Microsoft Gives Devs a Taste of Windows 8
At the BUILD Conference in California, Microsoft gave developers a taste of its upcoming Windows 8 operating system (OS) by showcasing said OS and by giving attending devs Samsung prototype PCs loaded with Windows 8 Developer Preview.
Microsoft also made Windows 8 Developer Preview available to devs at dev.windows.com. The preview includes a 64-bit (x64) build with development tools to build apps, a 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) build without development tools, and a suite of sample applications (illustrations of potential apps, not apps that will ship with Windows 8).
Getting back to the Samsung prototypes PC, the first three to get a PC loaded with Windows 8 were Christian Loredo, John Tobin, Johnny Gabbai. President of the Windows Division at Microsoft, Steven Sinofsky himself handed them their PCs and even signed them.
Here’s an image of Christian Loredo, John Tobin, Johnny Gabbai holding their signed PC boxes.
And here’s an image of Steven Sinofsky signing their PC boxes.
At the BUILD Conference, Steven Sinofsky, presented the main changes Windows 8 brings to the table. Here are the ones that caught my eye:
New interface
Windows 8 will come with a Metro style interface that puts the emphasis on touch but is equally at home with a mouse and keyboard. As Microsoft explained, the new UI is meant to embody simplicity and give the user control.
Apps
The focal point of the Windows 8 experience are apps, apps that can communicate with one another.
Better than Windows 8
Microsoft explained that it took the rock-solid foundation provided by Windows 7 and made everything better. Windows 8 is better than Windows 7 from any point of view, especially performance, security, privacy and system reliability.
Windows Store
An online store that gives devs the chance to sell apps anywhere Windows is sold.
If you would like to learn more about what’s new in Windows 8, you can download the Windows 8 guide by clicking here (PDF) or here (XPS). The guide presents all the new bits and pieces Windows 8 has to offer to developers, consumers and businesses.
Microsoft also made Windows 8 Developer Preview available to devs at dev.windows.com. The preview includes a 64-bit (x64) build with development tools to build apps, a 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) build without development tools, and a suite of sample applications (illustrations of potential apps, not apps that will ship with Windows 8).
Getting back to the Samsung prototypes PC, the first three to get a PC loaded with Windows 8 were Christian Loredo, John Tobin, Johnny Gabbai. President of the Windows Division at Microsoft, Steven Sinofsky himself handed them their PCs and even signed them.
Here’s an image of Christian Loredo, John Tobin, Johnny Gabbai holding their signed PC boxes.
And here’s an image of Steven Sinofsky signing their PC boxes.
At the BUILD Conference, Steven Sinofsky, presented the main changes Windows 8 brings to the table. Here are the ones that caught my eye:
New interface
Windows 8 will come with a Metro style interface that puts the emphasis on touch but is equally at home with a mouse and keyboard. As Microsoft explained, the new UI is meant to embody simplicity and give the user control.
Apps
The focal point of the Windows 8 experience are apps, apps that can communicate with one another.
Better than Windows 8
Microsoft explained that it took the rock-solid foundation provided by Windows 7 and made everything better. Windows 8 is better than Windows 7 from any point of view, especially performance, security, privacy and system reliability.
Windows Store
An online store that gives devs the chance to sell apps anywhere Windows is sold.
If you would like to learn more about what’s new in Windows 8, you can download the Windows 8 guide by clicking here (PDF) or here (XPS). The guide presents all the new bits and pieces Windows 8 has to offer to developers, consumers and businesses.
