As I’ve said before, I’m concerned with Windows 8’s attempts to be all things to all people and provide a ‘desktop’ underneath the touch-based loveliness of the Metro interface. The more I read, though, the more I wonder whether Microsoft’s pulling off a feint, attempting to coddle its long-standing partners (“Don’t worry, guys—it’s still the same old Windows underneath. Honest!) while setting up a potentially audacious land-grab for the tablet space.

Late last week, Microsoft rudely shut the door in the face of plug-ins (source: Wired), citing that doing so

improves battery life as well as security, reliability, and privacy for consumers.

Presumably, Adobe will soon release a statement that Steve Jobs only quit as CEO of Apple to hold Microsoft hostage and force it to ditch Flash Player from tablet devices. And today Ars Technica reports on interesting developments in a primer for Windows 8 devs:

[Distribution] of traditional desktop applications will proceed as usual. […] Metro apps, on the other hand, will be “Distributed through the Windows Store. Apps must pass certification so that users download and try apps with confidence in their safety and privacy. Side-loading is available for enterprises and developers.”

No plug-ins in the browser. A sleek, modern interface. An app store-only route for applications, with a 70/30 split. Sounds familiar. Thing is, I’m not going to be snarky here, because this is Microsoft doing things right (and, to be frank, at least the company’s created a unique interface, rather than ripping off Apple, unlike certain other players). And, as I said, perhaps the dual-OS thing is largely a feint, a unified code-base that will provide touch-oriented components to desktop users who want them (in a manner similar to OS X Lion’s Launchpad), but won’t enable tablet users access to raw Windows, instead showcasing a version of Microsoft’s future. I sure hope so.