Windows 8 Targets Application Efficiency

by | Feb 9, 2012

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Microsoft’s Windows 8 (pictured) will increase energy efficiency in the operating system’s applications, according to two of the product’s developers.

One example of this new drive for efficiency, described in a blog post by lead program managers Sharif Farag and Ben Srour, is Windows 8’s background tasks infrastructure.

The infrastructure enables developers to code applications in such a way that when they are not in active use, they only perform essential functions – conserving energy in the process. Similarly, if an app is open, but not on screen, and the screen is not on, it should not impact your battery life or energy use, the developers say.

Applications designed for Windows 7 will still work as they always have done with no change in behavior, the developers say.

While Microsoft’s focus on its PC operating system is laudable, efficiency in large-scale IT set ups has long been a key goal for many companies.

In October last year, Kaiser Permanente, KPMG, State Street and Allstate topped a ranking by magazine Computerworld of the top green IT users.

The Green IT rankings, now in their fourth year, aim to identify organizations that are implementing smart, efficient strategies to green their IT.

Kaiser Permanente’s efforts saved 7.2 million kWh of power from data center operations, and over $770,000 from energy budgets, Computerworld said.

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