Building Windows 8: Engineering Dialog Debuts

June 2011 brought with it the first public preview of Windows 8, but also the promise that the conversation around the next major iteration of Windows would follow the “Engineering Windows 7” dialog model.

At the start of this week Microsoft launched the “Building Windows 8” blog or “B8” as the softies call it.

The first post is already live, penned by none other than Steven Sinofsky, President, Windows and Windows Live Division.

Just as it was the case with the official Windows 7 blog, the “Building Windows 8” blog will be focused on the engineering process of the operating system.

“For the Windows team, this blog is an important part of developing Windows 8, as was our blog for Windows 7. Blogging allows us to have a two-way dialog with you about design choices, real-world data and usage, and new opportunities that are part of Windows 8,” Sinofsky stated.

“Together, we will start the unique adventure of bringing a major product to market. We’re genuinely excited to talk about the development of Windows 8 and to engage thoughtfully with the community of passionate end-users, developers, and information professionals.”

The Windows boss notes that he’s well aware of how the silence around the Windows 8 projects affected users. However, he continues to stress that the best course of action is to only unveil details about upcoming projects when they’re nothing short of set in stone.

“We’ve heard people express frustration over how little we’ve communicated so far about Windows 8. We’ve certainly learned lessons over the years about the perils of talking about features before we have a solid understanding of our ability to execute,” Sinofsky added.

“Our intent with this pre-release blog is to make sure that we have a reasonable degree of confidence in what we talk about, before we talk about it.”

The blog is thus designed to catalyze dialog between the Windows team and Microsoft’s customers and partners. Feedback is obviously welcomed.

“Rather than generating traffic or building excitement, this blog is here to provide a two-way dialog about the complexities and tradeoffs of product development,” the Windows boss stressed. “We intend to continue our dialog around performance and fundamental engineering of Windows. The feedback on these topics and the desire to talk about them in depth was clear during the development of Windows 7.”

Obviously, the “Building Windows 8” blog is nothing more than a prelude to the first deep insight into Windows 8 scheduled for BUILD in mid-September.