John's Link Deposit Blog!: Windows 8 operating system

Microsoft has begun given us the first official ’sneak peek’ at it’s upcoming Windows 8 operating system, and what we’re being shown is a Windows operating system like none we’ve seen before.

What we’re seeing for the first time from Microsoft is a version of Windows that isn’t specifically targeted to the desktop, instead the Redmond giant seems to be gambling on making changes to the operating system that are tablet specific. The touch interface looks very different to what we expect of Windows. In fact, it looks more like Windows Phone than Windows.
Tiles, tiles everywhere!

Here’s a touch-optimized Internet Explorer 10 in action.

Here’s a thumb-operated keyboard that’s designed to make tablet use easier.

Here are new Windows 8 apps coexisting with legacy applications:

The Ribbon UI, previously seen in Office applications, makes its way to Windows 8:

Here’s a Twitter client with on-screen keyboard:

Here’s the gist of what Windows 8 brings:

Fast launching of apps from a tile-based Start screen
Tiles feature live notifications
Fast switching between apps
Easy snap/resize ability to allow for multiple apps to be on the screen at one time
An app store
Touch-optimized browsing

information that reveals that Windows 8’s mainstream support will begin in July 2011.

The roadmap also reveals some interesting information about the upcoming Office 2010. According the roadmap, Office 2010 will be RTMed in June 2010. You can download the product cycle information PDF by visiting Chris’s blog.