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Microsoft introducing ReFS file system with Windows Server 8
Hungry for a shiny new file system? Windows 8's got your back, or at least, Windows Server 8 will. In his latest Building Windows 8 post, Steven Sinofsky introduces the Resilient File System, or ReFS, as a "next generation file system" built on the foundations of the NTFS. By reusing NTFS' API / semantics engine, ReFS hopes to retain a high level of compatibility with NTFS features. Underneath the existing semantics engine, the new file system introduces a new storage engine that hopes to protect against latent disk errors, resist data corruption, uphold metadata integrity, grant large volume, file and directory size -- and well, just build a better storage system in general. It's all quite complicated, but if you feel up to the technical snuff, click through the source link below.
Microsoft talks Windows 8 portrait mode, really wants you to be proud of it (video)
If Apple is that paranoid friend that has four deadbolts on his door and a loaded weapon in every room, then Microsoft is the over-sharer who tweets where, when and what he had for lunch -- including both before and after photos (and we're not talking about pictures of a clean plate). Redmond wants you to know about everything it does -- no accomplishment is too minor for a lengthy explanation of the what and why. Take for example, portrait mode. Windows 8 will have one. We know what you're thinking, "well I would frackin' hope so," but the devs want you to know this isn't just some feature they slapped in the OS knowing people would expect it. The team studied users both familiar with and new to the tablet form factor. They looked at grip, posture and when people chose to rotate their slates. And, if you're some weirdo who likes reading things on their side, there's a rotation lock option. For more details hit up the source link and the video after the break.
Microsoft locks Metro-style apps to Windows Store, developers and enterprise keep sideloading privileges
Microsoft's battening down its hatches, and restricting distribution of Metro-style apps to its Windows Store. Developers and enterprise customers (as well as Win32 desktop apps) get the slide this time 'round the OS reboot, with continued and unfettered access to sideloading on the platform. The decision, much like Apple's approach to iOS, falls in line with Redmond's current Windows Phone 7 app policy, leaving the wild, wild west of unpoliced apps to users of Android's open-source ecosystem. Of course, it's only a matter of time before denizens of the interweb's shadowy underworld hobble together a means of bypassing MS' security measures, and open the floodgates to nefarious apps. We're still waiting to get our hands on those Win8 slates, but in the meantime, look forward to a curated experience.
Switched On: The great slate debate of Windows 8
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Just as Windows Phone 7's "touch-only" interface threw away the past to create a streamlined, more approachable experience, Microsoft is creating a "touch-first" experience for Windows 8 that has more in common with its new phone software than previous versions of Windows. This "Metro-style" UI will be able to run on virtually any modern PC, with screens from 10- to 30-inches and above. The touch interface will be only occasionally relevant on desktops, though, more so on laptops. Where it's obviously meant to shine is on pure slates -- will consumers really flock to Windows 8 for such slates, though?
Engadget Podcast 256 - 09.16.2011
This week, the Engadget Podcasters get caught up in the Windows racket--and who can blame them? It was Build week, and while a lot of other things happened too, it's not every day, or week, or even year that we get a reveal of something this massive in the computing universe. The games, the cars, the and chips take a backseat while we step back and admire the cross-platform spectacle of Number 8. Host: Brian Heater Guest: Darren Murph, Richard Lawler Producer: Trent Wolbe Music: Stairway to Heaven 03:45 - Poll: Did you download Windows 8? 09:00 - Windows 8 can run on an Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM 13:45 - Windows 8 details: new features, UI enhancements and everything in between 18:45 - Windows 8 for tablets hands-on preview (video) 30:43 - Microsoft shows Windows 8 on existing Ultrabooks, acts like it's never seen a thin laptop before 38:18 - Nintendo 3DS extended slide pad add-on, first hands-on 46:39 - Listener questions Hear the podcast Subscribe to the podcast [iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (enhanced AAC). [RSS MP3] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in MP3) to your RSS aggregator and have the show delivered automatically. [RSS AAC] Add the Engadget Podcast feed (in enhanced AAC) to your RSS aggregator. [Zune] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in the Zune Marketplace Download the podcast LISTEN (MP3) LISTEN (AAC) Contact the podcast Send your questions to @tim_stevens. Leave us a voicemail: (423) 438-3005 (GADGET-3005) E-mail us: podcast at engadget dot com Twitter: @bheater, @rjcc, @darrenmurph
Microsoft shows off Xbox Live on Windows 8 (video)
Yeah, we knew it was possible, but knowing and seeing are two very, very different animals. Just before closing the doors at Build 2011, Microsoft's Avi Ben-Menahem took the time to briefly showcase what would be possible with Xbox Live and Windows 8. It's obviously in a very early state, but already we're seeing signs of cross-platform multiplayer game support, and an (unsurprisingly) Metro-style universe supplanting the existing Games for Windows Live. We get the feeling that Microsoft's thinking this one through; rather than just shoehorning a gaming element in, things like "cloud saves" and dedicated Music / Video panes will be around to enjoy. Moreover, participation in the Xbox Live development program will purportedly be free, and if Ben-Menahem has his way, this will bring "everything you know and love on Xbox 360 and Xbox Live to Windows." Bold. Peek the pair of videos just after the break.
Poll: Did you download Windows 8?
Downloads have barely been active for half a day, but for the night-owls who burned the midnight oil in order to take the developer preview of Windows 8 for a spin, this is for you. If you're claiming to be one of the earliest of adopters of Windows 8, how have things gone? Are you waiting a few days to see the obvious issues crop up? Are you taking your remaining vacation days to have yourself slapped silly with "Metro-style" goodness? Let us know how the installation process went in comments below, and if you've got a newfound mancrush (or womancrush!) on Microsoft, here's your opportunity to shamelessly gloat. %Poll-69030%
Microsoft launches Windows 8 developer preview, downloads are live!
We got a taste of Windows 8 back at D9, but the real bounty is waiting in Anaheim. The company's kicking off its Build conference with a full-on developer preview of its next major desktop operating system, still code-named Windows 8 for the time being. According to Steven Sinofsky -- president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft -- the company has "reimagined Windows," bringing about a "new range of capabilities" that coders will begin to dig into sooner rather than later. As we'd seen before, the "Metro-styled" user interface is front-and-center, bringing graphical elements of Windows Phone 7 to desktop, laptop and tablet users of the future. Internet Explorer 10 is also onboard, as well as a focus on "apps" that can communicate with one another, and content that can sync across devices. Folks comfortable in a Win7 environment ought to be right at home here -- Win8 is built on the same foundation, though the retooled Task Manager and Windows Explorer should tickle the average fancy. The Windows Store will enable devs to hawk their apps to any nation where Windows is sold, and yes, support for ARM-based chipsets is proudly included alongside compatibility with x86 devices. In other words, everything from "10-inch tablets to laptops to all-in-ones with 27-inch HD screens" will be able to ingest Win8 with ease. That's a markedly different take than the folks in Cupertino have expressed, with an (admittedly limiting) mobile OS being chosen to run the tablet side of things. Only time will tell which mantra proves more viable, but we're guessing the both of 'em will find varying levels of success. Microsoft has also confirmed backwards compatibility with "devices and programs" that support Windows 7, and while an exact time has yet to be revealed, we're told that developers will be able to download the Windows Developer Preview via the new Windows Dev Center later this week. Full fact sheets can be seen in the source link below, and our hands-on impressions of the new code can be found right here. Update: Downloads are live! Get in! %Gallery-133323%
Windows 8 Start Menu caught on camera, shows off high-contrast design
Most anyone who's paid attention knows Windows 8 will feature some fancy tweaks, including a revamped Windows Explorer and new copy, move and rename functions. But now Redmond's given us a blink-and-you'll-miss-it preview of a new Start Menu, in a video about accessing ISO and VHD files in the new OS. We've included a screen capture above -- hit the source link if you'd like to see the full (and admittedly quite dry) video. You'll spot the wily Start Menu about 25 seconds in.[Thanks, Chris]
Microsoft details Windows 8 Explorer tweaks, adds ribbon UI
Lots of things are getting tweaked, if not completely overhauled, for Windows 8. That includes the ever-present Windows Explorer. Just like many other Microsoft apps, the file manager will be adopting the slightly more finger-friendly ribbon interface. But don't freak out about your precious screen real estate, the next version of Explorer will actually display more files than Windows 7 could by moving the details pane to the right-hand side and tweaking the padding. The up button has also returned and a slew of new keyboard shortcuts are being introduced. Check out the source link for more detail and a demo video.
Microsoft gesture patents reveal possible dual-screen tablet focus
Earlier this year, we heard a slew of whispers promising a late winter launch for Microsoft's Windows 8 tablets -- there was even mention of a tab-specific OS. While it's become clear that Redmond intends for its new operating system to run on multiple devices, insight into its tablet plans are still somewhat shrouded in mystery. From the looks of these gesture patents, however, it's clear MS has been eyeing a dual-screen tablet future (hello Courier). The recently published patents, not yet granted to the company, touch upon methods for off-screen input (read: bezel-based), but mainly focus on these multi-screen input options: dual tap, pinch and expand, hold and page-flip, hold and tap, and finally, bookmark hold. As you can glimpse from the image above, the patents handle simultaneous touch screen input, allowing a user the ability to swap images between screens, or even freeze a page on one side while continuing to browse on the other. By the looks of things, Sony might have some fierce competition in the multi-screen tablet market. Head to the source below to get a fuller look at these touch-based solutions.
Microsoft to demo Windows 8 tablet interface in June?
At this point, the only thing keeping Microsoft in the tablet conversation are rumors of its Windows 8 or Windows Next, and lo and behold we've got another one to add to the pile. While we heard last week that Microsoft could release the beta of Windows 8 for tablets at PDC in September, "sources at Microsoft" have now told Business Insider, that the company is hoping to show a public "design demo" of the operating system's tablet UI as early as June. The timing is interesting -- and it actually lines up very well with Computex, where the company does have a big presence -- but we're also intrigued by the part that says Microsoft's taking "a more Apple-like approach to interface design" and that it will use Metro UI pieces. That's obviously similar to what Microsoft showed us at last year's Computex (picture of that above) -- except it was using Windows Embedded Compact 7 underneath. The article also mentions that it will draw on some Media Center-like styling, which also syncs up with some other whispers we've heard. Yep, there's a lot of rumors, and well, with this talk of summer / fall it looks like we'll be dealing with plenty more before we hear anything official.
