Windows 8 - Aasim's Web Corner

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Windows 7 isn’t out the door yet, but Microsoft seems to be making good progress with Windows 8. Microsoft had already begun work on Windows 8 before Windows 7 was completed. The reason being that different teams work on different aspects of the operating system, which is why Microsoft was able to do this.

Windows 8 is down as approximately 2012. Even still, it looks like Microsoft are sticking to their 2.5-3 year release cycle, with Windows Vista launching Jan 2007 (it was late), Windows 7 in October 2009 and Windows 8 in 2012.

The Windows 8 release date has been shrouded in a cloud of rumors. Most experts expect a late 2011 early 2012 release of the operating system. A recently leaked Windows 8 product cycle chart provides the answers needed to determine the release date of the next Windows OS by Microsoft.

Windows 8 is also denoted as ‘codename Windows 8. People are expecting big things from Windows 8. Although Windows 7 is a great release and adds several much needed improvements to Windows Vista, it’s still too familiar and doesn’t feel ‘new’ enough and people are looking forward to getting a new OS to get my teeth into, a survey reports told..

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0r6tINInrw]

Given that the technologies that are under development and have been available to Microsoft, such as 128 bit processors with 6,8,12 or even 48 cores, the operating system will look very different if it is trying to work with these features. There are other technologies, for instance Solid State Drives will be replacing the traditional rotating head hard disk drives. Another technology is the light (photon) based circuitry that will replace traditional wiring. Touch and voice technology which came of age in Windows 7 will be in Windows8, and it will be interesting to see what the development will look like.

Windows 8 development stage is still very early and not much information has been heard. The following innovative features are some of the many features that we could be seeing in Windows 8:

Distributed File System Replication (DFSR) service: A multi-master replication engine set up for folder synchronization across multiple servers. This may be something we will be seeing in Windows 8 Server. DFSR is Microsoft’s premier file replication engine and is an integral part of their branch office strategy and File Server role. It can scale to thousands of servers and replicate hundreds of terabytes of data. MS have shipped the technology that powers file sharing in Windows Live Messenger, Windows Meeting Spaces (Vista) and Branch Office replication in Windows Server 2008 which has strong customer deployment. DFSR technology saves MS-IT and our customers more than 80% WAN bandwidth by using advanced On-The-Wire differential compression,” the software giant adds in the job posting.
Major improvements in BranchCache: BranchCache was a new feature developed in Windows 7. Basically when data from an intranet website or file server is accessed, it caches those files locally so the next user can access them more quickly. Major improvements can be expected for BranchCache.

Some available screenshots of Windows 8 are

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Aasim Naseem

Hey, Thanks for your interest. I’m a PMP, AWS Solutions Architect, and Scrum Master certified professional with 17+ years of hands-on experience leading projects, building teams, and helping organizations deliver software solutions better, faster, and smarter.

Outside of work, I’ve got a deep curiosity for history — especially ancient civilizations like Egypt. I also enjoy reflecting on the everyday moments that shape how we live and work. This blog is my space to share insights, lessons, and thoughts from both my professional journey and personal interests.

Thanks for reading — and I hope you will find something here that matches your interest.