Microsoft Surface Archival Project
Overview
The Microsoft Surface (PixelSense) is a line of touch sensitive tables developed by Microsoft, running an embedded OS and touch oriented UI system. The first table, The Microsoft Surface 1.0, or more commonly known as the "Coffee Table", was released on April 17th 2008. The table ran a version of Windows Vista, with a touch oriented UI layer on top of it called the "Surface Shell". The table contained a large array of infrared light emitters and cameras, rather than a touch sensitive layer in the acrylic. This allowed the table to effectively see what was on top of it, which allowed for the table to recognize things like phones, Zunes, coffee mugs, and even a deck of cards used with an interactive app on the table. in 2011 Microsoft released the Microsoft Surface 2.0 SDK, and the Samsung SUR40 with Microsoft PixelSense. Unlike the previous iteration, manufacturing and product development was outsourced to third parties, such as Samsung, and there were plans for multiple variants of the table. However, The SUR40 is the only known table to come out of this initiative. The SUR40, instead of using infrared cameras, uses light sensors in each pixel on the table, hence the name PixelSense. The PixelSense team was shut down in 2013, and the SUR40 was the last device released by Microsoft from this initiative. However, the Surface Shell would later inspire things like Windows 8 and its Start menu, as well as the Microsoft Surface Hub, a spiritual successor of sorts to the SUR40. The table however, just runs a stripped down version of Windows 10 instead of an entirely custom built software framework with custom built APIs.
Software
Version 1
The Microsoft Surface 1.0 ran Windows Vista, running a specially designed touch oriented shell, called the Surface Shell. The Surface Shell was a C# based application launcher, written using XNA Game Studio frameworks, and APIs most notably from the Xbox 360. When applications are run, they run in full screen and on top of the launcher, making the launcher the main way to navigate the table. The launcher comes in two versions, referred to here as SDKs. The "Workstation" SDK which was designed for development workstations, and notably contains a simulator for the launcher and table itself, and the necessary features to simulate RFID tags, and the "Table" SDK, which was Designed to be used on the 1.0 units themselves. They contain the launcher and calibration functionality as well as the necessary tools to mass deploy units. Both SDKs are available online.
Version 2
The Microsoft Surface 2.0 (SUR40) ran Windows 7 with an updated version of the Surface Shell. The SDK only comes in one variant now for workstations, and no longer contains a simulator for running the shell, nor the shell itself. The only way to run the 2.0 shell itself is to get it from the SUR40 recovery image. Notably, the recovery image has recently surfaced online.
Applications
For a later Autumn to fill out