Windows 8 ¦ Preview

It happens at the conference dedicated to developers, that Microsoft revealed the main changes of the next Windows, and took advantage of it to distribute a "pre-beta" free of charge version via Internet.

Windows 8, it is before any Microsoft promise to return to the forefront of the nomadic users, by offering a system which can settle down at the same time on tablet and pc (maybe smart phone?). Then Windows 8 becomes compatible for the first time, with architecture other than that of Intel (x86): ARM architecture.

To be able to adapt to touch-sensitive screens of very different sizes, Windows 8 is accompanied with two different interfaces co-existed: the "traditional" interface, which is some retouched, identical to Windows 7 (and registered in the Windows lineage), and the baptized interface "Metro", directly stemming from Windows Phone 7, from the tactile smart phone in the world, where juxtapose "tiles" of colors and different sizes so creating shortcuts to applications, Web sites, files, RSS feeds and social networks etc.

The interest of such a fusion enables to benefit from the enormous Windows software environment on the tablet (tablets under ARM architecture will not be compatible), and vice versa, can take advantage of the latest App which we adore on the desktop PC.

To assure a better interoperability, Microsoft offers a new kit of development and open APIs to the Web languages such as HTML/CSS or even Javascript, what should allow a better development of these applications given which the community of potential developers is much more consequent.

This new generation "apps" will be dedicated to Metro interface and available via next Windows Store (AppStore of Microsoft).

In the Windows version published last week, it is necessary to admit that it is very difficult to find it, and interact with Metro via a mouse (hey no, my screen is not tactile). The famous "menu to start " disappeared, and all these modifications leave perplexed.

Microsoft announced the release of Windows 8 by the end of 2012, they still have some time to polish up this system.