Windows 8: Compelling or Not?

Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows 7, and what is next, Windows 8? You bet. Windows 8 will come to the world in shipments starting October of 2012 (well, at least that is what the representatives from Microsoft say). They have been working hard to release this OS and promised to make it competitive enough to give iOS and Android a run for their money. But are they really just boasting or is there a basis for their arrogance? Continue reading and you just might find out.

We combined several reviews of the pre-beta and the beta releases of this exciting new OS and we shall give you more than just a preview of it. Windows 8, as we are sure you know, is by far the hottest looking UI from the Windows platform. This is probably a big thanks to the Metro UI and the redefining market of OS for smart phones, tablets, and personal computers. There are 2 UIs in Windows 8 because Microsoft promised it to be backwards compatible with their previous iterations. As always, Microsoft will release different versions of it including one for tablets competing head to head with Android and iOS and one for mobile phones competing against the most popular platforms today. Of course, there is still a server version with virtualizations aiming at dethroning VMWare and there is the usual client edition.

As much as we would like to stay away from talking geekly, we cannot. But forgive us this is just for a some short sentences. So, Microsoft has used 2 code bases for its OSs. One will run on DOS and another will run on the computer’s native hardware. However, Microsoft changed its mind and combined the two in the release of Windows 2000. Then again, in Windows XP, Microsoft reverted back to using 2 code bases. With Windows 8, Microsoft went to the aggressive track and made sure that its code base will run just about any device that there is.

The server versions of the Windows 8 have features that rival that of VMWare which is one of the more popular server tools today. Aside from the virtualization features, Windows 8 also has the Hyper-V hypervisor technology that promises better performance than VMWare. It has added a data center and targets PaaS (Platform as a Service) with a very good improvement in the fluidity of usage on hypervisors.

Putting the Windows 8 client edition in devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab or Lenovo and HP notebooks showed power from Windows 8. It runs fairly smoothly and only went agog when exposed in high pressure or when the gadget or device was pushed towards its limits. The client side is fairly good but it is to note that the additions made in the server edition are far more interesting. Of course the results that the many articles online say about Windows 8 can still very much change especially because most of them were done using the pre-beta release. But you can expect an improved and a better OS in this year from Microsoft.