What does this all mean?
Anne
----- Original Message -----
From: "peter altschul" <[email protected]>
To: "Ati" <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2011 9:39 AM
Subject: [ATI] [VICUG-L] Fwd: Fwd: [M-A] Windows 8, what we know so far
---- Original Message ------
From: ted chittenden <[email protected]
Subject: [VICUG-L] Fwd: Fwd: [M-A] Windows 8, what we know so far
Date sent: Tue, 6 Sep 2011 06:39:35 -0700
Hi to all.
David C. forwarded the below article to me, and I see that it
was sent to him from elsewhere. If I'm reading the article
correctly, Windows 8 is going to look more like the Mac/Apple
IPhone setup that has been very successful in the commercial
marketplace. How the screenreader providers will handle the new
system is still up in the air.
Ted
Subject: Fwd: [M-A] Windows 8, what we know so far
From: David Chittenden <[email protected]
Date: Tue, 6 Sep 2011 19:38:59 +1200
To: Ted Chittenden <[email protected]
David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: +64 21 2288 288
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
From: chris hallsworth <[email protected]
Date: 6 September 2011 3:17:05 NZST
To: Mobile Access Chat <[email protected]
Subject: [M-A] Windows 8, what we know so far
Reply-To: Mobile Access Pros <[email protected]
Hello all.
Here is an article I copied and pasted from another list about
what we know so far about the upcoming Windows 8. I am going to
warn you in advance that I do not have a source to the article.
So I hope this is ok. If not then I sincerely apologize. All I
know is that the article has been taken from pC World. Anyway,
enjoy the article, pasted below.
Details about Windows 8, Microsoft's newest operating system
expected in 2012, have been leaking out thanks largely to
Microsoft previews and a stream of blog posts on the company's
Building Windows 8 blog.
The new OS is said to be Microsoft's biggest Windows refresh
since Windows 95, when desktop PCs reigned supreme and most
laptops cost nearly $3000. Now, Microsoft wants to update
Windows for a consumer technology world that is obsessed with
online services and touch-centric devices such as the iPad and
Android smartphones.
Windows 8: TL;DR* (*Too Long; Didn't Read)
So far, Microsoft has detailed a brand new touch interface for
Windows 8 with the traditional desktop UI hiding underneath. The
new OS also will run on both ARM and Intel processors, opening up
a range of Windows 8-powered devices such as desktops, laptops,
and tablets.
Windows 8 also is expected to have an OS X-style Mac App Store,
and should include further integration with Microsoft's growing
range of online services such as SkyDrive, Office 365, and the
free Office Web apps. Other improvements include USB 3.0 support
and an overhauled version of Explorer, Windows' file management
tool.
Here's a look at everything we know so far about Window 8.
Get in Touch With Windows 8
The most dramatic change for Windows 8 is Microsoft's emphasis
on a new Windows Phone 7-inspired touch interface. Windows 8's
new start screen has large panels that are ideal for
touchscreens, but that also can be manipulated by a mouse.
Microsoft Windows 8 start screenThe Microsoft Windows 8 start
screenThe traditional Windows interface with the start button,
task bar, and desktop is still available and will come up any
time you load a legacy app such as Microsoft Excel 2010. You can
also run new Windows 8 touchable apps alongside traditional
Windows apps. Microsoft said HTML and JavaScript will be the
primary development language for new Windows 8 apps.
ARM and Intel
Windows 8's touch-centric interface may give traditional
mouse-and-keyboard desktop fans the chills, but the new UI could
help Microsoft compete in the tablet arena. Starting with
Windows 8, Microsoft will design its operating system to work not
only with Intel's x86 chip architecture, but also with ARM
processors. ARM chips are very popular in the mobile device
market and should help Microsoft's partners put Windows 8 on a
range of so-called post-PC devices such as tablets.
An ARM processorAn ARM processorThe big question, however, is
whether people will be willing to give ARM-based Windows devices
a chance. Apple's iPad is the most dominant device in the new
generation of one-panel touch tablets. And the consensus among
critics and device makers is that people are looking for slates
running mobile operating systems such as iOS, Android, and the
QNX-based OS on the Blackberry PlayBook. Can Microsoft succeed
in the tablet arena by offering Windows with a new touch overlay?
I guess we'll find out in 2012.
App Store
You can expect to see an integrated app store in Windows 8 that
should let you download new software for your device with just
one click. Earlier in August, Microsoft revealed on the Building
Windows 8 blog the details of various engineering teams working
on the new OS, and the list included an "App Store" team. It's
not clear what the app store team is working on, but chances are
it will be a product similar to the Mac App Store available for
Mac PCs running OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) and 10.7 (Lion).
App Preview
Speaking of Apps, some Microsoft partners are already hard at
work designing touch-based apps for Windows 8 tablets. ZDNet
uncovered a purported early design for a USA Today Windows 8 app
that has a very Metro UI look and feel to it.
A mock-up of a Windows 8 appA mock-up of a Windows 8 appAnother
Windows 8 mock-up shows an app presumably designed with in-flight
entertainment consoles in mind that offers access to news,
weather, and videos.
Clouds in Windows 8
Also part of Microsoft's list of Windows 8 engineering teams was
a group called "Windows Online." It's not clear what that team
might be doing, but there are a large number of online services
that Microsoft could integrate into Windows 8, such as Office
365, Office Web Apps, Windows Live and Azure. Some integration
with these so-called cloud services already exists, but there are
still annoying shortcomings in Windows such as an easy way to
mount your SkyDrive as a local drive accessible via Windows
Explorer. Dropbox can do it, so why can't Microsoft?
USB 3.0 Support
USB 3.0 promises data transfer speeds that are up to 10 times
faster than the current USB 2.0 standard, and USB 3.0 also uses
less power than its predecessor. You can already take advantage
of speedier USB 3.0 ports in Windows 7 thanks to third-party
drivers. But starting with Windows 8, Microsoft plans on
including native support for USB 3.0.
Windows Explorer: File Management Basics
The new interface for file copy information in Windows 8The new
interface for file copy information in Windows 8Microsoft has
spent a fair amount of time recently talking about its overhauls
to Windows Explorer for the next iteration of Windows. The new
Windows Explorer will improve its file management basics such as
copy, move, rename, and delete functions, which make up 50
percent of Explorer's usage in Windows 7.
The new interface puts all your basic file management functions
into one window instead of having separate windows for each
function. This will make it easier and more efficient to handle
moving around several large files at once, such as photos and
videos.
If you're copying or moving files, you can also get an expanded
view to see throughput graphs and how many bits have already been
transferred. Microsoft also claims its time estimates to
completion will be more accurate in Windows 8.
Finally, Microsoft has improved the filename collision dialog to
make it easier to figure out which files you'll be overwriting
when a new file has the same name as a file already sitting in
your destination folder.
Exploring Ribbons
The Windows 8 version of Explorer is also getting Microsoft's
ribbon interface in a bid to make the file management tool more
touch friendly, efficient, expose useful commands, and to
reintroduce popular Explorer features from Windows XP. Microsoft
has also optimized the new Explorer for widescreen displays and
will add about 200 keyboard shortcuts for power users.
Explorer gets the ribbon interface in Windows 8Explorer gets the
ribbon interface in Windows 8.The new Windows 8 Explorer will
have three main tabs--Home, Share, and View--along with a File
menu on the far left side. Explorer's primary Home tab in
Windows 8 includes 84 percent of the commands users employ most
often, Microsoft says, such as "Move to" and "Copy to" for moving
and copying files. Microsoft has also exposed the command "Copy
path" for people who want to paste a file path into another
Explorer window to access a file quickly or email a link to a
file sitting on a corporate server.
The Share tab offers one-click access to the "Email" and "Zip"
commands, as well as other options such as "Burn to disc," print
and, in a nod to the 1990s, fax. The new Explorer will also show
you who has access to a currently selected file on your HomeGroup
or enterprise network.
Explorer's new File menu gives power users quick access to the
command prompt as well as an option to open the command prompt as
an administrator. Both options open a C prompt with the file
path set to your currently selected folder such as My Documents
or Desktop.
There are also contextual menus in Windows 8's Explorer that
only show up when you are doing specific tasks. If you open up
Explorer to look at photos, for example, under the "Manage" tab
you'll see options to rotate the currently selected photo, start
a slideshow, or set a photo as your background.
Opening up an Explorer window to look at your computer's
connected drives will give you options to format, optimize, and
clean up your hard drive, eject an external thumb drive, or
activate Windows' Autoplay feature. Windows 8's Explorer will
also include XP's 'Up' button that allows you to move backwards
through your file directories.
That's all for now, but Microsoft is expected to reveal more
details about Windows 8 during the company's BUILD conference
that starts September 13 in Anaheim, CA. We'll keep an eye on
--
Chris Hallsworth
Sent from Thunderbird
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ATI (Adaptive Technology Inc.)
A special interest affiliate of the Missouri Council of the Blind
http://moblind.org/membership/affiliates/adaptive_technology
_______________________________________________
ATI (Adaptive Technology Inc.)
A special interest affiliate of the Missouri Council of the Blind
http://moblind.org/membership/affiliates/adaptive_technology
