFS will begin on the Windows Server 8 only. Then  it will become a storage system for Windows clients, and then ultimately “as a boot volume.”

The Internals of ReFS

ReFS will complement the Storage Spaces feature in Windows 8 and Windows Server 8.  This means that that works in many ways like drive extender. It will also help with the verification and auto-correction of data and make it available to a large scale of operations. This last part should make file fragmentation not so big a problem anymore. Consequently, ease of use should increase as well as performance improvements on the system.

In another area, one of Microsoft’s goals with ReFS is to maintain a high degree of compatibility with a subset of NTFS features. Obviously, eliminating NTFS can only be done gradually but that means that incorporating elements of it in ReFS will be necessary so that data files and software programs are still accessible. On the other hand, it will eliminate other elements of NTFS that provide limited value at the cost of system complexity and footprint.

A New OS means a New OS

While Microsoft has been launching operating systems for over 30 years, they have been part of the DOS model. This new operating system is truly new, as Microsoft has been pointing out for some time. As new features are released, we will get a better picture about what the Windows 8 System will look like.

Release time? Still up in the air, but maybe by the 3^rd quarter of 2012.

Source: Microsoft Blog Site

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An article in Zdnet Windows 8 is a big risk to the consumer PC industry made some important points about the status of the PC industry as a whole and Windows 8 specifically. The gist is that the PC industry is in trouble, and Windows 8 may not help it recover.

“The consumer PC industry is in the doldrums, with sales down at uncomfortable levels and a near-tangible lack of enthusiasm in the air.”

Consumer Business is Down…But Enterprise Business is Up

2011 was the year of the tablet. Anyone, following this industry will tell you that. The revolutionary approach to computing with the invention of the Apps, changed how people used computing devices. Specific operations, and there were thousands of them, changed what people did with their devices. The spillover, moreover, to the smartphone market, one that didn’t even exist 10 years ago, was remarkable. This was like watching how the US changed after Edison introduced the light bulb. You can’t go back, and don’t even want to.

So yes, the PC is down, because it’s model goes back to 1975. It was time for a change. And consumers clearly saw it. They wanted computers, just not the PC.

Yet Microsoft and hundreds of other companies continue to produce software for the business market, and doing well. What that says is that the PC is not dead, but continues and will continue to have a life that will survive the tablet onslaught.

Will Windows 8 Help or Hurt?

The existing computer operating system model goes back to the days of DOS. And it has not changed. Sure enhancements occurred and it became faster, slicker, and more powerful. But even with the GUI interface, and the GUI operating system, it was still a DOS based model. Windows 8 is supposed to change that.

New boot ups, a new interface, new CPU technology is supposed to change how the computer operates. This will lead to new types of applications. And some of these changes clearly come for the tablet concept.

Will Windows 8 help or hurt? Obviously, that answer won’t be finally given until a year after it has been released and consumers and experts make their findings known. But is the PC industry dead or dying? We can say, let’s hope not, but more realistically, we can say, it isn’t.

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Windows 8 Hyper-V and PC’s

Hyper-V virtualization will be available on Windows 8. However, to run it, the right PC hardware must be available. Here’s what to look for.

Will a TestBed PC Work?

So you have an older PC, maybe two or three years old. You download the Windows 8 beta version, since the system requirements for Windows 8 are unchanged from those of Windows 7. But if you go that route, you might find that you’re unable to use one of the most significant new features in Windows 8. That is Hyper-V.

While Windows 7 offered capabilities that were similar in design, using an add-on program called Windows Virtual PC. Hyper-V integrates this capability directly into the operating system. Windows 8 is relying on technology that has proven itself in the server versions of Windows for more than three years. Will everyone need this feature? Probably not. The average consumer may never need it, but it could be a godsend for IT professionals, developers, security researchers, and geek PC enthusiasts.

64-bit Version

So what’s necessary to run Hyper-V on a Windows 8 machine? A 64-bit version of Windows 8, and only if the host machine is equipped with a 64-bit processor that supports a feature called Second Level Address Translation (SLAT). Some older Intel documentation refers to this feature as extended page tables (EPT). The AMD equivalents are Rapid Virtualization Indexing (RVI) and nested page tables (NPT), respectively.

Availability Tests

There are two scenarios to work with. One where you’ve already installed the Windows 8 Developer Preview, and one where you haven’t.

1. If you have already installed it, you can find out by trying to enable Hyper-V (the feature is disabled by default). In the Turn Windows features on or off dialog box, select the Hyper-V box and then click or tap OK. If your CPU doesn’t support Hyper-V, the Hyper-V Core check box will be grayed-out and unavailable, and you’ll see the following error Hyper-V cannot be installed. The processor does not have second level address translation capabilities.
2. If you haven’t installed the Windows 8 preview, you can use Coreinfo , from the essential SysInternals collection to check. Open a Command window as an Administrator and run the utility with the –v switch.

This new feature will give developers a way to test their programs without having to lock down their unit in order to run their program or application.

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The Private Market Place will be a place on the Windows 8 app store that allows a Windows 8 app to be distributed only to private customers.

With the push for apps available through App stores, some companies, may have a split feeling about how they want to deliver their apps to their customers. For example, take application that have been designed for their own employees. Now further take the view that the company may want to limit the access via a private marketplace notion.

Let’s say that a company wants to make available to its own employees a sales report of current and potential customers app developed by a company’s IT department. Then the IT staff may want to distribute test and final versions of this app to all their Windows 8 users but don’t want those not working at the company to see it in the Store. This is where “private marketplaces” come into play.

Earlier this year, Microsoft enabled private marketplace functionality for Windows Phone “Mango.”  Given that functionality, maybe Microsoft is planning to offer a similar path to business users for their Windows 8 Metro-style apps.

But watch it! Will the same Windows 8 App store functionality be available to non-Metro style apps? Maybe, but maybe not. Microsoft hasn’t given an answer to that, and it may be that they are still up in the air about what the Windows 8 App store will really be about. That, however, revolves around the metro-style app structure. The Windows 8 App store will carry it but not other styles.

Here is Microsoft’s current take:

“Apps listed in the Store are visible to all Windows 8 users, so enterprise apps can be offered in the Store, just like any other Metro style app. However, we also offer support for enterprises that want direct control over the deployment of Metro style apps.

“Enterprises can choose to limit access to the Windows Store catalog by their employees, or allow access but restrict certain apps. In addition, enterprises can choose to deploy Metro style apps directly to PCs, without going through the Store infrastructure. For Windows 8 Beta, IT administrators can use group policy to permit Metro style app installations, as long as the apps are signed by trusted publishers and the machines are joined to the domain. Then the IT admin can use (P)owershell commandlets to manage those Metro-style apps on Windows 8….

“This deployment flexibility ensures that employees have software on the devices they prefer while IT can continue to manage software payloads based on their company’s needs and regulation.”

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Predictions…Predictions…Predictions. Will Windows 8 Succeed? Not according to IDC it won’t.

Ok, here’s the tune. It will, but not for PC users. It may succeed elsewhere, like in tablets, or laptops. But for PC’s that is another story.

“Windows 8 will be largely irrelevant to the users of traditional PCs, and we expect effectively no upgrade activity from Windows 7 to Windows 8 in that form factor,” according to IDC’s prediction document.

What that means

Microsoft may be pushing the envelope in the user interface, where it will be the most obvious, but that may be the problem. The PC, while under attack by the tablet format, is not going away because at the enterprise level, the PC does things that the tablet does not. The user interface, at the PC level should not be a reflection of the iPad, if that is what Microsoft intends. No, the PC should continue to be what it has been for 25 years, a business tool. There is no need to the PC to compete with the tablet, any more than the Server needs to compete with the Mainframe.

Coming Too Soon?

Does Microsoft really believe that the Windows 8 model, which they hope to radically change how operating systems work, will be accepted in all its dimensions? The Windows 8 business tool is being challenged.

Several company watchers have wondered about the applicability of the Metro tiled interface on anything other than a tablet. Microsoft isn’t so sure about it either now. Some Microsoft officials have gone out to suggest that there may be some changes on the Windows 8 usability front for those wielding keyboards and mice by the time the Windows 8 beta hits in early 2012. Some reassessment may be taking place because while the competition with tablets may be intense, that is not the same with PC’s. That is still Microsoft’s market; totally.

The developer preview that Microsoft released in September has led to user uncertainty regarding Microsoft’s promise that Metro will be just as navigable with a mouse/keyboard as with fingers/stylus. The point may be that a separation of UI may be necessary to keep the PC market from blending into the tablet market. That may hurt Microsoft in the long run.

Source: IDC

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A two hour preview event in San Francisco on December 6 will take place where Microsoft plans to share more information about the Windows 8 app store. Microsoft has invited select developers and local press to hear more details on the Windows Store.

What Else is Happening on December 6?

Well, on December 6 Microsoft also will be rolling out its new Xbox 360 dashboard. Testers who’ve been working with a test version of the dashboard (under non-disclosure-agreement terms) have mentioned the new app store functionality in the dashboard. Facebook, Hulu, Netflix and Twitter are listed under apps in the preview.

Are these two events a coincidence?

Consider that back in September, Microsoft officials shared some high-level details about the Windows Store at the Build conference, even though the Store isn’t operational in the Windows 8 Developer Preview build.

Apparently all Metro-style apps (the Metro-Windows 8 UI) would be available only via the Windows Store. Metro apps will have an account-based protection (not a machine based) licensing model that is limited to a set number of machines, i.e., 5. So users will be able to access app trials, buy/download Metro-style apps, license them, and have them serviced through the Store.

Desktop apps that are non-Metro style will be able to be promoted in the Windows Store if they meet Microsoft’s Desktop App certification requirements, and will be discoverable via the Windows 8 store.

Windows 8 Desktop Apps will be neither licensable nor downloadable (i.e., able to take advantage of the Windows 8 “fulfillment service”) from the Store. Instead, Microsoft will only provide a link to the Windows Store for Desktop Apps on Windows 8 on x86/x64 and ARM.

So where does this lead to Xbox 360?  Apparently the new app store functionality that is in the Xbox dashboard and it will allow apps for Facebook, Hulu, Netflix and Twitter in the preview.

The big thing is that Windows 8 is moving fast in the direction of making a commercial impact. No longer is Microsoft hiding it’s OS with nicknames or hidden names, and you never know what will be in the OS until it is released. Now, Microsoft is using the marketing element to make people anticipate what will come, and further report on it.

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Windows8 embedded products will make an impact in many business forms. An embedded product is one where an technology is placed in there and will dominate the function of the product. Embedded systems have been used in limited capacities for more than 40 years, but within the past 15 to 20 years they have seen increasingly widespread adoption.

Microsoft entered the embedded market in 1996 with the release of Windows CE 1.0.

Since Microsoft has provided a steady stream of embedded platforms and technologies that are used daily in a broad range of consumer and business scenarios.

For example, Microsoft developed an advanced machine-to-machine (M2M) connection manager to streamline the way devices connect to network services in order to make the data streams more predictable and efficient. Besides that operation, Microsoft has spent time, money, and energy in security and identity management technology. This to ensure the data streams are capable of working seamlessly with on-premise, private and public cloud services. This will help make it easier for IT staff to maintain the security of a network and its data.

Intelligent Systems

What makes embedded technology valuable? It is in the data it can collect and distribute throughout a company’s workforce and even its customer base. Once collected, devices can send information to datacenters (based onsite or in the cloud), from which employees can then analyze the data to glean business intelligence. This has the potential to support daily business operations and long-term strategy.

Back in 2010, Microsoft saw that the embedded market was evolving around intelligent systems so it aligned the Windows Embedded program within the Management and Security Division of the Microsoft Server and Tools Business.

Device Management Technology

With device management technology businesses can manage content, security protocols, and general software updates on digital signage, or other types of Windows Embedded-based devices, throughout all store locations.

With Windows 8, Microsoft hopes to extend enterprise software and cloud services out to everyday devices such as point of service (POS) terminals, in-car infotainment, medical equipment and even bar-top game machines.

How valuable is the Embedded Market?

So that being the game plan, where does the embedded market stand at this time? It is impressive. Shipments of embedded devices already exceed cell phones and PCs, and the analyst firm, IDC, reports that “At over 1.8 billion units and more than $1 trillion in revenue today, the intelligent systems market will double in units and revenue by 2015”

Microsoft Embedded Website

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With Windows 8, Microsoft introduces the optional capability to sign in to your PC with a Windows Live ID and, by doing so, gaining the ability to roam a broad range of settings across all of your PCs.

Working on a PC is about customization to a large extent. It is what makes you confortable as you go about your work or pleasure on the computer. So each Windows user wants to have the ability to set up and use a PC in a way that is unique to them.

Problems

But this can be challenging. For instance, in a work environment, shared PC usage is common and switching between multiple accounts can be cumbersome. The difficulties associated with managing multiple accounts often leads to the sharing of a single account on a PC, and a less personal and even a less private experience for each user.

Users are utilizing multiple devices more often now, and setting up a new PC can be inconvenient and time consuming. In Windows 8, Microsoft has set out to ensure that each PC user has a truly personal experience that seamlessly bridges their online and offline tasks, is simpler to set up and use, and persists across their set of Windows 8 PCs.

To do this, Microsoft introduced the ability to log in to Windows with a Windows Live ID that works across devices, apps, and services, allowing you a uniquely personal experience with Windows. Logging in with a windows Live ID is not required but there are advantages if you do so.

Benefits

Signing in with an ID allows you to:

• Easily reacquire your Metro style apps on multiple Windows 8 PCs. The app’s settings and last-used state persist across all your Windows 8 PCs.
• You can associate the most commonly used Windows settings to your user account. In this way, the saved settings are available when you sign in to your account on any Windows 8 PC. So your PC will be set up just the way you are used to.
• You can also save time with sign-in credentials, because now the same credentials are available for the different apps and websites you use and you can easily get back into them without having to enter credentials every time.
• You can automatically sign in to apps and services that use Windows Live ID for authentication.

With this new configuration, Microsoft is taking the computing experience to a different level. While the iPad, and the iPhone have made their impact, this new login style will certainly show users that Microsoft can also provide a dynamic PC experience. Apple doesn’t have it all.

MSDN Blog

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Last week was the one year anniversary of Kinect and Microsoft showed the new Kinect Effect blog relating to the device.  But now, here is the new Kinect for Windows website.

What is important is that this kick starts the journey for the Kinect for Windows commercial program that’s coming in early 2012. Microsoft has over 200 applicants on their pilot program, including Toyota, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Razorfish and more than 25 Fortune 500 companies.

What is Kinect?

Kinect is a camera for Xbox 360. Simply put to its most simple: Kinect is an Xbox 360 peripheral. You can think of it as a high tech webcam that plugs into the console’s USB port and which looks like it belongs with a PS3.

Project Natal now is …

For over a year the talk was about “Project Natal.” That was just the working title. Now, it’s called Kinect, which is confusing to those of us who played Nike Kinetic on Sony’s EyeToy.

What do you get with K Kinect for Windows SDK Beta 2

Here are some of the features available with the Beta 2 version

• faster skeletal tracking
• better accuracy rate when it comes to skeletal tracking and joint recognition
• the ability to plug and unplug your Kinect without losing work/productivity

What is XBOX 360?

The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox game device which was discontinued in 2005. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony‘s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo‘s Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles. As of September 30, 2011, 57.6 million Xbox 360 consoles have been sold worldwide.

The Commercial Version of Kinect

Microsoft had previously disclosed that they are working on a commercial version of the Kinect Windows SDK which should be released sometime in 2012. Software developers and game enthusiasts should find a lot to be happy about. They will most likely create a number of interesting Kinect applications, and of course games, that will run on Windows PCs.

But even more so, for developers where it is likely to be of greater interest because they will be able to make some money off their Kinect apps, although Microsoft has not yet  announced the terms of the licensing agreements.

What Else?

This new Kinect for Windows SDK Beta 2 adds support for the Microsoft Windows 8 Developer. You can download the new version of the SDK here.

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With the release of Windows 8 expected next year, some time in the 3^rd quarter. There is a lot of development taking place, and one of the areas under intense scrutiny is Battery Life, for devices running Tablets and Laptops.

The Metro UI Impact

Microsoft may be torn between the PC and the Tablet. But the market is forcing their hand into the tablet, at least for the consumer end of things. One thing that has influenced the development of the Windows User Interface (UI) is the iPhone interface, with its apps on the screen, and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7, which is similar. Meaning, that the Metro UI will not be such a big surprise because Microsoft is banking on the fact that users are already familiar with this type of interface…growing from their experience with Mobile phones. So Microsoft is focusing on Live Tiles to make its interface look different.

Live Tiles and Battery Optimization

While the UI on mobile phones looks interesting, behind the scenes is the problem of battery life. Windows 8 developers are concerned with the problem how Live Tiles may impact the tablet or laptop. So here is what they are looking at:

• They want to allow hundreds of live tiles to operate without degrading performance
• They want the UI to be artistic and go beyond balloons, badges and text, implement beautiful images
• The want the interface to be App developer friendly and make it easy so they can just “fire and forget”
• They also want to put a marker on real-time delivery so delivering “instant messages” is actually instant.

 The Data Driven Approach

Microsoft will use the data driven approach to make this happen; that means that no app code is running in the background to power the Start screen while still delivering live content. This will result in power savings and better performance for the system.

By using a set of predefined properties and templates, a developer can express their live tile, which in this case, is by using an XML schema. When that happens this ports the XML tile data to the Windows Push Notification Service (WNS) via a simple HTTP POST. All the code for connecting, retrying, authentication, caching, rendering, and error handling occurs in a uniform and power-efficient way. In the end, this extends the battery life, which was the goal.

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The new Windows 8 Task Manager this will provide new features if you have more than 1 CPU.

Problem With the Windows 7 Task Manager

As CPU’s have gotten more sophisticated with their logical cores, you may have noticed that if you have a quad-core CPU with eight logical cores after Hyper-Threading, the Performance tab of the Windows 7 Task Manager has problems displaying real-time graphs of per-core utilization. To make the CPU performance display, it squeezes in eight, time-on-the-x-axis charts into a small horizontal window: it doesn’t work very well. Now step forward to today’s more sophisticated CPU’s. How well will their information be displayed two CPUs and 16 logical cores, or four CPUs and 32 cores as Microsoft details in its latest Building Windows 8 blog post, 160 logical cores? Something has to change.

The Metro-Style Screen

Windows 8 will revolve almost entirely around the new Metro-style Start screen; but that does not apply to the new Task Manager. The Metro interface isn’t designed for apps with mega-data density, but that is what the Task Manager works with. Since Windows 95, the Task Manager has grown into a general system for debugging. Both consumers and power users alike use it this way. The problem is that as the OS has become more intense the data density of the Task Manager has also increased.

Differences

The main feature is that each core will now be represented as a block with its current utilization displayed as a percentage. There is no graph, no horizontal space constraints, just a heatmap-like grid (image above). You can compare cores for debugging purposes. So this increases the at-a-glance functionality of the Performance tab. You can now hover over a core to see its logical ID, too. And this interface will scale up to 640 logical cores, the Windows 8′s maximum. The Task Manager also modified The “Set affinity” dialog to make it easier to assign processes to specific processor.

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Windows 8 users are in for a gift soon after the turn of the year. Microsoft has let it be known that it may even be sooner than that. Consider that the Build 8141 appears to have been compiled on October 21, 2011.  It also includes changes with Metro apps zooming, changeable metro background color, and Media Center is now included.  A while back many users expressed dissatisfaction that the Media Center not a part of the Developer Preview and were worried that Microsoft may have been cutting the application, which HTPC enthusiasts love.  Apparently the next edition of the app just hadn’t been ready in time, but would appear in a later build. At least that is Microsoft’s contention.

With Windows 8 Developer Preview now being widely used, reviewed, and dissected across the world, many users have begun to get anxious for the beta edition.  Previously, the consensus opinion was that Windows 8 Beta would be unveiled and become available during the upcoming CES in January 2012.  But apparently some reports indicate that a beta release may be coming sooner than that.

Since Build 8141 occurred only a few days ago it seems unlikely that the beta will be hitting the Microsoft download channel too soon.  However, it does lend credence to an earlier than CES release.  Below are two screenshots posted below that show part of that Build.  At this time they are unverifiable, but they at least have the look of something legitimate.

Given that Windows 7 has been so successful, and that Microsoft’s other ventures have been less than successful, at least on the market side, even though technologically they have met their requirements, Microsoft may not want to wait too long to forestall the next implementation of Windows. Apparently, they may have learned a lesson from Apple, if you have a product ready or near ready for market, push it out…this gives the consumer something to talk about, and not just whisper hope and expectations. Perhaps a Windows 8 beta release will be here before we know it.

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The Windows 8 search feature is different from its predecessors because it uses a new platform that filters the search. The platform breaks down searches into Apps, settings, and files. To put some framework for this, here is a graph showing how in Windows 7 the categories of search were displayed.

The  New Search Features in Windows 8 will make this basic operation more user friendly.

Control Panel and Searching Settings

The settings search experience brings together all settings and Control Panel items across the system in one view. Windows 8 matches the settings search results not only to the name of the Control Panel applet or task, but also to the various keywords that may describe it. For example, shutdown has not been available as a search result. But now it can be.

Searching files

The number of files on PCs keeps increasing over time as users continue to acquire and create more documents, music, photos, and videos. In redesigning the file search experience, the goal was to make it fast so users could achieve their task of finding a file without having to skip over to Windows Explorer.

It will also provide search suggestions as you type in order to help you complete the search efficiently. It accomplishes this by using the indexer. This program provides search suggestions using the content and properties of the files it knows about. This indexer concept actually arose from extensive use on the Web; and now it is part of the Windows 8 search framework.

Plus there is an improvement as this feature can also deal with typos or spelling errors; suggesting auto-corrected search term as you type. Using the arrow keys to choose suggestions autocompletes the term in the box. This makes it easy to add more terms to the query and quickly narrow down the set of results to find the one you want.

There is also backward compatibility since you can also still search using AQS (Advanced Query Syntax) from Windows 7. AQS allows for greater precision and control when constructing the query to get targeted results. Here are some sample searches and their advanced query syntax:

This approach to separating searches for apps, settings, and files into their own views will allow each of them to evolve and breathe separately. In this way, the results can display a unique format unlike the single list of results in previous versions, which required uniformity to work in the limited space.

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The Windows 8 Search feature and the Start Menu will be different from that of Windows 7 or Vista.

The Windows 8 Start search builds on top of search features available in Windows 7 and offers a unique view for each of the three system groups – Apps, Settings and Files. Separating the search results into views means we can tailor the experience for each data type. For example, the File search view provides you with filters and search suggestions while typing and this will allow you to complete your query quickly.

One thing that will change with Windows 8 is the apps. People will be acquiring and installing more of them than ever before. What this means is that using the Windows 7 Start menu search interface to search for a Control Panel item, you would always see an App or program results before the Control Panel results, displacing many Control Panel items from being the first match. So, this problem forced Windows 8 designers to look for a new approach.

Another problem that becomes noticeable occurs when you consider the increasing use of larger monitors or higher DPI screens where longer menus become even more difficult to use and navigate. With Windows 7, you can only show a limited number of results in the Start menu. It could only display an average of 3-4 results per group. The results only rarely did all of them for a group show up, and the organization of the results was unpredictable.

With Windows 8, on the other hand, the search institutes an app-first model approach. This lets each app developer understands their data and users best, and knows the best way to present the information to them. By using the same model for search, users will have a quick and consistent way to get directly to settings or file search results. Looked another way, this gives you precision and control over the type of results you are looking for. This means that Windows 8 tailors each view for the type of content you are searching for, and shows all the results, instead of limiting them due to screen real estate.

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When a new technology appears, invariably the laws of supply and demand kick in a quick way. There is very little supply, but there will be a lot of demand. That translates to a high cost. So, with the new Windows 8 OS under development and with all of the talk about new technologies being implemented, what do you think will happen to costs. Right. We pay the costs.

So here is what is happening with Windows 8 production costs. The new verification system, OA 3.0 will add complications and costs to the devices produced by Original Device Manufacturers (ODM’s), this then in turn goes to the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) who in turn pass the costs to the consuming public.

OA 3.0

At the heart of this development is the observation that the new BIOS will incorporate Onboard Administrator (OA) 3.0. What we are actually talking about here is UEFI firmware devices, which translates into fast startup mode. It acts as a hybrid between a standard cold boot and restoring your PC from a hibernated state. It is a feature that all Windows 8 certified systems must have.

How it works

In a traditional shutdown, the OS closes all open user sessions, then in the kernel session the OS closes services and devices to prepare for a complete shutdown.

In the new shutdown, something else happens. The user session still closes, but the kernel session goes into hibernation. However it saves the system state and memory contents to a file on disk called hiberfil.sys and it then reads that back in on resume and restoring contents back to memory.

Now, here is the clincher, because the same technique is used in boot mode. By reading the hiberfil.sys and reinitializing drivers, this make boot up time anywhere from 30-70% faster.

So while this may make the system start faster, some questions appear on the horizon. This boot method is not a cold boot, and there may be degradation, so eventually the restart will become a cold boot. Also, can’t Microsoft make the cold boot any faster, or is that as fast as it can occur?

OEM Activation

While BIOS activation may look like a new feature in Windows 8, it actually appeared in XP, Vista and Windows 7. It contained a certificate of authority (COA), which made it a legitimate product. But Windows 8 will bypass this and go directly to the source, Microsoft, for legitimate activation.

So while the faster and legitimate activation process is underway, there will be new costs to make this process take place.

Additional Costs

Instead of shipping PCs with a COA, the UEFI firmware will have keys incorporated into the system, but this will increase production costs for ODMs because each machine will require individual attention to place the key into the UFI firmware (rather than just sticking on the COA). Another cost involves technicians who will also require more training to perform that operation. Finally, remember that Microsoft charges a per-install fee, so having to install a second key because of an error would increase costs, thus the absence of a certificate on the machine could also increase costs because of installation overlap that may occur.

Finally, Microsoft also well known for its spirited operations with partners may be looking at finding a way for others to work through the costs. Apparently, some brand vendor ODMs believe that Microsoft told them that notebook ODMs will pay for the additional costs, while at the same time they told notebook ODMs that brand vendors will pay for the additional costs. So where will the costs ultimately get addressed? Hmm, you and me is probably the safe bet.

Fast Startup Mode

Production Costs

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Windows 8 will bring many new features, ranging from a new GUI to ARM. It will also let users more easily bridge the gap between online and offline by directly tapping into Microsoft’s Windows Live service. This will be the beginning of a new user experience, not seen before.

Log In and Synchronization

When you start, Windows 8 asks you to log in with your Windows Live ID. If you provide the information, Windows Live can then automatically store your Windows profile, settings, and other key pieces of information in the cloud. This lets you synchronize those settings with any Windows 8 PC in which you are logged into. This will ensure that you retain the same preferences from one PC to another. Microsoft is also promising the same synchronization between PCs and mobile devices running Windows Phone 7.

SkyDrive Integration

What else? Well, Windows 8 will also integrate more smoothly with SkyDrive, Microsoft’s online storage site. What computer features do you get with SkyDrive? You can save documents, photos, and other files that you create locally there and access them from any PC, maybe even sharing them with other people that you designate. Microsoft will reportedly still limit SkyDrive users to 25 gigabytes of space for most files but offer unlimited storage for photos or Office documents.

Developers

Another new feature is that developers will also be able to provide services using this operation. Microsoft even has an API for SkyDrive that lets them read and write files to SkyDrive. Furthermore, manufacturers can add SkyDrive to their devices.

Live Connect

The SkyDrive implementation and the API’s for developers are part of a Live Connect umbrella by Microsoft. With Live Connect users will also have access to Hotmail, and different calendars. It will also be part of the Windows Phone 7 integration package. Users should be happy with these features.

 LiveConnect

SkyDrive

WindowsSteamBlog

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While there has been a lot of attention about what the Windows 8 interface will look like, and justifiably so, behind the scenes there are some interesting developments as well.

For instance, Qualcomm with its Snapdragon processors will be working with Microsoft to produce Windows 8 PC’s with wireless 3G/4G systems. Indeed, Qualcomm announced that its Snapdragon platform, hitherto, found almost exclusively in smartphones and tablets, will also be available on a number of Windows 8 prototype PCs. That much became known at the Build conference last week.

Snapdragon

With over 15 chips in the Snapdragon family, and classified into S1, S2, and S3 categories, the chips offer multiple hardware subsystems including CPUs, GPUs, modems, multimedia processors, GPS, DSPs, sensors, and advanced management software.

A Snapdragon chip is part of the Windows 8 platform and it can run on the desktop through Internet Explorer as well as with Adobe Flash Player. This gives consumers browser experience they have come to expect and it provides developers with the support for whatever tools that best suit their needs.

Qualcomm is not taking a giant leap into the PC form factor. It was the originator of the ”smartbook,” which was  a miniature laptop that looked a lot like a netbook, but it offered better battery life and instant-on capabilities. However, Windows wasn’t compatible with ARM-based processors, and this left Linux as the smartbook’s only option for an operating system. Things did not work out as the hoped for Qualcomm.

Then and Now

However, Windows 8 brings new life to the ARM industry. The Operating system been reengineered and rewritten from the ground up to not only work with existing PCs that run on Intel and AMD CPUs, but also ARM-based ones based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon. Remember that the current CPU model is approaching 40 years old. That is like trying to run a modern Cadillac with a Model T engine. Likewise, the OS model, even though the grandchild of DOS, has many legacy features that have seen their day come and go. Windows 8, is a step away from the past.

Source: Qualcomm, PCMag 

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Is Linux still Microsoft’s number one enemy? Well, after yesterday’s blog I would have to say no. But maybe that is not the case. Here’s what’s happening. Windows 8 may not allow a dual boot system side by side to be available with Linux. That would mean that Linux users decide on one OS or the other for their PC. Microsoft might be happy about that, but consumers who use both will not be.

The Windows 8 Logo Program

How is that possible? Well, Windows 8 logo guidelines require that systems have Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) secure boot enabled. When this is in place, it would block Linux, or any other operating system, from booting on it.

The Windows Logo Program addresses the current and future market needs of customers using the Windows platform. Vendors and OEM’s receiving the Windows logo signifies that there is compatibility and reliability of systems and devices to the Windows operating system. It purports to give customers confidence that the product satisfies the conditions of a well-rounded software or hardware product. In order to meet those conditions the software and hardware must meet UEFI specifications.

What is UEFI?

UEFI is part of recent specification releases. It installs one or more signing keys into the system firmware. Then once the system enables the keys, secure boot prevents executables or drivers from being loaded unless one of these keys signs them. But that is not all. Another set of keys, Pkek, permits communication to occur between an OS and the firmware. An OS with a Pkek that matches the installed binaries in the firmware may add additional keys to the whitelist. Alternatively, it may add keys to a blacklist. The end result is that binaries signed with a blacklisted key will not load. That is where Linux is currently standing.

But the real thing about UEFI is that it will allow faster boot up, taking no more than two seconds to boot up the PC.

Final Standing?

How does this bode for Linux and other hardware OEM’s? That is still up in the air. Windows 8 still has to jump many hurdles, not the least is that many companies have done significant upgrades to their software or hardware on Windows 7, and may not be willing to spend another amount of time and dollars to perform something that they do not actually need. With Windows 7 flying high, why should companies drop that OS and start the upgrade path all over again? Then again…two seconds. Hmm.

Source: Microsoft UEFI

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A lot of attention has focused on Windows 8, but Windows server 8 may be a more important development.

A recent two-day demonstration of the new program showed how advanced Microsoft has taken the development of the Server Operating system platform.

Here is a brief rundown of some of the new features that make it to commercial applications. For starters, there will be a significant change in the virtual machine technology.

• Hyper-V will now support up to 32 processors and 512GB of RAM per VM. That’s right per VM. Which means that the .VHDX file format will accommodate larger virtual disks up to 2 terabytes.
• The Hyper-V clusters will support 63-nodes running up to 4000 concurrent VMs simultaneously. Undoubtedly, this program will be expensive. However, think of the savings that will come from combining multiple servers into one physical platform. This will allow IT administrators to save tens of thousands of dollars by not having to buy or maintain multiple computer servers.
• You will also be able to transfer a virtual machine between two Hyper-V hosts with only an IP connection as the reference point.
• Bandwidth limitations will govern the amount of VM and storage migrations that could run simultaneously across a Hyper-V cluster. There will not be any limit to the number of concurrent live migrations at the OS level.
• 3^rd parties will be able to plug into Hyper-V’s switch architecture using the new Open Extensible Virtual Switch.
• An improved Branch Caching performance operation will be in place, which reduces the need for expensive WAN optimization appliances.
• There is also a type of BiTorrent technology for the enterprise, which allows branch offices and client systems to find the files they need locally on other client systems and servers and not having to go across the WAN to get them.

In all, the New Windows 8 Server and Virtualization Technology will change computer operations in many ways, and also redefine the IT enterprise system.

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Five months before Windows 7 shipped, Windows 8 was in the planning stages. Already there is a lot of talk about how  Windows 8 will upstage Windows 7, a highly successful OS. Will it be like Vista? Did Microsoft really learn from Vista? Or will the trek be so different that IT people will look at the Windows 8 OS in an entirely new light.

Windows 8: Not Your Old Operating System

What must an operating system do? It must provide an interface between hardware and software applications. In that sense Windows 8 is still like DOS. But expectations change. In the background is the tablet, the mobile phone, and different expectations of the PC. Think of a 1950’s Chevrolet vs. a 2011 Chevrolet. They have some things in common but they are clearly very different vehicles.

The market has changed, even though the bottom line is that the fundamental feature of the PC or tablet or mobile phone is to process information.

What’s new?

Not enough can be gleaned from the demonstrations, but somethings stand out. This is a touch-friendly operating system. The keyboard and mouse may be yesterday’s technology to be substituted by a new interface that does not rely on that framework. Similarly, icons are to be a thing of the past, replaced instead by tiles. This layout is called Metro. There are “charms” which represent different features like search, share, devices, settings plus a button to return you to Start. And when you drag from the left edge of the screen takes you back to the previous screen.

Apps are meant to work together, sort of like a virtual PC that has a sandbox theme keeping separate, but cohesive nonetheless.

Cloud connections will be automatic, making this a universal connection, and perhaps an Internet Operating System.

The interesting thing will be security. Since the last nine months has shown how easy it is to hack into anyone’s site, then what will be the embedded elements that will protect the user? This is not known yet.

We can say for sure that Windows 8 Will Not be like your old operating system.

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As the interest grows in Windows 8, there is some anticipation about what some of the hardware will look like, so Samsung, Nvidia, and Microsoft are due to show off a Windows 8 quad core tablet next week.

The rising PC/tablet wars are getting serious. The PC will always be the computer of choice at the enterprise level. But there is growing anticipation that the PC has run it’s course at the consumer/private user level. Why, because it is more convenient, and the touch technology that comes with the tablet a whole new way of interacting is in play now.

With that in mind both Samsung and Nvidia plan to show a quad-core Kal-el chip on a Windows 8 Tablet.

What is Kal-El?

Kal-El is a high performance chipset. It will offer five times the performance of current generation chipsets, the Nvidia Tegra 2. This comes on the heel of the Nvidia Tegra, which is a system-on-a-chip series developed by Nvidia for mobile devices such as smartphones, personal digital assistants, and mobile Internet devices.

Nvidia is using comic book superhero names for its chipset development models, such as Superman: Kal-El; Batman: Wayne; Wolverine: Logan, and Ironman: Stark.

When Kal-El as a final product is released, it will supposedly be referred to as Tegra 3.

Windows 8 Builds

A Windows 8 tablets build is due for release to developers next week. Kal-El has a release date sometime in the 3^rd Quarter, and Windows 8 is due for release around April-May 2012 at the earliest.

Meanwhile Samsung is on the Windows 8 Bandwagon and in this case, it will offer some diversification to the Android tablet version.

At this point the Windows 8 environment is starting to jell, and by the end of the year some of the refined elements should be in place. This may well be the end of the beginning as the saying goes.

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Windows 8 tablet builds are rumored to be coming to developers as soon as this fall, so within the next 2-3 months, maybe even sooner. This means that a Windows 8 build is close to finish and Microsoft can expect to make a Windows 8 shipment sometime next summer in 2012.

There is also a Microsoft Build event on September 13-16. The Anaheim California conference is focused on Windows hardware and software developers. Supposedly, it is expected to be Microsoft’s Windows 8 coming out party to get partners and OEM’s started on developing devices and apps for Windows 8.

The Quad Core Processor

The question comes up is what is the Quad Core processor that is supposed to run on tablets? That isn’t clear and running the tablet with a laptop processor wouldn’t be a good move since the battery life would be limited.

Note, however, earlier this year three developers NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and Texas Instruments each announced quad-core mobile chips and announced that they’d arrive before the end of 2011. Nvidia is supposed to make an announcement soon about the state of a quad-core table sometime in August or early September. Nvidia, by the way, is an ARM chipmaker, which is the preferred Windows 8 OS chip of choice, (although x86 based chips will still be used).

A big thing for tablets is performance, and ARM will provide fast operations, making the tablet a different computing experience than currently exists. Microsoft is expecting that this cutting edge technology may be what finally separates the Microsoft tablet from the iPad.

Is Performance Enough?

Having said that, the issue for the tablet is not just performance but design. Apple junkies love the design, the apps, and the uniqueness of the product. It stands apart. While Microsoft may be able to make a competent and reliable product, can they make one that consumers will fall in love with?

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Windows 8 is expected to run across a variety of formats, desktops, tablets, netbooks, laptops, x86 and ARM. So the question is can Windows 8 and XBox 720 be merged so that Windows 8 will also run on Xbox720?

Here is the issue. Consider that when Xbox developers write code for their games, they specifically target circuits, like vector units, and shaders that exist in an Xbox 360 unit. However, those elements may not exist on a PC.  You can have emulators in place to make the transition. Yet, the Xbox user interface is distinctively different from the one on a PC. Xbox users may not be enamored by a less than optimum interface for their games.

Xbox Live and Windows 8

Now comes a possibility. Xbox will merge with Windows 8. Is that possible? Considering that Microsoft has announced that Xbox Live is coming to Windows 8, yes it is possible.

Consider that the missing feature from Windows 8, is the Xbox Dashboard interface; however, the upcoming Dashboard update that Microsoft unveiled at E3 has a resemblance to Windows Phone 7′s Metro UI style which uses live tiles grouped together to organize content. This is similar to Windows 8′s Metro-inspired tile-based interface. In other words, even if the Xbox 720 doesn’t run Windows 8, it will still have the appearance like Windows 8.

A Unified Interface

In the end, what Microsoft needs to exploit is a singular user interface. This will eliminate the temptation to create alternative systems and instead have one OS ready to be used in multiple capacities.

Some speculation is in order here. For instance, Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 may support the same apps. This comes in view that Windows Phone 7 already has some Xbox Live support. So perhaps the Xbox UI and Windows UI may indeed be the same, because  both elements of the Xbox OS and Windows 8 OS will merge together.

Source: Geek.com

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What Windows 8 Features will Microsoft offer next?

Will Windows 8 support DVD drives? Everton’s recent post indicates it won’t. So what else is in store for Windows 8? What other things will it support or not support?

Here is a short list of upcoming changes to the system.

1. Do you like Mac’s Time Machine Backup System? Then you’ll like History Vault. Apple’s Time Machine is a backup utility. The software works with the Time Capsule as well as other internal or external drives. So Microsoft is planning to add the History Vault as a backup system in Windows 8.
2. IE 10 will be the default browser on the Windows 8 System. Whether it will be locked into the OS is still unclear. When Microsoft made the Internet Explorer a part of the Windows XP system, Europe forced Microsoft to break it out so other browsers could work on the OS.
3. Windows 8 Versions galore. Expect to have a Home, Pro, and Ultimate versions of Windows 8 available.
4. Intel and ARM processors will be the defacto processors for Windows 8 tablets.
5. Microsoft has learned a lot from Apple (so have many other companies for that matter). And one of the interesting things to come out of it is the Windows store, to compete with the Apple store.
6. Online storage service. Microsoft will have access to the Azure online storage similar to Apple’s iDisk.
7. Built in PDF support. On a Mac this has been a standard for years now; Microsoft will follow suit.
8. Boot up time will be faster with hybrid boot. The PC will be in semi-hibernation mode and will keep certain files pre-loaded to make boot up faster.
9. Pre-loaded Piracy Check Software. This will let users know if their version of the software is pirated or not.

While these are in the rumor stage, some have been confirmed by Microsoft and others await information displays on the Builds that come out.

Source: winrumors

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Interest in Windows 8 continues to grow and as proof, the Windows 8 Build Conference slated for mid September, has sold out as of August 1st. The conference will show developers what to expect with the new OS and how to develop apps for it.

World Wide Builds Conference

The Windows 8 Build conference is also being held simultaneously around the world. Among the countries where Microsoft’s Developer and Platform Evangelism (DPE) team is expected to hold (at least) one-day events are France, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium, Greece and the Netherlands, Dubai also seems to be hosting a Build event.

The Official Statement

According to Microsoft developers should go to the conference in order to:

“Hear how the (Windows) UI was designed to work seamlessly with a diversity of devices and form factors. Go behind the scenes and learn all about the new app model that allows you to create powerful new apps. All while retaining the ability to use your existing apps. Web-connected and web-powered apps built using HTML5 and JavaScript have access to the power of the PC. Touch-optimized browsing, with the full power of hardware-accelerated Internet Explorer 10 transforms your experiences with the web. BUILD is the first place to dive deep into the future of Windows.”

What can Attendees Expect from the Build Conference?

Attendees should get a feel of the Windows 8 client (and maybe even Windows Server around the time of the build conference. Whether these are Windows 8 bits or called Community Technology Preview is still not certain. However, on a practical scale,  hardware partners and developers will be able to get hands-on experience with the Windows 8 touch-centric user interface and learn get a feel for how to create apps that leverage the power and the flexibility of the  Windows 8 OS.

Other issues may make the conference, but whether they are official or not remains to be seen. Such issues about the extent of ARM processors on the Windows 8 system. Likewise developers using Silverlight and Visual Studio version 2012 may not find enough information about these products and how the deal with Windows 8.

Source: ZDNet

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The HP TouchPad tablet came out, in part, because HP purchased Palm and was anxious to have hardware available to compete with the iPad; especially since Microsoft was not pushing it’s own tablet as fast as possible. However, the HP TouchPad comes with WebOS. So the question that comes up is, if Microsoft uses HP to build its tablet, will HP abandon WebOS? Or, will HP make the TouchPad Tablet and the Windows 8 Tablet?

HP TouchPad Tablet

WebOS

WebOS is a graphical user interface that for use on devices with touchscreens. It works by using multi-touch gestures to navigate on the touchscreen. WebOS does not natively include a virtual keyboard application as the devices include slide-out keyboards, however, users can obtain virtual keyboards through patching. The interface uses “cards” to manage multitasking. Therefore, WebOS is a good operating system for use at the tablet level. Then what will happen when Windows 8 makes its debut, which also has touchscreen capabilities.

Microsoft and HP

Part of the answer is that you have to look at the relationship between HP and Microsoft. HP the biggest PC maker in the world, or certainly in the top three, will continue to be the go-to company that Microsoft will use for its Windows 8 deployment. Consider that HP stood by Microsoft when the XP tablet stalled, and continues to be a reliable hardware manufacturer for Microsoft.  So then, what will HP do with its TouchPad? Can HP support two competing tablet products, its own using WebOS and Microsoft’s, which will use Windows 8?

The Current System

When HP came out with the TouchPad, it deliberately avoided using Android in the OS system. After all, it had just purchased Palm, where WebOS originated. At this time HP is content with the OS structure it currently has on its system of computer. First there is WebOS on a tablet and Windows 7 on its current PC’s and finally Windows 7 on Slate, it’s current Microsoft tablet. With Windows 8 coming on line next year, will HP repeat the scenario, with WebOS on a table, Windows 8 on PC’s, and Windows 8 on a different tablet?

Source: FastCompany

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There is a lot of speculation about the track that Windows 8 will take. On the one hand Microsoft says it will be Windows 7 backwards compatible, but on the other it plans to develop the OS around ARM processors. And this leads to a conundrum. Will Microsoft abandon the PC as Windows 8 moves to the tablet format?

The question comes from the fact that the entire PC industry has been supplanted by the smaller is better mentality personified by the mobile/smart phone technology and the iPad/tablet technology. This will make the technology makers look at the products in a different light.

ARM

Microsoft has already shown that Windows 8 can run on ARM. That is a 32 bit RISC based architecture that uses less power than traditional Intel or AMD processors. Indeed, as far back as 2005 almost 98% of the mobile phones had at least one ARM processor running the device. Since then it has found a place in consumer electronics, including PDAs, mobile phones, digital media and music players, hand-held game consoles, calculators, and computer peripherals such as hard drives and routers.

Tailored Apps

The success of the tablets comes in part from the fact that each user can customize the tablet by an App. In this case, the App is like and unlike a software program on a PC. It is like a PC program because it will use the traditional CPU, memory, drivers, and hardware components to work. But it is unlike a PC program because the Apps doe one thing only in a compact way. In addition they are very inexpensive. Forget about spending $200.00 plus for a program, when you can spend .99 cents for a program that will do what you want.

In that regard, Microsoft will launch special development tools for developers so they can create “tailored apps” for Windows 8. What will be different from the current crop of Windows applications is that they will automatically take over the entire screen when launched. In this way the full screen take over will help create a different and immersive tablet computing experience.

So with that in mind, the question is, how long will the PC last? If Microsoft abandons this technology it will be doomed. A new generation of hardware may be in the making now.

Source: Tablets-Planets

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The talk is more frequent and more serious…The next installment of the Windows OS family is slowly being shown out of the development room. Hundreds, no thousands of users are quietly waiting to see what new features will be available in the new state of the art program, which Microsoft hopes will change the opinions of critics. Sure Windows 7 was/is a success. But what have you done lately?

With Apple and Google running through the forest and bringing back dramatic hardware or programs Microsoft must strut its stuff. So here are some Windows 8 Wallpapers that you can look at and download in anticipation of the strutting.

[Start slideshow]

12►

You can download the Wallpapers by clicking the link below.

16 New Windows 8 Wallpapers

Download

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As the details about Windows 8 start to become for frequent, a four prong Windows 8 strategy was unveiled last week.

Re-imagining of Windows

This means educating customers about Windows’ spread beyond the traditional desktop and laptop to other form-factors such as tablets. Windows 8, which is widely expected to debut sometime in 2012, will be available on tablets thanks to Microsoft’s new found commitment to SoC (system-on-a-chip) architecture, in particular ARM-based systems from companies such as Nvidia.

Continue to Push Windows 7 and Office 2010

People wonder if Microsoft will pull the rug on Windows 7 when Windows 8 comes out. But realistically, why would they? They have a very successful operating system, one that allows users and businesses to operate in ways that they couldn’t before. It’ tried and tested, which is not the same for Windows 8, despite the anticipation. So Microsoft will play conservatively when Windows 8 comes out.

The Productivity Experience … Second to none

Microsoft is fully behind the idea that enterprises will select their product if the companies feel that Microsoft is behind them, as a silent partner. Microsoft wants the partners to be productive and successful. This engagement means that the software will be viewed by companies as an asset, not as a cost.

Driving Customer Satisfaction

While it may appear to be a default position by any company … to drive customer satisfaction, Microsoft is not taking the view that they can supply software that is less than ready to go. The old view that they can fix it after release is not in their framework.

Microsoft is making it’s move to Windows 8 an ambitious move. It is not cowering behind a false name with no feedback. Even at the rumor stage, which this is still, Microsoft is making it’s charge to the next OS something that will not just be accepted when released but also making people grow in anticipation of the release.

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A good point was made by Ed Bott of ZDNet when he wrote a post that said that businesses were going to use Windows 8 as an excuse to get Windows 7. Sounds like crazy logic, but it makes sense. Businesses are not on the forefront of the technology revolution. They like to play it safe. Right now XP is safe.  Windows 7 is not. Next year, presumably in April when Windows 8 is released, it will make Windows 7 safe. Windows 8 will be looked upon as cutting edge technology, but untested.

With the majority of businesses still using XP the growth towards Windows 7 will intensify into acceptance. The result is inevitable. XP and Vista should breathe their last sometime in 2012.

The Economy and The Cloud

That said, the big IF is whether the US economy will improve enough to give businesses sufficient confidence that they can spend money. With the real estate market in the doldrums, jobs moving overseas, inflation, and high debt, businesses are worried that spending too much money may in fact kill their chances of profitability, if not the business itself. So one big issue is whether or not the economy will rebound.

Another issue that is starting to manifest itself, which was not a player when Windows 7 was released, is the Cloud. This allows software and hardware upgrades to be less important, because a company can lease the latest software and hardware from a Microsoft Data Center and make the transition to the most current technology. With Windows 8 coming, it may even supplant the Windows 7 element. All that Microsoft has to do is show that the legacy applications will run on Windows 8.

There is also fact that Windows 8 may have many features currently seen today in tablets and mobile smart phones. So the view that the technology is untested may not applicable, which in turn will allow businesses to make the transition to the most current OS.

April 2012

The latest rumor about Windows 8 is that it will be available to manufacturers in April 2012.  By then the status of XP, Vista, and Windows 7 should be clear. The nature of the economy and the status of the Cloud should also be clear. XP and Vista should see the end of days. But even Windows 7 may be supplanted by Windows 8.

Ed Bott, Can Windows 8 finally vanquish the ghosts of XP and Vista?, ZDNet

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In the past, one of the biggest drawbacks to OS migration has been the problem of upgrade compatibility. IT managers were frequently worried that a new OS also meant an upgrade in the hardware. That was the stopping point. According to the economics of this scenario, you had to spend money on the new operating system and money on the hardware needed to run the operating system.

At the Microsoft Partner Conference, officials addressed this concern.

“In both of our Windows 8 previews, we talked about continuing with the important trend that we started with Windows 7, keeping system requirements either flat or reducing them over time. Windows 8 will be able to run on a wide range of machines because it will have the same requirements or lower.”

In other words, the upgrade issue should be flat and non-existent. Provided, of course, that the system meets the following minimum requirements.

• 1GHz CPU
• 1GB RAM (for 32-bit systems) or 2GB RAM (for 64-bit systems)
• 16 GB hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver.

IT managers will still be concerned about the upgrade. The “What Again?” problem will be there. That is, if they have recently upgraded, will they be willing to make another upgrade so soon? Remember, that an upgrade is not just about an OS and hardware. It also means upgrading the skill set of employees. After all, why do the upgrade at all if they do not know how to use the new OS to its full capacity? Furthermore, there have to be re-assurances that the existing software will port over to the new OS. That means days, or weeks of testing. Sometimes this occurs simultaneously with the existing OS to make sure that the software in question will work.

For now, though Microsoft is making the effort that at least one upgrade problem will not occur, that is that IT managers will not have to upgrade their hardware.

Tami Reller, Worldwide Partner Conference 2011, Microsoft

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With wild anticipation, let’s say that after the success of Windows 7, why would so many people expect more from Windows 8? Any why should Windows 8 come out so soon after Windows 7. After all, many companies, believe it or not, have not moved to Windows 7. They are either stuck on Vista, or on XP. It may come as a shock, but a lot of companies are not with the cutting edge of technology. They don’t have the money to upgrade the software and or hardware, or the money to upgrade the skills of their IT staff. So they are stuck behind an ancient Operating System, which makes do.

But we’ve been hearing rumors about Windows 8 coming out in 2012. Maybe, maybe not. But what do people want from such a new Operating system. Well, here is a Windows 8 wish list.

A New Beginning

New Welcome screen

A new User Interface similar to the Windows phone 7 has been seen in the latest builds of Windows 8; this would mark a distinct introduction to the computer’s use.

‘Modern’ Task Manager

A colleague wrote about this yesterday. So let me just add, with new screen features and statistics about usage, it should be a different utility vehicle.

Portable Workspaces

You may be able to put Windows 8 OS on a USB stick. This would be a portable development.

Aero auto-colorization

A new feature that reacts to the most prominent color of the Windows wallpaper.

Hybrid Booting

Core operating system files are ‘put to sleep’ which enables the startup time to be significantly reduced.

Simple system ‘reset’

When needed, you can reset the OS to it’s default settings.

Ribbons in Windows Explorer

Ribbons which are prominent in Office 2010, will change the interface look

ARM processor ‘tablet support’

ARM is a a low-power processor which allows devices to run longer on batteries and it will be available on Win8.

Genuine center

You will now be able to organize  your Windows licences with this center.

Cloud-based roaming profiles

With cloud operations becoming more frequent, it would only stand to reason that they would be available in the Windows 8.

Push notifications

This is similar to or is expected to be similar to the Windows Phone 7 push notification.

Improved disk cleanup

Cleaning your disk or Operating system by removing junk files will be easier and automatic.

‘Modern Reader’ PDF support

PDF files will have a new reader, and perhaps editor functionality.

Internet Explorer 10

Continue to enhance IE with a new version that competes easier with Chrome, and Firefox.

Internet Explorer ‘Immersive’

A slimmed down version of the browser will feel and look like the phone version.

SmartScreen file filter

SmartScreen filters out spam or bad links based on community responses.

Windows App Store

Get files, updates, and Apps from the Windows App Store.

History Vault

This will replace the Backup and Restore feature in Windows 7

Step-by-step install

The install wizard will be made easier to use for novices to work with.

ISO mounting

Users will be able to use ISO images and burn them as needed.

Native wake on LAN

Even if your PC is hibernating or turned off, a network push through will be able to turn it back on.

Webcam application

Users will be able to use their web cam with the new User Interface. They will be able start and stop videos, capture images immediately or after a short delay.

Summary

Windows 8 comes at a time when there is a lot of push for implementing many new technologies into an old system. Operating Systems still control the computer and interface with the CPU. But with the advent of apps, and how they changed the mobile technology, the impact is now felt on PC’s and OS’s to break from the past and enter a new era of PC and user interaction. One thing is for sure, the next generation of Operating Systems will not look like the last generation.

Source: ZDNet

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While Windows 7 has been an overwhelming success with over 300 million copies sold in 2010, it hasn’t stopped Microsoft from working on Windows 8. Now comes notice that Windows 8 may be further along than thought. Why so? Because Microsoft  has begun to distribute early copies of Windows 8 to special OEM partners.

What is the Build?

Microsoft is distributing build 7971.0.110324-1900 Milestone 3 through the company’s Connect external testing system. Builds are product distribution points where the company feels confident enough about the product to have it tested by outsiders.  So some key OEMs, including HP, are now able to access the Milestone 3 build from Connect. So here is what has transpired, using a special invite from Microsoft. A code is provided, and the OEM partner enters the code, and they have access to the OS. The release program is called “Windows 8 and Server vNext Pre-Release Program.”

Windows 8 Release Date

So with all of this activity when will Windows 8 be released? Most of the rumors show that a full-fledged beta of Windows 8 will be available by September 2011, ahead of its release candidate and the actual launch of the program will occur sometime in 2012.

What Will Windows 8 Contain?

Remember, these are rumors and you won’t know until the actual product appears. But so far there are some very interesting features in the mix. For instance, the interface is supposed to be 3D.  And the interface will be “fully dynamic” meaning that it will adapt to user habits. Then there are the icons and shortcuts. They are also adaptable to different usage scenarios as well to speed up daily tasks. Then there is the power supply system. Windows 8 is to include a new fast hibernation system, where the system will hibernate between three to six seconds and save all open documents and running tasks. And there is supposed to be a dual-UI for Windows 8. The interface is codenamed “Mosh.”

Source: ThinkDigit

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Users may be pumped up about Windows 7, but now the expectations about Windows 8 are starting to increase.

Last year an internal snapshot of the Windows 8 roadmap was disclosed. That roadmap showed internal dates for Windows 8 Milestone 2, the second of what are expected to be three major internal builds of Windows 8.

Yesterday, some information was released about Milestone 2, slated to be released on Feb 23, and coding for M3 is supposed to start next week.

According to the roadmap, M2 took about five months to complete, and developers expect M3 to take another five months as well. So somewhere around September there may be a technology preview of the model.

Another thing, the ARM design should be ready by the end of 2011, or early next year. (ARM is a 32-bit reduced instruction set computer (RISC) with an ISA instruction set architecture developed by ARM Holdings.) It is a popular processor, and as of 2005, about 98 percent of the more than one billion mobile phones sold each year used at least one ARM processor.

On January 5 2011, Microsoft announced that the next major version of the Windows NT family will include support for ARM processors. And at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show, Microsoft demonstrated a preliminary version of Windows (version 6.2.7867) running on an ARM-based computer.

With Microsoft moving its builds on schedule and with the ARM technology also a part of this, it will be interesting to see what developments the Windows 8 OS takes. Clearly the standard Windows OS model is in for some reshaping. The integration with the hardware is now at a new level because so much of what is in place audio, video, wireless and so on were not the high demand factors that were part of the original OS design.  If Microsoft wants to take advantage of the new hardware, then its own software must be more inline with that hardware.

Source: Build Forum

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Microsoft has  compiled a number of Milestone 2 builds recently.  What this means is that Microsoft is ready for the final M2 build that will be distributed internally and externally to the company’s closest partners. Microsoft compiled a new build, 6.2.7947.0.winmain_win8m2_escrow.110218-1608 last Friday. This followed a number of Windows 8 builds over the past few weeks:

6.2.7925.0.winmain_win8m2.110207-1736
6.2.7926.0.winmain_win8m2.110209-1755
6.2.7927.0.winmain_win8m2.110210-1740
6.2.7928.0.winmain_win8m2.110214-1825
6.2.7929.0.winmain_win8m2.110215-1802
6.2.7930.0.winmain_win8m2.110217-1825

The Build stage M1, was finalized in early August 2010.  Build stage M2 started in December, and should be finished in 2-3 weeks. Build Stage M3 should start sometime after that. The current schedule could mean we’ll see a Windows 8 beta in the Summer.

According to some recent reports, Microsoft may introduce Windows 8 ARM based tablets ahead of a full desktop release. Also, Microsoft’s tablet strategy may be further along than expected. If fact, Dell’s  Tablet Roadmap revealed that they had marked Q1 2012 as its date for a Windows 8 based slate. Rumor has it that Microsoft has been working on an ARM based version of Windows for nearly a year and that it is laboring hard to bring this to the market as soon as possible. For slate applications, Microsoft is supposed to be making a major revamp, which will come in the next version, Windows 8.

For its part, Microsoft has so far been extremely quiet on the Windows 8 front.  The only hint at developments came at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last January, and this was to introduce a technology preview of Microsoft’s Windows ARM support and show off an early build of Windows 8. Microsoft is partnering with ARM-based manufactures like NVIDIA, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments to produce new Tablet devices.  ARM support for Windows will allow for greater battery life, new form factors and hardware. Also, It is understood that Microsoft will feature deep cloud integration into the Windows 8 OS to realise its vision of “three screens and a cloud”. One rumor has it that Microsoft will create a dual-user interface for Windows 8.  Also a tile based user interface called “Mosh” will also be included.

Source: Winrumor

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Windows 7 has been out a little more than a year. Rumors abound that the next client will be Windows 8. But is that all? I mean will that be the name only of the client? Consider. After the advent of Windows 7, Microsoft began using the number “7” for other Windows operating system spin-offs. It appears that Microsoft might just be setting a trend for the upcoming OS’s.

Typical of Microsoft, it has not given the name of the next OS. But gone are the days when the development team used something like “Longhorn” only to have the final OS release called something else.

So what is going on? The fact is that there’s already information pointing to the fact that ‘8’ will end up replacing ‘7’, not just for the client but also for the vast majority of upcoming OS’s, if not for all of them.

Some rumored calls insist that the successor of Windows 7 client will be Windows vNext; yet company employees are using the Windows 8 moniker to refer to the next generation of the Windows client.

While Windows 7 and Windows Server 7 were developed in parallel (Server 7 became Server 2008), the future versions of the Windows client and server are also in parallel development.

The final label may not be known, and it could change, but Microsoft’s own have been using the Windows 8 client and Windows Server 8 brands. It may be convenience, since using an alias for an OS name becomes silly since it is just that, an alias.  But Microsoft could use an alternate name, like the year the produce is released. Think Windows 95, Windows 98, Server 2000, Server 2003, Server 2008; well you get the picture.

Windows Server 8 could follow the model of previous server platform releases from Microsoft, and end up being called Windows Server 2012, provided the successors of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 will be delivered in 2012.

However, other products are using the Windows 8 moniker. For instance, Windows 8 Embedded was mentioned earlier this year, much like the Windows 7 and Windows Embedded Standard 7 model.

Then more recently, Windows Phone 8 also recently mentioned by the company, could become the successor of Windows Phone 7, which was just launched.

And although they are not connected with Windows 7, Windows Embedded Compact 7 and Embedded Automotive 7 also share the number 7. These could be upgraded to the “8” version themselves.

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The ARM is a 32-bit processor that uses a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) architecture. The manufacturer and developer is by ARM Holdings. The ARM architecture is a widely used 32-bit ISA based on the numbers produced. Because the ARM processors are relatively simple, this has made them suitable for low power applications. In that regard, this has made them dominant player in the mobile and embedded electronics market. They have a relatively low cost, and low energy consumers.

There are about one billion mobile phones around the world and about 98 percent sold each year use at least one ARM processor. Since 2009, ARM processors have accounted for almost 90% of all embedded 32-bit RISC processors. ARM processors are low power chipsets so they appear in a variety of consumer electronics. These include PDAs, digital media, mobile phones, and music players, calculators , hand-held game consoles, and computer peripherals such as hard drives and routers.

Now it appears that Microsoft may be looking a ARM and Windows8 to see if there could be a union. Presumably, Microsoft could use the combination to offer new low power products ranging from consumer tablets for Office aficionados to Internet café systems in remote third, world countries.

The Basics are there

Microsoft has been working with ARM for several years now, with the Windows CE platform using ARM for years now, so it has intimate knowledge of the hardware.

According to a news release from ARM, “As the latest addition to ARM’s Cortex-A family of processors, the Cortex-A15 MPCore processor will enable a new and vast array of products ranging from next-generation smartphones, tablets, large-screen mobile computing and high-end digital home entertainment devices through to wireless base stations and enterprise infrastructure products.“

Recently, Microsoft licensed the ARM core. Microsoft may be poised to get intimate knowledge of what a 64-bit ARM implementation would be like for Windows 8.

Source: EETimes

Slashgear

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Server 2008 R2 has the Hyper-V technology, which allows multiple computers via their operating systems to be run simultaneously on one computer. They are, of course, hosted through Server 2008. The use of virtual machines has been one of the quiet innovations that may be ready to explode into the public mainstream.

Virtual machine software has been around for several years. It is a computer inside a computer. With VM software you can run Windows XP, Server 2003, Vista, Windows 7, all side by side in a sandbox frame and not interfere with one another. You can create networks inside a hosting computer. In fact you can even do it now with Windows 7. But that leads us to Windows 8.

Windows 8

The first question is, what will Windows 8 look like? Well if Server 2008 is any indication about how it changed from Server 2003, don’t be surprised if Windows 8 doesn’t look like Windows 7. Why should it? If you want Windows 7, get Windows 7. So, then it has to look and be different. that is where virtualization comes in.

With the talk about the new type of chips that will run Windows 8; maybe it will be a 128 bit OS, running on a 128 bit CPU, so Window8 will have not just new chip technology but it will have a different OS structure.

So virtualization will provide a new, radically new approach to delivering programs to users. One thing that virtualization can do is run programs simultaneously. True that occurs now with multiple OS’s in existence. That is what a “Window” is. However, most of the time, the CPU is idle. And as you add additional cores, which are designed to improve performance, you make more programs run simultaneously. The improved technology is running far ahead of the software implementations.

Consider this, most applications have not been re-written to take advantage of 64 bit OS processing, or the 64 bit processor. Re-writing the programs will be costly and many software designers, following the cliche “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” will be reluctant to re-write their successful programs. So you have very powerful computers that can run many applications but don’t have the use of their technology to its fullest. However, with virtualization, the programs do not have to be re-written, and the CPU’s will be pushed to their limit. With multiple OS’s running the different programs, then the CPU’s will be running at full capacity.

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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.

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Recently at the Microsoft Human Resources department, a new job position was posted in the area of computer security.

Microsoft Careers

“Our group is on a mission to build a rich, powerful platform to help protect Microsoft products against piracy. Here is your chance to join a team of exceptional developers as we build an extensible cross-company platform to support this vision. This is a fast-paced group that rewards smart and motivated individuals.

We are looking for an experienced software developer to help us design and build new anti-hacking mechanisms, hack detection, and work on the security processor driver. The work touches many layers of the operating system and includes opportunities for partnership with MS Research and other security teams at Microsoft to productize exciting innovations and ideas that help shake hackers and crackers off Microsoft products.

It’s not for the faint of heart, but the diversity of the problem space in this area is rich in growth opportunities just waiting for the right candidate. You will have ample opportunity to diversify your skill set and grow. In this position, you’ll get a chance to work on many aspects of the platform, starting with an assignment to drive the design of our application and Operating System (OS) virtualization support. ”

If software pirates, hackers and crackers always seem to be one step ahead of Microsoft it is in part because of the monumental position Microsoft holds in the technology area. It is a “badge of honor” claimed by some who feel that they have stuck it to “the man” by performing these odious tasks. Even when Microsoft has succeeded in locking down vulnerabilities, there is always the contest mentality of “I’ll bet I can hack into it.” Trinity would be proud.(see: The Matrix)

The modus operandi for Microsoft is that they must keep up with hackers new methods and continue to innovate and design new security technologies.

Some may consider anti-piracy measures similar to whistling in the wind, but that’s certainly not the case. I have posts in Windows7News.com, and ConnectedInternet showing how in many cases Microsoft has foiled anti-piracy efforts. Many believe that piracy is relegated to just illegal copying or theft. But that is not the case. Virus distribution and embedded malware, and privacy intrusion are typical features that result from piracy efforts.

.
Additional Details about the position can be found here:  Senior Development Engineer – Windows

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At the Microsoft Careers on line Job site, Microsoft has release some specifications about Windows 8.

” Are you passionate about software performance? Are you excited by the potential to have a positive impact on hundreds of millions of users, by improving their Windows experience? The Windows Fundamentals Performance Test Team is look for a software design engineer who can help us do just that – make future releases of Windows faster, smaller, and more responsive than Windows 7. OS Fundamentals, and specifically performance were a major area of focus during Windows 7 and will be just as important if not more so, during the development of the next version(s).“

So how does this pan out? If you are a developer, and you are looking at OS development, your focus would be to change and improve Windows 7 to create a new operating system, Windows8. The next question is more interesting, how do you make Windows 8 faster and smaller and more responsive?

Given that the technologies that are under development and have been available to Microsoft, such as 128 bit processors with 6,8,12 or even 48 cores, the operating system will look very different if it is trying to work with these features. There are other technologies, for instance Solid State Drives will be replacing the traditional rotating head hard disk drives. Another technology is the light  (photon) based circuitry that will replace traditional wiring.

Touch and voice technology which came of age in Windows 7 will be in Windows8, and it will be interesting to see what the development will look like.

Embedded Systems, which need a stripped down version of the full operating system could benefit  from the new more compact Windows8 version.

For more information about some of these technologies see:

Solid State Drives A Quick Review

LightFleet Delivers a Light Based Server to Microsoft

Webkit2 for Multiple Cores Architecture

Windows7 Component Embedded System

See Source: Microsoft Careers Global for the full job description.

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Windows7 has been out less than six months, and already there is speculation about the next generation of Windows, Windows8. The Redmond company may not be saying much now, which is understandable, given the success of Windows7. The unspoken, but true, thinking is, why take publicty away from a successful venture and place it on a venture that is still at least a year and a half away. Go with the flow, and the flow right now is Windows7.

But Microsoft is quietly planning the next generation of Windows client and server platforms for the general public. Leaks have been kept to a minimum, but Microsoft is already developing technical documentation for the US Department of Justice, and its own internal documentation on what will be a major project. The DOJ-Microsoft settlement in 2000 added requirements about pending OS projects.

The Microsoft Communications Protocol Program or MCPP is a program which makes available technical features to third parties about the structure of the next operating system, Windows 8 and Windows 8 server. Third-parties use the documentation to leverage their hardware or software development efforts in order to build interoperability with Microsoft’s products. Part of the technical content is related to Windows 8 and Windows 8 Server. There is also documentation related to application products and software development products.

As many as 500 Microsoft employees and staff are involved in producing the MCPP technical documentation. There is overlap with the European Work Group Server Protocol Program, also part of the European Union’s effort to monitor compliance with legal rulings against Microsoft. With both of these watchdogs looking at Microsoft, the individual work relates to both programs or is exclusive to the MCPP.

Some 200 product team engineers and program managers are currently developing and reviewing the technical content to include in the legal compliance documentation. This includes work on Technical Documentation Issues (TDI) resolution as well as producing new content for the next version of Windows Client and Windows Server.

Source: http://www.codenamewindows.com/?p=1174

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I saw a documentary about Roswell, the place in New Mexico, USA that was supposed to be the place where an alien space craft went down. It supposedly was recovered by the US Air Force and had alien bodies among the wreckage. 60 years later, I smile when I hear how some people regardless of evidence or lack there of continue to believe wild stories about that event. The rumors persist…right?

Well, there are rumors about Windows8. Think of it. First of all, can MicroSoft really pull off selling a new operating system to have consumers buy this close to Windows 7, especially with the critical and commercial success of Windows7? If it had bombed, sure the public would be clamoring for a new one. But that is not the case.

Second, what can you expect from Windows8? To want people to buy the OS, it has to be radically different, otherwise, it will be considered a service pack to Windows7. The 128 bit rumor is around, but to make it really work as a 128 bit OS, then there have to be major rewrites of a lot of supporting software and hardware; otherwise, what’s the point? If the applications can not take advantage of the CPU to perform faster, it will be for nought.

Third, hardware technology must already be available to be incorporated into the next OS otherwise the time frame would be longer, maybe 2012, or even 2013. The technology may already have existed when Windows7 was being built, but was put off to wait for other hardware makers to design hardware around.

Fourth, the Windows8 kernel must be redesigned. If it’s just an extension of the Vista/Windows7 kernel, again what’s the point? Microsoft and their R&D team must be looking at what the next generation must be like, but with the emphasis on new technology.

So having said that about rumors, when will Microsoft release Windows8? From a spreadsheet designed by a Microsoft employee, the timeline is around July 1, 2011. That is a mere 17 months away. Here is a copy of the spreadsheet with the timeline not just for Windows8, but for other MicroSoft products.

Estimated Product Support Life Cycles

So here is the latest rumor. The spreadsheet picks the date of July, 2011 as the release date.  What makes this spreadsheet is the supposed origin: a Microsoft employee; furthermore, it has been accurate in the past for the software timeline. Take it with a grain of salt; but the rumors may be true.

Source: TechSpot

Roadmap Spreadsheet can be downloaded here.

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One of the problems with talking about a future operating system is 1) the little news that comes out of Microsoft about it, but 2) it is hard to speculate two years out about technology that might change considerably between now and then. So  we are left with rumor and wish lists and the like. Unless some company actually says something worth noting. In this case, Intel has announced that USB 3.0 will be an embedded product within the Windows 8 Operating System.

What is USB 3.0?

The original specification USB was released by a combination of manufacturers in 1996. These included, Intel, Compaq, Microsoft, Sony, Digital Equipment Corporation, IBM, and Northern Telecom.

On September 18, 2007, at the Intel Developer Forum a demonstration of USB 3.0 was presented. Two months later the USB 3.0 Promoter Group announced that the specifications for version 3.0 were complete and was ready for the USB Implementers Forum, the managing body of USB specifications to decimate the specifications and monitor implementation.

A new feature is the bus, which provides a fourth transfer mode at 4.8 Gbit/s. This gives is a “Superspeed.” With the raw throughput at 4 Gbit/s, and the new specifications, it is possible to achieve a speed of 3.2 Gbit/s, which translates to 0.4 GByte/s or 400 MByte/s or more after protocol overhead.

USB 2.0 maxes out at 480 MBits/s. USB 3.0 is expected to max out at 5 Gbits/s. This dramatic performance improvement over version 2.0, makes it more desirable. However, these new data transfer rates while attainable by the USB hardware, my not be easy to implement.

The USB 3.0 Icon

Current Timeline of Release

Consumer products are expected to become available sometime in 2010. With commercial controllers are expected to enter into volume production by April 2010.

In September 24, 2009 Freecom announced a USB 3.0 external hard drive.
Following that on October 27, 2009 Gigabyte Technology announced new P55 chipsets motherboards for computers that included an onboard USB 3.0.

On January 6th, 2010 ASUS release a USB 3.0-certified motherboard. . They had to comply with spesifications approved by the USB Implementors Forum to ensure compatibility between motherboards and peripherals.

Windows 7 and Linux

Drivers are under development for Windows 7, but initial support was not included with the initial release of the operating system. But on the other hand, the Linux kernel has supported USB 3.0 since version 2.6.31. That version was released in September 2009. This means that for the time being one complete system for end-to-end testing and development for USB3 is now available on the market.

USB 3.0 Super Speed Certified

Intel and AMD

Intel will not support USB 3.0 until next year, 2011. This will undoubtedly have the effect ofl slowing down mainstream adoption. These delays are related to problems in the CMOS manufacturing process.

AMD indicates that the new southbridges released in the beginning of 2010 will not support USB 3.0. Some market research from In-Stat predicts the relevant market share of USB 3.0 not begin to take hold until 2011.

Windows 8

At the CeBIT Global Conference in Hannover, Germany, Intel Manager Steve Peterson, attending said that USB 3.0 would become mainstream with the implementation of the next iteration of the Windows client operating system, Windows8. Intel is working with Microsoft to make sure that the hardware will work with Windows 8. It will fully support USB 3.0 Windows 8 integration. Although products featuring the USB3.0 technology have been release after the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the current expectations for USB 3.0 are that only high-end PCs will feature USB 3.0, as a general rule.

Intel expects Windows8 and the continuing evolution of computers to make USB 3.0 readily available. But, Intel, however, is not optimistic when it relates to the mainstream adoption of the technology. Apparently the technical details and specification to overcome are still problematic.

Source:  Intel Intel and USB

Intel to Support Windows8 and USB 3.0

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