Post
by HumbleProgrammer » Sun Jul 15, 2012 12:47 pm
Speaking as someone who has developed software for 25+ years (and yet still knows very little) I find Windows 8 both intriguing and annoying. Obviously, Micro$oft believes that desktop computing (Windows) and mobile computing (phones/tablets) are going to merge, and the "Personal Computer" is simply going to be another appliance -- like a toaster or a car radio. You buy one, use it until it breaks or a newer model comes out, and discard the old one...all without ever opening the box. Just as high-school kids quit souping up their cars in Dad's garage, all but the most dedicated computer types will stop tinkering with their home computers. Early versions of Windows--and Linux in particular--encouraged hybrid or "Frankenstein" systems by providing a wealth of user-configurable drivers and settings. Since then, Micro$oft has consistently tried to take the burden of integrating new components away from the user: when I plugged in a new Kodak printer, it identified itself to Windows 7, automatically downloaded the latest driver from the Kodak website, asked me for administrative permission to install, and was working fine within minutes. From start to finish, I pushed ONE button. That's "appliance computing" and that's where Micro$oft sees our future.
Is this a good thing? For me...no. I like tweaking my computers, and regularly crack open the box to fiddling with hardware; my lovely bride, on the other hand, couldn't care less: as long as the computer boots, she's happy. Sadly, in the consumer world that Micro$oft panders to, I am becoming the minority and she is becoming the majority. After bashing the Windows 8 Preview around from several weeks, I have come to the conclusion that its an excellent Operating System...as long is you don't care about it.
Cheers!
Humble Programmer
,,,^..^,,,
