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Transcript of Seminar in Windows 8
NNAMDI AZIKIWE UNIVERSITY, AWKA
FACULTY OF PHYSICAL SCIENCE
DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
A SEMINAR RESEARCH ON
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM
PRESENTED BY
UMEH CHIZOBA NNAMDI
2008514604
TO
DR. ANIGBOGU S.O
LECTURER IN-CHARGE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
(CSC 441)
SUPERVISOR: DR. ODO
FEBUARY 6, 2012
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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Contents CHAPTER ONE ........................................................................................................................................... 4
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 4
1.1 What is an operating system (O.S)? ................................................................................................... 4
1.2 Previous versions of Microsoft Windows O.S. .................................................................................. 1
1.3 Step to Windows 8- Flaws of Existing Windows OS: ........................................................................ 3
CHAPTER TWO .......................................................................................................................................... 4
FIELD WORK ............................................................................................................................................. 4
2.1 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION ............................................................................................... 4
2.2 FIELD WORK REPORTS ................................................................................................................. 4
2.2.1 Usage levels of various operating systems as at 2011? .............................................................. 4
2.2.2 Which version of Windows is currently running in your IT operation?....................................... 5
2.2.3 Is anyone really using Windows 8's preview? ............................................................................. 5
2.2.4 What components of windows 8 are usually downloaded? ....................................................... 7
CHAPTER THREE ............................................................................................................................................ 8
3.0 ANALYSIS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION ............................................................................. 8
3.1 The windows 8 beautiful user interface ............................................................................................. 8
3.1.1 Metro style .................................................................................................................................. 8
3.1.2 The new starts screen .................................................................................................................. 8
3.1.3 Touch keyboard ........................................................................................................................... 9
3.1.4 One Windows – many shapes ..................................................................................................... 9
3.2.0 Windows 8 Applications ................................................................................................................ 10
3.2.1 Your apps come with you .......................................................................................................... 10
3.2.2 Apps can work together ............................................................................................................ 11
3.2.3 Always on and always connected .............................................................................................. 11
3.2.4 Internet Explorer 10: the web by touch .................................................................................... 11
3.2.5 Windows Store .......................................................................................................................... 12
3.3.0 Desktop appearance ...................................................................................................................... 13
3.3.1 Compatibility ............................................................................................................................. 13
3.4.0 More for power users .................................................................................................................... 13
3.4.1 File management with ease ...................................................................................................... 13
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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3.4.2 Task Manager ............................................................................................................................ 14
3.4.3 Multi-monitor options ............................................................................................................... 14
3.4.4 Push-Button Reset ..................................................................................................................... 15
3.4.5 Windows Update ....................................................................................................................... 15
3.5.0 Windows application support in windows 8 ................................................................................. 16
3.5.1 Shell integration ............................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.5.2 Building for the tailored web ......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.5.3 Live Connect .................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.5.4 Windows Push Notification Service ............................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.5.4 Contact Picker ................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.5.6 Visual Studio 2011, Express, and Expression Blend work perfectly with Windows 8 ............... 16
3.5.7: Build on the broad reach of the Windows Store .......................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.6.0 Fundamentals, devices and security of windows 8: ...................................................................... 17
3.6.1 Fundamental System requirements .......................................................................................... 18
3.6.2 Wi-Fi and mobile broadband ..................................................................................................... 18
3.6.3 Metro style device apps ............................................................................................................ 18
3.6.4 Class drivers ............................................................................................................................... 19
3.6.4 Cryptography made simple ....................................................................................................... 19
3.6.5 Windows Defender .................................................................................................................... 20
3.6.6 Secured boot ............................................................................................................................. 20
3.7.0 A business perspective of windows 8 ............................................................................................ 20
3.7.1 Data security and management ................................................................................................ 21
3.8.0 Performance Flaws of Windows 8 Developer Preview. ................................................................ 22
3.9.0 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 24
Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................... 25
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
1.1 What is an operating system (O.S)? In this phases, we’ll introduce the key Microsoft Windows 8 developer preview which is
the current successor to windows 7 operating system where an operating system acts as
an interface between user and hardware of a computer system providing an environment
in which a user may execute programs (Douglas A. Downing, 2009), Defined by the
following basic features.
Process management
Interrupts
Memory management
Virtual file system
Device drivers
Networking
Security
Graphical user interface
Windows 8 is Microsoft’s newest operating system, which current release is as a full
featured preview version which can be downloaded online for free at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/br229516 depending on your PC
architecture that is 32bit, 64bit or 128bit. It will come to notice that more than two out of
three PCs today are mobile devices—laptops, net books, notebooks, tablets, and slates.
Nearly every PC is capable of wireless connectivity. Screens range from under ten inches
to wall-mounted monitors to multiple HD screens. Storage has grown from megabytes to
terabytes and is moving to the cloud. Multi-core processing and powerful graphics are
normal. Touch screen mobile phones with the rich capabilities they bring together have
changed the way we view computing. The explosion of social technologies, cloud-based
services, and access to web services through apps give people powerful new ways to
connect and share. Modern computing focuses much more on people and apps than on
the operating system. These changes in the landscape motivated the most significant
changes to Windows. Bring in windows 8 with the users as the center of development.
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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But reimaging Windows doesn’t mean starting over from scratch. Windows 7
fundamentals like speed, reliability, security, and compatibility make it the best operating
system Microsoft has ever created. The next version of Windows (codenamed Windows
8) (Microsoft, 2012) is being designed to build on what is great about Windows 7,
delivering richer security features, faster startup, and longer battery life that runs on a
wider choice of devices and chipsets. Windows 8 extends these fundamental features
with a new touch-optimized interface. Windows 8 also provides the platform to create a
whole new generation of full-screen apps that are based on modern web standards and
available through the new Windows Store. Microsoft has redesigned the Windows
experience and built on everything we already love.
1.2 Previous versions of Microsoft Windows O.S. But before we get all excited of this great step by Microsoft we should carefully take a
walk through of windows development.
Release date Product name Notes Last IE
May 1990 Windows 3.x Unsupported 5
July 1993 Windows NT Unsupported 5
August 1995 Windows 95 Unsupported 5.5
June 1998 Windows 98 Unsupported 6
February 2000 Windows 2000 No longer supported 6
September 2000 Windows Me
Extended Support until
July 13, 2010[2] 6
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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October 2001 Windows XP
Current for SP2 and SP3
(RTM and SP1
unsupported).
8
November 2006
(volume licensing)
January 2007
(retail)
Windows Vista
Current. Version Changed
to NT 6.0.6001 with SP1
(February 4 08)
8
July 2007 Windows Home
Server
Current 8
February 2008 Windows Server
2008
Current 8
October 22, 2009 Windows 7
Current. Changed to NT
7.7001 Upgraded to service
pack 1.
9
September 13, 2011 Windows 8 developer
preview Current. With NT. 8.1020 10
TABLE 1:Table of windows versions
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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1.3 Step to Windows 8- Flaws of Existing Windows OS: This research work seek way of improving the users experience of windows
operating system, to present what the users will require of Microsoft in the upcoming
release of windows.
Users have harbored talks on the windows users interface quality, the applications
they wished to come with windows at default, how they want their desktop appearance,
the applications that fail to run properly in previous versions of windows, the file
management of windows, device driver support, security, performance in areas of boot
time, memory usage, power consumption and other areas. This works takes their plight
into consideration to find out from the users and Microsoft to know what should stand to
make the windows experience a wonderful one.
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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CHAPTER TWO FIELD WORK
2.1 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION This encompasses my activities to assemble data necessary for this research. I used
the method of online observation to collect the basic data I needed to check the level of
interest and the level of awareness of the general public on windows 8 arrival to analyze
vulnerabilities and suggest solutions to maximize the efficiency of the windows
experience at the final release. I further collected data from related researches on
windows 8 also information from Microsoft sites were collected which we shall see soon.
2.2 FIELD WORK REPORTS From the sample data collected from the online community involving users and
technology enthusiasts. I will break up the sections to present the data.
2.2.1 Usage levels of various operating systems as at 2011?
Source: http://www.w3schools.com/browsers/browsers_os.asp w3schools.com OS
Platform Statistics (w3schools.com, 2012)
The above result shows that windows Operating system is a very active member in the
operating system industry as it currently controls over 4/5th. The arrival of windows 8
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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will be popular news that everyone will like to know more about, as the world awaits the
manifestation of windows 8.
2.2.2 Which version of Windows is currently running in your IT operation?
Sources:
2.2.3 Is anyone really using Windows 8's preview?
Computerworld (Mitchell, 2011) online survey; 210 respondents.
The number of current downloads of windows 8 ranks at 3 million by Microsoft record.
From the trend we see that work has to be done to convince the users to switch over as
the windows XP OS still has more users than the current windows 7.
Source: Chitika (Shailpik, 2011) the ad network recently reported a clear drop in activity
from Windows 8 Developer Preview users and expressed surprise over it.
Although millions have downloaded Microsoft's Windows 8 developer preview,
relatively few are actually using it, Web measurements show. During November,
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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Windows 8 powered 0.03% of the computers -- or three out of every 10,000 -- that
connected to the Internet, according to data from California-based Net Applications.
That's a small increase from the 0.02% Windows 8 garnered in October, the first full
month after Microsoft released a developer preview of the still-under-construction OS to
the public. But Windows 8's current numbers pale in comparison to Windows 7's very
early returns three years ago. Microsoft released the first beta of Windows 7 on January
9, 2009 -- it never offered a developer preview to the general public -- and after a server-
side overload, restarted downloads the next day. Three weeks later, Windows 7
accounted for 0.13% of all operating systems, or more than four times what Windows 8
has accrued in two-and-a-half months. The download numbers for the two are roughly
comparable. Microsoft said that over three million copies of Windows 8 had been
downloaded between Sept. 13 and Dec. 7, 2011.
Data from Chitika, which recently mined its online ad-serving network to measure
Windows 8 uptake, suggested that its use has slipped since the preview's launch.
According to Chitika, “Windows 8's share of all Windows traffic ranged between 0.015%
and 0.025% during the week of Dec. 4-12, lower than the 0.035% peak it measured the
week after the preview's debut”.
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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2.2.4 What components of windows 8 are usually downloaded?
A chart representing download of windows 8 component (softpedia, 2012) 2/4/2012
1. Windows 8 Developer Preview Build 8102 M3 by Microsoft
2. Windows 8 Transformation Pack 2.0 by Windows X
3. Windows 8 Desktop Clock for Windows 7 1.0.0.0 by Yudhistira Vidhiatama
4. Windows 8 Developer Preview Tweaker 1.0.0.0 by Yudhistira Vidhiatama
5. Windows 8 Desktop Watermark 1.0.0.0 by Yudhistira Vidhiatama
6. 8 Skin Pack 9.0 by Hamed
7. Windows 8 UX Pack 3.5
8. Windows 8 Developer Preview Metro style app samples by Microsoft
9. Windows 8 Developer Preview Wallpapers by Microsoft
The above analysis shows how users of softpedia value the presentation of windows
components with the “transformation pack” taking a lead it shows a great likeness to the
windows 8 appearance.
44,342
14,085,105
5,107 1,114 1,130 55,225 24,985 597 2,011
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
0
2,000,000
4,000,000
6,000,000
8,000,000
10,000,000
12,000,000
14,000,000
16,000,000
Series1
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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CHAPTER THREE ANALYSIS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSION
3.1 The windows 8 beautiful user interface
3.1.1 Metro style Windows 8 introduces a new interface known as Metro style interface, which shows the
information important to you, embodies simplicity, and gives you control. The interface
is a personalized layout with clean typography and animations to make interacting with
your PC1
Figure 1: See your applications and content at a glance on the Start screen
fluid and intuitive. This new interface is built for touch. With touch, you can do
what you want to do quickly and naturally. The new Start screen puts all of your apps in
front of you for immediate access. You don’t have to remember where things are.
Windows 8 is optimized for easier navigation so moving around the operating system is
close to effortless with either a finger, or a mouse and keyboard.
3.1.2 The new starts screen The new Start screen gives you a fast way to interact with all of your apps and content.
The tiles are alive with information, showing you what’s going on at any time. 1 Personal Computer
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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Information that you care about like the weather, your friends’ status updates, and the top
movie in your Netflix queue, your next calendar appointment — is all there at a glance.
You can personalize your Start screen with shortcuts to your favorite things, like
websites, a playlist, or photo albums. You decide where you want things on the screen
and how you want them grouped. You can optimize for efficiency by adding speed
bumps between groups of apps so that you don’t have to swipe back and forth when
you’re panning through your Start screen.
3.1.3 Touch keyboard Windows 8 has two touch keyboards for ultimate mobility and flexibility. An improved,
full-sized touch keyboard with larger buttons and a unique thumb keyboard make it easy
to use your computer on the go. Whether you’re walking around or sitting down, it’s
more comfortable and natural to type using your thumbs when the keyboard is split. The
touch keyboard in Windows 8 includes several features to speed up your typing and make
it more accurate. Improved keyboard technology is designed to minimize inaccurate key
strokes while automatically correcting mistyped words without slowing you down. To
make typing more efficient, Windows suggests words on screen as you type, allowing
you to choose the suggested word with a single tap. The keyboard adapts to different
languages. Your input and language settings automatically apply to the whole computer
rather than to just specific programs.
3.1.4 One Windows – many shapes Support for ARM2
2 Windows combined with the scalability of the low-power ARM architecture, the market expertise of ARM silicon partners and the extensive SoC talent within the broad ARM ecosystem will enable innovative platforms to realize the future of computing, ultimately creating new market opportunities and delivering compelling products to consumers.
-based chipsets, touch, and sensors makes Windows 8 work beautifully
on your choice of a full spectrum of devices, such as 10-inch slates with all-day battery
life, ultra-lightweight laptops, and powerful all-in-ones with 27-inch high-definition
screens. Regardless of which device you use, improvements in the core of the Windows
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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operating system result in faster boot time, more efficient app management, and
substantially reduced memory usage. Windows 8 is powerful and responsive.
3.2.0 Windows 8 Applications Metro style apps built for Windows 8 are beautiful, intuitive, and the focal point of your
experience, filling your entire screen so there are no distractions. Apps can adapt to a
variety of form factors and screen resolutions, such as thin slates or large monitors, and
can work on x86, x64, and ARM platforms. Apps work together, making it easy to
search, share, and send content between them. When you ‘reconnected to the Internet,
your apps come alive with activity and show you the latest content so that you can stay
up to date at a glance.
Windows 8 gives you the important apps you need for your daily life, including a touch
browser. And Windows Store delivers everything you expect for getting apps. You’ll find
the apps you want. You can be confident that they’re very safe because Microsoft screen
them. You’ll enjoy the flexibility of browsing, downloading, and buying or trying (if
available).
Your apps are ready for you on any Windows 8 PC you use—desktop, laptop, tablet—
whether yours, a friend’s, or a family member’s. With a connected account, you can
download your apps and use them wherever you are.
3.2.1 Your apps come with you When you sign in with your connected Microsoft account to another PC running
Windows 8, your Metro style apps and settings go with you, so it’s just like you’re using
your own PC. You’ll also be signed in to all of the websites you were signed in to. Your
connected account is like a portable, personal PC that appears on any Windows 8-based
PC you’re using. You’re always ready to pick back up where you left off no matter where
you are.
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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3.2.2 Apps can work together Apps can communicate with each other in Windows 8. So, if you want to send pictures in
email, and they’re in different places like Facebook, Flickr, or on your hard drive, you
can easily pick and send the ones you want.
Figure 2: Pick the files you want to send or share from one place
3.2.3 Always on and always connected Metro style apps run and stay up to date even when the PC is on standby. When you’re
connected to the Internet, you’ll receive information updates, email, VoIP calls, instant
messages, and be able to stream music or other content in the background. When
Windows comes out of standby, your apps don’t need time to catch up.
3.2.4 Internet Explorer 10: the web by touch Metro style Internet Explorer 10 provides a fast and fluid touch-first browsing experience
that’s all about your sites, making them feel increasingly more app-like. With faster
performance, leading security protection, more hardware acceleration, and site-ready
HTML5 support, IE10 continues to allow developers to build a richer and more beautiful
web.
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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figure 3: Touch browsing is fast, fluid, and intuitive
The Metro style interface of Internet Explorer 10 is cleaner and the browser gets out of
the way, so the focus is on your favorite sites. The navigation bar appears only when you
want it, so there’s more room for your sites. A ready-when-you-need-it touch keyboard is
intelligently integrated into the browser. Like IE9 on Windows 7, you can pin your
favorite websites to the new Windows Start screen. This makes them feel more like an
app because you can access them with a single tap. And if your favorite site has a Metro
style appealable, IE10 lets you know so you can just switch to the app if you want.
3.2.5 Windows Store The new Windows Store features great apps you might be familiar with and others you’ll
love getting to know. It’s easy for you to find the apps you want, ranging from exciting
new games, to the productivity tools you already know and trust on Windows.
You can browse and compare thousands of apps—Microsoft make it easy for you by
grouping apps in familiar categories, highlighting frequently downloaded apps, and
showing how other users have rated what they’ve purchased. For many apps, you can try
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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before buying if you’re a bit skeptical. Once you’ve decided, you can buy with peace of
mind, knowing that downloaded apps have been screened and checked for viruses. And
you can install your purchased apps on up to five Windows 8 PCs.
3.3.0 Desktop appearance On x86 and x64 PCs, the apps you’re used to using, like Microsoft Office Word and
Excel, CAD/CAM, and Adobe Photoshop, still run on the desktop the way they always
have. When you want to use one of these apps, you can get to it right from your Start
screen. You simply tap and go. Windows opens your app on the desktop, and you can use
touch or your keyboard and mouse.
3.3.1 Compatibility On x86 and x64 PCs, Windows 8 supports Windows 7 desktop applications and devices
so you don’t have to compromise or give up what you’re used to. On these PCs, your
existing Windows 7-based applications just work.
3.4.0 More for power users If you want to push the limits of your PC experience, Microsoft has invested in the
features most often used by power users. Microsoft redesigned Windows Explorer and
Task Manager to greatly enhance productivity, and developed new, flexible options for
multi-monitor setups.
3.4.1 File management with ease Microsoft has enhanced Windows Explorer to make file navigation and common file
management tasks Straightforward. The ribbon organizes Explorer’s rich functionality,
surfacing previously buried features and has new commands like ISO3
3 This is standard for saving files as CD/DVD drive images with the extension as .ISO
mounting and
single-window move or copy. Microsoft has brought back a long-lost favorite: the Up
button. Microsoft also introduced a new enhanced copy experience so you can view and
manage all of your file operations in one place.
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3.4.2 Task Manager The new Task Manager is your easy-to-use, all-in-one dashboard for monitoring and
controlling your PC so you always know what’s going on with it. The information is
presented in color-coded tiles to help draw your eye to items that are using the bulk of a
resource. You can keep track of your system efficiently and in real-time, taking
advantage of summary graphs and detailed information on processes, applications, and
history. You can see the services associated with each process on one screen.
figure 4: Task Manager shows you how your PC is performing
3.4.3 Multi-monitor options Using multiple monitors is more flexible than ever before. New options allow you to
display the Start screen on one monitor and the desktop on the other. Display different
desktop backgrounds on each monitor or stretch your image across both. There are also
options to have duplicate or unique task bars on each monitor.
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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figure 5: Multiple monitors now work as one big workspace
3.4.4 Push-Button Reset There’s nothing more frustrating than having a major PC failure and spending hours
reconstructing your computer’s original state or paying to have someone do the work for
you. Windows 8 comes with a number of options to restore your PC to its original state.
You can do a basic reset, which gives you an easy option to restart fresh while retaining
all of your documents, accounts, personal settings, and even the apps you’ve downloaded
from the Windows Store. Windows 8 also provides some new, advanced options. You
can do a complete reset, which restores the PC to the state it was in when originally
purchased. And you can also create a reset disk, which is great for power users who have
invested time to personalize and configure their PC. Restore from USB Key restores from
a thumb drive, saving space and giving you a convenient backup tool in the event that
your hard drive is damaged and needs to be replaced.
3.4.5 Windows Update Nobody likes to be interrupted when they’re in the middle of doing something important.
At the same time, it’s important that you keep your PC up to date. Windows 8 takes care
of keeping your computer up to date, including most maintenance activities, without
getting in your way. You won’t be slowed down by interruptions, and your PC will keep
performing well.
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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3.5.0 Windows application support in windows 8 Great apps start with great developers. Windows 8 gives you the platform and tools to
create rich app experiences where your customers focus on tasks that are important to
them. Apps are at the center of the Windows 8 experience. They’re alive with activity
and vibrant content. Your customers immerse themselves in your full-screen, Metro style
app allowing them to focus on their content rather than on the operating system.
Signing up to sell your app through Windows Store means you can tap into the broad
customer reach of Windows, which spans markets around the world. You’ll draw from a
wealth of new tools and services so you can develop and deploy apps faster and more
profitably. Of course, you can also reach and engage new customers using the commerce
platform of your choice.
With Windows 8 you can leverage your existing skills and code assets to create great
experiences for your customers.
• Web developers can use their HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript skills to build native
applications for Windows.
• NET Developers can use XAML, C#, and Visual Basic to build beautiful Metro
style apps.
• Game developers can use the power of DirectX 11.1 to build amazing, immersive
gaming experiences.
• Driver developers can use the new, integrated Microsoft Visual Studio
development environment to increase productivity.
With Windows 8, you’re ready to imagine, build, and sell the next great app.
3.5.1 Visual Studio 2011, Express, and Expression Blend work perfectly with Windows 8 Microsoft Visual Studio 2011 Express is a free, lightweight version of the powerful
Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE). Visual Studio Express is
packaged with Expression Blend, a visual design tool that helps you work with HTML5
and XAML. Expression Blend also gives you accesses to Windows control sand an
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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integrated tool to profile user interfaces. To help you write games in DirectX and HLSL,
Visual Studio Express has a new graphics authoring and debugging IDE. If you write
device drivers, Visual Studio Express now integrates a full set of tools and interfaces to
help you write, build, compile, sign, test, debug, and verify drivers, along with tools to
port your existing driver files to new Visual Studio Express project and solution files.
figure 6: Visual Studio helps you develop Metro style apps
3.6.0 Fundamentals, devices and security of windows 8: Windows 8 is built on the rock-solid foundation of Windows 7, and it features many
improvements in performance, security, privacy, and system reliability. Everything that
consumers, developers, and IT pros have come to love about Windows 7 is still there –
only better. Refinements to the kernel improve system responsiveness, security, and
performance. Improvements in the driver model and tools chain for driver development
improve system stability and reliability. And Windows now runs on ARM devices as well
asx86 and x64. You’ll benefit from innovative security features and your apps run faster
on Windows 8.
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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3.6.1 Fundamental System requirements Windows 8 works great on the same hardware that powers Windows Vista and Windows
7:
1 gigahertz or faster 32-bit or processor
1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver of course, taking advantage
of touch input requires a screen that supports multi-touch.
Apps run on ARM, x86, and x64 architectures
In addition to running on x86 and x64 devices, Windows 8 delivers even greater
flexibility by running on ARM devices. Depending on the technology you use, write your
Metro style apps once and they can run on any supported architecture. You can also take
advantage of the unique capabilities of your customers’ PCs.
3.6.2 Wi-Fi and mobile broadband Windows 8 improves mobile network connectivity by making it easier to use Wi-Fi
hotspots as an alternative to mobile broadband connections. Windows 8 treats a mobile
broadband network as a metered connection. Windows 8 also includes an integrated set
of radio controls so you can turn network radios on and off, as well as control all of them
at once via a convenient ‘flight mode’ switch.
3.6.3 Metro style device apps Device companion apps launch when a user connects a Windows certified device, like a
camera or TV, to a Windows 8 PC. Hardware manufacturers can now use the device
metadata XML to specify a Metro style device app that automatically downloads and
launches when the device is plugged into the PC. These apps can provide more enjoyable
customer experiences, such as sharing photos from a camera or connecting to asocial
network. Plus you don’t have to manage app distribution and updates. You can even
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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design the Metro style device app to provide a unique experience for each country or
region.
3.6.4 Class drivers Windows 8 includes new built-in drivers that support a broad range of devices, including
printers, sensors, touch-input devices, and displays. That means that, in many cases, you
won’t even need to produce a device driver to accompany your hardware because
Windows provides a class driver for you. When users set up their device, it will just
work.
The new HID class driver supports common sensors such as heat, light, temperature,
pressure, current, and motion. In addition, this driver allows a hardware manufacturer to
integrate unique sensors, like a blood-pressure monitor or a glass-breakage sensor.
3.6.4 Cryptography made simple Cryptography is now much easier to use. A simplified programming interface enables
you to effortlessly encrypt, decrypt, and digitally sign content. You can also create
certificate requests and install issued certificates. You can use certificates stored locally
or on smart cards.
If your web service is secured using, for example, SSL and is using the new APIs to
develop a Metro style app that can use your service, you can easily create and install
certificates that are specific to your package. This can help ensure a seamless and error-
free experience for your customers without requiring you to purchase certificates from a
certification authority.
Smart Screen filters: is a set of sophisticated technologies to help protect you from
malicious websites and programs. Whether you’re downloading or running a new
program on the desktop, Smart Screen has you covered. Smart Screen continues to
provide protection from phishing and socially engineered malware attacks using URL
and application reputation and removes unnecessary warnings for programs and
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publishers with an established reputation. To add another layer of protection, Smart
Screen is now integrated with program launch to screen programs downloaded from the
web. It also shows new warnings before higher-risk programs can run and will block
known malware.
3.6.5 Windows Defender To ensure legitimate antimalware protection to all users, Windows 8 provides Windows
Defender. It monitors and protects against viruses and other malware in real time and
detects and removes malware if your computer becomes infected. With Windows 8,
third-party antimalware software becomes even more effective: by loading approved
antimalware drivers during the boot process, antimalware software can start from a
known good state and continue its vigilant watch over your PC from that point on.
3.6.6 Secured boot Secured boot stops malware in its tracks and makes Windows 8 significantly more
resistant to low-level attacks. Even when a virus has made it onto your PC, Windows will
authenticate boot components to prevent any attempt to start malware before the
operating system is up and running. If the component isn’t correctly signed by Microsoft,
Windows will begin remediation and start the Windows Recovery Environment, which
will automatically try to fix your operating system.
3.7.0 A business perspective of windows 8 To help companies unleash the full power of their workforce, Windows 8 puts people at
the center of every experience. This means enabling personalized and seamless
connections to people and information while helping to protect sensitive data from device
to data center with built-in malware resistance, strong authentication, and data
encryption. Windows 8 works with today’s hardware. Combined with tools that simplify
compatibility testing and deployment, Windows 8 works with your existing client
management infrastructure including compliance and security processes. It helps IT pros
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keep their systems running smoothly and securely. With Windows 8, business users can
seamlessly connect to content, devices, and people that are important for work. With
Windows To Go users will experience increased mobility and business continuity without
the need to carry a laptop or tablet. An encrypted USB device will securely start their
managed business desktop with access to corporate resources from any computer capable
of running Windows 8, virtually anywhere. Direct Access helps remote users to securely
access resources within a corporate network – such as SharePoint sites, line of business
applications, and file shares – without the need for a user-initiated connection back to the
corporate network. Windows 8 also uses metered connection services that inform users
about paid data usage, and enables users and apps to optimize for cost and bandwidth.
3.7.1 Data security and management Businesses can better protect business data throughout the data creation, storage, and
access lifecycle. PCs running Windows 8 can better resist malware because of a trusted
boot-up process that automatically repairs drivers and reinforces policies—with no action
required from users. IT pros can require new apps to run in restricted environments,
reducing user down-time and the theft of sensitive data. Data encryption is improved as
well. Windows 8 enables an always-on data encryption mechanism, running in the
background to help ensure that data is safe even when the device is lost. Windows 8
includes easy-to use tools so IT pros can identify accepted and forbidden apps run on
business computers. Windows 8 simplifies access control management to help ensure the
right people have access to appropriate data across corporate infrastructure.
AppLocker: AppLocker contains new capabilities that enable it to manage both desktop and Metro style applications. IT pros can create security policies that allow or deny specific applications from being run by specific users or groups of users.
BitLocker: Windows 8 delivers a rich set of improvements in BitLocker that help
businesses reduce the risk of unauthorized data access. For Windows 8 business
customers, BitLocker delivers better performance than today’s software-only encryption
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by supporting fast, hardware encrypting drives. BitLocker only encrypts sectors that have
data, incrementally encrypting the drive as free space is used. The user experience is
improved through hard drive pre-encryption with clear key and standard user pin reset.
Measured Boot: Windows can further validate the boot process beyond Secured Boot.
The startup processes are now signed, protected, and measured. They’re then stored in the
TPM chip to prevent root kit or malware infection. For TPM-based systems, Windows 8
will perform a comprehensive chain of measurements during the boot process, called
measured boot, which can be used to validate the boot process to prevent root kits and
other malware.
3.8.0 Performance Flaws of Windows 8 Developer Preview. The current preview release has recorded some flaws which users want Microsoft to be
aware of these include:
Force shutdown crashes: users has reported that the preview version crashes when force
to shutdown using the power button, and in some cases calls for a reinstallation of the
operating system to come up again this has resulted in a decline on the current preview
users.
second up is the lack of proper multi-tasking or app switching in the new Windows 8. If,
for example, you have about 5 apps running simultaneously, and you want to copy-cut-
and-paste something from one app to another app there is no way to immediately do so.
Instead you have no choice but to sequentially flick through all the apps to access the app
you want to do your copying-and-pasting to (Carasig, 2011).
In previous Windows releases, rebooting and shutting down has been easy enough
through the Omni-present start button. But in Windows 8, it would take at least four
touches to reboot or shut down Windows 8 running on a tablet (Microsoft insists on
calling it a PC). The shutdown/reboot button is also obscurely hidden in the Settings
WINDOWS 8, THE RE-IMAGING OF THE WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM 2012
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charm in the Metro System tray making it even more difficult for newbie Windows 8
users to figure out how to turn off the system.
Yet another classic feature which has been lost in Windows 8 is the Start Menu Search,
the one which lets the user look for anything on their PC by simply typing in a key word.
There is a new search feature in Windows 8 which requires users to right-flick and then
click, but it is limited to only searching for apps, settings or files.
Finally, and probably the biggest feature lost in Windows 8, is the death of the Start
Menu. Through the years, Windows users have been so familiar with Start Menu that it
has always been a given that all iterations of Windows will have one. Not so for
Windows 8. For Windows 8, the Start Menu has been replaced with the Start Screen -
metro tiles, desktop icons and nothing else. This could be very intimidating to newbie
Windows 8 users and will require them to re-acquaint themselves with the new interface
which, in itself, is seldom an easy task.
If Microsoft wants to keep its core followers and entice new ones, these flaws should be
addressed properly before it even thinks about releasing this version of Windows to the
masses.
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3.9.0 Conclusion I have to admit I am excited about the new Windows 8, though it is still a long way off
from being released to us mere mortals. However, all the previews and reviews I’ve been
reading have all been very favorable so far for the Redmond Company. So just what is it
that Microsoft are trying to hide?
Windows 8 is a total re-imagining for the world’s favorite OS, built as it is around the
Metro UI – which, in turn, has been optimized for touch input – presently familiar to
Windows 7/Mango phone users.
Though everything looks sunny on the outside for the new Windows 8, there is still that
palpable trepidation that users cannot verbally express right because they are still in awe
of their new re-imagined OS.
We must remember ( Microsoft, especially ) that almost all of Windows denizens have
been weaned on the safely familiar Windows 7 interface (since Windows 95) and as
expected, are looking for the comfort and ease of use they have become accustomed to in
the older versions of Windows.
Now comes a radically new user interface (at least for die-hard Windows users) that has
been built around a phone’s interface (much like Apple’s iOS) and has been optimized
for tactile input rather than the common keyboard-mouse tandem. Of course, this has
been an inevitable shift due to the all too common input combination to the modern and
more interactive (and natural) way of turning ideas to data through touch.
This, whilst being good, does have its flaws just the same, which could turn off long-time
Windows users, if not properly addressed.
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