Charles Petzold - Programming Windows

ISBN: 978-0-7356-7176-8

Copyright 2012 Charles Petzold

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For the most part, Windows 8 is intended to run on the same class of personal computers as Windows 7, which are machines built around the 32-bit or 64-bit Intel x86 microprocessor family. When Windows 8 is released later this year, it will be available in a regular edition called simply Windows 8 and also a Windows 8 Pro edition with additional features that appeal to tech enthusiasts and professionals.

Both Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro will run two types of programs:

Desktop applications are traditional Windows programs that currently run under Windows 7 and that interact with the operating system through the Windows application programming interface, known familiarly as the Win32 API. Windows 8 includes a familiar Windows desktop screen for running these applications.

The applications known as Metro style are new with Windows 8. These applications incorporate the Metro design paradigm developed at Microsoft, so named because its been inspired by public signage common in metropolitan areas. Metro design is characterized by the use of unadorned fonts, clean open styling, and a tile-based interface.

Internally and externally, Metro style applications represent a radical break with traditional Windows. The programs generally run in a full-screen modealthough two programs can share the screen in a snap modeand many of these programs will probably be optimized for touch and tablet use. Metro style applications will be purchasable and installable only from an application store run by Microsoft.

In addition to the versions of Windows 8 that run on x86 processors, there will also be a version of Windows 8 that runs on ARM processors, most likely in low-cost smartphones and tablets. This version of Windows 8 will be called Windows RT, and it will come preinstalled on these machines. Aside from some preinstalled desktop applications, Windows RT will run Metro style applications only.

Many developers were first introduced to Metro design principles with Windows Phone 7, so its interesting to see how Microsofts thinking concerning large and small computers has evolved. In years gone by, Microsoft attempted to adapt the design of the traditional Windows desktop to smaller devices such as hand-held computers and phones. Now a user-interface design for the phone is being moved up to tablets and the desktop.

One important characteristic of this new environment is an emphasis on multitouch, which has dramatically changed the relationship between human and computer. In fact, the term multitouch is now outmoded because virtually all new touch devices respond to multiple fingers. The simple word touch is now sufficient. Part of the new programming interface for Metro style applications treats touch, the mouse, and a stylus in a unified manner so that applications are automatically usable with all three input devices.