Microsoft to Focus on Windows 8 Starting July '10
Moving from 7 to 8 during 07/2010.
Windows 7 is the big news surrounding all that is Microsoft at the moment, but unlike Windows XP, today's latest version of the operating system will be succeeded within the next three years.
Ars Technica dug through all the Windows 8-related job postings for Microsoft throughout November and found positions open for Software Engineer: Test, Software Engineering: Development, Software Engineering: Project Management, and Sr. Manager, Partner Skills Development - Launch Lead.
One of the more interesting bits comes in the description for the last position, which reads:
Job Purpose/Overview: Do you want to help ready the entire partner ecosystem on all the new Microsoft products and solutions? The Partner Skills Development Team is looking for a senior thought leader and skilled project/product manager to ensure the health of the partner ecosystem through the strategic evolution skills development framework (and its execution) for upcoming Microsoft product launches. For example, in Fy10, the focus will be on Windows Server R2, SQL Server R2, and Wave 14 (Office 2010, SharePoint 2010, and Exchange 2010) and, as we head into Fy11, the focus will quickly switch to Windows 8. In this role you will lead the execution of partner skills development BOMs - by partner type for the entire partner ecosystem - on a WW basis. This role with interact with and influence individuals from across Microsoft, including individuals within the Worldwide Partner Group, Microsoft Learning, SMSGR, the product groups (BGs), Operations, and partner segment teams with SMSG. [Emphasis added.]
Microsoft's fiscal year begins in July, so fiscal year 2011 means July 2010. Given that Microsoft has revealed plans to release Windows 8 in 2012, changing focus to the next operating system two years before launch seems sensible.
Follow us on Twitter for more tech news, reviews, and exclusive updates!
Was XP in your mind "new" or was it just Windows 2000 patched? What is your definition of "new", an entire new kernel OS built from scratch? Good luck waiting on that. I have Vista x64 and while it runs outstanding, this Holiday season I'll upgrade to Windows 7 because while not "new" it does offer improvement in some applications including games over Vista.
Second, what difference does it make how many people they are hiring overseas for this vs. in the USA? While based in the US, Microsoft is an international company and does a lot of business overseas the last time I checked.
Was XP in your mind "new" or was it just Windows 2000 patched? What is your definition of "new", an entire new kernel OS built from scratch? Good luck waiting on that. I have Vista x64 and while it runs outstanding, this Holiday season I'll upgrade to Windows 7 because while not "new" it does offer improvement in some applications including games over Vista.
Second, what difference does it make how many people they are hiring overseas for this vs. in the USA? While based in the US, Microsoft is an international company and does a lot of business overseas the last time I checked.
...releases Alpha July 11
I think Microsoft is moving a little fast now (though they needed to axe Vista even faster than they did, they couldn't survive much more anti-vista PR). They need to do what they did with XP. They have an OS people are happy with now, and they need to maintain and improve it. If Win 8 is just SP3 (just as Win 7 is really just SP2), they will soon find people not giving a rats ass about the new Windows, especially if Microsoft keeps charging big bucks for them.
Then again, Apple releases "new" OSs all the time, and the fanbois seem to keep buying and installing them, maybe that's what Microsoft is going for.
Microsoft usually makes 2 os's from the one core, so Windows 8 should have a new core.
Because SP2 is free but Win8 will cost money.
The will be working on Win7 service packs as well. It's not like Microsoft is only capable of working on one project and one project only. They are developed seperately.
Duh
For now it's just a code name, but who knows. They may decide to keep it. It does kinda make sense to keep with the numbers after they already already started to go in that direction.
They're aiming for a new release every 3 years. 2006, 2009, 2012, etc