Windows 8

Microsoft has learned a lot from Vista and Windows 7 and is going to apply everything to create a better Windows 8. What will Windows 8 look like? What will it be? Nothing is set in stone, but we do have some good ideas and suggestions for Microsoft.

Fresh Start

Countless times I have heard the statement “Microsoft should start fresh with all new code.” Is that a good idea? Is this going to happen?

I can say the chance that Microsoft will start afresh from all new code is slim to none. There are millions of lines of codes already built, and Microsoft would have to charge $1,000 a copy if it started over.

There is also nothing wrong with most of the code. What is wrong with the calculator program? Is there anything wrong with solitaire? I’m guessing that Windows won’t be rewritten from scratch for a long, long time, if ever.

Microsoft has had the same kernel for Windows for a while, and they simply add to it as each version is released. The kernel is very complex and will continue to just be updated until some radical new idea comes around.

The number one lesson Microsoft has learned since XP has been security. XP was released in 2001 and is now pretty secure. We all remember how many security patches XP had, and because of all these patches, the heart of Windows is now pretty secure. If they started over, a whole new set of security holes would arise. I’d rather stick to what is tried and true.

32-bit? Please Die

There is no reason to have 32-bit versions of Windows 7 around. Microsoft still felt they needed a 32-bit version for some reason. Will 8 be 32-bit? Chances are there won't be, for a number of reasons. 

For one, we have maxed out RAM for 32-bit; we've hit the 3 GB limit. We can already put 12 GB into a computer now, so having 3 GB in the future seems to be oh so last generation. Windows Server 2008 R2 is 64-bit only; look for 32-bit to be killed after Windows 7.

Windows 8 will be mainly 64-bit, but some have been speculating about a 128-bit version. According to some LinkedIn profiles, some very lucky people at Microsoft have been playing with some 128-bit architecture. Is this real or are they messing with us? It’s too soon to tell, but I won’t rule it out.

Will 128-bit hardware be mainstream when Windows 8 is released? I would bet the farm that it won’t be. If we see any 128-bit hardware when Windows 8 is released, it will probably be in the form of massive server clusters.

Remember that there will be a Windows 8 server OS as well out around the same time. Microsoft usually makes drastic changes in one version, and releases another that similar to the first before making more drastic changes. Windows 2000 to XP was a simple transition, XP to Vista was a huge jump, and Vista to Windows 7 was another simple transition.

What does this have to do with 128-bit hardware? It means that chances are Windows 9 will be very similar to Windows 8. If they are going to support 128-bit hardware with Windows 9, they better have a firm handle on it in Windows 8. Remember the XP 64-bit disaster? We don’t want that happening again. I feel sometime between Windows 7 and Windows 9 is end of life; we will see 128-bit hardware at least at the server level.

Release Date

I hope you are still enjoying Windows 7, because Windows 8 won’t be around for a while. Apparently Microsoft is shooting for a 2012 release date. The chances of them pushing it up with Windows 7 success is slim, and I'm sure they would rather not push it back; it's not like anyone really likes pushing back release dates to begin with. We will see some beta and maybe release candidates in 2011.

Networking

The networking aspect of Windows 7 is drastically better than before, but still not as great as XP was. Windows 8 should really improve network performance. According to some Microsoft employees’ LinkedIn profiles, they are going to be implementing new features on Windows 8.

I really like Homegroup. The idea is great, but it seemed like they played it safe and didn’t really break any new ground with them this time around. Hopefully in Windows 8 they will expand on Homegroup and include some exciting new features. More people have more than one computer in their house, and the need to be able to network the two computers is rapidly growing.

Virtual Machines

The Windows XP VM that is built into Windows 7 was a huge jump in the personal computer world. I think it was more of a need to get people to give up XP when applications didn’t support Vista or Windows 7. It appears that Microsoft has some more Virtual Machining up their sleeves for Windows 8. Whether it ends up on only the server side of Windows 8, or Windows 8 itself, is still unknown.

According a job posting for Microsoft, they are looking for someone that is really crafty with the NT kernel and VM. It appears they are looking for a way to update Windows that are in VM without having to power them on. Now that is some really tricky programming; it will be interesting to see the results. 

WinFS?

We have heard about the future replacement for NTFS, WinFS. So will the WinFS make its way into Windows 8? I would say no, there is little chance of it making it in there. As far as the file system for an OS, WinFS has been pretty dead for some time. It did find its way into SQL server and Exchange, so it will live on; it just won't see much use. 

Usability and GUI

What most people care about most is how easy it is to use, and how reliable it is. People might not ever notice a new file system, but any change in the GUI they will notice. I like to tell people the biggest difference between Vista and Windows 7 is the usability. Getting to any of your favorite apps or settings is only a couple of clicks away, and loading them up is even quicker.

Windows 8 will continue to give better usability and user experience. The new libraries feature is great; I hope they expand on it. The one thing that Mac had over Windows was a single central location for applications. I think it would be great if Microsoft could pull all the application shortcuts into a library. It should beat trying to figure out who the developer of the program is so that you can find it in the program menus, and save us a couple of steps to open it.

Cloud

There is much hype and development surrounding cloud computing. Could we see a cloud OS in Windows 8? I think it’s a little too soon; Internet speeds aren’t up there yet. Live Sync is Microsoft’s first step to cloud computing, and I’d love to see more of it in Windows 8.

Office 2010 has a cloud aspect with applications on the web browser, which will bring a new method of computing to most users. Integrating something like Live Sync in Windows 8 would be a killer feature, and making it work in a personal website to access photos and music would be amazing.

Live Applications

This is a tightrope walk for Microsoft. They want to include many applications free in the OS, but don’t want to get another anti-trust case against them. They currently have a download application that allows you to download which ever ones you want.

They have some great applications built in for downloading. Their free antivirus program is another great addition. Continuing this road is a must for Microsoft; they need to continue to offer the option of free, worthwhile applications. Apple is doing this well in OS X, and Microsoft needs to make it a simple, all-inclusive OS.

Conclusion

Windows 8 is in development now and has a lot to live up to with Windows 7 being a huge hit. There are already some rumors leaking about possible 128-bit hardware, new networking, and advanced VM tools.

There are some great new features in Windows 7 that could be expanded and really developed into a new way of computing, namely the homegroups and libraries. Many people are in love with Windows 7, including me -- but we're all still eager to see the first screen shots and leaked builds of Windows 8.