3 ms·
Let me preface by saying that unlike many others here, I'm using windows on purpose, on my main machine, because I like it, and that since W95. And I'm still us
by nolok 3y ago
Let me preface by saying that unlike many others here, I'm using windows on purpose, on my main machine, because I like it, and that since W95. And I'm still using it right now. I like how it's in a sort of spot between great customized but closed down experience of OSX, and completely open but very messy even today of Linux.
But for a long time, Windows struggled with some broken internals and screwed up stuff, drivers would destroy your computers randomly, security was essentially not a thing, virus and rootkit were more common than normal applications, the works.
Microsoft did a lot of great advance on that, Vista brought the great internals revamp, 7 cleaned it up and made it usable, ... But that's when they started having some "finished" part and let some idiot ruin them.
8 kept improving the internals, but the interface and settings were already fine so they let someone make it look and feel like a tablet OS, and a broken one at that. Then tried to hide it with 8.1, but the damage was done.
10 was, for me, the best Windows version; but with all the internals polished they now decided to add a veneer of crap on top, let's track users and install candy crush for them.
11 ... I have no idea what's happening. Forget the "apps like on phone" start menu brought by 8, now it's not even that good, also here are ads in it. The contextual menu is broken beyond belief, but there is a button to show the real working one. Changing browsers ? Oh no, people need to change the HTTP handler now ! And half of the stuff will ignore it and force-open edge anyway.
Microsoft was doing so much better with Windows when part of it was broken. They were working on fixing it. Since it's been done, they're now in the business of adding and changing parts of it just for the sake of it, and effectively breaking everything in the process.
Add to that, it was great for Microsoft the company to diversify away from Windows in revenue, but that lead them to consider it just one of their toys. They're doing to it what they did to Skype.
- loudmax 3y agoThis kind of behavior is to be expected from a monopoly. And I understand where you're coming from about that sweet spot between restricted Apple hardware and troubleshooting Linux drivers. Windows may not be an absolute monopoly, but they're effectively close enough that they can make user hostile moves and their customers have no choice but to go along. Microsoft under Nadella currently seems to be under the most competent leadership of the major tech companies. Apple under Cook is okay as long as they don't try to innovate too quickly, and Google under Pichai is a bonfire of wasted engineering capacity. Microsoft has a very good sense of how much leverage they can get out of their existing desktop and corporate enterprise compute markets to push into other markets. They will make use of this leverage. So don't expect Windows to be any better than it has to be, to keep other potential options at bay.
- actionfromafar 3y agoBut the funny thing is that where they have a monopoly is in the enterprise. And Windows is quite decent there. Where they do not have a monopoly is on consumer PCs. I guess "PC gaming" is still a monopoly of sorts, but that could change soon.
- sylens 3y agoI feel like 7 is really the last time I truly enjoyed using Windows. The additions felt like all net positives for my workflow (jumplists from the taskbar, thumbnail previews of taskbar windows, Aero Snap, VHD boot). Over time they have muddied it up with bad UIs or feature regressions. It just feels like a ship aimlessly floating around in the water with no real direction or destination in mind.
- wkat4242 3y agoMicrosoft is just a broken company. Their people really think they are making great stuff when in reality they're just coasting on their installed base. Nobody picks Microsoft because they're the best. They pick it because they're not bad enough to consider something else. Implementing ms solutions is always a drag. They're always evangelizing so much and they have to because their stuff is not naturally appealing to users. But personally I really hate that fakeness.