The Random Blog

- November 25, 2013

WINDOWS 8 IN JUST 9 MB……………

Windows 8 is a personal computer operating system developed by Microsoft as part of Windows NT family of operating systems. Development of Windows 8 started before the release of its predecessor, Windows 7, in 2009. It was announced at CES 2011, and followed by the release of three pre-release versions from September 2011 to May 2012. The operating system was released to manufacturing on August 1, 2012, and was released for general availability on October 26, 2012.

Windows 8 introduced major changes to the operating system's platform and user interface to improve its user experience on tablets, where Windows was now competing with mobile operating systems, including Android and iOS. In particular, these changes included a touch-optimized Windows shell based on Microsoft's "Metro" design language, the Start screen (which displays programs and dynamically updated content on a grid of tiles), a new platform for developing apps with an emphasis on touchscreen input, integration with online services (including the ability to sync apps and settings between devices), and Windows Store, an online store for downloading and purchasing new software. Windows 8 added support for USB 3.0, Advanced Format hard drives, near field communications, and cloud computing. Additional security features were introduced, such as built-in antivirus software, integration with Microsoft SmartScreen phishing filtering service and support for UEFI Secure Boot on supported devices with UEFI firmware, to prevent malware from infecting the boot process.

Windows 8 Review =>

After spending the better part of a year with various forms of in-development Windows 8, we're giving it a strong recommendation in no small part because of its value. If you're running a Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 computer. That's worth it alone for the security and speed enhancements, not to mention the better driver and utility support.That price point is almost $100 cheaper than upgrading from XP or Vista to Windows 7 was.

Windows 8 has more going for it, of course. It's the first serious attempt to unify computing across disparate devices and accounts in a way that looks and feels cohesive. It's stunningly fast, it presents apps in a new way that avoids the repetitiveness of Android and iOS, and it feels connected to your life and the Internet.

One big question remains: does the learning curve make it worth strongly considering other operating systems? We think not. The aggressive learning incline does not negate the vast similarities between Windows 7 and Windows 8. We think that it's worth seriously considering the upgrade, especially from older systems, but it's not yet the one operating system (to rule them all) that Microsoft wants it to be.

Personal Review =>

The Looks (Metro UI):
The metro UI may not be the ideal way to work with a keyboard and mouse, but it still isn't bad. Also, you never need to use the metro UI (I only use it for email) if you don't want to. The lack of a traditional start menu may be difficult for some people to get used to, but I feel that I actually can get stuff done faster without using it, even when I go back to a Windows 7 PC, I have no use for it, and I can get stuff done a lot faster. And in my opinion, the new squarer desktop UI looks so much cleaner than the Windows 7 UI.

The Performance:
Also, Windows 8 seems to give an insane performance boost. I can be doing so much more than I was able to do when my computer ran Windows 7, I feel that Windows 8 is more snappy. And I am getting 8-10 second boot time from a hard drive! And my computer is ready to use once it is done booting, I do not have to sit and wait at the desktop for 30 seconds for all the stuff to load, it loads instantly.

Compatibility:
Windows 8 seems to be compatible with all programs that Windows 7 is compatible with. The all run the same way that the run on 7 and generally there are no compatibility issues. The on problem that I have found with compatibility is drivers. Some drivers will check to make sure you are running the OS that they are made for, and will not install on Windows 8 unless you run them in compatibility mode, but they seem to work just fine after that.

Overall:
I think Windows 8 is a massive improvement over Windows 7, however I think that it will get a lot of bad reviews from people who do not want to take the time to get used to the newer design choices made by the Microsoft team.