Microsoft's Windows boss Steve Sinofsky took the stage at the D9 conference to show Windows 8 for the first time.
Although we've seen a lot of leaks, this is the first time Microsoft has actually explained how it will work.
It will basically be two operating systems in one: a traditional
desktop that looks and works a lot like Windows 7 and runs traditional
Windows apps, and a full-screen browser interface that runs apps written
in HTML5 and JavaScript.
That sounds a lot like Google's approach with ChromeOS -- only ChromeOS is Web only, whereas Windows 8 will offer a choice.
Internet Explorer 10 has been configured to run in this full-screen
mode, and Microsoft also showed off a couple of apps like a weather app.
![articleImg_00000022win.png]()
The Start screen -- pictured here -- looks a lot like a mobile phone
home screen, with tiles representing each of the apps. These are "live
tiles" like appear on Windows Phone 7, meaning they're updated in real
time with new relevant information.
The company didn't talk much about the items on that Start screen,
but there's a pretty prominent link to a Store, which lends credence to
the rumors that there will be a built-in app store.
![articleImg_00000023win1.png]()
As far as touch goes, here again Microsoft is trying to have it both
ways -- the new browser-based screen will be optimized for finger touch,
but the company is also revamping the traditional Windows desktop to
support "fuzzy touch", so that traditional apps will work better with
fingers.
The demo was running on Intel-based processors, but Microsoft said
that it would show off Windows 8 running on ARM-based processors at the
Computex show in Taiwan later today.
Microsoft also confirmed that Windows 8 will be the focus of its
developer conference in Anaheim in September, which will be called BUILD -- the old conferences were always called Professional Developers Conferences, or PDCs.