KV Group: Windows 8

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27 June 2013

What's new in Windows 8.1

Microsoft has come up with improvements instead of new features. The new Windows 8.1 is the result of feedbacks which Microsoft got from users since the launch of Windows 8.

So let see what Microsoft has new to offer.

Lets Start from the Start

There is a good news, now you can boot directly to desktop instead of permanent start screen. Basically you can boot directly to anywhere you want – to All apps screen, individual apps, the start menu. The start Button also returns in new Windows 8.1 but it will take you to Start screen not the old start menu (like in windows 7).

I love Windows 7 because the main issue with Windows 8 is its user interface that feels good only on touchscreen based devices.

Swiping from the start screen brings up all the app and now there are more criteria to sort the app. The start screen can be now customized to more colors and you can now place desktop wallpaper behind the Start screen.

The on-screen Keyboard has some new gestures, now you can slide up from any key that has a number as a secondary key, and the number will be inserted automatically, instead of having to switch to a different panel.

The new Windows 8.1 is more cloud friendly with in-depth integration of Microsoft’s cloud storage service SkyDrive. You can now decide in your apps whether to view files on your PC or on SkyDrive and where to save the files.

Windows 8.1 comes up with new Universal search. Searching any term will display results from them web and from your offline files. The Windows 8.1 Store is totally remodeled, with new lists that makes it easier to find things.

At last comes 3D Printing, Microsoft is partnering with Makerbot, 3D Systems, Form Labs, Autodesk, and several other software and hardware companies to add 3D printing support to 8.1.

11 December 2012

Creating a Windows 8 (Metro) style Web site using CSS, HTML

The call METRO style is the new style interface of Microsoft applications, can be seen, for example, in Windows Phone 7 and Windows 8. The main menu of these applications has a simple format, based on the tiles, usually two different sizes.

An example of this menu can be seen in the following figure.

Get to work

To develop this menu, divide the lines in the central region in which we insert the tiles.

The tiles are of two types: normal and wide (as seen in the image above) and the colors will be given later with the addition of CSS classes.

To begin, let's create the title and the lines that will structure the menu, as shown below:
HTML Page:
<html>
<head>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="estilo.css"/>
    <meta charset="UTF-8"/>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="<http://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.7.2.min.js>"></script>
    <script type="text/javascript" src="script.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Início</h1>
    <div class="pagina">
        <div class="linha">
        </div>
        <div class="linha">
        </div>
        <div class="linha">
        </div>
    </div>
</div>
</body>
</html>

CSS File:

@font-face { font-family: Century; src: url('GOTHIC.ttf'); }
body{
    font-family: Century;
    background: rgb(51,51,51);
    color: #fff;
    padding:20px;
}
.pagina{
    width:auto;
    height:auto;
}
.linha{
    width:auto;
    padding:5px;
    height:auto;
    display:table;
}

Tile added:
<div class="pagina">
    <div class="linha">
        <div class="tile">
        </div>
        <div class="tile">
        </div>
        <div class="tile tileLargo">
        </div>
        <div class="tile">
        </div>
        <div class="tile tileLargo">
        </div>
    </div>
    <div class="linha">
        <div class="tile tileLargo">
        </div>
        <div class="tile">
        </div>
        <div class="tile">
        </div>
        <div class="tile">
        </div>
        <div class="tile tileLargo">
        </div>
    </div>
    <div class="linha">
        <div class="tile">
        </div>
        <div class="tile">
        </div>
        <div class="tile">
        </div>
        <div class="tile tileLargo">
        </div>
        <div class="tile">
        </div>
        <div class="tile">
        </div>
    </div>
</div>

Formatting initial tiles:
.tile{
    height:100px;
    width:100px;
    float:left;
    margin:0 5px 0 0;
    padding:2px;
}
.tileLargo{
    width:210px;
}
.amarelo{
    background:#DAA520;
}
.vermelho{
    background:#CD0000;
}
.azul{
    background:#4682B4;
}
.verde{
    background-color: #2E8B57;
}

Association of tiles to color:
<div class="pagina">
    <div class="linha">
        <div class="tile amarelo">
        </div>
        <div class="tile azul">
        </div>
        <div class="tile tileLargo vermelho">
        </div>
        <div class="tile verde">
        </div>
        <div class="tile tileLargo amarelo">
        </div>
    </div>
    <div class="linha">
        <div class="tile tileLargo amarelo">
        </div>
        <div class="tile azul">
        </div>
        <div class="tile verde">
        </div>
        <div class="tile vermelho">
        </div>
        <div class="tile tileLargo verde">
        </div>
    </div>
    <div class="linha">
        <div class="tile amarelo">
        </div>
        <div class="tile verde">
        </div>
        <div class="tile vermelho">
        </div>
        <div class="tile tileLargo verde">
        </div>
        <div class="tile azul">
        </div>
        <div class="tile verde">
        </div>
    </div>
</div>

29 May 2012

Microsoft: Windows 8 boots too fast for mere mortals

Windows 8 boots so fast, users will likely not have time to trigger the boot menu before the PC boots, Microsoft claims.

In a blog post this week, Chris Clark, a program manager on the Windows User Experience team, again claimed that Windows 8 will boot in less than 7 seconds on a PC equipped with a solid-state drive.

In older PCs, users have had plenty of time to hit the F2 or the F8 key and trigger a boot menu before the machine POSTs, and could use that menu to run diagnostic tools and boot from alternate devices. With Windows 8, that "window" to push the F8 key is less than 200 ms, Clark wrote, fast enough that even a gamer might be hard pressed to hit the correct keystroke in time.

Instead, Microsoft had to come up with some alternative methods of getting to the boot menu.

In Windows 8, users will automatically be taken to the boot menu in the case where Windows can't boot - even in situations where Windows thinks it can, such as in the case of a faulty display driver. In that case, the boot options menu is presented.

Users can also manually access the boot options. The primary method of doing so, Clark explained, is from the Advanced startup on the General tab of PC settings. Users can get to PC settings from the Settings charm, or by searching from the Start screen using specific search terms, such as boot, startup, safe mode, firmware, BIOS, or several others, he wrote.

Probably the most common way of reaching the boot options menu, however, will be clicking and holding the SHIFT key while choosing the restart option, in much the same say that sleep and hibernate options can be selected under older Windows PCs.

"The reason that we added this Shift+Restart option to the shutdown menu was because the boot options need to be available even when no one has signed in to the PC," Clark wrote. "In the old hardware model that allowed keystrokes in boot, anyone with physical access to the PC could press a key to interrupt boot and use the available boot options. To preserve those scenarios, we needed a way for someone who hasn't signed in (but is still physically using the PC) to use the boot options menu.

Microsoft also added a command-line option: "Shutdown.exe /r /o", where the "/o" flag will load the options menu.

17 January 2012

Get Windows 8 Aero Color Change Feature to Windows 7

Windows 8 automatically detects the background wallpaper color and changes the Aero Glass color intensity according to Wallpaper color intensity. Most applications based on Windows 8 are designed by deviantart users. Aero Adjuster is just another addition to that. This is an app that adds a bit of Windows 8 functionality to Windows 7. It can bring same Windows 8 Aero features in Windows 7 also. It sits in the tray, automatically detects when you change your wallpaper/when it is changed as part of Win 7′s desktop slideshow, and changes the Aero color to fit that wallpaper.

Aero Adjuster is shipped in zip file so you need to extract it and double click on application file to start.

You can Close, Restore Original Aero color and Fit Aero color to wallpaper color from right click option on system tray apps icon. Below you can see the effect on Windows Aero before and after applying the application on Windows 7.

DOWNLOAD

07 January 2012

Windows 8 Developer Preview Available for Download Now

Microsoft unveiled about Windows 8 Developer Preview during Build Conference at Anaheim, California. The developer preview version of the new OS by Microsoft is now available for download.
There are two verions of new OS available for download, a 32-bit version or a 64-bit version for x86 machine. There is a good thing about the Developer Preview version, it does not require to be activated, but it is still far from a final version of the new Operating System, so if you are going install it for a try, expect bugs and glitches.
Windows 8 Developer Preview Download Resources
Windows 8 Dev Center
Windows 8 Developer Preview Guide
Windows 8 Installation System Requirements
Windows 8 works great on the same hardware that powers Windows Vista and Windows 7:
1 gigahertz or faster 32-bit or 64-bit processor
1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
For taking advantage of touch input requires a screen that supports multi-touch.
New Features in Windows 8
Microsoft Windows 8 is coming with so many new and interesting features, a list of expected features is as below
Metro Style Interface and Apps
Internet Explorer 10
New Start Screen
Touch Key Board
Support for ARM based chip-set
Touch Browsing
Windows Apps Store
Communication between apps
Support for Windows 7 Desktop Apps
Enhanced Windows Explorer
New Task Manager
Push Button Reset
Developer Tools
Windows 8 Preview Screen Shots:

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