Final Thoughts on TechEd 2012

When I was at TechEd 2012 I got a good chance to use and learn more about Windows 8

I've been back from Orlando a couple weeks now and I'm still trying to wrap my mind around everything I learned and did at TechEd 2012. There was a ton of stuff to learn from the breakout sessions, the people I've met, and the vendors, not to mention life was insane. It's really hard to breakdown all of that in one simple post, but I'll give it a try.

Windows 8 and Server 2012


Microsoft is really going out on a limb here. This could either be a genius move or end up another Windows ME. There are some really great things in Windows 8. Microsoft has stepped up their security and Windows  To Go is an innovative idea that makes sense. The OS is going to be great for touch screen products like tablets, convertible laptops, and phones.

The problem I see is that on desktop PCs, or anything using a mouse, this might not translate as well. Once I was past the learning curve, Windows 8 functioned great on the tablet I was using. In the second day keynote Microsoft seemed really convinced that touch is the wave of the very near future. Time will tell if this gamble is worth the risk.

I didn't talk to one person who was even mildly interested in rolling it out to their company. I couldn't imagine rolling it out here at Wade Trim. The flack we got when we upgraded to Windows 7 was pretty bad considering the changes in the user interface wasn't that different from Windows XP. I can only imagine what it would be like for companies going to Windows 8 within the next few years.

Maybe that's Microsoft's strategy. Maybe they're going to get people used to Windows 8 at home and then it won't be such a dramatic switch when we upgrade to Windows 9, or whatever the next version of Windows is called. Again, time will tell.