Windows 8 to come into focus

Will Windows 7 mark the end of Microsoft operating system road? Will Google’s much touted Chrome OS be the operating system of next decade?  Will Microsoft’s next version of windows be completely cloud-based?

I don’t think so as Microsoft has already started to work on their next operating system, referred to as “Windowns 8”, with main focus on Distributed File System Replication (DFSR) service.

As mentioned in blog Windows 8 Center,

Microsoft starting major improvements for Windows 8 soon. Microsoft already entered the planning stages of Windows 8 last year in March when Windows 7 was still in Milestone 1. The Redmond company recently revealed in a job opening post for the Lead Software Development Engineer position that it will soon begin working on major improvements on Windows 8:

“For the upcoming version of Windows, new critical features are being worked on including cluster support and support for one way replication. The core engine is also being reworked to provide dramatic performance improvements. We will also soon be starting major improvements for Windows 8 where we will be including innovative features which will revolutionize file access in branch offices”

The following innovative features are some of the many features that we could be seeing in Windows 8:

• Distributed File System Replication (DFSR) service: A multi-master replication engine set up for folder synchronization across multiple servers. This may be something we will be seeing in Windows 8 Server.
• Major improvements in BranchCache: BranchCache was a new feature developed in Windows 7. Basically when data from an intranet website or file server is accessed, it caches those files locally so the next user can access them more quickly. Major improvements can be expected for BranchCache.

These were some of Microsoft’s comments on the upcoming features:

DFSR is Microsoft’s premier file replication engine and is an integral part of our branch office strategy and File Server role. It can scale to thousands of servers and replicate hundreds of terabytes of data. We have shipped the technology that powers file sharing in Windows Live Messenger, Windows Meeting Spaces (Vista) and Branch Office replication in Windows Server 2008 which has strong customer deployment. DFSR technology saves MS-IT and our customers more than 80% WAN bandwidth by using advanced On-The-Wire differential compression,” the software giant adds in the job posting.

If Microsoft sticks to the kind of schedule to which it has adhered with Windows 7, Windows 8 will be released around 2011 (with Microsoft publicly promising a 2012 delivery target). While it’s way too early to speculate what kinds of features will be in it, it definitely is in the works….

Any early requests for features/functionality you’re hoping makes it into Windows 8 client and server?