14 DAY TRIAL // The BUILD 2014 developer conference is just around the corner and with so many announcements expected to take place during the show, some might be looking for a live stream of the event.
Just like it does every year, Microsoft today announced that the BUILD event would be streamed live at buildwindows.com and channel9.msdn.com, which basically allows anyone with an Internet connection to witness the public launch of a major Windows 8.1 update.
“For those that don’t know Build, this is the major event that Microsoft is celebrating for and with Developers Worldwide, an event where you can find out what’s new in Windows, Windows Phone, Azure, and other technologies. An event plenty of 100, 200, 300 and 400 level sessions where you can develop your skills and improve as a developer,” Microsoft said in a short announcement rolled out today.
The BUILD 2014 developer conference is expected to be used by Microsoft for the introduction of Windows 8.1 Update, a major set of improvements of the modern operating system that’s now expected to be tweaked in order to be more appropriate for desktop computers.
Windows 8.1 Update will be presented at the BUILD event, but users would only get it via Windows Update on April 8, the same day when Microsoft is scheduled to launch next month’s Patch Tuesday fixes and the last round of improvements for Windows XP, which is then going to be officially discontinued.
As we could all find out thanks to the leaks that reached the web recently, Windows 8.1 Update will come with options that would allow users to pin Metro apps to the taskbar and launch them in separate windows, which basically means that those still relying on a mouse and keyboard as the main input method can now access Metro apps easier.
Windows 8.1 Update will also come with a revamped Start screen that would boast power controls and a search box, as well as context menu-like options for the displayed live tiles and thus making it a bit easier to navigate through the Modern UI with a mouse.
Word is that Microsoft is also working to tweak the boot-to-desktop option in order to better match the device you are using. Desktop computers for example might come with boot-to-desktop turned on by default and thus skip the Start screen completely, while touch-capable devices, such as tablets, would instead have this option disabled.