CLaueR's Blog

"strategy is intended to provide a simpler and more integrated computing experience"

See how revamping the UI in Windows XP has worked well in having customers upgrade. Can you spell "millions wasted in retraining" ?


"maintaining compatibility with existing hardware and software"

You mean if someone doesn't install Windows XP on a 486DX it's only because he does not want to do so. Alright. You are working for Microsoft, right?

Windows XP themes - even if configured by default - are optional. You can switch back to a Windows 2000 like UI. Before spending $$$ on retraining, it can be a good idea.

"maintaining compatibility with existing hardware and software"

Do you still run a 486 DX machine? Is it not too complicated to find replacement parts and ISA cards? I wouldn't base my business on outdated hardware and unsupported software.

Re-read the article, this sentence was meant to say that DOS and Windows 16 bits applications would continue to work on Win32.

What I meant basically was that the innovations and continuous reinvention was not a new idea.

Obviously, innovation and continuous reinvention are disruptive. Is this really a surprise?

I don't think that in 10 years you'll talk in term of "plateform"( even if I'm quite optimistic ;-))

Good point :)

"Windows XP themes - even if configured by default " - $$$$BY DEFAULT$$$$. By default, just like the firewall turned off by default.

Also the changes in the UI are not only in the themes. If I, as a computer guy can see those changes significant, what about average Joe? Again, it's millions spent in retraining. I don't have to claim it though, the adoption rate from existing Windows users is publicly known to be pretty low, and if it wasn't because Windows XP is installed $$$by default$$$ on most new PCs, then the figures would be ugly.


"Do you still run a 486 DX machine?"

No, although I loved what this machine was able to do back in the mid 90s. It was fast enough for what I expected to do. I remember one thing I did with it for professional purposes : writing a huge book full of high-res pictures, full of vector graphics, with Word and Corel Draw running at the same time. Yeah, the machine was really intensively loaded and yet, it was fine. Even winfile.exe was fine compared to windows explorer : remember the *.xxx wildcards and how it allowed people to really focus on the essential things? Today, this is not possible anymore with Windows Explorer, you have to click one or more times on some columns and then use the scrollbars. Loss of control over files IMHO.

The user experience has not been improved an inch since that time, the OS releases have only added clutter (win98 webview, ...) and annoying UI changes : reinstalling a Windows XP audio card driver often turns out like mission impossible, only because it hides many things that Windows 95 didn't, while not giving all the control back to (admin) users in an equivalent way.

The list could go on forever...

"Obviously, innovation and continuous reinvention are disruptive. Is this really a surprise?"

There is at least as much software patent claims as "innovations" out there. Cynical, ironical, deal with it.

On the disruptive side, I would say that it's mostly encouraged by marketers, and on the other side people don't want that : do you see any chance for an IE alternative to gain a significant market share? Isn't it clear that all what people expect from a web browser is to do what they can do now already, something IE performs pretty well today?

PS Christophe, if I try to read your blog in IE such that the titles of your entries wrap, there's pretty ugly ovelapping/obscuring going on.