If you ask a lot of people why they’re still using Windows 7, there is a two-word answer – Windows 10. When a new operating system is introduced, users prefer to see what’s wrong with it and how many patches are required.
This is baseline market behavior. It’s almost folklore. New operating systems inevitably have bugs. You don’t want to buy the bugs. Windows 10 shattered all records for bugs. Many Windows 7 users were and still are very happy that they didn’t buy that system.
The many Windows 10 update fiascos have been a multi-year train wreck. They did the brand image absolutely no favors at all, and it undermined faith in Microsoft.
Windows 11 is supposedly a refined version of Windows 10. Well, hallelujah. It looks like the incredible counter-Intuitive complexity of Microsoft development has apparently laid yet another egg. What this egg hatches into will be interesting to see.
Here’s the user view:
- A refined version of something that has become a nuisance is simply a refined nuisance.
- Most of the high-end gimmicks are absolutely no use whatsoever to users.
- Nobody gives a damn about the bells and whistles and unspeakably tedious “ain’t it great” babble.
- What is required is a simple, reliable working system with no bugs at all.
- The ability to run older software is not a negotiable issue. It is necessary, and new systems should recognise that fact without needing to ask. This particularly applies to games.
- Is that clear? We ask because it doesn’t look like it’s anything like clear to Microsoft.
Windows 11 is now arriving with a free upgrade from Windows 10. This overlooks the fact that a truly vast number of Microsoft customers and would-be customers still have Windows 7. The option for Windows 7 users is apparently to buy Windows 10, and then upgrade to Windows 11.
There may or may not be real hardware requirements for Windows 7 users. It looks like there are. This flight of theoretical fancy is based on the Windows 11 system specifications which someone has condescended to release.
No price has yet fluttered down for a simple Windows 11 buy-and-install. Anachronistic as it may seem, the old “buy a disc and run it” thing worked a lot better. You could install, reinstall, and fix things very easily. If something like that is in place for Windows 11, nobody will mind.
Microsoft versus market culture – A squeaky tale of missing the point.
One of the reasons Microsoft is a market leader is because most people trained on Microsoft. The original systems were very easy to use. This simple-looking fact was one of the major catalysts to creating global digital culture, proving that this technology was efficient and effective. The overall image of Microsoft is still good, despite a virtual parade of what could be described as slapstick incidents dating back to Windows 8.
Windows 10 does have one thing going for it – It’s pretty smooth. Even critics can’t call it clunky. The interface is okay, and nobody bitches about it when it works. A multi-year stream of headlines about often infuriating problems hasn’t helped, but nevertheless, it rattles along.
One of the more interesting revelations about Windows 10 was that it was supposed to be the “last” operating system. Whether this is true or not, the idea of a simple basal system which is then simply upgraded makes sense.
The fact that changing hardware, personal artificial intelligence, and other inevitable tech developments will inevitably require systemic upgrades seem to have been overlooked. Hardware must change over time. Better systems will evolve soon enough. (Even so, a baseline system which will run under all circumstances is a pretty obviously good option.)
However – These are hardly insurmountable problems. It is fairly easy to map out what’s needed for any new system. … This brings us to another point. The need for system stability. Windows 7 was a very stable system. It didn’t generate bugs and didn’t need the “high fashion”/high-end tech decor.
Most people use operating systems for purely practical reasons. Nobody buys Windows systems for the sake of having a few vague technical benefits. The absolute immovable bottom line is that these systems must work, and work well. Nobody gives a damn about anything else.
One of the big selling points about Windows 11 is higher productivity.
Who, us? Us quaint little woodland creatures? Productive? Shucks. You think?
Those of us who work around 18/7/365 in multiple time zones might just bashfully agree with that wild theory.
So why the fuss? For god’s sake, Microsoft, just cut the pseudo-developmental “my little friend with a lisp has an idea” crap. After all, you’re paying for it. The problem is that so are we.
A good stable system is all that’s required. A LEGO set approach would do just as well. Put the bricks together and make it easy to replace or add bricks if required. How hard can that be?
The market disconnect must cease. This is time-consuming and wasteful for everyone. Fixes to fix problems that never needed to happen must go.
I’ve been a Microsoft user for nearly 30 years. I’ve got some very good, highly efficient service from Microsoft, and I know you guys aren’t idiots. There is no credible reason why Windows 11 can’t deliver a very good system. Can we kindly clear up the upgrade to Windows 7 to Windows 11, get a price for an upgrade, and clarify hardware requirements?
