Windows8Update Gets Wes Miller’s Two Cents on Windows 8

Following the interview with me, Onuora Amobi of Windows8Update conducted a similar interview with Wes Miller. Wes Miller is an editor for GetWired.com and participated on the Windows 8 tablets panel with Onuora and I at the MVP Nation conference.

Check out the interview for Wes’ insights and commentary on Windows 8. Microsoft in particular should be paying attention to what I said in my interview, and what Wes is saying in his. If Microsoft doesn’t heed some of this advice, we’re going to be writing a lot of “I told you so” articles when Windows 8 hits the streets.

Windows 8 Interview–Wes Miller from Directions on Microsoft

Leaked Microsoft Roadmap Hints at Windows 8, ‘Office 15′ Release Dates

When will Windows 8 be officially launched? When will the next version of the Microsoft Office suite hit the shelves? Well, we don’t know–but thanks to a leaked product roadmap we may have some idea.

Many users are already using Windows 8 in the form of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview. The official release of Windows 8 is widely speculated to be this fall, and the information from the leaked roadmap supports that timeline.

As for “Office 15″, if you were hoping to get it around the same time as Windows 8 you may be out of luck. The leaked roadmap hints at an early 2013 release. The good news, though, is that it appears the public beta of the next version of Microsoft Office will be available some time this summer.

Are you planning on moving to Windows 8? Will you buy a new system loaded with the next generation OS, or just upgrade Windows on your existing hardware?

What about “Office 15″? Do you intend to switch to the latest and greatest version of Office when it hits the street?

My Interview with Onuora Amobi on Windows8Update

I had the pleasure of meeting Onuora Amobi recently when we participated together on a panel session at the MVP Nation conference. The topic of the panel discussion was Windows 8 tablets, and we had a variety of interesting and salient points shared back and forth.

I was honored and flattered when Onuora asked me if I’d be willing to do an interview with him for his Windows8Update site. We spent some time talking about Windows 8 and my thoughts on the upcoming Microsoft operating system.

Enjoy: Exclusive–Windows 8 Interview with PCWorld’s Tony Bradley

OnLive Makes an Effort to Go Legit

OnLive fell afoul of Microsoft’s good graces as a result of hosting Windows 7 online and offering it virtually as a service for mobile devices like the Apple iPad. OnLive offered the service at a very reasonable monthly rate, but unfortunately that rate didn’t include properly licensing the OS from Microsoft.

OnLive was apparently not discouraged by the turn of events, though. Ars Technica reports that OnLive has switched to using Windows Server to host its online virtual desktops, and that it now believes it is in compliance with Microsoft licensing.

Microsoft is allegedly examining the setup to confirm compliance. There is no word about whether or not the shift in business plan will come with a rate hike for customers.

Windows Reimagined? Where’s the Hardware to Back It?

Given that I just rebranded this blog as “Windows Reimagined” it seems particularly apropos to talk about a recent post from ZDNet’s Mary J. Foley.

Mary points out that without next-generation hardware designed to take advantage of the features and benefits of Windows 8, much of what Microsoft has “reimagined” loses its relevance.

I think that Windows 8 tablets are a foregone conclusion. They’ll appear eventually–probably in sync with the launch of Windows 8 itself. I don’t have tremendous confidence that they will be competitively priced or be able to go head to head with the existing tablets in the market, but I’m sure they’ll at least exist.

What I am more curious about are notebooks or ultrabooks that are “reimagined” to take advantage of Windows 8. I’d like to see some ultrabooks that also have a touchscreen display so you can take advantage of both the Metro and desktop interfaces of Windows 8.

On the desktop side, there are touchscreen monitors available (I know, I have one), but they’re impractical to use. For desktops what we need is new and improved office furniture that makes it more feasible to actually use a touchscreen display.

What do you think? Would you be more excited about Windows 8, or more willing to move to Windows 8 if there was unique hardware designed to leverage its unique features and capabilities as well?

Is Windows 8 Ready for RC?

There are rumors that the Windows 8 RC is coming soon. Actually, since the Consumer Preview has already been available for sometime, it doesn’t really take a Nostradamus to predict that the release candidate will soon follow.

The problem, though, is that the RC implies that it’s ready. Microsoft doesn’t normally make grand changes in the product after the RC. The RC is basically the final release, taken out for one last test spin to identify any show-stopper bugs that may yet be undiscovered. But, in terms of look and feel, the RC should be what we get when Windows 8 officially launches.

That could be a bad move for Microsoft. I understand the value of Windows 8 and the Metro interface for tablets–whether Windows on ARM (WOA) or traditional Intel/AMD architecture. I even think that Windows 8 will do well in the emerging ultrabook market as long as hardware vendors put it on ultrabooks that have hardware features that take advantage of the unique capabilities of Windows 8–like including touchscreen displays or something.

But, as a desktop OS–or laptop OS on existing Windows 7 notebooks–it’s got some issues. So far, the Metro interface seems to get in the way more than enhance the experience or add any value on my Dell XPS M1330 notebook. Most of what I do that is actually functional involves dropping into desktop mode which is essentially no different than Windows 7–so what is the value proposition? Why would Microsoft expect me, or anyone else, to switch from Windows 7 to Windows 8?

Onuora Amobi, editor of Windows8Update.com feels the same sense of Windows 8 pessimism. In a recent blog post, Amobi stresses just how crucially important it is for Microsoft that the Windows 8 launch be successful. But, he sums up his experience using the Windows 8 Consumer Preview with, “It has turned out to be a great source of screenshots and research but I don’t see it replacing my Windows 7 Ultimate PC anytime soon.”

Are you using the Windows 8 Consumer Preview? What do you think? Would you upgrade to it if that were the final version of Windows 8? What would Microsoft need to change or improve to compel you to move from Windows 7 to Windows 8?

Microsoft Rolls Out DaRT 8 Beta

The Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT) is part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP). DaRT is a set of tools that helps easily recover unusable PCs, rapidly diagnose problem causes of issues, and quickly repair unbootable or locked-out systems.

With DaRT 8 Beta, Microsoft is updating DaRT to work with Windows 8, and to provide admins with much greater flexibility when it comes to repairing and recovering PCs. According to a Windows for Your Business blog post, the latest version of DaRT includes the ability to:

Repair PCs instead of reimaging. The DaRT 8 beta enables IT professionals to easily recover PCs that have become unusable, rapidly diagnose probable causes of issues, and quickly repair unbootable or locked-out systems, all faster than the average time it takes to reimage the machine.
Use scripts to enable image creation. The DaRT 8 beta has an image creation wizard that is now built on top of PowerShell cmdlets, allowing IT departments to mount, create, apply, ad dismount and burn via scripting – ultimately letting the image creation process be saved and repurposed for later use. This kind of automation should save IT departments some time.

Provide native support for USB media deployments. In previous versions of DaRT, additional tools were required to place DaRT images on USB drives. With DaRT 8 beta, this functionality is natively supported in the image creation wizard, minimizing the number of tools required for USB deployment.

Create multiple images from one device. The DaRT 8 beta is able to create both 32-bit and 64-bit images on a single machine and transfer them between.

Choose the output format. Now as part of the image creation process, WIM and ISO output formats are supported in the DaRT 8 beta so that IT departments are sure the right format is an option for a broader deployment plan.

For more about the DaRT 8 Beta, check out the Microsoft blog post, or this blog post from the Springboard Series, or just sign up to become a participant in the DaRT 8 Beta program and test it out for yourself.

Microsoft Cuts Back on Free Software for TechNet Subscribers

One of the benefits of subscribing to Microsoft TechNet is that it gains you access to the latest Microsoft software. But, TechNet subscribers will soon have a little less access.

An announcement on the TechNet subscriptions home page explains:

Beginning in mid-March 2012, subscribers to TechNet Subscriptions (excluding TechNet Standard which are entitled to 2 keys per product) may access a maximum allocation of three (3) product keys for Microsoft Office and Windows Client products in connection with their subscription. The allotted keys may only be used for software evaluation purposes. Once the maximum keys have been activated, no more keys will be made available. Additional product keys may be acquired through the purchase of an additional subscription.

Ed Bott points out that this is actually the second time in less than two years that Microsoft has slashed the TechNet subscriber benefits. It used to be 10 registration keys per product, then 5, and now it has been slashed to three.

Microsoft claims the move is an attempt to reduce software piracy from TechNet subscribers abusing their privileges and sharing software product keys with others. The TechNet product keys are for evaluation purposes only, though, so three should be plenty to evaluate a given operating system or application.

Do you think the move by Microsoft is justified?

Windows 8 Launch Slated for October

Not that it takes a Nostradamus to predict, but sources are now confirming that Microsoft plans to officially launch Windows 8 in October of this year. The timing is great for the holidays–that is, assuming that the OS is well-received.

I’ve been working with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview on my Dell XPS M1330 notebook, and so far I’m not really sold. I mean, it has a lot of nice features, and I like it in general. But, I love Windows 7, and Windows 8 feels like Windows 7 with Metro added as an additional, frustrating layer I have to work through to get to the features and capabilities I actually want to use.

I think Metro is the key to the success of Windows 8, though. I think Microsoft needs to get it right, and that it needs to have massive support from app developers. Finally, the hardware developers that create Windows 8 tablets need to create sleek, compelling devices at competitive prices to position Windows 8 tablets aggressively against the dominant Apple iPad.

If Windows 8 tablets can live up to expectations, and if ultrabooks are introduced with touchscreens and other features that leverage the capabilities of Windows 8, it could be a very nice holiday season for Microsoft and its partners. But, don’t expect existing Windows users to rush out in droves to pay for an upgrade to the latest OS.

Microsoft Questions Legality of Onlive Streaming Windows / Office

OnLive has a very impressive service. For a nominal fee you can stream a complete Windows 7 desktop–with Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, and even Adobe Flash–right to your iPad or Android tablet. The service is different than a remote desktop connection back to your own Windows 7 PC somewhere because this is a Windows 7 virtual desktop hosted from the cloud.

If that scenario seems too good to be true, perhaps it’s because it is. It turns out there may be some issues of legality and software licensing when it comes to sharing a Windows 7 environment from the cloud.

Joe Matz, corporate vice president of worldwide Licensing and pricing at Microsoft, explains in a blog post:

“Customers that want to work with partners to have them host Windows 7 in a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure solution on their behalf, can do so when the customer provides the partner licenses through the customer’s own agreements with Microsoft. The hosting hardware must be dedicated to, and for the benefit of the customer, and may not be shared by or with any other customers of that partner.”

What that means is that OnLive *can* provide a virtual Windows 7 desktop for customers, but only if those customers have acquired all of the appropriate Windows and Microsoft Office software licenses, and only if OnLive hosts it from hardware specifically dedicated to that client.

Something tells me that following the rules might make the service significantly more expensive and less appealing.