CIOInsider India Magazine

It’s an established fact that the corporate world has become used to 'work-from-home' and 'remote-working' models. But why get used to it when there’s a fat chance at excelling in it? As Microsoft presents, the new Windows 11 brings next-generation capabilities that enhance the end-user’s productivity of any field in a flexible and fluid manner. It’s a shout out to all those ‘working-from-home’ since Microsoft new Windows 11 platform allows users can count on, feel safe online, perform better and most of all it deletes that ever-appearing ‘connectivity’ issue.

It doesn’t change much, but it is made to give a more modern feel, since the computer application and software developer giant prioritizes the ‘cloud’ that enables for a more modern yet familiar feel. Users can still gaze upon its new offerings and still feel familiar with their typical operations. As officials recall the experience for existing windows users to be able to continue to work, learn and play.

Compared to the previous platform, officials deemed the new platform to be quicker, battery-efficient, and better for multi-tasking. Users can certainly impress their fellow computing peers, as the company assures a fresh feel from the ‘Start Menu’ to the new ways to connect to favorite people, news, games, and content. Windows 11 is the ‘go-to’ to think, express and create in a natural way.

Three Minutes to Build an App
By the time ‘Hey Jude’ by the Beatles is done, an app can be built. As the company trumpets around keeping the familiarity, apps can be made to be feel more at home. With the new PWABuilder3, users can build an app from their web within a span of three minutes. There’s good news for the web as well, as the new WebView2 runtime makes it hassle free to take advantage of the web-platform as a performant and secure way to build hybrid web apps. Apps which are built can run smoothly on Windows on ARM, with the new ARM64 Emulation Compatible ABI. While that’s happening, users can mix regular ARM and emulated x64 in the same process or module. This means that users can optimize their app to run on Windows on ARM even if the app has x64 dependencies or loads x64 plugins that are not controlled by users.

There’s More in Store with the New Microsoft Store
The newly redesigned store makes for much smoother searching experience and discovery of curated stories and collections. Apps can be installed directly from the store with the help of a new feature called the ‘Pop-up’. The store also promises for more revenue sharing options, such as keeping 100 percent, but PC games excluded.

Game Developers Listen Well
Here’s to the curious gamers whose game development process is now easier and better. Since the company has developed a new Game Development Kit (GDK) comes with regular tools, libraries and documentation that help build games for PC. GDK comes with a Game Stack collection of technologies that enables developers to create, publish, monetize, and scale their games. The company has surely kept its thought on its availability, as they offer the new GDK free of charge on GitHub and is publicly available.

The excellent game play technology, which was exclusively available on consoles, is now available on Windows 11, with DirectStorage support. Users will require a PCIe 3.0+ NVMe SSD and a GPU that supports DirectX 12 and Shader Model 6.0+ to get the most out of DirectStorage. This allows for faster loading times as well as more expansive, detailed, and dynamic environments. As well as Auto HDR, which automatically updates DirectX 11 and newer games to high dynamic range with increased lighting and colour without the need for further work from gamers or fellow gamers.

App Rejuvenation
If users want their app to feel more at home on Windows 11, users can utilize WinUI3 to take use of the built-in UI updates like rounded geometry, revised iconography, new typography, amusing micro-interactions (like Lottie animation), and a renewed colour palette. Mica and other new materials add meaningful hierarchy and more. Users will be able to be more productive on Windows 11 thanks to snap layouts.
Also, Reunion Windowing allows users to effortlessly construct and control the windows of their project. It integrates with existing app code, simplifies routine tasks, and adds new features like light-dismiss behavior, picture-in-picture mode, and easy titlebar customization to the desktop programs.

Your Guide to Install Windows 11
It’s not immediate but is sure to happen in the 2021 calendar, as the new platform will be made available as free update to compatible Windows 10 devices. Just like how the company has stated that it would take three minutes to build an app, similarly it takes three steps to install the new platform and get things running.

Step-1: Sign-Up
If it’s a first time on the Insider Preview Builds, fear not, for it only requires a basic sign-up for the Windows Insider Program with the regular web in usage. To get things going, users first need to have a Microsoft or Azure account and it will sign-up users in a jiffy.

Step-2: Microsoft Expectations must be Met
If the PC lacks the minimum requirements Microsoft expects, users can attempt at upgrading their PC. These requirements calls for a 1GHz or faster processor with two or more cores on a 64GB processor, System firmware with a UEFI, TPM (Trusted Platform Module), Graphics card that is compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver. Display with a High Definition(720p) capable of 9” diagonally, 8 bits per colour channel. Internet Connection, since switching a device out of Windows 11 home in S mode requires internet access to perform updates, and downloads of features.

Step-3: Install Windows Insider Program
Once signed-in, the next step is to click on the ‘Settings’ which will open a ‘Update & Security’ dialogue box and then click ‘Windows Insider Program’. But for beginners confused on the multiple channels like the Dev, Beta and Release Preview, take a chill pill and hop on the Dev Channel to be among the first to install Windows 11 when it’s launched.

"We're reimagining everything from the operating system to the store with Windows 11 to unlock new opportunities for people and the globe," tweeted Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO, Microsoft Corporation.