The Windows 8 operating system is the newest member of the Windows
family.
It’s different than earlier Windows releases as much for what it does
not change as for what it does change. That is, the features that IT pros loved
about Windows 7 are still there in Windows 8—just better. The same keyboard
shortcuts, management tools, security features, and deployment options are
available in Windows 8. But in many cases, Windows 8 improves them in intuitive
and significant ways. Random examples are the ribbon in File Explorer and faster
disk encryption when using BitLocker Drive Encryption. This book describes these
enhancements plus many of the new features in Windows 8.
Of course, everyone is talking about the new user interface in Windows 8: the
Start screen, the modern looking windows graphics, and so on. These are not
replacements for the desktop, and it is not an either-or choice that you have to
make. For desktop apps, the same desktop that you used in Windows 7 is still
there in Windows 8. You can still pin apps to the taskbar, pin files to those apps,
and so on. The keyboard and mouse work the same way as it did before on the
desktop. But Windows 8 uses a Start screen instead of the tiny Start menu in
Windows
8. The most obvious benefit is that there is more real estate available
and so apps can display dynamic, live information on their tiles (icons) to bring the
latest information to you at a single glance.
Windows 8 also introduces Windows 8 apps. These are full screen, immersive
apps that provide a different experience than you might be used to with
traditional
desktop apps. They do not have chrome. App commands (menu items)
only appear when you need them. Importantly, Windows 8 and Windows 8 apps
provide
a first-class touch experience, so you can swipe, flick, and use other
intuitive
gestures to get around them.
This book describes these new and improved features. It focuses on IT pros,
however, so we spend fewer pages talking about the new user interface and
more talking about management, deployment, and security. This book is just
an introduction,
an overview. For more detailed information about any of the
features
and capabilities you learn about in this book, the one resource you
need to know about is the Springboard Series on TechNet. The URL is simply
http://www.microsoft.com/springboard.
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