Microsoft shifting internal focus to Windows 8 in July 2010
By Donald Melanson 
posted December 1st 2009 6:50PM
posted December 1st 2009 6:50PM
Ah, the tormented life of a Microsoft employee. You spend a few years of your life nurturing a product, teaching it some new tricks, and before you know it you have to release it into the wild and start all over again. Coincidentally, Microsoft also seems to do a lot of hiring during that tumultuous switchover period, and its latest round of job postings have offered a few clues as to what we can expect in Windows 8, and when the company plans to focus on it in earnest. That will apparently happen at the start of the company's 2011 fiscal year, which translates to July, 2010 for everyone else. As for Windows 8 itself, it seems that Microsoft is particularly interested in finding a few folks to work on how Windows Update works in the latest iteration of the OS, including things third-party application updating, updating virtual machines when they're turned off, and delivery of full applications -- Windows 8 Server and a "new UX framework" also garnered a brief mention. Hit up the link below for some additional details, and links to the actual postings if you happen to be looking for a job.
@jinushaun
You mean like apt-get?
@jinushaun
then developers will have to pay the microsoft tax as some already do to macrovision for installshield
@jinushaun
You mean like Ubuntu already has?
@Paul: It is just like Ubuntu, until you try to update iTunes.
This is a good thing, But I hope they poll users to find out what features need to be added, changed or modified.
I love the iso burning feature, MS needs to build in a way to mount ISO's as well, Especially since netbooks are very popular and the dvd/cd drives are almost dead now.
Also needs to build in the ability to make bootable usb drive backups
@Hydra yes PLEASE add ISO mounting! ISO Burning is a huge boon in Windows 7, it works great and I use it all the time. But I shouldn't have to have MagicISO running all the time just to mount things. They made an ISO mounter years ago for XP, shouldn't take much work to update it and stick it in Win8.
please please please be a web OS
@AndroidRokz
What is a web os? Sounds limited.
@AndroidRokz a web os is like Chrome OS: everything is centered around a browser. All I need is a browser to get my geekiness on, Nilay!
Can't wait for Windows X. It's gonna be sweet for sure.
@pete42 I was thinking the same thing. ;P
Wow, what is the build name?
Windows Vista SP7 +UPRG RC8?
Apple ads have told me everything I need to know..
Same windows DLL crap..
Same thing with GM cars... undernieth you will find some shite body part labelled "Cavalier"
@NAME
"Apple ads have told me everything I need to know.."
And that's all I need to know about you, iTroll.
@NAME Uh huh, it's all true. Windows users get atleast 5 bluescreens a day and have to reformat their system every two weeks to get rid of all the new viruses.
@NAME I thought you drove a MANLY PONTIAC LeMANS. That's a GM car, isn't it? Too bad you're not man enough to handle a GTO.
Windows 7 just came out, and MS is already gearing up for Windows 8? At this rate, it won't be long before we get a new version of Windows every two years. Not that I'm worried about this, I'm doing just fine with Vista.
@LonnieDVD 4 years is the sweet spot IMO. Service packs for the way through.
@LonnieDVD Every two years sounds expensive...
@Cheesus Crust I agree with you about upgrading every four years.
I wonder if MS will finally try and support NVMHCI. I have had a kernell ready if only someone would step forward and get the ball moving. It's hard when no manufactures of SSD want to supply a little guy with some of their products.
Yea, in two years everyone will have to spend another $300 to have a slightly altered version of the last OS. Since Microsoft is in the business of copying Apple completely now I hope they follow with similar pricing of OS X as well and charge less than $100 for a full install and with only one SKU. Considering their nice cushy monopoly though I highly doubt that will happen.
@High Had press the minus for u.
@High Except that you just took the 300$ price out of your ass. Ultimate costs 220$ but most people only settle for Home Premium, which is 120$, the same price Apple sells its major update OSs for.
@High That is hilarious.
Apple charges what, $129 a year for updates (this year was the only time it was different, probably because they realized people would not be so happy paying $129 for the small number of changes that were made).
Over the same 3 year cycle that means it costs $387. Home Premium is what 95% of people need, and that only costs $180 for the full version or $105 for the OEM version (which any person knowing the OEM version exists will pick).
very happy with win 7,
it's fast, and support my old laptop flawlesly. think i won't upgrade the hardware until win 8 comes out. It will be all multi touch tablets in 8 era.
in the future will it be Windows OS 10......or um OS X........umm..........
Edit: Microsoft shifting internal focus to Windows 8 in July 2012
Oh bugger off I've just bought 7! Microsoft waving obselescence in my face like a giant banana and two oranges!
Just like that. Should we expect half-assed W7 service packs and updates?
Windows 8 will be a revolution in OS design and operation. It does away with all that useless clutter all over the screen. It manages memory so much more efficiently that you will need less than 1 meg of RAM. It can open applications with a few simple key strokes so you will never have to remove your hands from the keyboard. It leaps tall buildings in a single bound. It's called Dumb Overrated S___ or DOS as it will become to be know. Windows killed Microsofts legacy. Everything after DOS was crap and a rip off.
More money for Microsoft
Sounds good. Remember when we got windows versions one after another? 95, 98, 2000, ME, XP all right after another. The decade between XP and Vista was too long, we need incremental updates more often just like we do for everything else.
Damn, I want them to release WinFS more than anything else right now.
wonder when they will move on to minwin. get rid of DLLs
Windows 8 will most likely be Windows 7 with a few extraneous features. Hopefully they will redesign the UI to make it much more streamlined. Windows 7 has too much similarity to Vista- and that's not a good thing. It seems as if every version of Windows was suppose to be better than the last but we obviously know that's not always the case (Vista, ME, 98, etc..)
Windows 8 my baby!
What is with these ridiculous OS life cycles? Why is there has be a new OS every year and a half?
While I would like to get Vista off my main machine, I am seriously thinking about just waiting for Win8. Sure it's not gonna be here for a while, but I absolutely despise having to update my machine with a new install of Windows and then having to reinstall and reconfigure every single app that I have. (and yes, I am aware that the upgrade from Vista to Win7 "should" be fairly easy, but I still think a clean state approach is the best way to go with a new OS)
Win7 is nice and all and quite smooth, but if Win8 is going to be here in like 2 years or so, then I highly doubt I'll bother with 7... (at least not on my main PC)
I wonder what Mac OS 9 and 10 will be like... Oops, did I say Mac? I meant Windows 9 and 10, of course. Because Microsoft invented the computer.
Bring on the new OS!
Employee "Let's get rich by faking a new OS every year!"
Balmer "Son, you just earned yourself a raise, well wait - make that 10 free xbox points anda picture of me holding a zune"
I guess I should put the balmer bit in all caps, but you get the point.
what? July 2010.
hmm I don't think so. Since the launch party, it took them about a week to shift focus to Win 8. That was a while ago :)
They are just trying to get to Windows X as soon as possible.
The problem MS has is all the STUPID idiotic laws that corporations, identities (EU), and morons have put up because MS has dominated for so long.
Everything MS does now is picked through with a fine tipped comb by people just wanting to get a bit of $$ by doing as little as possible. They should just hire Chuck Norris to Round house everyone who puts up a stink.
Maybe instead of working on a new version that will probably release in 2012, Microsoft should just focus on making the current OS better.
If Microsoft would have just released XP64 Professional with DX10 and Aero added with no other changes we would have had the perfect OS. XP64 already had the ability to operate on multiple cores and address more than 3.5GB of RAM. It ran extraordinarily stable and with half the memory footprint of Vista.
I don't want all my applications to automatically update just like I do not want windows to automatically update. Sometimes updates cause compatibility problems. I do not want to have to uninstall and reinstall a rendering program because windows updated the software and the new version is incompatible with my 3D modeling software. Windows update more or less bricked my system with the Black Screen of Death and I couldn't get any work done for a day while I was trying to fix the problem.
I WANT MY OS TO BE TRANSPARENT AND WORK IN THE BACKGROUND. I WANT AN OPTION TO INSTALL WINDOWS AS AN ADMINISTRATOR WHICH WILL TURN OFF ALL UNNESSESARY SERVICES, UAC, AUTOMATIC UPDATES, WINDOWS FIREWALLS, ADVANCED INDEXING, SUPERFECTH, and the rest of the useless crap that uses almost 2GB of RAM just sitting there doing nothing.
It would be nice to have this option so I do not have to spend over a week configuring the system to work as a proper workstation. Trying to dumb down Windows to make it easier to use is destroying the ability of the OS to operate in a business environment.
Well isn't that nice of Microsoft. Instead of firing all the developers of Windows 7 they're going to move them over to Windows 8. I'm sure the Microsoft employees appreciate that these days.
Wow, by the time Windows 11 comes around, the logo will be a blinding supernova.
Windows 8 was my idea!