WINDOWS 8 Virtualization Deep Dive Day - March 10, 2012

AGENDA Why Windows 8? How did this happen? The Central UX Dilemma Understanding Metro Desktop’s Role Business Features? To the Future: Phones and Devices

WHAT’S NEW?  Windows 8 Consumer Preview released  Web installer plus ISOs  I’ve written ~50 articles, blog posts and editorials about the Consumer Preview since February 29: It’s all available at the SuperSite for Windows ( And a bit of writing each day on “Windows 8 Secrets”

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?  Windows 8 was originally going to be another evolution.  CES 2010: “There are fingerprints on everything.”  Heated internal battle over future of devices: Bring Windows “down” to tablet/phone or bring Windows Phone “up” to tablet?  (The latter won.)  Windows 8 is a very different thing with little in the way of “not invented here” technologies: Silverlight,.NET are thrown out, WinRT/new APIs brought in, with new Metro-style user experience.

THE CENTRAL UX DILEMMA  Windows 8 ships with two different user experiences, Metro and desktop.  Metro is better for small, touch-capable screens and devices.  Desktop is backwards compatible, runs existing Windows apps, and works better on big screens.  Metro is for fun … Desktop is for work.  Metro is for consumers … Desktop is for businesses.  Metro is the OS … Desktop is (sort of) an app.  Related: WOA vs. Intel x86/x64

UNDERSTANDING METRO  “Touch-first” but works with mouse, keyboard.  Works in landscape and portrait modes, landscape is default  Apps are always full-screen, but some support unique Snap feature for side- by-side use.  Sandboxed and protected from OS and from other apps. Only found/downloaded/sold via Windows Store.  New system-wide services in the form of contracts, including Share, Search, and File Picker, which allow blind app to app communication.  Lock screen, password screen, and Start screen, plus apps, are full screen experiences.  Back, Switcher, Start, Charms, Notifications, Search, other panes are not.

DEMO

THE DESKTOP’S ROLE  Evolution of the Windows 7 desktop, with (hopefully) little in the way of training.  Full backwards compatibility with apps, utilities.  Not self-contained: Metro experiences invade everywhere.  New Windows Explorer with ribbon UX.  New file copy experience.  Integrated support for ISO/VHD mounting/navigation.  SmartScreen (optionally) integrated into file system.  New Task Manager.  Implications for businesses: Boot directly to desktop?

DEMO

BUSINESS FEATURES(?)  Windows 8 is an evolution for businesses, for now, with a Windows 7- like desktop and that crazy Metro thing on the side.  A future of managed Start screen-based dashboards?  Hyper-V 3.0  Windows To Go (not in Consumer Preview)  Windows Defender  Metered mobile broadband  Secure Boot and Measured Boot (requires UEFI)  New group policies, of course

TO THE FUTURE: PHONES, DEVICES  Now highly componentized and stripped down, Windows 8 will form the basis of new generations of client and server OSes, but also device- and smart phone-based OSes.  Windows Phone 8  Windows on ARM (WOA) is Microsoft’s iPad play  Windows 8 on Intel-based tablets and hybrid devices of all kinds for those who need the full experience, plus for businesses that want the full management experience.

WINDOWS 8 SECRETS  Finally, a quick plug!  All-new content, (virtually) nothing carried over from previous book(s)  Covers only what’s new in Windows 8, assumes reader actually knows Windows already  Will cover desktop, laptop, tablet/slate, and (where possible) phone  Some business coverage  Looking at ~500 pages instead of ~1,000

WINDOWS 8 SECRETS  A. Getting Started  Pre-Flight Checklist: What To Do Before You Get Windows 8  How to Choose a Windows 8 PC or Device   B. Getting To Know Windows 8  Installing and Upgrading to Windows 8  Metro: The New User Experience  (Still) Alive and Kicking: The Windows Desktop  Make It Yours: Personalizing Windows 8   C. App Experiences  Windows Store: Finding, Acquiring, and Managing Your Apps  Browsing the Web with Internet Explorer 10  Get It Done: Productivity Apps  Relax: Digital Media Apps  Play: Windows 8 and Games   D. Tools of the Trade  Backup and Recovery  Accounts and Security  Networking and Connectivity   E. Putting Windows to Work  Windows 8 for Business  Better Together: Windows 8 and Windows Server