Windows 8 Leak

Posted on Apr 19, 2011 | 0 comments

A few tech news outlets are reporting on the recent Windows 8 leak, including some new compelling features that are somewhat of a compass for the direction that computing is headed.  One of the features that I think is most telling is the increased integration of cloud-based storage into the core of the user experience.  It appears that a cloud synchronization tool will be included that will sync files between local folders and cloud-based storage locations such as Windows Live Skydrive.  What this reveals is the increasing dependence on cloud-based technologies that are taking place throughout the IT industry.

There are many benefits of cloud-based storage, including decreased cost per GB, pervasive access to data, decreased remote access infrastructure, improved security, and higher fault-tolerance.  I think that integrating cloud access into the OS is a great way to begin to facilitate mainstream adoption of cloud-based technologies, and will decrease the amount of data lost by users due to viruses, malware, hardware failures and accidental deletions.  I would imagine that Windows 8 will likely provide multiple destinations, such as to S3 and Google Apps, and I think that will be essential for widespread adoption to take place, as this is beginning to take on the feel of Internet Explorer/Netscape Navigator with regards to monopolistic tactics.

One thing that might turn long-time Windows users off is the increased integration of the “ribbon” interface, which is Microsoft’s move away from the “File, Edit, View” pull-down menus that have been used in Office 2003 and prior.  Office 2007 introduced the ribbon interface, and while many loved it, just as many reviled it, as it made familiar tasks a much more confusing affair.  Newer users to Windows may not even notice the difference, which I think is what Microsoft is hoping to accomplish with this increased integration.

Overall, not too much looks changed, which is good news in a way considering the lengths we’ve been going to to finally get comprehensive Windows 7 integration.  In fact, one of the programs we assist customers with integrating into their accounting departments – Timberline – just at the beginning of the year officially supported Windows 7, over a year after its release, and I’m sure that there are still many thousands of programs that either aren’t there yet, or never will be.  So it is important to stabilize the current kernel so that the delays in driver releases will not be as excruciating as they were when Vista was released, which I think was one of the more disastrous moves Microsoft has ever made.

We’ll be testing the RTM version of Windows 8 when it is released, so we’ll be ready to help with your deployment needs.