Server 2012 (Formally Windows 8 Server) Release Candidate Datacenter has been released:

Download Page: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/hh670538.aspx

I can tell that Windows 8 RC will be released very soon.

Windows Server® is the leading server operating system that powers many of the worlds’ largest datacenters, enables small businesses around the world, and delivers value to organizations of all sizes in between. Building on this legacy, Windows Server "8" delivers hundreds of new features and enhancements for transforming virtualization and cloud computing to help you reduce IT costs and deliver more business value. Within Windows Server "8" you will find exciting innovations in areas of virtualization, networking, storage, user experience, and a transition to Windows PowerShell® to take scripting to a whole new level.

Accidentally posted a day early then removed, and hinting at an early release of the Release Preview of Windows 8, a blog post on the Windows Dev Center revealed that May 31st may be the day of the release to the public. The signs are there, just waiting for official confirmation and download links!

In a post today on a Microsoft blog, Vice President on the Windows Development team, Chuck Chan, touted the release of the Windows 8 Release Preview to the Windows Dev Center. The blog post seems to have disappeared, perhaps because it was posted accidentally, but we have archived it below.

Windows 8 has some features to make it boot extremely fast, and can use the new UEFI BIOS and SSD’s to make it even much faster. Perhaps too fast for some of us that need to boot into some diagnostics (BIOS, Safe Mode, etc). Microsoft has needed to design some solution to fixing this “problem” of a super fast booting machine. I wonder if this is what is considered a “First World Problem”. A 7 second boot on a desktop OS and we’re still complaining?!

If the entire length of boot passes in just seven seconds, the individual portions that comprise the boot sequence go by almost too quickly to notice (much less, interrupt). Most of the decisions about what will happen in boot are over in the first 2-3 seconds – after that, booting is just about getting to Windows as quickly as possible. These 2-3 seconds include the time allowed for firmware initialization and POST (< 2 seconds), and the time allowed for the Windows boot manager to detect an alternate boot path (< 200 milliseconds on some systems). These times will continue to shrink, and even now they no longer allow enough time to interrupt boot as you could in the past.

Windows Phone users: if you are behind the times and have not updated your software on your phone, you’re going to have to if you want to keep using the Windows Phone Marketplace, which now requires version 7.5. Good news: it’s a free update. Grab it if you need it, and you now do.

Most phones are already running Windows Phone 7.5, which was released last fall, and so most of you won’t notice anything different about how the Marketplace works. However, if your phone has an earlier version of our software installed, you’ll soon start seeing an error message when you try to download a new app, or update one you already own. (I say “soon" because it will take a day or two for the changes we made today to take effect.)

If past rumors, which point to early June, and current rumors which point to June 1st are correct, we are just about a week away from the next release of the upcoming operating system from Microsoft: Windows 8. Love it or hate it, it’s coming. I’ve grown quite fond of it myself, with the right hardware. Metro UI on a laptop with a touchpad is a pain in the butt.

The Windows 8 Release Preview is nearly here and if the latest information is correct, June 1^st is the day to mark your calendar. The information comes from Canouna who posted the Tweet and is well known within the Windows community for leaking images from the latest builds that are not publically available.

For those that are looking to buy a new PC from now until Windows 8 officially ships (I actually had a misspelling on that word, which hopefully wasn’t some future gazing) – you might want to wait a couple weeks. Starting in early June, Microsoft will be offering an upgrade to Windows 8 Professional when you buy a Windows 7 PC. Sure, it’ll cost you $15, but regardless of the version of  Windows 7, you’re upgraded to the Pro version.

Hopefully, people will want to use the upgrade and not stick with Windows 7, which I am hearing a lot of people are already claiming. What Microsoft article isn’t complete with the “The software giant….” part? I’m guilty of it, myself.

The timing of the offer coincides roughly with the release of the final Windows 8 pre-release milestone, the so-called Release Preview, which Microsoft previously said was due in the first week of June. The software giant is now expected to make Windows 8 broadly available sometime in the second half of 2012.

At first glance you will notice some huge differences between Windows 7 and the upcoming Windows 8. Zuhair Siddiqui wrote an article on Lockergnome listing 5 differences, with some you may not have heard about yet. Some are subtle and others are pretty major (MetroUI).

As Windows 8 comes closer to its release date, there are still several people unsure of whether or not they should upgrade from Windows 7. One of the most frequently asked question regarding Windows 8 is: How is Windows 8 different from Windows 7? Well, here is a list of five new features in Windows 8 that may help you make up your mind.

A bit more confusion with Windows 8. There will be no Windows Media Center in either edition (standard or Pro) without an “anytime upgrade” style upgrade. This also affects the playing of DVD’s, which has been removed from the core OS, requiring the use of a third party codec (VLC works excellent) or an upgrade to WMC. This is mainly due to the licensing costs for DVD playback and other codecs. Why pay for it in the core OS if you are never going to use it (easily never used on a DVD drive-less tablet).

For those of us that do use our PC’s to play DVD’s or as a HTPC, we’ll either fork over for a new WMC or an alternative (which there are plenty).

Confusion sets in when you look at how you get WMC on your Windows 8 machine. If you are running Windows 8 standard, you buy a Windows 8 Pro Pack, which upgrades you to Windows 8 Pro with Media Center. However, if you already own Windows 8 Pro, you need to buy the Windows 8 Media Center Pack to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro with Media Center. Why they don’t include WMC in the stock Win8 Pro is beyond me. It should be the “Ultimate” style of Windows 8, as the Enterprise edition is completely separate (and not needing WMC, anyway).

At least it sounds like WMC will now feature Blu-ray playback without being forced to buy another third party program (WinDVD or others).

Given the changing landscape, the cost of decoder licensing, and the importance of a straight forward edition plan, we’ve decided to make Windows Media Center available to Windows 8 customers via the Add Features to Windows 8 control panel (formerly known as Windows Anytime Upgrade). This ensures that customers who are interested in Media Center have a convenient way to get it. Windows Media Player will continue to be available in all editions, but without DVD playback support. For optical discs playback on new Windows 8 devices, we are going to rely on the many quality solutions on the market, which provide great experiences for both DVD and Blu-ray.

I think Windows 8 tablets will do well. Maybe not at first, but once they gain some traction, they will do very well. For one, look at the Windows ecosystem. It’s gigantic. Software that runs on your home PC will run on your tablet. Apple can’t say that. Lockergnome has a guest blogger chiming in with his thoughts on why Windows 8 tablets will rule the market place.

The two things that may hold them back: pricing and hardware. If they can bring in some high quality hardware with a beautiful display, plenty of memory and a responsive interface (leave Atom at home), and at a low price that is competitive (read: lower) than the competition, then it will be a huge success.

It is a well-known fact that Microsoft has struggled to make a mark in the tablet market. Unfortunately for Microsoft, consumer interest in Windows-based tablets has gradually declined as a result of a string of failed attempts by Microsoft to enter this market. This may all be about to change though; initial impressions of the upcoming Windows 8 operating system on tablets in action are quite positive.

I’m a Microsoft guy. I always have been after my C-64 and we went to MS-DOS and upward from there. I needed a new tablet as my Nook Color wasn’t powerful enough for tablet needs. I was using modded e-reader to be an Android tablet – works great, but hardware limitations suck. I needed a larger screen. I had a few suggestions, but the iPad was the biggest one. Not being an Apple guy, I was reluctant. But, I went for it. 16 GB New iPad Wi-Fi. Will I regret it? Not so far. Check out my thoughts after one day.