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Windows 8 developer preview: when and where to download (update: right now, here!)
Got a brain full of Windows 8? Can't stop obsessing about it? Fret not -- as of 8PM PT this evening (just under eight hours from now), you'll be able to download a copy of the Windows Developer Preview to your 32- or 64-bit x86 machine (no activation required) from dev.windows.com. Sorry, ARM hopefuls! Per usual, we'd recommend doing so on a separate partition (or a spare machine altogether) in order to prevent unforeseen conflicts, and we'd also suggest having a stiff glass of patience waiting nearby. Something tells us Redmond's servers are going to be hammered. Update: The download is live! Click here to try it out yourself, while the slightly less daring can hang on for our first impressions of Microsoft's latest and greatest once we've installed and given it a try. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Windows 8 details: new features, UI enhancements and everything in between
Today, Windows Division prexy Steven Sinofsky treated Build 2011 attendees to a walkthrough of the various tweaks, subtle or otherwise, Microsoft's made to Windows 8. Staying true to its roots, the new OS implements the familiar keyboard commands users have become accustomed to over the years -- you know, like CMD and Ctrl+F. And as for its update to Internet Explorer, MS has imbued its tenth iteration with the ability to switch between the much-hyped Metro-style UI and plain old desktop view -- all according to your whimsy. Of course, Redmond's instituted other sweeping changes across the platform, and you can check some of the highlights after the break. %Gallery-133511%
Microsoft shows Windows 8 on existing Ultrabooks, acts like it's never seen a thin laptop before
The majority of first-gen Ultrabooks aren't on sale yet -- not even with Windows 7 -- but Microsoft's already showing off tomorrow's best and brightest with Windows 8. We already knew that Windows 8 would theoretically run on a now-ancient Lenovo S10, but if you're concerned about "futureproofing," it looks as if the thinnest and lightest in the Wintel world will be good enough to run a developer build of Win8. You know -- when the files hit the wild tonight at 8PM PT. %Gallery-133493%
Windows 8 Store to sell both Metro-style apps and conventional Win32 programs
Oh, sure -- you've already started digging into the upcoming Windows Store (or, at least what it'll deliver), but Microsoft just revealed a cute little nugget about its future functionality here at Build 2011. In keeping with its mantra of making Windows 8 a one-size-fits-all affair, the Store will be home to both Metro-style apps (useful for tablets and desktops alike) as well as traditional Win32 programs. You know, like Quicken. The outfit is hoping for this to provide more visibility for the programs that we all grew up on, and so long as the categorization is under control, we're all for it. Not surprising, given that there's "no overlay" here. Whatever you see, it's "all Windows." The company's playing up its flexibility for coders, with a full spate of supported coding options explained in graphical detail just after the break. Follow our continuing Build 2011 / Windows 8 coverage here!
Windows 8 can run on an Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM
Curious what the minimum specifications for Windows 8 will be? As are we. Microsoft's remaining mum on specifics, but the outfit's Steven Sinofsky -- President of Windows and Windows Live -- just confessed during the opening Build 2011 keynote that an antediluvian Lenovo S10 was potent enough to run Windows 8. And in fact, it'll do so with more poise than with Windows 7. A brief demonstration explained that Win8 demanded fewer system resources (barely, but still) than Win7 on the same hardware, proving that an early-gen Atom CPU and 1GB of RAM is "enough" to run the outfit's upcoming operating system. We highly doubt it's enjoyable, but at least you (probably) won't be forced into an upgrade if you don't want to be. Have a gander at the actual numbers just after the break!
Steve Ballmer to deliver CES keynote, Windows 8 will be the real star
It's hard to believe, but with the show still six months away, we're already getting bombarded with CES-related e-mail. We do have one piece of intriguing news to report at this early stage of the game: Steve Ballmer is set to kick off the festivities with the preshow keynote on January 9th and it's a safe bet the presentation will be loaded with Windows 8 goodness. Now, what exactly we'll see when the reliably excitable Microsoft CEO takes the stage is still a mystery, but WinRumors' little birdies have been whispering about a public beta of the upcoming OS and demos of both Intel- and ARM-based tablets -- predictable, but still exciting prospects. Check out the PR after the break.
Windows 8 leaked, caught looking a lot like Windows 7
You had to know it was a matter of time before Windows 8 showed up on these great internets for all to download -- illegitimately. An early version (6.1.7850) has been making the rounds at manufacturers and it's finally escaped the confines of beta labs. We haven't braved the torrent sites ourselves to download this, and we certainly wouldn't recommend that you do, but the screenshots we've seen definitely peg this particular revision as a slight evolution of Windows 7, seemingly not including all the revolutionary tweaks to come. It's still early days, remember. Plenty of time left for the magic to happen. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]