Change is not always a success
Introduction:
When Windows 8 reached market, there were many promises on the cards. Due to high rate of success of its predecessor Windows 7, the anticipation and ambitions for a greater and simpler operating system were on the minds of various persons. The migration from Windows 7 to Windows 8 was cheaper and this lures many tech enthusiasts as well as a lay man, who wanted to use the latest operating system. Every alternative Windows operating system flopped, so few people waited for sometime to see and observe the reaction coming out from users. I must say my money is saved. I never upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 8, even though the upgrade is cheap. It is all about using a computer in an easy manner and not more than that. The hardware specification of Windows 8 is on the higher side of money. It is nearer to buy a Mac computer. Since this day, most of PC users are using Microsoft operating system only because it spreads into a vast array of computer peripherals. Generally, Microsoft operating systems work on minimum hardware specification. Windows 8 is an exception. It requires costly hardware to run. Why the sudden shift and change of strategy of Microsoft while releasing Windows 8? Microsoft is popular because its operating system adapts to simple hardware configuration. It is not like Mac computers, which require a high degree of hardware compatibility. What is wrong with Microsoft’s mind? Why it is ditching its loyal personal computer segments?
The alternative operating system jinx will be there, when we purchase a new laptop, loaded with Windows 8. Then, how can someone update the existing operating system attached to a personal computer? Should Microsoft decide which is best for us? The “Start button” first started with Windows 95. It was an instant success. People wanted this in Windows XP and its previous and advance operating systems. It is the psyche of personal computer users to have the start button on the left side of operating system. In Windows Vista, the word starts removed from there but the logo and the same functionality was present. It is the sheer habit of user to enter from the start button. Soon, Microsoft realized their mistake and brings back the word start in the start button with Windows 7. Surprisingly, in Windows 8 the word start was there but you would be presented with live tiles, a complete set of confusing marbles and from where you could feel that you were in for some of the most difficult puzzling situation. How to start, internet explorer from which tiles? Which button to be clicked to enable the setting and the other hardware options? One cannot understand the logic behind deleting the most prominent and sought after “Start” button. Why, there is the need to make a desktop operating system similar to mobile ones? Desktop and mobiles operating systems are two different platforms. The graphic user interface of both operating systems is different. Mobile users are a subset of PC user. A perfect waste of time for them.
The “Start” button of Windows is highly popular. Mac and Linux adopt different versions but install similar functionalities. Something needs to be understood by developers. They should not dictate what needs to be clicked and what needs not to be. It is the user experience that is making it more prominent and popular. One should not dictate how the user should be using the computer. It is all about giving intuition to people to help them better equipped with computer. The levelling off button of Windows 8 is surprisingly on the blurred side. This is making the situation worse for users, who are dealing with these operating systems for the first time. Windows 8 is more prone towards tablet and phablet (phone and tablet) users. Poor PC chips are caught between touch and mouse use. Personal computers have a longer life than smart phones and tablets. Recent study implicates that there would be two billion new personal computers this year compared to previous year. This shows that the users of personal computers are on the rise. We are still going to have laptops or desktops, even though we have smart phones. Laptops and desktops are for heavy duty professional works. Think about it. When someone writes for different content marketing sites, he has to sit for hours with personal computers or desktops. One cannot write a long article with a tablet or smart phones. The keys in these phones are so much sensitivity that one feels some sort of resistance while writing long drawn articles. Naturally, your fingers will feel pain while writing with tablet.
Epic flop of Windows 8:
Google sees the opportunity and for the first time, it enters into the laptop market, by introducing its modified version of Chrome operating system in original equipment manufacture (OEM) with HP. It is a decisive move from Google. It is a warning to leader in operating system segment of personal computer and laptop Microsoft. Google already established itself as leader in the mobile operating system in terms of an android. It is giving constant updates and the minimal hardware support and the graphical user interface has been absolutely brilliant. The latest Android operating system Jelly Bean presents the most touch wiz simple capacitate touch screen with superior end mobiles. HP has seen failures with Microsoft in bringing laptops and personal computers. It decides to jump over the fence and tie with Google to introduce their first flagship laptop with Google Chrome operating system. The difference between Google and Microsoft is that. Google can work with any hardware manufacturers and Microsoft has some limitations. In the mobile segment Google is sending Android operating system to most manufacturers and they are paying the loyalty to Google from time to time. You cannot purchase a new laptop or PC without a Windows 8. This can be termed as forceful marketing. People want to buy a Windows laptop or disc, but most of the times they are not successful. The distribution channels of selling DVDs of the operating system are too severe to be considered as secure. Last year, Microsoft’s own selling portal in India had seen how their website was hacked and credit card details of countless users have gone missing. This is a true case of how a company is forcing users to buy laptop or desktop in order to have the new version of Windows.
Think about such an absurd strategy when a company’s worth reached at least two billion a unique software platforms and subsequently force the same loyal followers to use another platform, which is completely unfamiliar to them. Microsoft is telling exactly about you in this, that, you have to change your software for better. Even if one has a personal computer without the touch interface, after installing Windows 8, it will force you to use it as virtual touch devices. In this manner, the resistive CRT screen of desktop will give you harsh times to browse through its graphical user interface. These days, in the market, you cannot purchase a laptop or desktop without Windows 8. The first hindrance you will be meeting after purchasing Windows 8 will be its “Metro UI”. On the other hand, Windows 7 gives stability and speed and the response time of operating system is brilliant with better virtualization and silly windows side bar removed the performance in terms of booting becomes fast with Windows 7. The market penetration of Windows 7 is 55% from data of W3C Schools.
History of Windows OS:
Windows 95 was most prevalent in 90s. It was the beginning of a fresh idea. It was appreciated by the masses. During that time, with DOS 16 bit computing used to limit everything. Ideas with Windows 95 were brilliant, but it took three more years for Microsoft to reach a perfect computing environment. Hardware incompatibility was the primary reason for limiting applications within Windows 95. The shift to the NTFS file system with Windows XP was the skilful move. At those times, many critics feel, it was not a nice idea to move from Windows 98 to Windows XP, only for NTFS file system. XP gives space to geeks to customize it to their taste. Keyboard short cuts and commands opened the space for more customization and room for improvement. The crazy success of Windows XP, added with an intuitive start menu, bundled with extra highlighted programs gives the user ample time to find their most precious programmers. Suddenly with the advent of DirectX 9.0c the final version of XP for gaming, new intuitive and interesting games waves into the world with plenty of success stories. Serious Sam, Need for Speed, Test Drives and the list go big with the success of gaming industry with Windows XP. It was the first version of Windows, which was competing with rival Linux in terms of customizations and other rooting.
Windows 98 saw the highest change in one operating system could attain. The ability to theme, USB support, active desktop, thumbnails and ability to support a huge number of drivers, gives the users a perfect destination for complete computing enhancements. It started functioning gaming support and multimedia playing inside your computer. Both these steps were a huge success and gain mass back up. There were numerous cases of Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) owing to hardware incompatibility. Windows 3.0 and Windows 3.0a for multimedia were Microsoft’s major commercial success. It was launched on May 22, 1990. It was rivalling Apple the then market leader and it has a new graphic user interface with support from Intel for multi tasking. Owing to absent of proper registry of application, the popularity of this operating system began to decline. The enthusiasm with consumers was so high that within the first two months over one million copies were sold.
The next line of the Microsoft operating system is Windows 95. It was trendy, but performance wise the rating is average. It was packed operating system delay responsive time. It was commercially sold well and due to success of its predecessor. Consumers wanted to upgrade to the next version of Windows. Many a time’s companies are blinded by the success of mobile operating systems and they try to emulate this in other forms of computing. They thought that with the advent of advancing forms of mobile operating system, they would see the death of personal computers. Not merely personal computers survived the primary onslaught of advance mobile computing, they offer brilliant long term performances in office or self office home office (SoHo). The widespread perception is that most of personal computers look same, but believe it with the advent of modern day personal computing the entire scenario of contemporary desktop has been revived. It gives the perfect scenario for companies like Microsoft to build a seamless innovative operating system with gesture motion to enhance user input experience. Microsoft can integrate kinect with its next version of Windows. Windows 8 reminds you, if you are with a non touch screen interface. Microsoft can free this syndrome by introducing its flagship Microsoft kinect, the gesture control mechanisms, in order to remove the frustration of touch screen irritant. Microsoft kinect is a futuristic form of technology, with it you can gesture control anything. You do not have to touch the screen to perform the action. Instead; you will have to wave your hand in front of the screen to send the input signal. Phones may have no use for it, though Samsung in its galaxy brands has been introducing some gesture controls like that of screen shot of the operating system by swapping your palm across mobile surface and so on. It is possible due to Samsung touch wizard interface and Google’s latest Android Jellybean Mobile operating system.
Ray of hope for revival:
Gesture control or Microsoft kinect can be a futuristic application exclusively for personal computers as with hands in motion; user can increase the sound of the device and also increase the font size, change of other applications and so on. With this addition, tied with old computers feature control can be possible. Microsoft should seriously research on this subject and introduce gesture control in its next operating system. It should remove touch functionality with Windows 8 immediately. Determining the best ergonomics design for a personal computer is a matter of scientific inventions. The cumulative ergonomics design of graphical user interface of any operating system depends upon usability aspects, performance weightings, designs and features of a personal computer. You will do regular updates of drivers and applications for speedy performance of response time within your operating system. Needless to say, performance will be indispensable for every personal computer. The extraordinary quality display of operating system does not mean that it is compact, light and portable. People need a machine for their daily computing means.
According to Adrian Kingsley-Hughes of Forbes, ” I hate Windows 8. Hate it with a passion. A passion is as hot as a thousand suns. ” This is to say, when a user loyal to Windows operating system is advocating itself not to use the latest version of Windows. When loyal users opined different opinions from that of brand, then these are warning signs for Microsoft. The freshness introduced with Windows 95 interfaces, till to date, I was running the preview versions of Microsoft. It felt better than Windows 7 then. After the introduction of tiles views with its leaked beta, it was evident that Microsoft was introducing an operating system that was entirely different from the set up image we were dealing with so far. Microsoft introduced touch screen interface with Windows 8. It is now as bad idea. It is futuristic. But forcing users to enable touch screen with normal computer showing inefficient touch screen on older monitors, is what troubles most users. According to Jakob Nielsen, expert in human computer interaction, “Windows 8 is a monster that terrorizes poor office workers and strangles their productivity.” Microsoft can introduce service packs that can customize human computer interaction to a comfortable level. Microsoft did this for Windows XP, when it introduced a revamped control panel through service pack 2. It should give the user the option to disable touch wizards. User can properly configure according to their choices. Microsoft took a big risk with the introduction of Windows 8. It is a transitional as well as transformational operating-system. Microsoft had tried to bridge the gap between desktop and smart-phone. Microsoft should give the user to choice between desktop and Metro graphical user interface in Windows 8. Sometimes, it is justifying in saying that live tiles within Windows 8 interfaces are borrowed from Windows 1.
The hallmark of Windows is the versatility with hardware. Apple is famous for hardware restrictions. Windows seems to be going Apple way with Windows 8. Change is not always the difference. Microsoft should learn from it. Simple no brainy stuff. For people who are workaholic, this operating system seems to be garbage. With current stats showing the sells figure of Windows 8 is worse than the Vista operating system. Windows 7 for 45% of sales figure stays at the top. It is followed by Windows XP with 38% sells figure. Microsoft guarantees with Windows 8.1 (blue) they will address some of the concerns shouted by loyal users. Mary Meeker, the well-regarded analyst and venture capitalist, pointed out in her May 2013 Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers' 2013 Internet Trends reports, “Windows is on the decline no matter how measure it. Apple iOS and android now have the lion's share of computing devices, including PCs, smart phones and tablets, with a 65-percent share over Windows' 35-percent.” Microsoft attempts to jump into two boats of desktop and mobile operating system and in the end it stayed in the middle of nothing. If we combine both desktop and mobile operating system market, the market leader is Apple 60% and followed by Android from Google 25%. Some would point out those comparing desktop and mobile operating systems like comparing city and villages. It is not true. Day by day, mobiles are upgrading itself with robust hardware and wide screen and almost capable of running application like software on Windows personal computers. Think about there is no “Start button” and “Start screen” with Windows 8 and you have to follow 15 steps to restart or shut down your computer.
Conclusion:
I am not giving up. I have used Windows since Windows 95. There was a time when Windows XP seemed to all as insecure. Then, Windows XP SP2 update and that plugged most of security vulnerabilities. I have been using it since my childhood and I felt that the user had to modify his habit according to what Windows wants. In the past four years, tablets users have increased exponentially. It does not evolve by killing desktop personal computers. It becomes the supplement users to add mobility to their connectivity towards the simulated world (Internet). With the advent of Windows 8, there is no significant change in the personal computer market. It lacked the excitement of touch interface found in tablets. I would rather prefer not the next version of Windows, but Microsoft should strengthen the market of Windows 7 and support it for more years. It seems that it is the best operating system from Microsoft after Windows XP. Windows 8 should go further and build the kinect gestures so that personal computer users should feel comfortable in suing gesture controls than touch enabled Windows 8 devices. Windows 8 leaves many users confused. It is a rejection of brand image Microsoft has done from the past in building a loyal community of Windows users. The user interface of Windows 8 is a significant departure from the previous version of Windows since 1995. Windows 8 gives the chance to hardware makers to be creative and also it wants users to forget the entire Windows version that has been there for 17 years. It is a completely different operating system. Kernel codes are written from the beginning. Some say that Windows 7 is the unqualified version of Windows 95. Windows is a completely different operating system synchronized with imaginative ideas. If kinect gesture technology introduced through a service pack, Microsoft can regain lost grounds from Apple in the personal computer market.
According to Steven Sinofsky (MSDN), “The power of personalization is something we all love about PCs, but sometimes there is good reason to want to rollback to an earlier state.” It is a perfect statement, why Windows 8 users want to rollback to Windows 7? Windows 8 seems to be a poor marketing and bad timing product. As an experience personal computer user, I reserve my opinion on software. Microsoft is losing its ground. Microsoft has accepted that Windows 8 is not a perfect operating system. They have to introduce something thoughtfully and quickly in order to preserve dipping market share. Windows 8 is a big and ambitious change. Change is not always a success. Will anyone want Windows 8? Windows 8 is worse than Dos?
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