Windows 8: Metro Out, Augment Licensing In
A couple big changes will be introduced with Windows 8 that future users and developers ought to be aware of. For starters, Metro is no longer the designated name for the tile-based interface design that will be featured in the OS.
Business Week reports that that Metro AG, a German retailer that sells foodstuff and electronics, threatened the software giant with legal action for supposedly infringing its trademark. Microsoft decided against getting sued and promptly released a memo informing the ecosystem that they can expect a replacement by the October 26 launch date.
“We have used Metro style as a code name during the product-development cycle across many of our product lines,” reads the statement. “As we get closer to launch and transition from industry dialogue to a broad consumer dialogue we will use our commercial names.”
Market analyst Michael Cherry stressed the importance of a new name for the interface, simply because desktop users will have the option of arbitrarily switching between what was formally known as Metro and a more traditional look. Developers need a way to properly label their apps.
The second major update arrives in the form of a change in the Windows end user license agreements. In addition to an easier-to-read format, Microsoft also made things just a little bit easier for individuals that choose to build their own computer.
Right now Microsoft is offering three types of licenses: an OEM version, upgrade licenses for customers that already have a non-Ultimate copy of Windows, and the full, most expensive license known as Full Packaged Product.
Previously you would have to pay a premium for the FFP to be able to install Windows on your custom rig, but with Windows 8 a new license type called Personal Use License for System Builder replaces it. It represents the first time Microsoft formally permits users to install Windows on a custom-built PC or run it in a VM.
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