Windows 8 Developer Preview Build 8102 M3 Available for Download This Week

Preview

According to Steven Sinofsky, President, Windows and Windows Live Division, a lot of work has already gone into building Windows 8, including 2 million installs internally, 9.3 million performance tests, 1 trillion telemetry data points analyzed, and in excess of 380,000 hours of compatibility testing.
Just a reminder, Windows 8 will deliver the same full PC experience whether it’s running on traditional computers or tablets / slates and additional next-generation form factors.

Featuring support for ARM-based chipsets, but also for x86 and x64 CPUs, Windows 8 is optimized for touch devices and that’s why the new Metro UI Start Screen takes center-stage pushing the desktop to the background.

Windows 8 comes with Internet Explorer 10 (IE10), a new Metro platform for immersive applications, enhanced performance, its own Windows Store, and so much more.

System Requirements

Windows 8 will not be a hardware hog, but quite to contrary in fact, it will be designed to play nice with existing systems today, the hardware capable of running Windows 7 or Windows Vista.

so,
“1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor; 1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit); 16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit); DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver.”

Windows 8 will bring with it an overhaul of the graphics technology, which with Windows 7 saw the introduction of enhancements such as Tessellation, Multi-Threading and DirectCompute. Windows 8 will only take DirectX to the next level. However, at this point in time, as is the case with many other details related to the next iteration of Windows,

there’s no information on the successor of DX11 from Microsoft.
The software giant has yet to say what version number it will slap on the next generation of DirectX, although, if I were to bet, I’d say it will be DirectX 12. But this is speculation on my part and should be taken as such.

Windows 8 System Requirements Same as Windows 7’s

Windows 8 Boots in 8 Seconds

How’s this for fast? Windows 8 boots in as little as 8 seconds due to a new fast startup mode that Microsoft introduced and first demoed today. Check out the video embedded below for the demonstration of Windows 8’s amazing start-up time. Any faster and it would be instantaneous.
UPDATE: This is the computer used in the video: EliteBook 8640p (Intel Core i7-2620M, 8GB, 160GB SSD).

Windows 8 vs. Windows 7 – Boot Performance Comparison The winner of the first Windows 8 vs. Windows 7 boot performance measuring contest is clear, and I doubt that we’ll ever see a comeback from Windows Vista’s successor in future comparisons.

Windows 8

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Windows 8 Metro Device Apps

In addition to the Metro style applications that are essentially an NUI-catalyzed evolution of the traditional desktop programs, customers running the next version of Windows will also be able to use Metro style device apps.
Metro device apps are a new addition to the Windows client, also designed to take advantage of Metro platform in Windows 8.
Windows 8 Developer Preview Build 8102 Milestone 3 (M3) offers early adopters the first chance to play around with both Metro apps as well as Metro style device apps.

As the name implies, Metro style device apps are companion applications designed to work in tandem with devices connected to the Windows 8 computer.
Manufacturers can now take the user experience that their product provides to the next level by offering users a new way for them to interact with their device as soon as it’s plugged in.

“Metro style device apps Device companion apps launch when a user connects a Windows certiﬁed device, like a camera or TV, to a Windows 8 PC. Hardware manufacturers can now use the device metadata XML to specify a Metro style device app that automatically downloads and launches when the device is plugged into the PC,” the software giant explained.
“These apps can provide more enjoyable customer experiences, such as sharing photos from a camera or connecting to a social network. Plus you don’t have to manage app distribution and updates. You can even design the Metro style device app to provide a unique experience for each country or region.”

Windows 8 UEFI Requirements and Security Architecture Sessions at IDF2011

Microsoft might not be ready to share details about the Windows 8-centric BUILD event, but Intel is less shy about its own developer conference.
The CPU giant published the list of sessions for the Intel Developer Forum 2011, and it appears that the next generation of Windows will get its fair share of the spotlight. (via Brooke Crothers)Topics such as Windows 8 UEFI requirements and the operating system’s security architecture will be discussed, according to Intel.
Of course, IDF2011 will take place the same time as BUILD, and it’s bound that the Redmond company will share all the juicy details about Windows 8 ahead of its processor manufacturing partner.

The “Microsoft Windows Platform Evolution and UEFI Requirements” will be presented by Mark Doran Senior Principal Engineer, Intel; Scott Anderson Program Manager, Microsoft and Tony Mangefeste Senior Program Manager, also from Microsoft.

“This session will provide updates on the Windows 8 platform and UEFI protocols and services,” reads an excerpt from the session’s description.

“Topics in this session include: wow a future platform would evolve with advanced features in firmware using the latest UEFI protocol and services; [and] technical details of the latest Windows* 8 platform requirements including UEFI boot and security will be discussed.”

The ‘Microsoft Windows 8 on Intel Architecture’ session “will provide a glimpse into: the upcoming release of Microsoft’s next operating system release Windows 8; [and] the work both companies are undertaking to deliver this new compute experience.”

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