new job posting by the company verifies that Windows Blue will include
user experience improvements, not just under-the-covers interface
tweaks. Bonus: There's a reference to "Windows Phone Blue" on
Microsoft's job site, too.
If there's any doubt that the Windows client team is laser-focused on
the coming Blue refresh of Windows 8, a new Microsoft job post makes it
even plainer.
A February 15 post for a software development engineer in test on the Microsoft Careers site (to which Charon at Ma-config.com alerted me),
mentions "Windows Blue." According to that posting, the Core Experience
team in Windows Sustained Engineering (WinSE) is involved in making
improvements to the start screen, application lifecycle, windowing and
personalization. Windows Blue will "build on and improve" these OS
components, the posting says.
Here's an excerpt:
We're looking for an excellent, experienced SDET to join the Core Experience team in Windows Sustained Engineering (WinSE). The Core Experience features are the centerpiece of the new Windows UI, representing most of what customers touch and see in the OS, including: the start screen; application lifecycle; windowing; and personalization. Windows Blue promises to build and improve upon these aspects of the OS, enhancing ease of use and the overall user experience on devices and PCs worldwide."
Blue is the codename for the next wave of Windows-related operating
system and services updates from Microsoft, according to my contacts.
There will be a Blue update to
Windows 8,
Windows Server 2012, Windows Phone 8 and the Windows Services like
Hotmail and SkyDrive -- all of which are slated to wash up in roughly
the same timeframe, my sources have said. Last year, one tipster told me
Microsoft was aiming to deliver Windows Blue around late summer 2013.
Blue isn't simply a fancy new name for a service pack. With Blue,
Microsoft is working to transition to a more rapid update pace.
On the Windows and Windows Phone fronts, Blue is expected to include new
features and even new programming interfaces designed to bring the different flavors of Windows closer together, from an app model/development model perspective.
That said, it's not just Windows internals that will be updated with
Blue. As the job posting above verifies, user interface and experience
updates will be part of Blue, too.
Microsoft officials have declined to comment on Blue. It's unknown what
Microsoft officially will name Blue once it's released, but it's likely
to be positioned as a refresh to Windows 8, not a whole new version of
Windows (like a Windows 9), I continue to hear.
By the way, there are plenty of mentions of "blue" on Microsoft's career
site that have nothing to do with the coming Blue wave/refresh." Blue
links," "blue screens" and "wavy blue lines" all show up -- and have
nothing to do with the upcoming Blue refresh.
Update: @h0x0d (Walking Cat on Twitter) just found a Microsoft job reference to Windows Phone Blue, too. Here's his screen shot of it:
As he notes, there's also a reference to "Excel MX" in that job post.
Excel MX is likely a not-yet-delivered, fully touch-optimized and Metro
Style/Windows Store version of Excel -- similar to the OneNote MX and
Lync MX versions of two of Microsoft's Office apps that are in the
Windows Store now.
