Just when you get used to Win 7, 8 comes along.

[edutech4schools]

Leaked pics show new Windows 8 interface | TG Daily

[mthomas08]

Would I be correct in assuming they are also doing a server version?

 

We are going windows 7 once I have updated our servers to 08 R2, and knowing MS the second we are updated here they release a new version.

 

Fingers crossed Windows 8 is not a vista or 98 and forcing them to release another OS/SE within a year?

[dayzd]

As soon as you remember the tablet part of Windows 8's target market, that starts to make sense. And I can see it working, too...

 

I'd be surprised if it couldn't at least be made smaller or possibly turned off in favour of regular menus for desktop users, though.

[edutech4schools]

I remember back when XP was King they were looking at making Win8 modular (future product map), so you choose the bits you want and then the OS installs. Similar to linux which can run on a floppy disk or a full blown server.

[Michael]

Windows 7 SP1 is a very stable OS, so eventually I can see some schools upgrading to it. At some point though (I think later this year) Google OS will be released and it will be interesting to see just how good it really is.

 

I see Open Office being used more and more in schools over MS Office, so you have to ask how long will it be until schools use something other than Windows.

[SYNACK]

I would not be to concerned, by the time most schools go Windows 8, 9 will be mere months away too.

[SimpleSi]

Fingers crossed Windows 8 is not a vista or 98

No - you want it to be - so you won't be tempted to "upgrade" to it and you can bypass it and go to 9.

 

Si

[3s-gtech]

98? 98 was half-decent, surely you mean ME?

 

Anyway, the major headache with this generation of OSs was the major change it framework to support them. If 8 follows on from this, it won't be so bad - we'd have all got on with it much sooner anyway if Vista hadn't been a flop in the education sector.

[zag]

I'm still amused at all the mugs that put the effort into upgrading to vista just after it was released.

 

We still run XP and Windows 7 here but its just an evolutionary thing. They get upgraded over time so if windows 8 is proven to be good then its just another step.

 

Normal users dont really care for the operating system to be honest.

[AyatollahPies]

But will the Crystal Rainforest run on it?

[LosOjos]

98? 98 was half-decent, surely you mean ME?

 

Anyway, the major headache with this generation of OSs was the major change it framework to support them. If 8 follows on from this, it won't be so bad - we'd have all got on with it much sooner anyway if Vista hadn't been a flop in the education sector.

 

98 was riddled with faults, hence the prompt release of 98SE. But ME was a particularly bad move from M$....

 

Now the question is, is Windows 8 going to be yet another 32/64-bit option OS, or are MS going to take the bold move of making it 64 bit only? Eventually this has to happen, and with Windows 7 being such a success I think 8 could be a good time to do it. I know 64-bit OS's are riddled with problems at the moment, but that's largely due to the fact they haven't been widely adopted by home users so manufacturers won't put the time in developing for 64 bit. If Microsoft were to take the plunge, you can guarantee it'd push developers and vendors in to making their products compatible.

[Arthur]

I know 64-bit OS's are riddled with problems at the moment

Are they?

 

that's largely due to the fact they haven't been widely adopted by home users so manufacturers won't put the time in developing for 64 bit.

Way back in June 2010, 46% of all PCs worldwide running Windows 7 were running a 64-bit edition of Windows 7. Surely that counts as being widely adopted?

 

http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2010/07/nearly-half-of-windows-7-installations-are-64-bit.ars

[Arthur]

Would I be correct in assuming they are also doing a server version?

Yes. Windows 8 will be to Windows Server 2012, what Windows 7 is to 2008 R2.

 

As you can see from the leaked slide below, Microsoft are taking virtualization even further with the next version of Windows by completely separating the OS from the hardware. This means lots of really cool things...

 

• No more parent partition for Hyper-V.
  
• The ability to run Hyper-V R3 on client operating systems.
  
• Installation of the operating system is even faster.
  
• Internet Explorer and the shell can be completely removed from Windows. Microsoft could then use different UIs to suit different purposes or devices e.g. a Windows Phone 7-style touchscreen UI for Windows 8 ARM tablets, the standard Windows UI for desktops/laptops and no UI for servers.
  
• The ability to reset Windows back to how it was when you first installed it via the System Reset feature.
  
• Restore files easily using History Vault -- Microsoft's equivalent to Apple's Time Machine.
  

 

http://i.min.us/imMKl8.png

 

To do this, Microsoft is reportedly expanding on an existing technology, code-named "MinWin." As the original article (in French) discusses, MinWin was introduced with Windows Vista and will be further enhanced into a true bare-metal hypervisor with a very small footprint and no reliance on a parent partition. Actually, it seems MinWin will be smaller than an install of Windows Core.

 

This approach removes the concerns of an attack surface that I and others have raised, reduces the resource needs around installing Hyper-V, and modularizes it so that only the needed components are loaded. One of the main things Microsoft is working on that will arrive with Windows 8 is the separation of Internet Explorer from the operating system. This means that you will be able to add IE as a component if you need to, but it will not be so tightly integrated with the shell of the operating system. Another feature that Microsoft is working on disintegrating, specifically for MinWin, is the shell itself. MinWin will be an extremely small install base with practically no traditional Windows shell. As you know, the Windows shell is a resource hog; by introducing this thin hypervisor without a shell, you remove unnecessary resource consumption as well.

 

The French article goes on to talk about another cool feature of Windows 8: the tight integration of App-V with it, to the point where you can run Windows XP, Windows 7 and Linux apps all natively on the operating system, further compartmentalizing Windows and encouraging the use of virtualized applications. (Source)

[Arthur]

The killer feature for me though is a native PDF reader. No more Adobe Reader!!!

[djwingfield]

Mine would be better network awareness, being able to set up different proxy per LAN natively. They can do it with printers why don’t proxy settings.

[Michael]

The killer feature for me though is a native PDF reader. No more Adobe Reader!!!

 

I agree, it will make things easier without having to install additional applications. Microsoft shouldn't stop there though... any common file type should be 'readable', but if you want to amend a document, then you need to buy and/or install the full product. Microsoft should add a Word and Excel viewer by default.

[john]

I agree, it will make things easier without having to install additional applications. Microsoft shouldn't stop there though... any common file type should be 'readable', but if you want to amend a document, then you need to buy and/or install the full product. Microsoft should add a Word and Excel viewer by default.

 

But they they will end up back in court from Adobe and all the other firms who are "going out of business" because MS put free tools on to replace, oh wait, the free tools they provided anyway......

 

I agree though, be great to have PDF reader straight out of the box

[Michael]

I can't see why Adobe would go out of business. Read only tools should be provided in any OS by default, however if you want to create PDFs then you can buy their full Adobe Acrobat product for example. Adobe doesn't make money from Adobe Reader, but in theory they could license the required reader components to Microsoft.

 

Most people do not understand or care about file extensions, they just expect it to work.

Edited April 5, 2011 by Michael

[mthomas08]

Most people do not understand or care about file extensions, they just expect it to work.

Never!!!

 

We do use CS3 though and I believe we have a site license, very good software and is being used more and more.... it is easy to tell when their Home drives are filling up with "Photography/Exam/Art etc"..