Microsoft asking students for suggestions on Windows 8

In one of the posts on the Microsoft official facebook page for students,Microsoft is asking the students about their opinions and suggestions for the next generation OS codenamed Windows 8. The post reads as

You’ve all seen the ads, "Windows 7 was my idea". On that premise, what is your opinion on what should be included in the next release of Windows?

The link added their redirects to the Microsoft Student lounge page which reads as follow:

What’s your opinion? What features do you think need to be in Windows 8?

You’ve all seen the ads, "Windows 7 was my idea".

On that premise, what is your opininon on what should be included in the next release of Windows?

Sky is the limit … thinking about the development platform, the usability, the visual aspects. What do you think Microsoft needs to include in Windows 8?

Can’t wait to see your comments!

Some innovative comments have been posted by the students, so if want any feature to be included in Windows 8.

HERE ARE SOME COMMENTS:-

1>Don’t make windows 8 like the other operating system ,make it gorgeous/beautiful/splendid,cheap and capable of running in normal PC using less REM (256MB)and Hard disk(as low as possible).

2>there should be an option for taskbar switch to mac style or windows style making graphical interface more attractive.

3>well windows 8 will be supporting 128bit computing and the major different with other windows OS releases will be “no taskbar” new winFS platform and will be “fully customizable”.

Windows 8 to be RTMed by July 2011 ?

Chris Green , a product manager at Microsoft,has published a roadmap,estimating the Product Support Life Cycles for various product. He has not just published the life cycle of various released products but have even mentioned about the Windows8,Windows Server 2012 and several other upcoming products.

Some important dates which was published in the roadmap are

Windows 8

• Support normal: 1st July 2011 to 1st July 2016
• Extended Support: 1 July 2016 to 1 July 2021

Windows Server 2012

• Support normal: July 2, 2012 to June 30, 2017
• Extended support: July 3, 2017 to 1 July 2022

So,if going by these dates,the RTM version of Windows 8 would be available by July 2011. Windows 8 being a major release, a radical change is expected and it seems bit impossible that Windows 8 would be RTMed by July 2011.

Chris has clearly posted below the pdf file that This information is provided as a guide only and is likely to contain errors so we may hope some changes in the roadmap.

Windows 8 Common engineering Criteria (CEC) established

One of the job posts on the Microsoft Career site states that the Common engineering Criteria (CEC) has already been

established. I would be worth interesting to know what all is included in the CEC , though at present no more information is available till yet. Here is what the Microsoft Career job post site read-

Job Category: Software Engineering: Development
Location: United States, WA, Redmond
Job ID: 714117 13305
Division: Server & Tools Business

WCF, edge based services, SQL Azure, Azure blob storage, .NET 4.0, MEF, Geneva. The Information Experience Platform (IXP) team is building a content service for managing technical documentation for STB and beyond. Come join our team and help us deliver our v2 platform. Our v1 platform has already been recognized across the company and its use is already part of the CEC requirements for Windows 8 development. We are now building the next version of our platform and are looking for a development lead with outstanding technical skills to put their stamp on the design and to drive on the delivery.
The ideal candidate will have 10+ years experience delivering high quality, high performance, and highly secure enterprise applications. Previous management experience is a plus, but we will also consider experience as a technical lead. The successful candidate must be able to design, schedule, and deliver while leading a team of skilled developers in all phases of the software development life cycle. You must also work well with PM and Test disciplines and have strong communication and cross team collaboration skills.
Requirements:
- Degree in Computer Science or related field (equivalent experience may be considered)
- 10+ years experience delivering enterprise scale applications
- Strong knowledge of C# and the .NET Framework (6 years minimum)
- 3+ years experience with SQL Server
- Experience with internet security practices (token services, security certificates, etc.)
- Experience implementing solutions with LiveId
- Strong debugging skills (windbg)
- Experience with software architecture and design
- Web technologies experience – WCF, XML, XSLT, XHTML, CSS
- Experience with content management systems is a plus
- Previous management or technical lead experience
- Experience with vendor management – SOW creation, etc.

Thanks to the guys at CodenameWindows for the news

Early (Codename) Windows 8 build compiled

According to wzor,the early Windows 8 builds has been compiled.Though at present, besides build strings no more information is available,

Here are the builds that has been compiled the latest being build 7705-

7702.0.100126-1751
7703.0.100127-1845
7704.0.100128-1900
7705.0.100129-1930

We would be posting more information whenever available..

Home » Windows 8 Server Windows 8 Server to include a new PowerShell Automation platform

A new job post has been posted on the Microsoft Career site,stating that a new Powershell Automation platform would be added for managing Windows Servers.

Here is what the job posted on Microsoft Career site read-

Job Category: Software Engineering: Development
Location: United States, WA, Redmond
Job ID: 707889 10199
Product: (Not Product Specific)
Division: Server & Tools Business

Windows Server is the top-selling server operating system and is growing share in a growing market. Central to the success of Windows Server is the experience of IT Professionals managing Windows Server. For our next release, we are taking that experience to the next level by helping to make IT Professionals more effective and more productive by shipping a product they will love to use.
We work closely with a passionate PM & Test team to deliver world-beating next generation of PowerShell for managing Windows Servers. For Windows 8 Server, we are planning, architecting and building a new PowerShell Automation platform around themes that are key to the success of the entire Server product line.
We are looking for a Senior Software Development Engineer to help design, implement and deliver the next generation of this Automation Platform. In this role, you will deliver new features for the Windows Server Management which will help in the data center automation. You will work closely with many other teams delivering in Windows Server. You will take on the challenge of bridging the existing with the new and have an understanding and appreciation of lower level protocols and higher level user interaction design, using the automation platform as a middle tier. You will also have a record of technical leadership, good planning, and shipping world-class software.
Qualifications:
• BSCS/MSCS (or equivalent)
• At least 5-7 years of experience as a commercial software developer in C++ or C# (C# preferred) in all phases of a product cycle.
• Ideally familiar with PowerShell language.
• Prior management technology experience is an advantage.
• Experience in Windows Workflow Foundation, WS-Man, RBAC and/or repository technologies (SQL, AD) are an advantage.
• Experience in development of a scalable service is highly preferred.
• Experience with other IT management products like System Center is a plus.
• Delivery of several business-impacting components for which you were directly responsible.
• Passion for quality. A core belief that all members of the feature team share the responsibility for the quality of the product.
• Technical Leadership. Track record of building and leading world-class product design and architecture.
• Ability to work with partners and drive cross-group initiatives.
• Execution. Proven track record in project definition, articulation, planning and delivery.
• Can-do entrepreneurial attitude with experience working in a team with industry-leading, innovative, and high-quality releases.
• Deep understanding and passion for IT Professionals as customers.

Windows 8, will be a cloud based OS

The post on the NDTV Profit news channel site clearly states that according to the sources within Microsoft,the next Operating System will be cloud based. Rajan Anandan, MD of Microsoft India also added that “All new products from here on will be offered over the cloud, as well as on-premise. That’s a core strategy that we have adopted now”

Here is the extract from the NDTV Profit site

Rajan Anandan, MD of Microsoft India, said, "We believe the cloud is the future and cloud will help accelerate Microsoft’s revenues and profit growth. With the announcement of Azure on Monday, we have completed our cloud offering, which means anything and everything that MS offers can be delivered over the cloud."

However, Microsoft is many years late to the game and has to play significant catch-up.
Is it indeed too late for the giant or can it redeem itself? If cloud is the new inspiration for MS, what sort of cloud integration will its future products see?

"All new products from here on will be offered over the cloud, as well as on-premise. That’s a core strategy that we have adopted now," said Anandan.

Sources within MS say the next operating system from Microsoft, Windows 8, will be a cloud based OS.

Microsoft is planning to spend $9 billion on cloud based R&D, but given that competitors like Amazon and Google have been providing cloud services for a while now, pinching pockets will not work for Microsoft.

WINODWS 8 ESTIMATE LOGO

THE ABOVE PICTURE MAY BE THE LOGO WINDOWS 8. WHO KNOWS?