Qualcomm: Microsoft providing Snapdragon-based test PCs to developers

Qualcomm sends out word that Microsoft is providing developers with Snapdragon-based Windows on ARM test systems.

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced that its Snapdragon� processor will be joining Microsoft Corp.'s Windows on ARM developer seeding program. Qualcomm is working with Microsoft to provide test PCs to select developers in order to test and optimize apps for forthcoming Snapdragon-powered Windows on ARM PCs and tablets. This invitation-only program will combine a pre-release version of Windows on ARM with next-generation, high performance Snapdragon S4 test PCs. These test PCs are not representative of commercial form factors or the final Windows on ARM experience; they are designed to give developers early access to building and testing Windows Metro style apps on Qualcomm's latest technology.

The Windows on ARM developer seeding program will help ensure that Windows Metro style apps available in the Windows Store work great on all Windows 8-based PCs, including those with Qualcomm's ARM-compliant Snapdragon processors.

"Microsoft's development tools and the Qualcomm Snapdragon test PCs will enable developers to build and test Metro style apps for Windows on ARM PCs," said Stefan Kinnestrand, director of business planning, Windows Division, Microsoft. "Based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor, these systems will equip developers to create Metro style apps and offer a rich set of hardware peripherals that plug in and help enable seamless user experiences on the Windows on ARM platform."

Qualcomm, with Microsoft, is among those leading the shift to anytime, anywhere connectivity. The Snapdragon mobile processor will offer a combination of processing performance, rich multimedia, GPS, high-performance graphics, wireless connectivity and power efficiency with Windows on ARM.

"Qualcomm is committed to the Windows on ARM ecosystem and knows that enabling developers is a crucial factor for its success," said Luis Pineda, senior vice president of product management, computing and consumer products at Qualcomm. "We are now providing Snapdragon S4 test PCs with built-in 4G LTE, activated in some regions, to software application developers."

Qualcomm's participation in the Windows on ARM developer seeding program provides select developers with the latest generation Snapdragon S4 test PCs running a pre-release version of Windows on ARM. These test PCs contain Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 processor with second-generation high performance, power efficient CPU, hardware accelerated Adreno� graphics, full multimedia, GPS, sensors, and peripherals that will enable development and test of next-generation Windows Metro style apps for the coming wave of Windows on ARM PCs.

Earlier today NVIDIA informed the press that Microsoft is handing out Tegra 3 based test PCs to developers.

Qualcomm: Microsoft providing Snapdragon-based test PCs to developers - More news at DV Hardware

Microsoft reveals details of ReFS file system

Microsoft has revealed details about ReFS (Resilient File System), a new file system that will be introduced with Windows Server 8. You can learn about it at ZD Net.

ReFS will begin life as a storage system for Windows Server only. Then � some time post Windows 8 � it will become a storage system for Windows clients, and then ultimately �as a boot volume,� said author of the post, Surendra Verma, a development manager on the Windows Storage and File System team. (Interestingly, when the first leaks about ReFS, codenamed Protogon, occurred last year, those who discovered the new file system found it in leaked Windows 8 client builds.)

NTFS, the New Technology File System, has been part of Windows since Windows XP and Windows NT 3.1 were introduced in 2001 and 1993, respectively. (Thanks for the date corrections, readers.)

There are some NTFS features for which Microsoft plans to drop support with ReFS, specifically named streams, object IDs, short names, compression, file level encryption (EFS), user data transactions, sparse, hard-links, extended attributes, and quotas, Verma blogged. That said, one of Microsoft�s goals with ReFS is to �maintain a high degree of compatibility with a subset of NTFS features that are widely adopted while deprecating others that provide limited value at the cost of system complexity and footprint,� Verma said.

Microsoft reveals details of ReFS file system - More news at DV Hardware

Microsoft to hinder Linux booting on ARM hardware?

ComputerWorld reports Microsoft has revealed that Secure Boot will be a requirement for all ARM based devices with Windows 8, thereby making it a lot harder or even impossible to install Linux on ARM hardware systems certified for Windows 8.

This confirms that it is indeed possible to disable Secure Boot - but only on non-ARM systems (i.e. traditional PCs.) In other words, it would appear that Microsoft is still locking out GNU/Linux from installation on ARM-based Windows 8 machines.

So this leaves me confused. The document was published some time after Microsoft's post where it states "Microsoft does not mandate or control the settings on PC firmware that control or enable secured boot from any operating system other than Windows", and yet it seems to contradict it. So what's going here? Was Microsoft's blog statement only about non-ARM systems, as the new documentation suggests? And if so, why the discrimination? And finally, is ARM really happy to see Microsoft apparently locking out GNU/Linux from its systems in this way? Let's hope Microsoft can clarify this situation as it did on the previous occasion.

Microsoft to hinder Linux booting on ARM hardware? - More news at DV Hardware

Microsoft says Metro Start screen is evolution of the Start menu

Microsoft bloggers Steven Sinofsky and Chaitanya Sareen explain the advantages of Windows 8's new Metro Start screen and why it offers a better user experience than the old Start menu, you can read it over here.

Based on these challenges and your feedback, we�ve continued to refine the Start experience over the years. However, we find that even the Windows 7 Start menu still faces core usability challenges:

The menu feels cramped relative to available screen real estate when you try to see and navigate the full catalog of your programs.

Search doesn�t have the space it deserves to quickly show you rich results across all sources of information, especially on larger screens.

It�s hard to customize the menu to make it feel like it�s really yours.

Icons and shortcuts are static and don�t leverage more of the pixels we see in modern graphical interfaces to surface connected scenarios.

Of course, the above list isn�t a complete set of everything we are improving. We also aim to unify Start with the rest of the system and enable new scenarios. An important part of design is sometimes taking a step back to fundamentally reimagine something from the ground up in order to bring more than incremental improvements to a product. This is especially true for something like Start that was born in a very different time when we didn�t use our PCs the way we do today.

Microsoft says Metro Start screen is evolution of the Start menu - More news at DV Hardware

Microsoft officially kills Zune

Microsoft put the final nail in the coffin of its Zune media player. No new Zune players will be manufactured, but owners will continue to receive support.

We recently announced that, going forward, Windows Phone will be the focus of our mobile music and video strategy, and that we will no longer be producing Zune players. So what does this mean for our current Zune users? Absolutely nothing. Your device will continue to work with Zune services just as it does today. And we will continue to honor the warranties of all devices for both current owners and those who buy our very last devices. Customer service has been, and will remain a top priority for us.

Microsoft officially kills Zune - More news at DV Hardware