14 DAY TRIAL // Users ready to jump the gun and get an early look at the forthcoming version of Windows, might have a chance to do so sooner than they expect.
One source is promising that a leak of Windows 8 will be provided in the coming weeks, even as soon as within a week.
Unconfirmed reports have recently revealed that Microsoft started coding work on Windows 8 Milestone 3 on February 28th, 2011.
A select group of early adopters have already been permitted access to the early bits of Windows 7’s successor.
But although there have been some details and even screenshots leaked in the wild, the actual operating system remains out of the reach of unauthorized testers.
This might have something to do with the anti-leaking mitigations built into the early builds of the platform.
It appears that Microsoft made sure to sign each Windows 8 copy with a unique code identifier, making them traceable. In this manner, the software giant makes sure that it can quickly identify the potential source of a leak.
So far, the measures taken by the Redmond company have worked, as Windows 8 is yet to be leaked in the wild. Still, this could all change, provided that the identification code for the early development milestones of Windows 8 can be removed.
Truth be told, I quite doubt the fact that we’ll see a valid leak of Windows 8 from this particular source, and that’s why I’m not even providing a link.
I suspect that the promise is nothing more than a marketing tactic designed to draw traffic to another project, unrelated to Windows.
At the same time, I don’t doubt that a Windows 8 leak will indeed make its way in the wild. It remains to be seen whether this will be in the immediate or the more distant future, but as certain as all the previous Windows leaks before, this too will happen.
I have received confirmation from a very trusted source that Microsoft plans to expand the Technical Preview testing program for Windows 8 this spring.
In fact, my source is going to get a taste of the operating system in the coming months – I’ll see at that point whether it will be possible to get some additional details on the next major iteration of Windows.
However, as some of you might know, Microsoft’s non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) are nothing to toy with, unless you enjoy playing with fire and are ready to face the consequences.
UPDATE: As I said above, it appears that there is no imminent Windows 8 leak in fact, and that it was nothing more than a fake report.