Windows 8: What You Need to Know

When’s the Windows 8 Release Date?

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has said that Windows 8 will launch in 2012, but the company hasn’t been any more specific than that. But it seems that the actual release should be in October of 2012. There has been a lot of buzz surrounding this new operating system, primarily because it is going to be a vast departure in many ways from the previous Microsoft operating systems. In many ways, however, this major software release is very much going to be the same.

News about Windows 8 has been coming out almost daily. With each new update, news sources, bloggers, and tech analysts are getting a better idea of what to expect from this new OS. The following news items and rumors are just a taste of what the public is expecting from the upcoming OS release from Microsoft.

Internet Explorer will be the browser.

It seems that Windows 8 RT will only run one browser, and that browser will be Microsoft’s. If Microsoft is to be believed, it seems that the decision is due to the ARM processor being unable to handle any other browser when running in the Windows Classic mode, an interface that is similar to the Windows interface of the present versions. According to them, it seems that the complex, modern browser capabilities could only be carried out by Internet Explorer. Other browser developers are contesting this, and now the authorities are looking into the matter, to see if this may be grounds for antitrust litigation.

The Aero theme will be gone.

In Windows Vista and Windows 7, Microsoft’s default Windows settings utilized the Aero Glass theme. This theme provides the almost transparent task bar and window borders that users have probably just now gotten accustomed to. Windows 8 is going to utilize solid borders in the Windows Classic theme; the idea is that the solid borders will be less distracting, making for a cleaner, more user friendly, and increasingly productive user experience.

Instead, in Windows 8, anything can be pinned to Metro interface or the desktop, and single click will open it. Just think Metro as replacement for start menu and you will realize it is way better, fast, fluid and alive. And talking of keyboard, it is as navigable as Windows 7 if not more. Normally most folks can figure it out within minutes. Once you learn the shortcuts, everything is available from keyboard, mouse or touch. It is a great and flexible design.

There will be more bloatware.

Bloatware is the free software or free trials that come preloaded on new PCs. Sometimes these programs can turn out to be useful, but most of the time, they are not and only result in a slower system. Savvy users commonly spend the first few moments after they unbox their PC to clear off any bloatware before they actually use their new system. It seems to many analysts that Windows 8 will be rich with bloatware, as Microsoft has recently unveiled a “Signature Upgrade” that will scrub away any bloatware from a new system for just shy of $100. It seems that if this service is now something that needs to be offered, Microsoft may include more of these unwanted programs simply to turn a greater profit from it.

There will be two user interfaces.

If you have seen any image of Windows 8, you probably have seen the brightly colored desktop with tiles. This interface, similar to what now graces the Windows Phone, will only be one of the options, as it is designed to work much like many of the easy to use mobile operating systems on phones and browsers today. It will also have the Classic mode, which was earlier referenced, and this will be much like the Windows 7 interface users have become familiar with.

And more…

Windows 8 features a lot of changes, updates, upgrades, and other notable features. Many have been revealed already, such as these and more, yet other details have yet to come out. As the release date draws nearer, surely more news will be released, as the trickle of information from Microsoft will help the software maker build more buzz around their newest PC operating system.

Author Bio: This is a guest article by Sally Thames. She’s also running antispyware wiki. You can easily contact her on facebook.