What to Expect from Windows 8?

App store, done right, would be huge. And I know it might not sound popular, but Microsoft buying Steam from Valve or making their own would be a bingo for Windows. They kind of have that Live Games now, and Valve's core business isn't Steam anyways.

Like System Restore? Notorious source of problems from viruses hiding within it, to it removing important files. Like Altiris SVS? With it's ease of accidentally uninstalling your documents along with an app if you misuse it? Like Windows XP System File Protection which isn't as helpful as you'd hope in the fight against malware? Like factory shipping systems with a boot option that restores the computer to factory shipping state - blank, no programs, no settings - always a fun support call to get.

A big red restore button is a hard feature to add and get right - and I don't want to deal with the aftermath of them adding it and getting it wrong.

Having a Win 8 os that starts up in say 15 seconds, 30 seconds or 45 seconds give-or-take will take the game.

Compared to the iPad's starting up in ~0 seconds, and Mac OS X's resuming in ~2 seconds, the game is already taken and Windows lost it. The best it can do is play catch-up - and a 30 second boot was doable on a Windows PC two years ago ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DWAmReoryI ).

A software license that roams wherever you go blurs the lines between a desktop and a laptop. A futuristic plan details users having system settings go wherever they go.

Futuristic plan? Windows has had roaming profiles for many years, and with Server 2008 and Windows 7 transparent VPN access that should be possible to setup with the server remotely right now. Assuming both systems have the game installed and the game supports saving part way through like that, and your internet connection is fast enough to download / sync your profile every time you login without annoying you.