Predicting Windows 8 scorecard: a place to track what I get right
It's a couple of weeks to the BUILD conference, the Building Windows 8 blog is starting to set the scene and I'm looking back at all the coverage I've already done of an OS most people won't use until next year. I'm not keen on writing about rumours, but I do like detective work; looking at job posts and architectural information to deduce the foundation something will be built on (and the never-publicly-acknowledged presentations that someone at HP leaked were a fascinating view of a work in progress).
Plus, I'm never playing poker with Steven Sinofsky: when we spoke at the 2009 PDC in LA I asked him flat out about Windows on ARM and he produced the most perfect poker face to say what sounded like no (Steven Sinofsky; the future of Windows: http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/sinofsky-the-thinking-behind-windows-8-663088).
But a few months later I did get a hint that ARM might be on the cards from Charlie Kindel on the Windows Phone team (Will Windows 8 run on ARM? http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/will-windows-8-run-on-arm-processors-683227) and we now know it will. We just don't quite know how...
What started out as a rumours piece for TechRadar has evolved over the months, with updates as we've found out more, so this is a mix of detective work and confirmations as news as come out: http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/pc/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-windows-8-643699
I've also been writing about specific topics: Will IE 10 need Windows at all - or why Microsoft won't 'do a Chrome' (which should reassure the still-panicking .NET developers and might explain why Microsoft thinks they've said enough to reassure them already): http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/web/microsoft-s-sinofsky-html5-doesn-t-mean-you-don-t-need-windows-677438
This was a job advert I found and used to predict the importance of Web apps in Windows 8; I'm calling this a successful prediction ;-) Web apps to get Windows 8 love http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/microsoft-s-windows-8-web-app-vision-906713
What Windows 8 on SoC means - or, yes, Windows apps can run on ARM, sometimes: http://ces2011.techradar.com/2011/01/what-does-windows-on-soc-mean-for-windows-8/
Windows 8 wishlist: this was written to be deliberately provocative and certainly got the discussion going, flames and all - I'm giving opinions rather than making predictions so I'm not going to score them...
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/windows-8-features-wishlist,review-1637.html
What IE10 means for Microsoft and Windows 8: more detective work, joining the dots on the standards going into IE10 and the Windows 8 touch interface http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/what-ie10-tells-us-about-windows-8-942732
How Windows 8 touch relies on IE10 http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/how-windows-8-touch-relies-on-ie10-971637
Similarly, predicting from the multitouch Microsoft mouse: What the Touch Mouse tells us about Windows 8 gestures http://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/peripherals/windows-8-gestures-what-the-touch-mouse-tells-us-991070
What Windows 8 needs to compete on tablets: Microsoft telling me they'd been working on Windows 8 touch since before the iPad came out: http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/tablets/microsoft-we-know-where-we-re-going-with-windows-8-tablets-966757
Microsoft hints at a release date for Windows 8: the VP didn't say any more than I'd already calculated, but it was the first semi-official discussion and I broke the news - the first time I was top of a new section on TechMeme! http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/microsoft-hints-at-windows-8-release-date-966233
What we know about the Windows 8 timeline: another definite hit - there was a rumour of a Windows 8 CTP for the Partner Conference and I was convinced it wouldn't happen (it didn't): http://www.techradar.com/news/software/is-a-windows-8-release-date-announcement-close--977481
Plus, I'm never playing poker with Steven Sinofsky: when we spoke at the 2009 PDC in LA I asked him flat out about Windows on ARM and he produced the most perfect poker face to say what sounded like no (Steven Sinofsky; the future of Windows: http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/sinofsky-the-thinking-behind-windows-8-663088).
But a few months later I did get a hint that ARM might be on the cards from Charlie Kindel on the Windows Phone team (Will Windows 8 run on ARM? http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/will-windows-8-run-on-arm-processors-683227) and we now know it will. We just don't quite know how...
What started out as a rumours piece for TechRadar has evolved over the months, with updates as we've found out more, so this is a mix of detective work and confirmations as news as come out: http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/pc/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-windows-8-643699
I've also been writing about specific topics: Will IE 10 need Windows at all - or why Microsoft won't 'do a Chrome' (which should reassure the still-panicking .NET developers and might explain why Microsoft thinks they've said enough to reassure them already): http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/web/microsoft-s-sinofsky-html5-doesn-t-mean-you-don-t-need-windows-677438
This was a job advert I found and used to predict the importance of Web apps in Windows 8; I'm calling this a successful prediction ;-) Web apps to get Windows 8 love http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/microsoft-s-windows-8-web-app-vision-906713
What Windows 8 on SoC means - or, yes, Windows apps can run on ARM, sometimes: http://ces2011.techradar.com/2011/01/what-does-windows-on-soc-mean-for-windows-8/
Windows 8 wishlist: this was written to be deliberately provocative and certainly got the discussion going, flames and all - I'm giving opinions rather than making predictions so I'm not going to score them...
http://www.tomsguide.com/us/windows-8-features-wishlist,review-1637.html
What IE10 means for Microsoft and Windows 8: more detective work, joining the dots on the standards going into IE10 and the Windows 8 touch interface http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/what-ie10-tells-us-about-windows-8-942732
How Windows 8 touch relies on IE10 http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/how-windows-8-touch-relies-on-ie10-971637
Similarly, predicting from the multitouch Microsoft mouse: What the Touch Mouse tells us about Windows 8 gestures http://www.techradar.com/news/computing-components/peripherals/windows-8-gestures-what-the-touch-mouse-tells-us-991070
What Windows 8 needs to compete on tablets: Microsoft telling me they'd been working on Windows 8 touch since before the iPad came out: http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-computing/tablets/microsoft-we-know-where-we-re-going-with-windows-8-tablets-966757
Microsoft hints at a release date for Windows 8: the VP didn't say any more than I'd already calculated, but it was the first semi-official discussion and I broke the news - the first time I was top of a new section on TechMeme! http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/microsoft-hints-at-windows-8-release-date-966233
What we know about the Windows 8 timeline: another definite hit - there was a rumour of a Windows 8 CTP for the Partner Conference and I was convinced it wouldn't happen (it didn't): http://www.techradar.com/news/software/is-a-windows-8-release-date-announcement-close--977481