Windows 8 to come with a new file system called Protogon?

The Windows 8 operating system could bring with it a new file system code named Protogon.

This is some information that should be taken with a grain of salt. Some people will remember the WinFS file system announced with Windows Vista which was never integrated into the OS, even if the concept has been reused by Microsoft’s SQL team.

ITWorld has taken a look through the functions which are being hidden within the Windows 8 operating system. This name for the operating system should also be used with caution, as Microsoft’s CEO, Steve Ballmer, found out.

Among the hidden functions, we find a new file system code named Protogon whose trace has been detected in the internal builds of Windows 8 which have been leaked. These are in addition to the changes in the file system which can be seen through the presence of an NT Protogon FS driver.

ITWorld nevertheless remains intrigued by what they have found: "which looks like a kernel mode driver for some sort of (yet unknown) file system called Protogon. It's unclear, whether this is a major new file system or just some minor subsystem".

All About Microsoft has tried to glean additional information about Protogon, but it is of course impossible to get anything from Microsoft on the subject. For Rafael Rivera (Within Windows), this could be the integration of certain concepts taken from databases like transaction cursors and tablets. He believes that Protogon could also replace or emulate the NTFS file system is required.

The mystery remains, although you can read ITWorld’s article which will also provide more details about Windows 8 rumours which we have already written about previously.

Among these is the fast hibernation system, automatic maintenance when the PC is idle, a defragmentation tool which handles SSD solutions and which can easily be run from a TRIM command, the History Vault automatic incremental backup function which is similar to Time Machine on Mac OS X, and the presence of an ISO image mounting tool.

Windows 8 will come with two user distinct interfaces with one to be immersive and providing an alternative to Aero for tablets (simplified version of IE stripped back to its essentials of an address bar), an integrated PDF reader and wider use of the Ribbon interface reaching into Windows Explorer.

The presence of an online applications store, Windows Store, also appears to be a certainty.