14 DAY TRIAL // In just a few days Microsoft will show the world how Windows 8 changes everything. BUILD is the event that the company set up especially to share the first details of its most ambitious endeavor since the launch of Windows 95. Softpedia will be attending the conference and making sure you have the kind of access that you couldn’t get if you participated as a plain vanilla guest.
Since I’ve already done something similar for every major Microsoft event I attended, I thought BUILD could not possibly be an exception, so here’s your chance to send over questions that I can relay to members of the Windows team.
There’ll be plenty of time next week to rub elbows with the softies neck deep in the development process of Windows 8, and I’d just feel better if I came equipped with a collection of question from you.
Is there anything you’d want to find out on Windows 8? How about additional technologies such as Internet Explorer 10 or Visual Studio vNext (11)?
Since I expect most of the questions to be focused on Windows 8, I just want to remind you of some of the details that Microsoft already shared with the public.
Windows 8 will be the first Windows client to support systems on a chip (SoC) architectures, including ARM, and since it will be pre-installed on a range of next generation devices, it will also feature Metro, a NUI + GUI interface on the surface combined with a new application platform under-the-hood designed to enable the creation of immersive experiences.
Windows 8 is a friend to web developers leveraging technologies such as HTML5 and JavaScript, but don’t think that it will turn it back on Silverlight or .Net, not the case.
In addition to Metro, various Windows 8 components will also get a Ribbon UI facelift, especially since not all apps can be immersive, with some required to provide more traditional experiences. Windows Explorer is one Windows 8 component to feature Ribbon, but its redesign runs much deeper and includes a revamping of the file management mechanism.
As a result of this revamping Windows 8 customers will be able to mount, eject as well as perform a variety of other tasks involving ISO and VHD images with in Explorer, since both file formats are supported by default.
Among the new technologies included in the next version of Windows users will find support for USB 3.0, which they’ll surely end up appreciating, especially considering the inherent performance boost compared to USB 2.0.
And speaking of mad performance increases, Windows 8’s boot is now on steroids, since Microsoft combined the old cold start-up with elements of resume from hibernation. The first demo of the new boot in action has Windows 8 starting up in just 8 seconds.
But there’s much more on Windows 8 for Microsoft to tell and for users to find out. In conclusion, if you were face to face with Sinofsky