I'm in Anaheim, California for this week's BUILD conference, where Microsoft promises to reveal Windows 8 (and Windows Server 8) to the world. BUILD is a replacement for two previous Microsoft shows, WinHEC (hardware) and PDC (software), and like those shows, it's focused on developers. But BUILD is of interest not just to developers, but to the much broader range of tech enthusiasts who want to know more about what's coming next.
This is it, folks. It's going to be a fire hose of information. But let me just frame where my head is at with a simple declaration:
My next OS is better than your next OS
Just the right blend of excitement and aggression, right? The reason is simple: Windows 8 is going to blow us away. And while I already know a lot about Windows 8, much of which I've agreed not to communicate publicly until the big public unveiling on Tuesday, suffice to say, it's heady stuff. Microsoft has already publicly commented that this will be the biggest change to Windows since Windows 95, which was a purposeful way of setting the bar pretty high, but what I know so far bears out that claim.
This week, I'll be updating the SuperSite at a furious pace, revealing what we've found out the moment Microsoft says it's OK, via articles, blog posts, and screenshot galleries. I'll be live blogging with the usual tech blogger cohorts during the Tuesday and Wednesday keynote addresses. Co-hosting a massive BUILD party, the Build Blogger Bash, on Wednesday. And performing a live version of the Windows Weekly podcast with Mary Jo Foley this week from the show.
And before I even get home on Friday, I'll have started writing my next book, Windows 8 Secrets, which I can now tell you will be a completely new, written-from-the-ground-up look at only the newest and most changed parts of Windows 8. It's an exciting project, and I'm happy to say that my Windows 7 Secrets co-author, Rafael Rivera, has agreed to join me again for the ride. We may even have another special surprise for you in the days ahead.
So stay tuned. It's going to be a crazy week.
--Paul