Every now and then, a big software release is leaked during development to the broad audience mainly because the software manufacturer wants to check customers’ reactions to the path they are taking. When news came that Windows 8 leaked, many people frowned for two reasons. First, it has never before happened to Windows, on purpose or not. Second, so short after a very good release, which Windows 7 undoubtedly is, to bring out a new operating system is as
close to suicide as you can get. Microsoft made the mistake already twice, fiddling with a good operating system for no real reason, and releasing a
new version prematurely. The
Windows Me, right after
Windows 98 and before Windows 2000 was such a dud. Vista was somewhat less of a dud than Me, but a poor operating system that never really worked properly.
Windows 8, a true leak or not?
Torrent and P2P sites boasted a little while ago that an early version of Windows 8 is available
for download. There were not all drivers available for Windows 7 for download, but already the new operating system is being developed beyond the basic functionality phase? It sounded incredible and it was. The leaked Windows 8 was nothing but a dressed up Windows 7, whereby some people figured it might have been the “Milestone 1” version of the program. Be it as may, it looked and worked like the Windows 7.
Did Microsoft not announce Windows 8 officially?
There was an announcement at the Las
Vegas show commonly known as the Consumer Electronics Show, where Microsoft announced that they are indeed developing Windows 8, whereby the idea is to include support in this particular operating system for mobile ARM and system-on-a-chip processors. A tentative release date has been rumored to be somewhere in the late 2012, but
estimates are that it will most definitely be later than that.
What else is there to be expected from Windows 8?
There are plenty of new technologies coming up, but mainly in hardware form; nothing that a
driver download and software
installation could not fix easily. Microsoft learned early that there is no profit in free upgrades. Microsoft has never learned from their prior mistakes, after Windows Me a disaster like Vista should have been avoidable. Windows 2000, which was a good operating system and lead into development of the most popular Windows to date, the XP; and the current Windows 8 that was developed out of Vista seem to give Microsoft right that improvement is possible.
Nevertheless, people are going away from stationary computers and turning towards laptops and handheld devices. Perhaps this is what the idea behind Windows 8 is; making an operating system that can run totally cross-platform. Since that Microsoft is a company primarily concerned with the bottom line, such an innovative and smart idea is highly unlikely. Why would a software giant produce something durable, something that will last and be compatible with every gadget there is, where one volume license would cover all machines and provide even greater control over the hardware market than Microsoft currently has over the PC sector? On the other hand, that just might be it.
