How Windows 8 will look like

Windows 8 OS will be launched in fall 2012, based on off-the-cuff executive statements and leaked schedules. Microsoft insists that all Windows 7 apps will run in Windows 8, and that any machine that can run Windows 7 can run Windows 8.

Windows 8 will have two different sides. Is a tablet operating system, with the tile Metro style user interface like one in Windows Phone 7.5 mango. And it is a new version of the full Windows 7 desktop operating system. The first is very simple and consumer optimised, and competes with tablets like Apple’s iPad and Google Android tablets. The other is the operating system for power users of complex and professional Windows programs.

You start Metro style and old school desktop apps in the Start screen. This shows tiles for each app on your system, and you can swipe through as many pages of apps as you want. This screen appears any time you hit the Windows button or choose Start from the Charms. Each tile shows the app name and can show data relevant to that app, such as a recent photo, the weather, or a stock quote.

In Windows 8 the desktop is just another app that you start from the Metro Start screen. When you run it, you’re right back in Windows 7. Windows 8 retains most of the advances of Windows 7 – Aero Snap, Jump Lists, Home Groups, Explorer Libraries, Taskbar app pinning, and all the rest. The only difference is that now hitting the Start button opens the Metro Start page rather than the search and app menu of Windows 7.

Desktop includes redesigned Windows Explorer. This tool now get an Office-style ribbon along the top to provide easy access to frequently used commands, such as, Copy, Paste, Cut, Move, Delete, and New Folder. Another change is the file copy dialog, which now can display more than one copy operation at once and can display graphs showing throughput.