Windows 8 the next step from latest release 7 . Windows 8 is available in  four editions: Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro, Windows 8 Enterprise, and Windows RT, the latter being different for tablet computers with different hardware.

Many people today still use Windows XP and are quite happy with the comfort of knowing their way around and sticking to what they know with many exclaiming it is the best Windows Operating system issued, but most of us have naturally progressed to Windows 7 via a few Windows issues we were not happy at all with at all, and after initially getting used to new features again are quite comfy. Windows 8 takes a leap in its new Metro design and gives us a new challenge especially in its lean towards Apps, if you don’t like Apps Windows 8 is going to rub you up the wrong way. It all depends how you want to take on new ideas in technology.

new Metro start screen

Windows 8 leans more towards mobility and Apps (isn’t everything these days?), the way home users are used to sitting at their keyboards in the comfort of knowing a routine in their current Operating System are in for a little surprise as there are a few old favourites missing such as the Start Menu (the new Windows 8 Metro start screen takes up the whole screen), Aero transparencies and other detailed changes some people take for granted but you could argue that any changes need getting used to in a new Operating System, but don’t worry too much as  Aside from the new Metro Start Screen you can still have your Window 7 experience if you are willing to ignore all the new Metro Apps, but then what’s the point of having them?

Windows 8 uses a new Metro design which is a new form of Windows 8 style software only obtained from Windows Store. A few new features below ;

Windows Defender that now  incorporates malware as well as spyware

UEFI SecureBoot  (a security  boot suit to make sure your Operating system is up to speed, intact and legitimate before booting up)

Metro  start screen (more like an App centre)

Internet Explorer 10 the latest Explorer10  from Microsoft

support for USB3

Windows To Go (running Windows from a flash drive)

File Explorer (more detailed information about your files and transfer of them)

Task Manager has been re-designed,

Lock screen displaying notifications and a clock while the computer is locked

Built in reset feature along with refresh feature

X Box Live integration

Apps

Minimum hardware requirements for Windows 8 Enterprise edition

Architecture    IA-32 (32-bit)     x86-64 (64-bit)

Processor       1 GHz (with PAE, NX and SSE2 support)[54]

Memory (RAM)  1 GB      2 GB

Graphics Card    DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver

Windows 8 download from Microsoft

Going back to what we know and become comfy with, especially home users that want an easy life to browse the internet, log on to Facebook, play a few videos and chat to their friends, then Windows XP or Windows 7 happily serves us but if you want to use an Operating system for business or corporate work then you have to move on although I can’t see the App or touch screen side of things being taken on so quickly by corporate users.

XP

Windows XP was launched more than a decade ago in October 2001, and has been succeeded by Windows Vista and Windows 7. But the wildly popular desktop OS is still on 43 per cent of machines, according to recent data, and Microsoft has been forced to extend support for XP until April 2014. Windows 7 now accounts for 42 per cent of the desktop OS market, and it’s unlikely that businesses that may have only just acquired the most recent Operating System will rush to upgrade to Windows 8. It remains to be seen whether there’ll be a sudden rush among corporates still running XP to upgrade, or whether they’ll still drag their heels until the last drop of XP support runs out.

Images Microsoft

Update: Windows 8 has been officially released oct 2012. Over at Lifehacker.com everything you need to know about Windows 8 is explained in great detail.