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In a fast paced world, three years after Windows 7, Microsoft’s upcoming successor OS, Windows 8 remains a hard sell. Does that mean it is not worthy of the buzz and hype?
Browse a tech magazine lately? Check out a news site about technology? Chances are, you will read something about Windows 8. Just two weeks ago, Microsoft released the Consumer Preview for Windows 8. It hasn’t even hit store shelves yet, and people are already complaining. This is nothing new in tech circles: Everyone is resistant to change. Sometimes, that resistance to change can be helpful, and even good feedback for developers. Other times, it can result in a shouting match that just remains unwinnable. But like many things, thinking in absolutes is often deconstructive, and seldom objective. Business men and women will judge Windows 8 with business acumen; savoring each bit of financial data and sales indicators to prove a point about the new system. Decision-makers in IT circles will look at security and reliability before weighing in with a more structured cost-benefit analysis that deals in infrastructure. Home users are likely to place more value on aesthetics, performance, and ease-of-use as major factors in the upgrade model.
It is the middle of the month: March 15, 2012 to be precise. It is hard to believe that already three years have gone by since the release of Windows 7. Many IT business people, including server administrators, are just starting to become acclimated with the Windows 7 client environment, its off-shoot productivity software, and the Windows Server 2008 family of products, including Windows Server 2008 R2. In one worldview, short and steady wins the race. While more tech savvy companies clearly saw the benefit of migrating quickly upon release, many SMBs, mid-range companies, and home users remain in a Windows XP limbo – either due to the economic mess that most of the world is dealing with, budgetary constraints, or simply a lack of knowledge about how to port all of their important data over to a Windows 7-based network. But as time has gone on, these groups are a minority, for as much as is known. While much of the third world may still be using Windows XP, and even older systems, it is difficult for that data to be chomped up and read by skeptics and true-believers. In agrarian, rural, and largely undeveloped lands, Internet access still remains a commodity that is seldom traded, and where mobile phone companies continue to make inroads.
Back here in the west, the difference is noticeable in how a company conducts its business, especially when you walk into one running Windows XP and Server 2003. It is not uncommon to see pending Windows Updates on every workstation, versus an up-to-date Windows 7 network. If the IT tasks are outsourced, how that time is spent, and for what purpose, will likely face scrutiny and prioritization. For instance, the administration of an important database may take precedence over the application of client operating system updates. Many system administrators may simply ignore, or be unaware of, the capability of domain controllers and file servers to push out updates across the internal network using WSUS. In many offices, however, you will be likely to find a hybrid network. With a lack of EOL policy and strategy, many businesses end up with certain departments stuck between Windows XP and Windows 7, and that difference takes place when they purchase new hardware – not due to a timetable, but out of necessity. A hybrid network of these systems is not exactly the best medicine for either a business or group of home users who rely on their Windows computer systems day-to-day activities, but it may be better than nothing.
A Trip to Seattle: Home to 90’s Alternative Music, Starbucks Coffee, and Microsoft
On April 1, 2011, I received the Microsoft MVP award for Windows Expert – Consumer. It was a real treat to know that Microsoft had recognized my contributions in the form of setting up forum websites and participating in them. I was certainly very thankful for the award, and presumably happy to know that I could continue to do what I do best, as that is why I received it. I wasn’t the first to be recognized by Microsoft for my contributions to my own website: Ross Cameron (handle: kemical) became one of our first Microsoft MVP’s. One of our former members, Greg (handle: cybercore), had contributed thousands of helpful posts on Windows7Forums.com and was nominated. As time went by, we were fortunate enough to see other MVP’s join our website, including Shyam (handle: Captain Jack), Pat Cooke (handle: patcooke), Bill Bright (handle: Digerati), and Ken Johnston (handle: zigzag3143). These people are experts in their field and genuinely reflect an attitude of altruism towards people. Such traits are hard to find, especially over the Internet, and in a field that is driven by individual competitiveness that forces group cohesion as a necessity. I started communicating with one MVP as a result of a disagreement, but have since gained an enormous amount of respect for her: Corrine Chorney, the owner of SecurityGarden. When I made a video that contained an error or two, about ESET Smart Security, I was suddenly contacted by a fellow MVP: Aryeh Goretsky. These types of people live and breathe technology, and thus, even having a brief e-mail exchange can be a breath of fresh air. It becomes recognizable and clear to me that Microsoft’s selection process and choices for those who receive this award is hardly based on pure number crunching, but on gauging a person’s enthusiasm and demonstrated expertise in a field. Understanding how that translates to a much broader audience is compelling. To me, this is a good thing, as it shows that even one of the world’s most successful corporations, in this case Microsoft, perhaps in one of the few acts of selflessness that one could expect from a multi-national corporation, finds customers who have made a mark in information technology and celebrates that. I become hopeful that they recognize the countless others who make contributions on a day-to-day basis. With half a dozen certifications under my belt, and nearly a decade and a half of experience, I am but one person. And for every Microsoft MVP I have met, their dialogue always translated into real energy and enthusiasm. How many countless others have not received an award, or merit, for helping someone “fix their box”? I suspect that number is in the millions. This in no way belittles the award, because to me, such an award really is about helping others.
Often times helping others is giving someone your opinion: even if your opinion runs contrary to running a system consisting purely of Microsoft software. One example is Windows Live: I have a fundamental disagreement about how I chose to use Windows Live, and whether or not I want Windows Live Services embedded into my operating system experience: something that home users with Microsoft-connected accounts will notice almost immediately upon starting the OS. I do not, in any way, undervalue the development of these services, or their potential market value to consumers. I simply have a difference of opinion. And this should no way diminish someone’s ability to receive an award. I am not an employee or pitch man for Microsoft products, but someone who conveys his own thoughts and expertise in that area. To me, the award would have little value if I was expected to tout the benefits of using Microsoft Security Essentials over a paid anti-malware suite. I think that even the developers of the software themselves would take exception to misinformation. And to Microsoft’s credit, they have asked me nothing of the sort. To me, that is a fundamental sign of an award that encourages community participation and expertise in a given area of technology, from a company that is now expected to set standards on the world stage.
Not everyone made it to this summit: For many of them Redmond, WA is far, far away. For me, living in New York, that also rings true. But it sure are the people who make it worthwhile – even when you’ve never met them in person, the way they behave and conduct themselves, towards you, speaks volumes. And so I’ve learned a lot from every Microsoft MVP that I have met – both online and off; in a five minute conversation, or a fifteen hundred word e-mail.
During the Microsoft MVP Global Summit in the Seattle-Bellevue-Redmond area, I had the opportunity to meet some of the most interesting and eclectic groups of people in information technology that I’ve encountered in years. Truly, the revolution taking place around technology in Seattle, and its famous campus grounds located at 1 Microsoft Way in Redmond, is in no way limited to laboratories that are seldom, if ever, open to the public. Quite to the contrary, acclimating with Microsoft’s extensive community of worldwide supporters and individual contributors doesn’t just result in hearing success story after success story (although that is fun too). Of the thousands of people invited to the event, from all over the world, including Japan, Asia, Indochina, North America, Brazil, and the world at large, I found myself welcomed by a remarkable group of individuals. These men and women were of no traditional demographic one would think of – in fact quite the opposite was at hand. At 29 years old, I met kids younger and more successful than myself, who had generated their own start-up firms. I also met much older men and women, who witnessed the transformative nature of technology and got involved, one way or the other. These men and women came from all walks of life, but I am reminded, in particular, of a few of them I met who had a real impact on me. As someone who had come so far to be a part of this event, I did feel uneasy knowing that I was there alone. The individuals I met at the summit were polite, courteous, helpful, and informative. It was not difficult to see why they are considered experts in their field.
Whether the issue for them was something simple, like MP3 players like Zune, the Xbox, MS SQL, or the Microsoft Windows family of client and server products, this entire network of community supporters really outlined why Microsoft continues to have far-reaching success around the world. The level of enthusiasm for their technologies is clear, concise, and breaks down the traditional barriers of race, color, nationality, and gender inequality.
At that summit, I was witnessing not just what technology would be capable of doing in the future, but as a first timer, I got to see with my own eyes what it had done for just about every participant I was able to strike up a conversation with. Having been severely jet-lagged and exhausted from my trip, I travelled all the way from New York City to Seattle-Tacoma airport in a few hours. Having travelled, for the first time, outside of my own time zone, suspended at 38,000 feet in the air, I found myself dizzy, drowsy, and often times downright sick once I got off the airplane. It was something really unfamiliar to me, but in a way, strange thoughts began to fill my head. I realized that in Seattle, it nearly almost always rains once per day. There is certainly less sunlight there than in New York. Perhaps this lack of sunlight had inadvertently made people more likely to turn on a computer and create some kind of innovative programming. It was a silly thought, but staring at the horizon in the distance, I could not help but think about Mount Rainier, Lake Washington, and the land I was now interconnected with. In many cases a landmark home to science fiction, Seattle’s own Space Needle is a national treasure. A marvel of all aerodynamic ingenuity west of the Mississippi River valley, the Space Needle is essentially a giant UFO-shaped tower that is capable of housing restaurants, sight-seeing tours, and shines a giant beam of light that was part of the original design, but was only recently added.
Perhaps, I thought to myself, this is how the term “cloud computing” had caught on. With a lack of major sunlight ever permeating this area, to my knowledge, and with rain and humidity always on the horizon in a constant lake effect, it suddenly made sense to me how the area had become famous for its murky alternative rock grunge music in the 1990’s, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, the evangelical computer programmers, and a number of activities, like concerts and music performances, that are usually held in-doors! In a way, it all made sense to me now, and I spent a great majority of my time taking in the sights, sounds, and hospitality of an entirely different area of the country. The most populous city in the northern United States is also home and origin to Starbucks. It all began to make sense to me that it would be here, more than anywhere else in the USA, that they would need fresh coffee beans from Jamaica available at a moment’s notice. And as humorous and sophomoric as that may read, I still think there is some truth to this.
This summit was my first experience with my Microsoft MVP award for Windows IT Expert – Consumer on the road. It was certainly a bumpy ride, and I did not take advantage of all of the event activities I could have. Windows product group experts and Microsoft employees were available, nearly from the break of dawn to the dark hours of night, to provide on and off-campus sessions to enthusiastic individuals. Looking back, the path was worthwhile. While most of the people I met had embedded themselves in this event for many years, I was certainly a newcomer. Determined to act the part, I tried my best to overcome the massive jetlag I had encountered, and vowed to myself to never eat sushi after getting off of a six hour flight again. Who could not be anxious when arriving in such a foreign place compared to the east coast of the USA? I have certainly flown and driven up and down that area most of my life, visiting nearly all of the north and south, but I had no idea what to expect near Redmond. An acquaintance of mine from Los Angeles was able to help me deal with the insomnia and time difference that comes with this type of travel, and she probably helped me in a way that she still doesn’t know – all from a few text messages. I am constantly reminded that technology itself has made us all interconnected, no matter where we are. At the Microsoft MVP Global Summit, what I did find were individuals, many of whom who had a certain selflessness about them, and a desire, above all things, to learn more, experience more, and help even more.
Upon immediately striking up a conversation with anyone at the event, it was absolutely easy to see how these men and women achieved recognition of excellence from Microsoft. While many young people who attended the event had created innovative ways to help others by setting up websites or studying the inner-workings of the Microsoft entertainment platform, others had been part of the commercial information technology circles and big businesses that have changed the environment of the Internet. I even caught a glimpse of two individuals who appeared to be working for a former web host that one of my websites was hosted on. These businesses, powered by ingenious individuals, have swept the Internet. And while many people appeared to be there as part of a corporately backed package, it was clear to me that most others had made a name for themselves by creating their own platform for innovation and success. Most important, and pronounced to me, was that each and every person there reached that point through acts of selflessness -- for helping others. In each and every instance, you could go around the area and know that you were surrounded by people who could speak your language: whether that be ASPX, XML, C, PHP, JavaScript, or BBCode. While a person there from Asia may not have had any comprehension of what I was talking about if he did not speak English, if I showed him Process Monitor in Windows, I could probably communicate with him on some technical level.
To contrast that, I came home to an environment back in New York where the Windows 8 Consumer Preview had just been released. It was no surprise to me that Windows 8 had been getting some slag for replacing the Windows Start Orb and Start Menu with the Metro User Interface (Metro UI). Windows 8 still has some major feature improvements going for it. This early in the game, there is no question that many of these features have likely gone undocumented, exist under-the-hood, or simply have not reached a stage in development that was acceptable for the Consumer Preview. First, it is important to note that the Consumer Preview is as much of a beta release for public testing as it is a marketing tool for Microsoft. When we examine how this has been released to the public, it is not hard for me to conclude that it is also a way to gauge public reaction to the first serious and inherent differences to the way the Microsoft Windows GUI has been presented – ever. Other operating system releases have taken the idea of the Start Menu and added search capabilities and refined a core concept. Slowly, but surely, we see an improvement that has occurred over time, with the look and feel of Windows remaining consistent over the ages.
The Consumer Preview Was Released To Test Your Reaction; Not Just The OS
In fact, this is a public release of Microsoft Windows to appear in limelight, in what is essentially a beta (and presumably near release candidate stage), with some features either completely omitted or broken. But not all is lost for Windows 8. There are some under-the-hood changes that show promise. I am not a Windows developer or programmer (most of my tinkering involves Linux, C, HTML, PHP, and JavaScript), but I can start to appreciate the level of changes that are being made on a core level as I get more time to become acquainted with this system and allow various whitepapers and documents to enter my lexicon.
Those looking to upgrade, or who will receive the upgrade already as part of a plan, like Microsoft VLK Software Assurance, will reap some benefits by making the upgrade to Windows 8. Businesses that have been around long enough will be familiar with creating and following a comprehensive End of Life (EOL) cycle plan. Such plans are usually coordinated between an enterprise administrative team that manages the day-to-day changes of internal certificate authorities, domain controllers, and mail servers. This group usually (and hopefully) has the training and forethought necessary to look at the official Microsoft release timetable, as well as the support for commonly used hardware and software. Assessments can be made to better understand how, where, when, and why this software and hardware is deployed, and under what conditions it is upgraded or phased out entirely. Not only does this level of planning bring clarity to what could otherwise become a source of enormous administrative overhead, but it also helps to mitigate the risk associated with allowing systems to continue running under-the-radar and without proper security auditing. Under such a scenario, businesses may choose to have their internal IT department perform network-wide audits of all systems. It is an affordable alternative to bringing in an outside specialist, and comparisons with Microsoft’s official support timetable can help make the transition to new hardware and software – as well as what comes with that -- such as training and significant infrastructure investment -- a more conceivable possibility.
Home users can depend on a much more simple approach, and that is to monitor requirements needed for tasks like school, work, and entertainment, while keeping up-to-date with Microsoft’s in-band and out-of-band security patches. As mentioned previously, Microsoft already publishes a roadmap to indicate when mainstream support, and even updates, will be terminated for their operating systems. Combining all of these ideas together, it is not unreasonable to come to a conclusion that one can continue using Windows 7 for a few more years without much difficulty. When the time comes, an upgrade will be made easy, as the large system manufacturers and independent system builders will, no doubt, bundle OEM copies of the system after RTM (“release-to-manufacturer”). On the side, one could begin to upgrade a small office or a home network with new computers when the need arises, in order to take advantage of the new feature set that is sure to be setting a precedent going forward.
Very large enterprise networks usually already make use of proprietary, custom software and hardware. Those businesses can begin the transition planning in phases, and will have access to fully licensed Microsoft support personnel who work in the corporate sales division of the company. Those resources can be accessed by standard enterprises (approx. 200 clients systems) and by mid-range offices (approx. 50-200 client systems) using Microsoft Gold Certified Partner program members that also specialize in employee training, resource management, and all-inclusive maintenance plans. Even a few well-trained and certified IT consultants and managers could handle a migration and post-migration scenario with the right level of planning and funding.
Stay positive, here is some deductive reasoning as to why not all is lost, and how the feature improvements that Windows 8 customers will benefit from may actually start to appear after the OS hits store shelves. (The kind of stuff that may not be readily apparent in the incomplete Consumer Preview version):
Virtualization Scores A Win
Hyper-V Virtualization included in Windows 8 will allow you to take your computing experience to the next level. If you are not entirely enticed by the prospect of running Windows 8, or still have a co-dependent relationship with legacy applications, Hyper-V will be sure to help you in that area; much like Microsoft Virtual PC brought Windows XP onto the desktop for many Windows 7 users. While Hyper-V isn’t about to take the throne away from VMWare’s line of virtualization products just yet, especially Workstation and ThinApp, expect to see the inclusion of Hyper-V as an experience that has the potential to compartmentalize the installation of applications – even really old ones. With Hyper-V and Metro as platforms likely to be directly controllable and manageable from Windows Server 8, IT admins can rejoice at the concept of virtualizing what is left of the desktop – and preventing inappropriate use of computer system resources at work. With full control of Metro and Hyper-V under Active Directory, system management is about to get a whole lot easier. Windows 8 fits as the one OS that office managers can control directly from Windows Server 8 without remorse. Limiting access to the desktop will reduce headaches for employees who may only be obligated to launch specific company-approved Metro apps.
Metro: The User Interface Revolution
Metro UI will not be alien to anyone who is old enough to remember Microsoft Encarta, or to any youngster who has already owned a Windows Phone. I still remember using Microsoft Encarta’s slick navigation system to look up John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address. This was one of the first times I saw decent video footage in an encyclopedia. Back in those days, everyone was on dial-up, and an encyclopedia like Encarta was the be-all and end-all of factoid finding for non-academics and kids still in grade school. So expect Metro-powered applications, programmed in C++, C#, HTML, JavaScript, and even VisualBasic. This programming platform, dubbed, Windows Runtime or WindowsRT for short, is object-oriented and just getting started. With enough knowledge of HTML and JavaScript, many people out there with limited knowledge of C++ could create some pretty snazzy object-oriented apps that make use of jQuery and YUI hosted over the web. With the launch of the Windows App Store, don’t be surprised to see some amazing third party apps put long-time industry staples to shame. Once you start looking into the development platform for Metro, then you start to realize that it isn’t just a gimmick for touch screen users. Ostensibly, a great deal of time developing the .NET Framework is about to pay off, in bundles, for everyone who starts using Metro.
Gamers Not Doomed; HID Development Pushed Forward by Windows 8 OS
Gamers likely won’t be left out of the picture. Metro apps are designed to run in full screen, and as all hardcore gamers know, most high intensity games actually throw you into full-screen mode any way. The difference is likely to be negligible, but who wouldn’t like a concise way to manage all entertainment software and keep it running in the background every once in a while? Single player games that enter the market as instant classics like TES: Skyrim could suddenly appear more interactive in the future. Don’t be surprised to see some form of Windows 8 incorporated into the next version of Xbox (Xbox 720?) with DirectX 11 support. It would be nice to see cross-compatibility with the Xbox and Windows PC. Imagine if you could run any console game on a PC and vice versa: Now that kind of unification would prevent a lot of people from buying all those Media Center extenders and going wild on home entertainment systems. Only time will tell how far Microsoft will take us down the rabbit hole. For gamers, that is a great thing.
Multi-monitor and multi-touch support will bring Windows 8 to tablets and phones like never before with certified Metro applications that are programmed for Windows Runtime (WindowsRT). Expect a lot to happen in how we use our desktop and laptop systems. While major advancements in human interface devices are years away, it appears to be one of the major cornerstones of IBM Research and Microsoft Research. Unification across platforms is a recipe for redundancy, but in the case of sensitive data, redundancy is a very good thing. We want to be able to access our office files from home and our home files from the office, without necessarily having to do cartwheels with third party software. The integration of SkyDrive, and ultimately, shell extensions for third-party apps like Dropbox, is a given. Microsoft is never going to take over the cloud-hosted backup market, but they could pull off a pretty neat way of sharing, updating, and collaborating on projects between tablets, phones, desktops, laptops, game consoles, and more. Kinect for Windows is going to be scoffed at in the beginning, but once everyone has such a device linked up to their monitor, moving your hand around to change the active Window on your computer isn’t going to be that bad of a trade-off. In 2009, I gave a speech to a number of people in the public sector about what I saw as the cornerstone for future technology. That presentation included the fact that a device like the SmartBoard would be obsolete within five years’ time, due to the decreasing price of touch screen computers, and the ability for computing devices to detect human movement. While it didn’t go over well with the locals, it is happening, right now. That is something to be excited about. Whatever touch screen advancements Microsoft introduces with Windows 8 will once again push the hardware market to accommodate the software. This means all sorts of new human interface devices are already in development, even from third parties (see: Google Goggles/Google Glasses as one superlative example).
A New World for Software and Hardware Development
It’s not just a Microsoft world: Software companies, game studios, and all sorts of IT companies depend on the reliability and performance of Microsoft products and services, even when their customers aren’t in Microsoft Windows. This happens whenever an e-mail passes through an Exchange server, or a large database is designed for interoperability between a metadata retrieval system and Microsoft Access. Companies that specialize in document management, database administration, and even brand marketing will reap massive benefit from an interface that contains a display mechanism that has the potential to plot and chart raw data into something visually understandable. For example, if I tell you we ordered a hundred pizzas, each consisting of eight slices, and we only have 10 minutes to finish 25 slices, you’re going to wonder how many pizzas we have left. Once data entry software, even stuff that was initially designed with a Mac in mind, is designed for Metro, we’re not just going to be able to see how many pizza slices we have left – we may have the option to order some extras, or watch other people eat the ones left in 10 minutes. It’s that kind of world we’re delving into. We don’t see how great Metro can be: Only because software companies known for their great innovative capabilities like Google and Apple are just getting started on WindowsRT and Metro. This stuff is not going away, and when all the great innovator’s in the world get involved, we’re going to see sparks fly off the third rail.
Negativity Bias
Many people who try the Windows Consumer Preview may be inexperienced with running beta software. And when your whole operating system is a big chunk of bugs, in many cases unbranded, and in some cases feature incomplete, there is going to be a heck of a lot to complain about. I admit that I’m one of them. Take a look at my post about Windows 8 being a platform to sell Windows Live connected services. Well, of course that is what Windows 8 is, but it has the potential to be much more. Studies show us that, on average, people tend to remember a negative outcome 2.5x more than they do a good one. That means you’re 2.5 times more likely to remember when you got a bad haircut then when you got a good one. You’re 2.5 times more likely to dwell on the day you lost your job, than you are to remember the years you spent at the very same job when you contributed an enormous amount of productivity to the company’s bottom line. You’re 2.5 times more likely to remember that turbulence on the airplane. It was unbearable for ten minutes, and now you’re 2.5 times less likely to remember the time you struck up a great conversation with someone on that long flight. You’re 2.5x more likely to remember that woman or man who rejected you on that first date then you are to remember the laughs you shared going into the restaurant. This negativity bias is something we usually learn about in the first or second year of undergraduate psychology, but very few of us even remember or know what it is. In general, your body is trained to remember when bad things happened more than good things, and actually dwell on it. It is truly a response from the Stone Age, and is a very healthy response. It keeps you in balance. But in today’s high tech and demanding world, it can be taken too far.
So yes, we can look at Windows 8 and positively say, “Maybe this thing won’t be so bad. Maybe I can learn it, and enjoy it.”
The True Test: Greater Than The Sum of Its Parts?
Don’t forget that Windows 8 will include a Start on Demand model for all system-related services. For years, I found myself sending Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 customers to a web page called Black Viper (BlackViper.com). This site contained detailed guides on how to configure your Windows operating system to use as few services as absolutely necessary. That site became especially popular during the Windows Vista release. Essentially, the site goes through every single service running on your system and will tell you, not only what the default start setting is for it, but how best to optimize it to suit your needs. If you were trying to squeeze every last drop of performance out of the operating system, without much care for its ability to perform certain operations, you could always use BlackViper’s “Service Configurations” lists to decide whether or not it was safe to make sure that something like the Distributed Link Tracking Client service or the World Wide Web Publishing Service could be completely disabled or not. If I haven’t lost you on this one, Microsoft has come up with a novel solution that is sure to improve your experience with Windows 8, and that is by using “Start on Demand”. Under Start on Demand, when Windows 8 needs a service, it launches it – only when. So that, in and of itself, will save resources. And when we look at what is coming up with memory deduplication, we are looking at true advancement in operating system performance at its most basic level.
Yes, the Consumer Preview is flawed, but for all its flaws, let us all think about these things and realize that the best is yet to come for an operating system ahead of its time.
Browse a tech magazine lately? Check out a news site about technology? Chances are, you will read something about Windows 8. Just two weeks ago, Microsoft released the Consumer Preview for Windows 8. It hasn’t even hit store shelves yet, and people are already complaining. This is nothing new in tech circles: Everyone is resistant to change. Sometimes, that resistance to change can be helpful, and even good feedback for developers. Other times, it can result in a shouting match that just remains unwinnable. But like many things, thinking in absolutes is often deconstructive, and seldom objective. Business men and women will judge Windows 8 with business acumen; savoring each bit of financial data and sales indicators to prove a point about the new system. Decision-makers in IT circles will look at security and reliability before weighing in with a more structured cost-benefit analysis that deals in infrastructure. Home users are likely to place more value on aesthetics, performance, and ease-of-use as major factors in the upgrade model.
It is the middle of the month: March 15, 2012 to be precise. It is hard to believe that already three years have gone by since the release of Windows 7. Many IT business people, including server administrators, are just starting to become acclimated with the Windows 7 client environment, its off-shoot productivity software, and the Windows Server 2008 family of products, including Windows Server 2008 R2. In one worldview, short and steady wins the race. While more tech savvy companies clearly saw the benefit of migrating quickly upon release, many SMBs, mid-range companies, and home users remain in a Windows XP limbo – either due to the economic mess that most of the world is dealing with, budgetary constraints, or simply a lack of knowledge about how to port all of their important data over to a Windows 7-based network. But as time has gone on, these groups are a minority, for as much as is known. While much of the third world may still be using Windows XP, and even older systems, it is difficult for that data to be chomped up and read by skeptics and true-believers. In agrarian, rural, and largely undeveloped lands, Internet access still remains a commodity that is seldom traded, and where mobile phone companies continue to make inroads.
Back here in the west, the difference is noticeable in how a company conducts its business, especially when you walk into one running Windows XP and Server 2003. It is not uncommon to see pending Windows Updates on every workstation, versus an up-to-date Windows 7 network. If the IT tasks are outsourced, how that time is spent, and for what purpose, will likely face scrutiny and prioritization. For instance, the administration of an important database may take precedence over the application of client operating system updates. Many system administrators may simply ignore, or be unaware of, the capability of domain controllers and file servers to push out updates across the internal network using WSUS. In many offices, however, you will be likely to find a hybrid network. With a lack of EOL policy and strategy, many businesses end up with certain departments stuck between Windows XP and Windows 7, and that difference takes place when they purchase new hardware – not due to a timetable, but out of necessity. A hybrid network of these systems is not exactly the best medicine for either a business or group of home users who rely on their Windows computer systems day-to-day activities, but it may be better than nothing.
A Trip to Seattle: Home to 90’s Alternative Music, Starbucks Coffee, and Microsoft
On April 1, 2011, I received the Microsoft MVP award for Windows Expert – Consumer. It was a real treat to know that Microsoft had recognized my contributions in the form of setting up forum websites and participating in them. I was certainly very thankful for the award, and presumably happy to know that I could continue to do what I do best, as that is why I received it. I wasn’t the first to be recognized by Microsoft for my contributions to my own website: Ross Cameron (handle: kemical) became one of our first Microsoft MVP’s. One of our former members, Greg (handle: cybercore), had contributed thousands of helpful posts on Windows7Forums.com and was nominated. As time went by, we were fortunate enough to see other MVP’s join our website, including Shyam (handle: Captain Jack), Pat Cooke (handle: patcooke), Bill Bright (handle: Digerati), and Ken Johnston (handle: zigzag3143). These people are experts in their field and genuinely reflect an attitude of altruism towards people. Such traits are hard to find, especially over the Internet, and in a field that is driven by individual competitiveness that forces group cohesion as a necessity. I started communicating with one MVP as a result of a disagreement, but have since gained an enormous amount of respect for her: Corrine Chorney, the owner of SecurityGarden. When I made a video that contained an error or two, about ESET Smart Security, I was suddenly contacted by a fellow MVP: Aryeh Goretsky. These types of people live and breathe technology, and thus, even having a brief e-mail exchange can be a breath of fresh air. It becomes recognizable and clear to me that Microsoft’s selection process and choices for those who receive this award is hardly based on pure number crunching, but on gauging a person’s enthusiasm and demonstrated expertise in a field. Understanding how that translates to a much broader audience is compelling. To me, this is a good thing, as it shows that even one of the world’s most successful corporations, in this case Microsoft, perhaps in one of the few acts of selflessness that one could expect from a multi-national corporation, finds customers who have made a mark in information technology and celebrates that. I become hopeful that they recognize the countless others who make contributions on a day-to-day basis. With half a dozen certifications under my belt, and nearly a decade and a half of experience, I am but one person. And for every Microsoft MVP I have met, their dialogue always translated into real energy and enthusiasm. How many countless others have not received an award, or merit, for helping someone “fix their box”? I suspect that number is in the millions. This in no way belittles the award, because to me, such an award really is about helping others.
Often times helping others is giving someone your opinion: even if your opinion runs contrary to running a system consisting purely of Microsoft software. One example is Windows Live: I have a fundamental disagreement about how I chose to use Windows Live, and whether or not I want Windows Live Services embedded into my operating system experience: something that home users with Microsoft-connected accounts will notice almost immediately upon starting the OS. I do not, in any way, undervalue the development of these services, or their potential market value to consumers. I simply have a difference of opinion. And this should no way diminish someone’s ability to receive an award. I am not an employee or pitch man for Microsoft products, but someone who conveys his own thoughts and expertise in that area. To me, the award would have little value if I was expected to tout the benefits of using Microsoft Security Essentials over a paid anti-malware suite. I think that even the developers of the software themselves would take exception to misinformation. And to Microsoft’s credit, they have asked me nothing of the sort. To me, that is a fundamental sign of an award that encourages community participation and expertise in a given area of technology, from a company that is now expected to set standards on the world stage.
Not everyone made it to this summit: For many of them Redmond, WA is far, far away. For me, living in New York, that also rings true. But it sure are the people who make it worthwhile – even when you’ve never met them in person, the way they behave and conduct themselves, towards you, speaks volumes. And so I’ve learned a lot from every Microsoft MVP that I have met – both online and off; in a five minute conversation, or a fifteen hundred word e-mail.
During the Microsoft MVP Global Summit in the Seattle-Bellevue-Redmond area, I had the opportunity to meet some of the most interesting and eclectic groups of people in information technology that I’ve encountered in years. Truly, the revolution taking place around technology in Seattle, and its famous campus grounds located at 1 Microsoft Way in Redmond, is in no way limited to laboratories that are seldom, if ever, open to the public. Quite to the contrary, acclimating with Microsoft’s extensive community of worldwide supporters and individual contributors doesn’t just result in hearing success story after success story (although that is fun too). Of the thousands of people invited to the event, from all over the world, including Japan, Asia, Indochina, North America, Brazil, and the world at large, I found myself welcomed by a remarkable group of individuals. These men and women were of no traditional demographic one would think of – in fact quite the opposite was at hand. At 29 years old, I met kids younger and more successful than myself, who had generated their own start-up firms. I also met much older men and women, who witnessed the transformative nature of technology and got involved, one way or the other. These men and women came from all walks of life, but I am reminded, in particular, of a few of them I met who had a real impact on me. As someone who had come so far to be a part of this event, I did feel uneasy knowing that I was there alone. The individuals I met at the summit were polite, courteous, helpful, and informative. It was not difficult to see why they are considered experts in their field.
Whether the issue for them was something simple, like MP3 players like Zune, the Xbox, MS SQL, or the Microsoft Windows family of client and server products, this entire network of community supporters really outlined why Microsoft continues to have far-reaching success around the world. The level of enthusiasm for their technologies is clear, concise, and breaks down the traditional barriers of race, color, nationality, and gender inequality.
At that summit, I was witnessing not just what technology would be capable of doing in the future, but as a first timer, I got to see with my own eyes what it had done for just about every participant I was able to strike up a conversation with. Having been severely jet-lagged and exhausted from my trip, I travelled all the way from New York City to Seattle-Tacoma airport in a few hours. Having travelled, for the first time, outside of my own time zone, suspended at 38,000 feet in the air, I found myself dizzy, drowsy, and often times downright sick once I got off the airplane. It was something really unfamiliar to me, but in a way, strange thoughts began to fill my head. I realized that in Seattle, it nearly almost always rains once per day. There is certainly less sunlight there than in New York. Perhaps this lack of sunlight had inadvertently made people more likely to turn on a computer and create some kind of innovative programming. It was a silly thought, but staring at the horizon in the distance, I could not help but think about Mount Rainier, Lake Washington, and the land I was now interconnected with. In many cases a landmark home to science fiction, Seattle’s own Space Needle is a national treasure. A marvel of all aerodynamic ingenuity west of the Mississippi River valley, the Space Needle is essentially a giant UFO-shaped tower that is capable of housing restaurants, sight-seeing tours, and shines a giant beam of light that was part of the original design, but was only recently added.
Perhaps, I thought to myself, this is how the term “cloud computing” had caught on. With a lack of major sunlight ever permeating this area, to my knowledge, and with rain and humidity always on the horizon in a constant lake effect, it suddenly made sense to me how the area had become famous for its murky alternative rock grunge music in the 1990’s, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, the evangelical computer programmers, and a number of activities, like concerts and music performances, that are usually held in-doors! In a way, it all made sense to me now, and I spent a great majority of my time taking in the sights, sounds, and hospitality of an entirely different area of the country. The most populous city in the northern United States is also home and origin to Starbucks. It all began to make sense to me that it would be here, more than anywhere else in the USA, that they would need fresh coffee beans from Jamaica available at a moment’s notice. And as humorous and sophomoric as that may read, I still think there is some truth to this.
This summit was my first experience with my Microsoft MVP award for Windows IT Expert – Consumer on the road. It was certainly a bumpy ride, and I did not take advantage of all of the event activities I could have. Windows product group experts and Microsoft employees were available, nearly from the break of dawn to the dark hours of night, to provide on and off-campus sessions to enthusiastic individuals. Looking back, the path was worthwhile. While most of the people I met had embedded themselves in this event for many years, I was certainly a newcomer. Determined to act the part, I tried my best to overcome the massive jetlag I had encountered, and vowed to myself to never eat sushi after getting off of a six hour flight again. Who could not be anxious when arriving in such a foreign place compared to the east coast of the USA? I have certainly flown and driven up and down that area most of my life, visiting nearly all of the north and south, but I had no idea what to expect near Redmond. An acquaintance of mine from Los Angeles was able to help me deal with the insomnia and time difference that comes with this type of travel, and she probably helped me in a way that she still doesn’t know – all from a few text messages. I am constantly reminded that technology itself has made us all interconnected, no matter where we are. At the Microsoft MVP Global Summit, what I did find were individuals, many of whom who had a certain selflessness about them, and a desire, above all things, to learn more, experience more, and help even more.
Upon immediately striking up a conversation with anyone at the event, it was absolutely easy to see how these men and women achieved recognition of excellence from Microsoft. While many young people who attended the event had created innovative ways to help others by setting up websites or studying the inner-workings of the Microsoft entertainment platform, others had been part of the commercial information technology circles and big businesses that have changed the environment of the Internet. I even caught a glimpse of two individuals who appeared to be working for a former web host that one of my websites was hosted on. These businesses, powered by ingenious individuals, have swept the Internet. And while many people appeared to be there as part of a corporately backed package, it was clear to me that most others had made a name for themselves by creating their own platform for innovation and success. Most important, and pronounced to me, was that each and every person there reached that point through acts of selflessness -- for helping others. In each and every instance, you could go around the area and know that you were surrounded by people who could speak your language: whether that be ASPX, XML, C, PHP, JavaScript, or BBCode. While a person there from Asia may not have had any comprehension of what I was talking about if he did not speak English, if I showed him Process Monitor in Windows, I could probably communicate with him on some technical level.
To contrast that, I came home to an environment back in New York where the Windows 8 Consumer Preview had just been released. It was no surprise to me that Windows 8 had been getting some slag for replacing the Windows Start Orb and Start Menu with the Metro User Interface (Metro UI). Windows 8 still has some major feature improvements going for it. This early in the game, there is no question that many of these features have likely gone undocumented, exist under-the-hood, or simply have not reached a stage in development that was acceptable for the Consumer Preview. First, it is important to note that the Consumer Preview is as much of a beta release for public testing as it is a marketing tool for Microsoft. When we examine how this has been released to the public, it is not hard for me to conclude that it is also a way to gauge public reaction to the first serious and inherent differences to the way the Microsoft Windows GUI has been presented – ever. Other operating system releases have taken the idea of the Start Menu and added search capabilities and refined a core concept. Slowly, but surely, we see an improvement that has occurred over time, with the look and feel of Windows remaining consistent over the ages.
The Consumer Preview Was Released To Test Your Reaction; Not Just The OS
In fact, this is a public release of Microsoft Windows to appear in limelight, in what is essentially a beta (and presumably near release candidate stage), with some features either completely omitted or broken. But not all is lost for Windows 8. There are some under-the-hood changes that show promise. I am not a Windows developer or programmer (most of my tinkering involves Linux, C, HTML, PHP, and JavaScript), but I can start to appreciate the level of changes that are being made on a core level as I get more time to become acquainted with this system and allow various whitepapers and documents to enter my lexicon.
Those looking to upgrade, or who will receive the upgrade already as part of a plan, like Microsoft VLK Software Assurance, will reap some benefits by making the upgrade to Windows 8. Businesses that have been around long enough will be familiar with creating and following a comprehensive End of Life (EOL) cycle plan. Such plans are usually coordinated between an enterprise administrative team that manages the day-to-day changes of internal certificate authorities, domain controllers, and mail servers. This group usually (and hopefully) has the training and forethought necessary to look at the official Microsoft release timetable, as well as the support for commonly used hardware and software. Assessments can be made to better understand how, where, when, and why this software and hardware is deployed, and under what conditions it is upgraded or phased out entirely. Not only does this level of planning bring clarity to what could otherwise become a source of enormous administrative overhead, but it also helps to mitigate the risk associated with allowing systems to continue running under-the-radar and without proper security auditing. Under such a scenario, businesses may choose to have their internal IT department perform network-wide audits of all systems. It is an affordable alternative to bringing in an outside specialist, and comparisons with Microsoft’s official support timetable can help make the transition to new hardware and software – as well as what comes with that -- such as training and significant infrastructure investment -- a more conceivable possibility.
Home users can depend on a much more simple approach, and that is to monitor requirements needed for tasks like school, work, and entertainment, while keeping up-to-date with Microsoft’s in-band and out-of-band security patches. As mentioned previously, Microsoft already publishes a roadmap to indicate when mainstream support, and even updates, will be terminated for their operating systems. Combining all of these ideas together, it is not unreasonable to come to a conclusion that one can continue using Windows 7 for a few more years without much difficulty. When the time comes, an upgrade will be made easy, as the large system manufacturers and independent system builders will, no doubt, bundle OEM copies of the system after RTM (“release-to-manufacturer”). On the side, one could begin to upgrade a small office or a home network with new computers when the need arises, in order to take advantage of the new feature set that is sure to be setting a precedent going forward.
Very large enterprise networks usually already make use of proprietary, custom software and hardware. Those businesses can begin the transition planning in phases, and will have access to fully licensed Microsoft support personnel who work in the corporate sales division of the company. Those resources can be accessed by standard enterprises (approx. 200 clients systems) and by mid-range offices (approx. 50-200 client systems) using Microsoft Gold Certified Partner program members that also specialize in employee training, resource management, and all-inclusive maintenance plans. Even a few well-trained and certified IT consultants and managers could handle a migration and post-migration scenario with the right level of planning and funding.
Stay positive, here is some deductive reasoning as to why not all is lost, and how the feature improvements that Windows 8 customers will benefit from may actually start to appear after the OS hits store shelves. (The kind of stuff that may not be readily apparent in the incomplete Consumer Preview version):
Virtualization Scores A Win
Hyper-V Virtualization included in Windows 8 will allow you to take your computing experience to the next level. If you are not entirely enticed by the prospect of running Windows 8, or still have a co-dependent relationship with legacy applications, Hyper-V will be sure to help you in that area; much like Microsoft Virtual PC brought Windows XP onto the desktop for many Windows 7 users. While Hyper-V isn’t about to take the throne away from VMWare’s line of virtualization products just yet, especially Workstation and ThinApp, expect to see the inclusion of Hyper-V as an experience that has the potential to compartmentalize the installation of applications – even really old ones. With Hyper-V and Metro as platforms likely to be directly controllable and manageable from Windows Server 8, IT admins can rejoice at the concept of virtualizing what is left of the desktop – and preventing inappropriate use of computer system resources at work. With full control of Metro and Hyper-V under Active Directory, system management is about to get a whole lot easier. Windows 8 fits as the one OS that office managers can control directly from Windows Server 8 without remorse. Limiting access to the desktop will reduce headaches for employees who may only be obligated to launch specific company-approved Metro apps.
Metro: The User Interface Revolution
Metro UI will not be alien to anyone who is old enough to remember Microsoft Encarta, or to any youngster who has already owned a Windows Phone. I still remember using Microsoft Encarta’s slick navigation system to look up John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address. This was one of the first times I saw decent video footage in an encyclopedia. Back in those days, everyone was on dial-up, and an encyclopedia like Encarta was the be-all and end-all of factoid finding for non-academics and kids still in grade school. So expect Metro-powered applications, programmed in C++, C#, HTML, JavaScript, and even VisualBasic. This programming platform, dubbed, Windows Runtime or WindowsRT for short, is object-oriented and just getting started. With enough knowledge of HTML and JavaScript, many people out there with limited knowledge of C++ could create some pretty snazzy object-oriented apps that make use of jQuery and YUI hosted over the web. With the launch of the Windows App Store, don’t be surprised to see some amazing third party apps put long-time industry staples to shame. Once you start looking into the development platform for Metro, then you start to realize that it isn’t just a gimmick for touch screen users. Ostensibly, a great deal of time developing the .NET Framework is about to pay off, in bundles, for everyone who starts using Metro.
Gamers Not Doomed; HID Development Pushed Forward by Windows 8 OS
Gamers likely won’t be left out of the picture. Metro apps are designed to run in full screen, and as all hardcore gamers know, most high intensity games actually throw you into full-screen mode any way. The difference is likely to be negligible, but who wouldn’t like a concise way to manage all entertainment software and keep it running in the background every once in a while? Single player games that enter the market as instant classics like TES: Skyrim could suddenly appear more interactive in the future. Don’t be surprised to see some form of Windows 8 incorporated into the next version of Xbox (Xbox 720?) with DirectX 11 support. It would be nice to see cross-compatibility with the Xbox and Windows PC. Imagine if you could run any console game on a PC and vice versa: Now that kind of unification would prevent a lot of people from buying all those Media Center extenders and going wild on home entertainment systems. Only time will tell how far Microsoft will take us down the rabbit hole. For gamers, that is a great thing.
Multi-monitor and multi-touch support will bring Windows 8 to tablets and phones like never before with certified Metro applications that are programmed for Windows Runtime (WindowsRT). Expect a lot to happen in how we use our desktop and laptop systems. While major advancements in human interface devices are years away, it appears to be one of the major cornerstones of IBM Research and Microsoft Research. Unification across platforms is a recipe for redundancy, but in the case of sensitive data, redundancy is a very good thing. We want to be able to access our office files from home and our home files from the office, without necessarily having to do cartwheels with third party software. The integration of SkyDrive, and ultimately, shell extensions for third-party apps like Dropbox, is a given. Microsoft is never going to take over the cloud-hosted backup market, but they could pull off a pretty neat way of sharing, updating, and collaborating on projects between tablets, phones, desktops, laptops, game consoles, and more. Kinect for Windows is going to be scoffed at in the beginning, but once everyone has such a device linked up to their monitor, moving your hand around to change the active Window on your computer isn’t going to be that bad of a trade-off. In 2009, I gave a speech to a number of people in the public sector about what I saw as the cornerstone for future technology. That presentation included the fact that a device like the SmartBoard would be obsolete within five years’ time, due to the decreasing price of touch screen computers, and the ability for computing devices to detect human movement. While it didn’t go over well with the locals, it is happening, right now. That is something to be excited about. Whatever touch screen advancements Microsoft introduces with Windows 8 will once again push the hardware market to accommodate the software. This means all sorts of new human interface devices are already in development, even from third parties (see: Google Goggles/Google Glasses as one superlative example).
A New World for Software and Hardware Development
It’s not just a Microsoft world: Software companies, game studios, and all sorts of IT companies depend on the reliability and performance of Microsoft products and services, even when their customers aren’t in Microsoft Windows. This happens whenever an e-mail passes through an Exchange server, or a large database is designed for interoperability between a metadata retrieval system and Microsoft Access. Companies that specialize in document management, database administration, and even brand marketing will reap massive benefit from an interface that contains a display mechanism that has the potential to plot and chart raw data into something visually understandable. For example, if I tell you we ordered a hundred pizzas, each consisting of eight slices, and we only have 10 minutes to finish 25 slices, you’re going to wonder how many pizzas we have left. Once data entry software, even stuff that was initially designed with a Mac in mind, is designed for Metro, we’re not just going to be able to see how many pizza slices we have left – we may have the option to order some extras, or watch other people eat the ones left in 10 minutes. It’s that kind of world we’re delving into. We don’t see how great Metro can be: Only because software companies known for their great innovative capabilities like Google and Apple are just getting started on WindowsRT and Metro. This stuff is not going away, and when all the great innovator’s in the world get involved, we’re going to see sparks fly off the third rail.
Negativity Bias
Many people who try the Windows Consumer Preview may be inexperienced with running beta software. And when your whole operating system is a big chunk of bugs, in many cases unbranded, and in some cases feature incomplete, there is going to be a heck of a lot to complain about. I admit that I’m one of them. Take a look at my post about Windows 8 being a platform to sell Windows Live connected services. Well, of course that is what Windows 8 is, but it has the potential to be much more. Studies show us that, on average, people tend to remember a negative outcome 2.5x more than they do a good one. That means you’re 2.5 times more likely to remember when you got a bad haircut then when you got a good one. You’re 2.5 times more likely to dwell on the day you lost your job, than you are to remember the years you spent at the very same job when you contributed an enormous amount of productivity to the company’s bottom line. You’re 2.5 times more likely to remember that turbulence on the airplane. It was unbearable for ten minutes, and now you’re 2.5 times less likely to remember the time you struck up a great conversation with someone on that long flight. You’re 2.5x more likely to remember that woman or man who rejected you on that first date then you are to remember the laughs you shared going into the restaurant. This negativity bias is something we usually learn about in the first or second year of undergraduate psychology, but very few of us even remember or know what it is. In general, your body is trained to remember when bad things happened more than good things, and actually dwell on it. It is truly a response from the Stone Age, and is a very healthy response. It keeps you in balance. But in today’s high tech and demanding world, it can be taken too far.
So yes, we can look at Windows 8 and positively say, “Maybe this thing won’t be so bad. Maybe I can learn it, and enjoy it.”
The True Test: Greater Than The Sum of Its Parts?
Don’t forget that Windows 8 will include a Start on Demand model for all system-related services. For years, I found myself sending Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 customers to a web page called Black Viper (BlackViper.com). This site contained detailed guides on how to configure your Windows operating system to use as few services as absolutely necessary. That site became especially popular during the Windows Vista release. Essentially, the site goes through every single service running on your system and will tell you, not only what the default start setting is for it, but how best to optimize it to suit your needs. If you were trying to squeeze every last drop of performance out of the operating system, without much care for its ability to perform certain operations, you could always use BlackViper’s “Service Configurations” lists to decide whether or not it was safe to make sure that something like the Distributed Link Tracking Client service or the World Wide Web Publishing Service could be completely disabled or not. If I haven’t lost you on this one, Microsoft has come up with a novel solution that is sure to improve your experience with Windows 8, and that is by using “Start on Demand”. Under Start on Demand, when Windows 8 needs a service, it launches it – only when. So that, in and of itself, will save resources. And when we look at what is coming up with memory deduplication, we are looking at true advancement in operating system performance at its most basic level.
Yes, the Consumer Preview is flawed, but for all its flaws, let us all think about these things and realize that the best is yet to come for an operating system ahead of its time.
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