Understanding windows 8 interface

This was previously the Enabled state for this policy setting in builds of Windows before Windows 10, version , build If this policy setting is set to 2 , the behavior is similar to when it is set to 1. However, if a cellular data connection is available, that connection will always stay connected for services that require a cellular connection.

When the user is connected to a WLAN or Ethernet connection, no Internet traffic is routed over the cellular connection.

This option was first available in Windows 10, version If this policy setting is set to 3 , the behavior is similar to when it is set to 2. When Windows decides that a network should no longer be connected, it does not immediately disconnect. Abrupt disconnections degrade the user experience without providing an appreciable benefit and are avoided when possible. As soon as Windows decides to soft-disconnect an interface, it informs the TCP stack that the network should no longer be used.

The existing TCP sessions will continue uninterrupted, but new TCP sessions will use this interface only if explicitly bound or if no other interface routes to the desired destination. This notification to the TCP stack generates a network status change.

Networking applications should listen for these events and proactively move their connections to the new network, if possible. Windows then checks the traffic level on the interface every 30 seconds. If the traffic level is above a certain threshold, no further action is taken. This allows ongoing active use of the interface, such as from a file transfer or VoIP call, to avoid disruption. When the traffic drops below this threshold, the interface will be disconnected.

Applications that keep long-lived idle connections, such as an e-mail client, may be interrupted and should re-establish their connections over a different interface. Windows automatically connects and then immediately soft-disconnects in one circumstance. When a PC first starts or resumes from standby, all interfaces simultaneously attempt to connect in order to ensure that the user obtains network connectivity as quickly as possible.

If multiple interfaces successfully connect, Windows begins soft-disconnecting interfaces immediately. This policy is off by default for Windows 8, Windows 8.

When this policy is enabled, Windows attempts to prevent a PC from being interconnected between a domain network and a non-domain network. Enterprise administrators may use this when they are concerned about potential security breaches using a multi-homed machine as an attack point.

This policy does not affect system behavior when all connected networks route to the domain or when no connected network routes to the domain. Many Windows 8, Windows 8.

However, manually connecting one will automatically cause the other to disconnect immediately. Because Windows 8, Windows 8. When a PC has an Ethernet connection to the domain network, wireless networks that do not connect to the domain cannot be connected, and vice versa. Attempts to do so will result in the following error:. For PCs that have multiple Ethernet ports, Windows cannot prevent an interconnection that is created by physically connecting the PC to two different Ethernet networks.

Because prohibiting interconnections is a security consideration, any disconnections that comply with this policy take effect immediately, even if there is ongoing activity.

Users will experience a connectivity disruption when transitioning between public and corporate networks, even if the two networks overlap. For example, a user engaged in a VoIP call over a mobile broadband network with a laptop docked to a corporate Ethernet connection will lose the call, although the app may be able to automatically recover over the new connection.

If the policy was not enabled, Windows would instead soft-disconnect the mobile broadband connection by waiting for the call to complete. On the other hand, a VoIP call started over a corporate Wi-Fi network will not be disrupted when docked to the corporate network because both networks connect to the domain.

The Wi-Fi network is disconnected after the call is completed. This policy prevents Windows from connecting to mobile broadband networks that are in a roaming state. By default, this policy is disabled, and the user may choose to manually connect to a mobile broadband network while roaming or to enable automatically connecting to such a network. When this policy is enabled, the user cannot choose a roaming mobile broadband network from Connection Manager.

When considering which multiple connections to maintain, Windows uses a number of traits to determine the preferred networks. This is used only when determining whether to maintain a connection to a given interface, not for routing. Normal Select Cursor.

Link Select Cursor. Text Select Cursor. Working in Background Pointer. Busy Pointer. Unavailable Cursor. Precision Select Cursor. Error Icon. Warning Icon. Information Icon. Question Mark Icon. The vector stencils library "Window elements" contains 24 window elements: frames, boxes and buttons. Use it to design graphic user interface GUI of your Windows 8 software application.

It consists of a visual area containing some of the graphical user interface of the program it belongs to and is framed by a window decoration. It usually has a rectangular shape that can overlap with the area of other windows. It displays the output of and may allow input to one or more processes. Windows are primarily associated with graphical displays, where they can be manipulated with a pointer by employing some kind of pointing device.

A graphical user interface GUI using windows as one of its main "metaphors" is called a windowing system, whose main components are the display server and the window manager. Window frame. Dialog box. Window with command area. Command area. Close window button. Minimize window button.

Restore window button. Maximize window button. Minimize window button - hover. Restore window button - hover. Maximize window button - hover. Window resize handle. Vertical separator. Horizontal separator. Back button. Forward button. Warning icon. Error icon. Information icon. Question mark icon. Refresh icon. You may be able to switch from one app to another seamlessly, but you can't view more than one at any given moment.

The tiled interface for Windows 8 works more like the second method -- the running app takes center stage. But you can make it act a little like the desktop environment with a feature Microsoft calls Snap.

Snap lets you assign an app running in the background to either the left or right side of the screen while the app you're running in the foreground takes up most of the screen's real estate.

Microsoft also lets you Snap your desktop to the side of the screen. This will let you see all applications your computer is currently running. It's like the application tabs in older versions of the operating system. The Snap version of an app may have only a few features -- such as notifications -- enabled.

You'll be able to see both apps at the same time, but you may not have access to each app's full functionality the way you would with software windows in desktop mode.

Delivering a common experience across multiple devices requires more than just an operating system that can handle mouse-and-keyboard or touch commands. To be able to move seamlessly from one device to another, you have to make sure all your apps and data are accessible across each device. Just a few years ago, that would require you to save data to some form of removable data storage and transfer it physically to another machine.

Microsoft made a shift to the cloud with Windows 8. The cloud is a general term for networked computers that store data and applications on them. Saving data to the cloud means that you can access the information with any gadget capable of connecting to the cloud network.

In Windows 8, a user must create a profile that includes access to Microsoft's cloud network. Signing on from any Windows 8 device will give you access to your apps and data as if it were your primary machine.

Windows 8 apps run directly on user devices. That means that signing into a Windows 8 machine with your account will give you access to your apps, but you'll have to download them to the machine first. For people who are particular about their OS settings, Windows 8 cloud synchronization is a welcome addition.

Setting features like desktop themes, language and preferred browser on one Windows 8 device creates the foundation. When you log in from a different Windows 8 device, the OS applies your preferences from the other machine. This even applies to browser history, so if you want to show someone that funny cat video you looked at on a completely different computer, you still have that option.

Microsoft isn't the only company leveraging cloud networks in an operating system. Google's Chrome OS relies even more heavily on cloud connections. One downside to cloud connectivity is that you need an Internet connection to take advantage of it.

As anyone who has watched the infamous YouTube clip of Steve Ballmer rallying an audience at a conference several years ago knows, Microsoft values developers. The company created a suite of tools and resources for anyone interested in building apps for Windows 8. There are three main pathways developers can take when building an app.

These are the same tools you'd use to create a dynamic Web page. This is a good choice for developers who want to port a Web site experience into an app. The second method is to build an app using a more traditional programming language. These languages allow developers to create Silverlight ,.

The third method requires developers to build an app using DirectX, a suite of interfaces useful for creating multimedia applications. Any developer who wants to submit an app to the Windows Store needs to download Windows 8 and the suite of developer tools Microsoft makes available for free.

The developer will also need to apply for a developer license, which is free. There are several guides -- both created by Microsoft and by third parties -- that explain how to create an app and give plenty of tips and tricks. Microsoft built some guidelines directly into Windows 8, including a grid layout that lets app developers arrange the graphics and text in their apps so that the app is both attractive and functional.

Microsoft conducted research with focus groups to learn how people interact with touch-screen interfaces, including tablets. They looked for patterns to determine where to locate controls and commands.

The company makes the research available to app developers to help them design apps optimized for Windows 8.

Once a developer has built and tested an app, it's time to submit it to the Windows Store. Microsoft conducts its own tests to make sure apps work properly.

Assuming everything checks out and the app doesn't violate any of Microsoft's policies, it will appear in the Windows Store as an available download. App developers have options for monetizing their apps. They can charge a fee for the app, include in-app purchases or use advertising to generate revenue. As part of the app developer's agreement with Microsoft, which every developer must agree to before their apps will appear in the store, Microsoft gets 30 percent of the revenue generated by an app.

So what's really going on beneath all the tiles and desktops? First, Windows 8 is actually version 6. Windows XP is version 5. Why is there a discrepancy between the version number and the name?

Part of the answer is to prevent application errors. Some applications contain code that sets an upper limit on the OS version number. The code might let the application run on a version 6. Why set version limits at all?

A cynic might say it helps guarantee a customer base for future versions of the software by forcing people to buy new versions as they upgrade their machines. But another reason is that some applications depend upon certain OS features, and using the OS version number as a guide is a shortcut to making sure those features are present.

Microsoft advises against this approach. The company urges developers to create tests to check for specific features instead of looking at the OS version number [source: Microsoft ].