Microsoft’s Windows 8 is work in progress

Now that you’ve barely gotten used to Windows 7, which, let’s face it, is like a breath of fresh air after the dreaded Vista, it looks like Microsoft has already started working on Windows 8, the next version of the operating system that’s being used by the majority of users around the world.

The upcoming operating system has been exposed to the public eye due to some leaked details. As soon as the details were revealed, as is normal, many websites on the Internet made them public for every user to see, the first being Italian Windows 7 fan site, Windowsette.

Microsoft seems to have borrowed a bit of Apple’s style. After many years of complex operating systems that some users could understand but others were simply mind boggled by, Windows 7 brought a new style of computing for Windows users. It was so simple that you only had to install it and it did everything by itself. Apparently Microsoft will be sticking to this style on its next operating system as well.  One major feature that’s rumored to be included in Windows 8 is facial recognition.  With the help their  webcam, the future Windows 8 users will allegedly be able to log onto their PCs. This can easily be deduced from the information included in the notes that reads ‘camera integration will likely be ubiquitous in 2012’ as well as ‘My PC could detect my presence and log me in automatically’.

Windows 8 is also said to offer the workspace from your PC, on any other PC with one simple login, through the Internet. Ever been annoyed by how someone arranged all their things on their desktop while using their computer? Or had to share a computer with someone else at your workplace? This should fix the problem and keep things organized and at hand. No upgrade is possible without fixing some of the older problems users encountered. As a result Microsoft is said to also be working on the startup time (making it almost instant). User switching should also happen faster.

Since laptops are starting to take more ground than ever before, and tablets are also becoming an important player on the personal computer market, there’ll be no surprise is Windows 8 is studied to work very well on portable computers. What was also proposed is a ‘Reset Button’ that will let users reinstall the OS without losing their data and settings. Those of us who’ve spend quite a portion of our lives ‘starting over’ with every install may highly appreciate such a feature. This can be considered a great upgrade of System Restore, a feature which the vast majority of users has ignored up to this date.

Another idea that Microsoft may be borrowing from Apple is the Application store, which also seems to be work in progress. When it does get released, you’ll most likely find applications for any Windows device ranging from a computer to a mobile phone. Internet 9 will also be present. Finally, Microsoft has set a goal to improve the help and support in the new OS.