The Start Button Removed in Latest Windows 8 Build

The Start button, that familiar desktop selection first glimpsed in Windows 95, may cease to exist in the final version of Windows 8. As it stands, it has disappeared in the latest Windows 8 consumer build, which can be seen in leaked screenshots replaced with a "super bar." Earlier Windows 8 builds streamlined the Start button to match the Metro interface, but according to reports, Microsoft has been mulling over the decision to scrap the Start button indefinitely. Despite that, the functionality of the Start button hasn't disappeared entirely. It is reported that there will still be a hot corner, which when hovered with your cursor or with a finger swipe, will let you access navigation windows and offer thumbnail previews. This is an effort to provide a more consistent experience between the traditional desktop mode and the Metro UI environment. While this might be jarring to people used to the traditional Start button, the super bar will let users pin favorite shortcuts from desktop applications.

Another gripe some users have with Windows 8 is its apparent focus on touch input and the Metro UI, with the new UI reportedly being an uncomfortable experience when used with a keyboard and mouse, although Microsoft has promised to address that in an upcoming Consumer Preview.  

What will Windows 8 Need?

As with other operating systems, there are specific hardware requirements of Windows 8 certified devices. These requirements are so Microsoft can guarantee a certain level of experience for all those who use its coming flagship on tablets and convertible PCs. These requirements include 5-point multitouch, NFC “touch marks,” five specific hardware buttons, a new Ctrl+Alt+Del combination, two second resume, and more.

The NFC "touch marks" mean there is something marking where devices need to be in contact in order for NFC to work. The five required buttons are Power, Rotation Lock, Volume Up and Down, and the Windows Key, which must be at least 10.5 mm in diameter. Other requirements include there being a minimum 10 GB of free space after the out-of-box experience, a 1366x768 screen resolution, and a 720p camera. For ARM machines the bootloader is also to be locked, which will prevent such devices from having other OS’s installed (until someone figures out how to get around that).

HP's webOS to Continue Through Open Source, Hardware Still Dead for Now

I know what you're thinking. HP declared webOS and any hardware running it as dead in the water earlier this year, and the fire sale on the HP TouchPad was a last ditch effort to make some money on the system. Well, that is true in a way, because while the hardware running webOS may be gone, the software will live on. HP will continue to develop webOS with the help of the open source community, meaning the software itself could have a long life. Developers at HP and outside it will help to improve webOS for any interested OEMs and anyone who currently owns a webOS device, like all those who purchased the TouchPad during the fire sale. Currently, HP has no plans to make any more hardware running webOS, but it could change that stance later on. It said other companies have been eyeing webOS, but nothing definitive has been set for wbOS to find its new home. HP is planning another fire sale of the TouchPad on its eBay page this Sunday, with refurbished 16 and 32GB models up for grabs at $99 and $149, respectively.

Public Windows 8 Beta Could be Coming in February

2012 is promising to be a year with a lot of Windows 8-related activities. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is headlining the CES with a keynote address on Redmond's touch-enhanced OS, and rumors abound that the public will also be given access to the Windows 8 Beta shortly after CES concludes. According to Read Write Web, the public beta will be available in the latter part of February. There was no mention as to which features would make it into the build, as the Windows 8 engineers are still deciding on which components to include. A slick touch interface(optional), faster boot times and a quicker, streamlined OS installation are just a few of Windows 8's interesting new attractions. As such, if this rumor proves to be accurate, we'll finally have some first-hand experience at some of the enticing features Microsoft has been teasing us with for the last few months, and that's a good thing for those itching to take a peek at what Windows 8 has to offer. 

Microsoft: Windows 8 Installs in Just 11 Mouse Clicks

Microsoft has managed to cut down on the installation time with every shiny new Windows OS release, but with Windows 7's numerous mouse clicks, four wizards and 60 windows involved in the setup process, there's still room for improvement. Even Redmond admitted as much in a recent study on upgrading PCs, realizing that way too many mouse clicks and wizards were involved in Windows installations. So to further streamline the install process for its upcoming OS, Microsoft promises Windows 8 upgraders with just one installation wizard that completes the entire OS setup in a span of 11 mouse clicks. The method covers a hardware compatibility scan, a check for which Windows 8 version works best for your PC, which then starts the install process, with the user being prompted throughout the setup. The Windows 8 web delivery feature also aims to do away with the 25-digit product key by including the key into the setup image itself. The Windows 8 development team has provided an in-depth preview of its streamlined setup process, so head on over to the Building Windows 8 blog for more details.

Ubuntu Coming to Mobile Devices

Canonical, the company behind the Ubuntu operating system, announced at its developer conference this week that it will bring Ubuntu to mobile devices in the future. The entry into the mobile market isn't expected until version 14.04, which puts it about two and a half years away. According to CEO Mark Shuttleworth, Ubuntu 14.04 "will power tablets, phones, TVs and smart screens from the car to the office kitchen, and it will connect those devices cleanly and seamlessly to the desktop, the server and the cloud." The mobile versions of Ubuntu will run on Intel, AMD, and ARM processors, which should give coverage to the entire market. Ubuntu provides a great desktop operating system, but by the time it becomes available, Android and Apple will likely have improved even more. It will be tough for Ubuntu to break into this crowded market and any sort of success may be hard to come by.

Xbox Live to Appear on Windows 8

Microsoft has been holding its Build 2011 conference, so news on the upcoming Windows 8 OS have been coming in pretty quick on a variety of sites. We know what to expect from the Windows Store, but now it appears that we'll get some Xbox Live in our Windows. That's right, Microsoft's Major Nelson has confirmed that Xbox Live will appear in Windows 8, being built right into the operating system. This probably has more of a meaning to Microsoft than to the users of Windows 8, but now Microsoft won't have to get people to download Games for Windows Live any longer. Xbox Live will be built in, and Major Nelson confirms that developers are being shown tools on how to work the Xbox Live integration into PC games. These tools should be pretty similar to what developers can use already to integrate Games for Windows Live, but Microsoft probably just renamed everything. While not a lot of details are available currently, Major Nelson promised that more news will be on the way. At any rate, it looks like the upcoming Xbox Live dashboard update is just a precursor to what we can expect from Windows 8.

Windows 8 Store to Sell Both Metro-Style Apps and Win32 Programs

At the Build 2011 conference, Microsoft is talking up all things Windows 8. A developer preview is now live, which gives you access to the upcoming Windows Store. Windows 8 will be a one-size-fits-all OS, meaning the version for a desktop or laptop will be the same for a tablet. Microsoft is hoping that strategy will pay off and make it competitive in the tablet world, but to have a successful tablet you need a store to deliver apps and programs. That is where the Windows Store comes in, which will have both Metro-style apps and Win32 programs. The Metro-style apps will be useful for both tablets and desktops, while the Win32 programs will include ones many people rely on, like Quicken to help you run a business. Microsoft hopes the inclusion of Win32 programs in the Store gives more visibility for the ones we use, hopefully meaning the Store will be well organized. The store won't have an overlay either, meaning that whatever you see is "all Windows." A full list of supported coding options for the apps and programs is shown below.

Windows 8 To Deliver Fast Boot Times

Want Windows to boot faster but can't afford an expensive SSD? Microsoft might have a Windows 8 solution to that. The software giant reports that Windows 8 boot times are 30 to 70 percent faster compared to Windows 7, without the need for a cold boot. This new method of a fast startup appears to be something of a cross between a state of hibernation and a cold boot. 

Windows 8 does this by ending all the open sessions when you turn off your PC, similar to what Windows 7 does. However, Windows 8 goes one further by selecting just the kernel session into hibernation. According to Microsoft, this speeds up the boot times because the method takes less time to write the data to the hard disk. The current state and memory of the PC is copied on to a disk file, which in turn, is recovered when the computer is turned back on. Windows 8 also uses a multi-phase resume feature, which utilizes all cores of a CPU in parallel, to delegate the chores of content decompression and hiberfile analysis during the boot process. Complete shutdowns can also be done through the Windows 8 UI, for tasks that require a cold boot (such as hardware upgrades). 

"Building Windows 8" Blog Started

The Windows team at Microsoft has launched the blog, “Building Windows 8,” or, as they call it, “B8.” Throughout the development of the upcoming OS, those involved will be posting updates on how things are looking and what may become a feature of Windows 8. Also this will enable the community to respond to whatever is posted and possibly influence the choices the team will make.

The welcome post states that the next “major event” will be at the BUILD conference in September where developers will be given details on the tools and capabilities to get the most out of Windows 8.

OS X Lion Sells Quick

With Apple releasing their new rendition of their Macintosh Operating System, giving consumers over 250 new features, most analysts figured it would sell well, but not as well as current statistics are showing. Apple is reporting that in the first day of sales since it put up the new version of their Operating System, that over one million purchases were made. This marks an important historical event with the company, as the Lion version is the fastest selling Operating System in all history concerning the Macintosh system. Just how many downloads the company will make in the first thirty days, or even the next quarter is unknown, but more records may be broken in the process with its large success as of right now.

Mac OS X Lion Releasing Soon

Apple has just announced that its new Operating System that provides an app launcher, AirDrop for direct file sharing, system-wide resume, and multi-touch gestures, will be available to consumers as early as tomorrow. The new version is set to be the new standard for Apple, while also providing over 250 new features overall. Also included in the update is a new version of the mail program, delivering a conversation view as well as touchpad scrolling that can be used in reverse by the user. The download from the app store will cost thirty dollars and will be 4GB in total, which really is not all that horrible in terms of file sizes. Apple is also offering a server version of its new Mac OS X Lion OS, for businesses or consumers who need to deploy collaboration across their users, for a price of fifty dollars.

For Sale: Leaked Windows 8 Disk on Ebay

There's always someone willing to pay extra cash for early access to a future product. In this case, an enterprising Canadian Ebay user made an attempt to sell off an early build of Windows 8 for $1,500. Listed as The Real Windows 8 Milestone 3 Leaked CD, it is unknown if the copy is a genuine Microsoft build. The auction has since been removed from Ebay, perhaps due to the listing being noticed by Microsoft. However, if you are interested in obtaining a legal beta copy of Windows 8, rumors abound that Microsoft might release a beta during its BUILD September conference. We'll probably hear more of that in the coming months.

Windows 7 Surpasses 400 Million User Licenses

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has once again reaffirmed what we already know: Windows 7 is the fastest-selling operating system in history. At Microsoft's annual Worldwide Partner Conference in Los Angeles, Ballmer remarked that Windows 7 has sold more than 400 million user licenses worldwide. This is a staggering feat for the operating system, made even more impressive by the fact that it was achieved in under two years. However, there is no denying the significant chunk Windows XP still holds in the market, with Ballmer stating that over 200 million PCs still use the legacy operating system. Furthermore, the global share of Windows 7 is 34.5%, lagging a fair bit behind Windows XP's 45% slice. Although with Windows 8 still a while away, I guess it's safe to say that Windows 7 will continue its upward trend for many months to come.

Microsoft Looking to Limit Tablet Designs

Microsoft may be looking to speed up the development and delivery of the mobile version of Windows 8 by providing incentives to limit tablet variations. If the chip makers and computer manufacturers decide to team up, each would qualify for incentives from Microsoft. This pairing of companies could harm some manufacturers if its designs are not chosen by chip makers. These restrictions may be a move towards a more controlled development process, similar to that of Apple, and to control the vast numbers of tablet designs. Such a change could be due to the inclusion of a Windows OS that will support the ARM architecture. The tablet and mobile computing market will soon have many more offerings with a variety of operating systems and features.

Windows 8 Supports x86 and ARM

Microsoft has always been known to have numerous variations of its Windows Operating Systems, but now it has thrown a new twist on things with Windows 8. For years Microsoft's OS has been running on x86-based hardware but now the company is starting to take ARM processors more seriously as it has been dominating mobile platforms for sometime. Windows 8 running on ARM architecture will not be able to have the same level of backwards capability that the x86 version will have but many of Microsoft's native applications will be ported over to it. There are four different flavors of ARM-ready versions that will primarily be made for use on tablets and netbooks. Third-party developers talk about creating a functional x86 emulator for businesses that will need to have improved backwards compatibility on the ARM versions of Windows 8. Intel comments that it is not at all nervous that ARM is gaining more attention and market share, and it is certain that it will remain the dominant architecture for the full-featured Windows installments.

Chromebook Adds More Features

With the uprising of news concerning the new Google Chromebook, it is beginning to get interesting with all of the new information coming out day by day. Google is now stating that the Chromebook will be provided by both SAMSUNG and Acer, and will feature support right out of the box for Netflix and Hulu. Also with the announcement has come a new improvement to the file management system in the Chrome Operating System, along with offline versions with full support of Google Docs, Google Calender, and Gmail. The Chromebook with also be a hit with business users and school students alike, with rates coming in at $28 and $20, respectively, which both include regular software and hardware updates.

Regular Android Updates Promised

Google seems to be hot on releasing and announcing new versions of its ever so popular Android Operating System for mobile phone and tablets. At its recent conference that occurred today, Google has announced its partnership with many companies, promising release support for eighteen months after the initial release of the particular version. Companies that are aboard this deal range in the double digits and include all four major wireless carriers, Vodaphone, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, LG, and HTC. The catch, of course, is that the upgrade promise will only be kept if the hardware is sufficient enough to support the upgrades, which is obviously understandable.

Next Android Iteration is Ice Cream Sandwich

Google announced the next iteration of its Android OS at its I/O conference earlier today. It will be code named Ice Cream Sandwich, following the past naming conventions. The bigger news is that it will run on both larger tablet devices and smaller smartphones. It will be a merger of the current Honeycomb and Gingerbread versions, combining the best elements of each. No mention was made regarding the planned release date. Follow the link for early images of the OS in action.

Android Market Continues Success

With phone operating systems taking off in every direction concerning not only everyday customers but also business users, its no wonder why the numbers keep on bouncing around. Android is continuing its success with a total market gain in the last three months of six percent according to the latest Comscore report. Apple is also seeing a tad improvement, though not nearly as much with a total of half a percent increase in usage. What is astonishing however is the latest hit in the Blackberry market, with RIM showing signs of a four and a half percent decrease in United States usage. Windows Phone and Palm also took hits, though minimal, coming in at just under one percent. Obviously everyday users love the Android system due to its software and frequent updates, along with media possibilities, but it still remains a question if RIM can pull the market back in the upcoming months with its business savvy phones, along with their new tablet.

Fake Mac OS X Antivirus Program Discovered

MAC Defender, a fake antivirus software was discovered by Intego (security firm) on Monday. The fake antivirus software shows the infected user that it has found viruses on the Mac, and in order to get rid of the viruses one would need to buy the Mac Defender software. If an inexperienced user bought this program it could possibly end up taking the user's credit card information and send it off to scammers. The creators of Mac Defender have also used SEO poisoning to pump up the ranking of the Mac Defender website in order to make the unsuspecting user think it is a legit website and program. If a user visits the malicious webpage a window will appear and tell the user they have been infected and an automatic download of Mac Defender will show up asking the user to unzip and install the file. You can help to prevent yourself from accidently executing a malicious file by making sure your web browser is not set to automatically open downloaded files.

Webcam Program Coming To Windows

With Microsoft coming off with more new features in every build of Windows 8, more users are leaking the information to the public, whether fully true or not. It seems like the new Windows Operating System will feature a dedicated webcam program in the latest build, which though is rough right now, could be improved on quite a bit over time. As of right now, the webcam program has the ability to take picture, either on the fly or timed, along with record video. Settings are also pretty basic with application settings along with webcam settings being included in the new Windows addition, with ten total settings being able to be adjusted between both. Some of these include zoom, exposure, resolution, frame rate, and more, with hopefully more features being included as the program develops alongside Windows 8.

Apple's 5th Generation iOS Finally Gets Flash... Sort Of

The iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touches are very powerful devices, though Apple has withheld a key feature which should be mandatory on any web enabled device. I'm of course referring to Adobe's Flash Player, the medium which over 90% of Internet capable machines utilize. With the new upcoming iOS5, Flash will not run natively but will be able to stream Flash related content through Apple's up-to-date HTML5 browser. Unfortunately Flash based games and advertisements will not yet be supported but the majority of Flash videos are HTML5 compatible so the devices will still be far better off. Whether Apple's later versions of iOS will support full blown Flash is unclear, but it is great to know that steps are at least being taken to prevent users of these devices from missing out on the full Internet experience.

Portable Windows 8 Feature

Ever since Windows 8 has been leaked, a bunch of new features have been found. One of the features is called "Portable Workspace Creator". This new feature allows you to run a bootable copy of Windows 8, just like you could with a Linux live CD. The storage device for the portable workspace must be at least 16GB, so a USB drive would work best.

A few questions arise from the new feature. It is unknown how many portable copies you can make or if there are any limits such as an expiration date. It is also unknown if you can install Windows 8 from the portable workspace.

Internet Explorer Leaves Vista Behind

Even though Windows Vista has not aged all that much since its initial release, it is a downward spiral for Microsoft as the total user numbers for the Operating System continue to fall. With the latest release of Internet Explorer, though in a preview form, the Redmond company is stating that right now along with when the final version comes, Windows Vista users will be left out and not supported. This is a pretty odd decision by Microsoft, since many companies and users that did take the plunge into Windows Vista are not going to feel pressed to upgrade just because of Internet Explorer, especially with Chrome and Firefox bringing mass competition. Microsoft is claiming that the real reason for this decision is that they would preferably not develop Internet Explorer for the worst performing Operating System right now statistically, which would be Windows Vista. Though it seems like there is no reason why it would not be somewhat easy to do, especially since current stable Internet Explorer release is tied into both Windows 7 and Windows Vista.

First Windows 8 Leak To Appear Online

It seems as though Microsoft has already begun working on its next version of Windows. The first build of Windows 8 has been leaked to the Internet and has not shown off too much to get excited about. Screenshots of the leak show little to no deviance from Window 7's UI but obviously the new OS is far from finished and many changes are sure to come. The first build goes by the version number 7850, those curious enough can still gain access to the leaked copy. Developers have also been granted access to the second Milestone and the third is to be released in June. Based on the pattern of past Windows public releases, Windows 8 will most likely be gold around Fall 2012. Microsoft has made its primary focus to be to provide better tablet and touch support than Windows 7.

Internet Explorer Teases The Masses

With the recent release of Internet Explorer 9, most consumers figure that they are using the most secure and latest version of the Microsoft version in Internet browsing. The company has however just announced at the MIX developer conference in Las Vegas that Internet Explorer 10 is in the works, and that it can currently be ran on a test drive system to get a feel for the new browser, which is at this time in a preview state. So far the main feature introductions include better support for more web standards such as CSS3 Flexible Box Layout and CSS Gradients. Also in the demonstration that just took place today was another surprise up the sleeve of the Microsoft Windows team, Internet Explorer 10 was shown running on Windows 7 with a 1GHz ARM processor. This brings amazing possibilities to the mobile market, and the slowly fading netbook market as Microsoft is finally able to have its latest Operating System along with its latest revision of Internet Explorer 10, run on an ARM chip.

Microsoft Patch Tuesday to Fix 64 Vulnerabilities

There is a Tuesday of each month that is called Patch Tuesday for Windows computers. That is when the folks in Redmond release the latest patches for various issues concerning the Windows OS or associated programs. Tomorrow, Patch Tuesday will bring with it seventeen updates to fix 64 vulnerabilities in Windows, Office, Internet Explorer, Windows graphics frameworks, and other software. Those seventeen updates ties the record set in December of last year while the 64 fixes sets the record, something a security expert is calling "out of line". Nine of those updates will be listed as "critical", the highest rating, while the other eight will be listed as "important", the second-highest rating. One of the issues being addressed is a problem with Windows' MHTML protocol handler which was brought to attention in January. Another update will fix a problem with the Windows Server Message Block network and file-sharing protocol. Other updates address issues with IE, Office, Visual Studio, .Net, and GDI+. The GDI+ refers to the graphics rendering component of the OS, so it will be interesting to see what is fixed there.

As usual, the updates will roll out tomorrow the 12th at 1PM EST. Something tells me we will be downloading the updates for a while.

Google Defends Claims Against Android Platform's Open Nature

Everyone knows that Android is touted for its very loose grip from Google. It just so happens that recently there has been some users who have been second guessing Google's role in keeping the platform the most open of all the mobile operating systems. Google never wants Android to be compared with a more locked down mobile OS like those made by Apple. The VP of engineering at Google promises that all source code is published to public as soon as it is ready, and they do not plan to ever change this policy.

The only standards the company has set out for new devices planning on running Android is that they meet some simple requirements. Google does not make these checks to discourage device makers but simply is looking to provide the best end-user experience with improved compatibility. It has been promised since Android's inception that any UI customizations would be 100% supported by Google.

20 Years of GNU/Linux

Two decades ago a college student named Linus Torvalds started working on free operating system as just a hobby. Linus developed Linux combined with GNU as an open source alternative to Unix. Little did he know, he developed a famous operating system kernel that has taken on many flavors. Since then, a battle between Linux and Microsoft has raged on.

The battle is over and Linux has defeated Microsoft. Why, you ask? Linux has gone farther than Microsoft in almost every market. The main markets being server-side computer and mobile devices. GNU/Linux today powers almost all Internet traffic. Linux can also be found in many new electronics, such as televisions, camcorders, e-readers, smartphones, and tablets. Linux has become dominant in almost every category of computing, ranging from small devices to large supercomputers.

Although Windows is still being used by 90% of all traditional computers, Linux users have not given up on the desktop market yet. Today, the desktop operating system is becoming less important as more and more things are being done in the browser. Not to mention that now smartphones and tablets draw people away from their desktops, and guess what is running those, Linux. Possibly, in the future, all you'll need is a small OS to run the browser and GNU/Linux will be a perfect choice.

It has been twenty years and we have seen how far GNU/Linux has come, let us see what the next twenty years holds.