Microsoft has talked a bit about SkyDrive before in its plans for Windows 8, but Microsoft's Mike Torres and Omar Shahine have authored a Building Windows 8 blog post that have made the company's plans for it a bit clearer, and outline the degree to which SkyDrive support will be built in to the new operating system.
The Metro app, pictured above, has been built from scratch for Windows 8 and Windows on ARM and will eventually become the preferred method of working with SkyDrive data (though the service's web interface will still be available). Any Metro application in Windows 8 that can save or open files will be able to do so to and from SkyDrive manually and automatically without any extra coding on the part of third-party developers.
The SkyDrive desktop app is less tightly integrated with the OS – when downloaded and installed, it works more like Dropbox, keeping your SkyDrive files in one folder (which is stored locally for offline access) and synchronizing changes to the server as files are created, deleted, and updated – the interface (as pictured above) is very Dropbox-like, right down to the green checkmarks next to synced items. The SkyDrive client will be able to upload files as large as 2GB to your storage space, and the client will also be available to Windows Vista and Windows 7 clients when it' s launched – sorry, Windows XP users, but the writing has been on the wall for awhile, and Microsoft would very much like it if you would upgrade your operating system.
Microsoft's description of its cloud services – "a single drive that’s available across all of their devices, tailored to the experiences they’re using, providing instant, secure, and private access to their files" – mirrors to a large degree Apple's efforts with iCloud (though iCloud's storage is all used directly by applications via APIs, rather than actually allowing users to access a filesystem. iDisk offers more traditional online storage functionality for Macs, but its discontinuation is imminent) – think one part iCloud, one part Dropbox. Expect Microsoft's strategy for SkyDrive to become clearer as the Windows 8 launch date gets closer.
Early versions of the SkyDrive Metro and desktop apps will be made available with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview later this month. See the link below for additional details.
Source: Building Windows 8 Blog
Microsoft’s Jonathan Garrigues has detailed some aspects of the submissions process for the upcoming Windows Store on the company’s Windows Store for Developers blog. The post describes in detail the various steps involved in the app submission process, and Microsoft’s efforts to address developer complaints about its competitors’ storefronts.
Most of Microsoft’s efforts focus on transparency: they want app developers to be aware of the approval process before they ever submit any code, and they want developers who have submitted apps to be able to track those apps through every step of the submission process. Each step in the process is described, both in terms of what the steps entail and how much time the step usually takes. The submission procedure is mostly automated and focuses on validating code and making sure it runs, but ultimately depends on a human being to launch your app, verify that it works and that it does not violate any of Microsoft’s policies, and verify that it does not contain any malicious code.
Visual Studio will include some features that work toward these ends, including a feature that will allow developers to reserve a name for their app before the app is actually ready for submission to the store. Microsoft will also supply a Windows App Certification Kit that automatically goes through your code to make sure that your app launches and meets a set of basic requirements – the certification kit can be run locally and corresponds to one of the stages of Microsoft’s certification process, meaning that if your app passes this test it stands a better chance of being allowed on the Windows Store.
As is often the case with Microsoft’s latter-day offerings, the Windows Store is trying to find a place in between Apple and Google’s respective app stores for the iOS and Android platforms: it wants to maintain some aspects of Android’s openness and flexibility with the added benefit of iOS’s safety and freedom from malware while at the same time steering clear of Apple’s obscure and sometimes fickle approval process. While Microsoft’s system does result in a “walled garden,” the company hopes that the Windows Store’s relative transparency about the approval process pleases longtime Win32 developers and newcomers alike.
For more on this process, you can read the full post – it is linked below for your convenience.
Microsoft’s Steven Sinofsky has defended the Windows desktop, as the company looks ahead to a vital year for the grand old Operating System.
Speaking to TechRadar last week, Sinofsky outlined one of the key new Windows changes: the transition to work on ARM chips.
Windows on ARM (WOA) is a huge departure for Microsoft – it has previously focused on Intel’s x86 platform – but the transition to new chips will not see a move away from the now familiar Windows desktop.
Touchtop?
In a blog post, Sinofsky outlined just why the Windows desktop would not be sacrificed any time soon, insisting that it was a compromise too far as touchscreen devices become widespread.
"Some have suggested we might remove the desktop from WOA in an effort to be pure, to break from the past, or to be more simplistic or expeditious in our approach," he blogged.
"To us, giving up something useful that has little cost to customers was a compromise that we didn’t want to see in the evolution of PCs.
"The presence of different models is part of every platform. Whether it is to support a transition to a future programming model, to support different programming models on one platform, or to support different ways of working, the presence of multiple models represents a flexible solution that provides a true no-compromise experience on any platform."
Considering the considerable interest in Windows tablets there is clearly still a desire for a desktop, and Microsoft is aware that familiar user interfaces are as much about serving up what a consumer expects as clinging on to the past.
TechRadar’s hands on: Windows 8 review discusses the difficulties in balancing a traditional desktop and the touch-friendly modern Metro UI that runs over the top of it.
And even if that transition is still a little clumsy, it seems that ditching the desktop would be a step too far for many – including the team at Microsoft.
Microsoft’s Steven Sinofsky has defended the Windows desktop, as the company looks ahead to a vital year for the grand old Operating System.
Speaking to TechRadar last week, Sinofsky outlined one of the key new Windows changes: the transition to work on ARM chips.
Windows on ARM (WOA) is a huge departure for Microsoft – it has previously focused on Intel’s x86 platform – but the transition to new chips will not see a move away from the now familiar Windows desktop.
Touchtop?
In a blog post, Sinofsky outlined just why the Windows desktop would not be sacrificed any time soon, insisting that it was a compromise too far as touchscreen devices become widespread.
"Some have suggested we might remove the desktop from WOA in an effort to be pure, to break from the past, or to be more simplistic or expeditious in our approach," he blogged.
"To us, giving up something useful that has little cost to customers was a compromise that we didn’t want to see in the evolution of PCs.
"The presence of different models is part of every platform. Whether it is to support a transition to a future programming model, to support different programming models on one platform, or to support different ways of working, the presence of multiple models represents a flexible solution that provides a true no-compromise experience on any platform."
Considering the considerable interest in Windows tablets there is clearly still a desire for a desktop, and Microsoft is aware that familiar user interfaces are as much about serving up what a consumer expects as clinging on to the past.
TechRadar’s hands on: Windows 8 review discusses the difficulties in balancing a traditional desktop and the touch-friendly modern Metro UI that runs over the top of it.
And even if that transition is still a little clumsy, it seems that ditching the desktop would be a step too far for many – including the team at Microsoft.
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Windows aficionado Paul Thurrott has just confirmed that the Windows 8 Consumer Preview event will be held in Barcelona, Spain on February 29, 2012. Coming from Mr. Thurrott, we would be inclined to believe that this is not a rumor.
There have been a lot of leaked screenshots of the supposed Consumer Preview build 8220 (or build 8225 if the @BuildWindows8 Twitter feed is to be believed) floating around the interweb these past few days. Some of the more aggressive changes include the disappearance of the iconic Windows Orb, or the Start Button as some of us still lovingly like to call it. Others are more subtle like changes to the Metro-styled start screen and a new translucent UI for Charm bar.
I quite like the Consumer Preview moniker being used this time around. The consumer-centric branding, just like the Building Windows 8 blog, demonstrates Microsoft's commitment to actively communicate progress on the OS and gather feedback from end users and developers.
The Consumer Preview should ideally be a feature-complete release, with future builds focusing on performance, stability and usability enhancements, rather than any major new features.
In any case, the wait shouldn't be too long now.
Source: Supersite for Windows
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