Windows 8
New and changed features
New features and functionality in Windows 8
include a faster start-up through UEFI integration and the new "Hybrid
Boot" mode (which hibernates the Windows kernel on shutdown to
speed up the subsequent boot), a
new lock screen with a clock and notifications, and the ability for enterprise users
to create live USB versions of Windows (known as Windows To Go). Windows 8 also adds native support for USB 3.0 devices, which allow for faster data
transfers and improved power management with compatible devices, along with support for near field communication to facilitate sharing and
communication between devices.
Windows Explorer, which has been renamed File
Explorer.exe, now includes a ribbon in place of the command bar. File
operation dialogs have been updated to provide more detailed statistics, the
ability to pause file transfers, and improvements in the ability to manage
conflicts when copying files. A
new "File History" function allows incremental revisions of files to
be backed up to and restored from a secondary storage device, while Storage Spaces allows users to
combine different sized hard disks into virtual drives and specify mirroring,
parity, or no redundancy on a folder-by-folder basis.
Task Manager has
also been redesigned, including a new processes tab with the option to display
fewer or more details of running applications and background processes, a heat
map using different colors indicating the level of resource usage, network and
disk counters, grouping by process type (e.g. applications, background
processes and Windows processes), friendly names for processes and a new option
which allows users to search the web to find information about obscure
processes. Additionally, the Blue Screen of Death has been updated with a simpler and
modern design with less technical information displayed.
Safety and security
Additional security features in Windows 8 include two new
authentication methods tailored towards touch screens (PIN numbers and picture passwords), the addition of antivirus capabilities to Windows
Defender (bringing it in parity with Microsoft's Security Essentials software) Smart
Screen filtering integrated into the desktop, and support for the
"Secure Boot" functionality on UEFI systems to protect against malware
infecting the boot process. Parental controls are offered through the integrated Family Safety software, which allows parents to monitor and control their
children's activities on a device with activity reports and safety controls. Windows 8 also provides integrated system recovery through the new "Refresh" and "Reset"
functions. Windows 8's first security
patches would be released on 13 November 2012; it would contain three critical
(most severe as per Microsoft) fixes.
Online services and functionality
Windows 8 provides heavier integration with
online services from Microsoft and others. A user can now log in to Windows
with a Microsoft account,
formally known as a Windows Live ID, which can be used to access
services and synchronize applications and settings between
devices. Windows 8 also ships with a client app for Microsoft's Sky Drive cloud storage service, which also allows apps to
save files directly to Sky Drive .
A Sky Drive
client for the desktop and File
Explorer is not included in
Windows 8, and must be downloaded separately. Bundled
multimedia apps are provided under the Xbox brand, including Xbox Music, Xbox Video, and the Xbox Smart Glass companion for use with an Xbox 360 console. Games can integrate into an Xbox Live hub app, which also allows users to
view their profile and gamer score. Other bundled apps provide the ability
to link to services such as Flickr and Facebook.
Internet Explorer 10 is included as both a desktop program
and a touch-optimized app, and includes increased support for HTML5, CSS3, and hardware acceleration. The Internet
Explorer app does not support plugins or ActiveX components, but includes a version of Adobe Flash Player that is optimized for touch and low
power usage, but works only on sites included on a whitelist. The desktop version does
not contain these limitations.
Windows 8 also incorporates improved support for mobile broadband; the operating system
can now detect the insertion of a SIM
card and automatically configure
connection settings (including APNs and carrier branding), track and
reduce bandwidth use on metered
networks. Windows 8 also adds an integrated airplane
mode setting to globally disable
all wireless connectivity as well. Carriers can also offer account management
systems through Windows Store apps, which can be automatically installed as a
part of the connection process and offer usage statistics on their respective
tile.
Windows Store and Apps
Windows 8 introduces a new style of application, Windows Store apps; according to Microsoft
developer Jensen Harris, these apps are to be optimized for touch screen environments and have smaller scope in
relation to desktop applications. Apps can run either in a full-screen mode, or
be docked directly to the side of a screen. They
can provide notifications and a "live tile" on the Start screen for
dynamic content. Apps can use "contracts"; a collection of hooks to provide common functionality that
can integrate with other apps, such as search and sharing. Apps can also provide integration with
other services; for example, the People app can connect to a variety of
different social networks and services (such as Facebook), while the Photos app can
aggregate photos from services such as Facebook and Flickr.
Windows Store apps run within a new set of APIs known
as the Windows Runtime, which
supports programming languages such as C, C++, VB.NET, C#, along with HTML5 and JavaScript. Depending on the language used, apps
written for Windows Runtime can be cross-compatible with both Intel-compatible and ARM versions
of Windows. To ensure stability
and security, apps run within a sandboxed
environment, and require permissions to access certain functionality, such as
accessing the Internet or a camera.
Retail versions of Windows 8 will only be able
to install these apps through the Windows
Store—a namesake distribution platform which offers both apps and certified
desktop applications. Only the Enterprise version will
allow system administrators to deploy apps from outside the Windows Store.
Windows Store apps were originally known as
"Metro-style apps" during the development of Windows 8, referring to
the Metro design language. The
term was reportedly phased out in August 2012; a Microsoft spokesperson denied
rumors that the change was related to a potential trademark issue, and stated that "Metro"
was only a codename that would be phased out prior to Windows 8's release. Following these reports, the terms
"Modern UI-style apps", "Windows
8-style apps" and
"Windows Store apps" began to be used by various Microsoft documents
and material to refer to the new apps. In an interview on September 12, 2012,
Soma Somasegar (vice president of Microsoft's development software division)
officially confirmed that "Windows Store apps" would be the official
term for the apps.
Web browsers
Special exceptions are given to web browsers classified as being "New
experience enabled" (formerly "Metro-style enabled"), which can
provide a special version to run within the "Metro" environment.
Unlike other apps, they can be coded using Win32 APIs instead of WinRT (allowing the
reuse of code from their desktop versions), permanently run in the background,
use multiple background processes, and are distributed with desktop web browsers
rather than through the Windows Store. Despite these looser restrictions, they
can still take advantage of features typically reserved for Windows Store apps,
such as the use of contracts to link to other apps. However, only the user's
default web browser can be used in this setting.
The developers of both Chrome and Firefox both committed to developing versions
of their browsers to run in the app environment; while Chrome's app simply back ports the existing desktop interface,
Firefox's (which is currently available in development versions) uses a
touch-optimized interface inspired by the mobile
version of Firefox.
Interface and desktop
Windows 8 introduces significant changes to the
operating system's user interface, many of which are centered towards improving
its experience on tablet
computers and other touch screen devices. The new user interface is
based on Microsoft's Metro design
language, and features a new tile-based Start
screen similar to that of Windows Phone, which has replaced the
previous Start menu entirely. The Start screen displays a
customizable array of tiles linking to various apps and desktop programs, some
of which can display constantly updated information and content through
"live tiles". As a form of multi-tasking, apps can
be snapped to the side of a screen.
A vertical toolbar known as the charms bar
(accessed by swiping from the right edge of a touch screen, or pointing the
cursor at hotspots in the right corners of a screen)
provides access to system and app-related functions, such as search, sharing,
device management, settings, and a Start button. The traditional desktop
environment for running desktop applications is accessed via a tile on the new
Start screen. The Start button on the taskbar has been removed in favor of the
Start button on the charms bar and a hotspot in the lower-left corner of the
screen. Swiping from the left
edge of a touch screen or clicking in the top-left corner of the screen allows
one to switch between apps and the Desktop. Pointing the cursor in the top-left
corner of the screen and moving down reveals a thumbnail list of active apps. Aside from the removal of the Start
button, the desktop on Windows 8 is similar to that of Windows 7, except that the Aero Glass theme has been replaced by a flatter,
solid-colored design inspired by the Metro interface
Secure boot
Windows 8 supports a feature of the UEFI specification
known as "Secure boot", which uses a public-key infrastructure to verify the integrity of the
operating system and prevent unauthorized programs such as bootkits from infecting the device.
Despite the security benefits of the feature,
Microsoft faced criticism (particularly from free
software supporters) for
mandating that devices receiving its optional certification for Windows 8 have
secure boot enabled by default using a key provided by Microsoft. Concerns were
raised that secure boot could prevent
or hinder the use of alternate
operating systems such as Linux.
In response to the criticism, Microsoft developer Tony Mangefeste stated that
"At the end of the day, the customer is in control of their PC.
Microsoft’s philosophy is to provide customers with the best experience first,
and allow them to make decisions themselves."
Microsoft's certification requirements
eventually revealed that that UEFI firmware on x86 systems
must allow users to re-configure or turn off secure boot, but that this must
not be possible on ARM-based
systems (Windows RT). Microsoft faced further criticism for its decision to
restrict Windows RT devices by using this functionality, despite it being
consistent with other consumer
electronics with similar
protection measures. No mandate
is made regarding the installation of third-party certificates that would
enable running alternative software.
Removed features
Aside from the removal of the Start menu, several notable features
have been removed in Windows 8. Support for playing DVDs has
been removed from Windows Media
Player due to the cost of
licensing the necessary decoders (especially for devices which do not include optical disc drives at all) and the prevalence of
streaming services such as Netflix.
For the same reasons, Windows
Media Center will no longer be
included by default on Windows 8 as well, but the software (which also includes
support for DVD playback) can be added back through the paid "Pro
Pack" (for the base version of Windows 8, which also upgrades the system
to Windows 8 Pro) or "Media Center Pack" (for Windows 8 Pro) add-ons.
Windows 8 will still support third-party DVD playback software.
File History, the new backup feature of Windows
8 described above, replaces Backup
and Restore, the former backup app, and Previous
Versions, a component of Windows
Explorer that saves previous
versions of changed files. Backup and Restore is deprecated but will continue to work on preset
schedule on computers that upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8. Previous Versions no longer protects
local files, although it is still available to access previous versions of
shared files stored on a Windows Server computer. Shadow Copy, the subsystem component
based on which these worked, however, is still available for other software to
use.
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