Uncensored2008
Libertarian Radical
Over the years, Microsoft has made some astounding blunders with operating systems and GUI builds. MS-DOS 4.0 was a complete disaster, Windows 1.0 was also an unmitigated disaster. Windows ME and Vista also had issues with the public.
But perhaps the most infamous of Microsoft operating environments was MS-Bob.
Bob was a crapaliscious dung heap foisted on the public. Bob was mostly useless. An interface that did nothing to enhance computing. Someone thought Bob was "cute" and that the computing world was just dying for cute.
But really, Bob was garbage with not purpose to exist. So Bob faded from memory like a bad toothache.
Jump forward in time, and Bob has risen from the dungheap of history. This time to be called "Windows 8," or more appropriately, Metro.
Let me toss in a disclaimer; the first time I saw and used the Aero interface, I thought "this is it, this is EXACTLY what a user interface should be." Aero is the high-water mark for an interface between man an machine.
So Microsoft has taken the brilliance that is Aero, completely discarded it, and replaced it with a blocky mess that obscures the desktop. Oh, you can forget about elegantly docked windows that let you keep a dozen programs running. The Aero peak feature the so brilliantly lets you manage running programs in the command bar is gone, because Metro makes multitasking a thing of the past. XBox doesn't multitask, so why would anyone want to? Open a program, and it will obscure all else. Oh, and good luck finding applications. Microsoft wants you to spend your time at the XBox live store, not doing mundane tasks like Excel or Email. Speaking of Email, see that ugly box that says email? Don't expect it to launch Outlook and connect to an Exchange server, nope, Microsoft doesn't appear too friendly to the idea that people would use computers for something other than the XBox live marketplace. That ugly block will launch the Windows Mail program and try to get you to use MS Cloud mail (MSN Mail by another name still smell like an outhouse.) Just because the machine has an installed copy of Outlook that is fully configured to a professional mail system doesn't seem to move Metro Bob. Ditto the ugly block that says "Calendar." Don't expect it to actually load your Outlook calendar, use a Google Android device for that, Microsoft will have nothing to do with it.
Overall, Windows 8 brings nothing to the party. There are no significant advances in the OS to warrant an upgrade. The major change is the Metro UI, which is designed for cell phones and video game consoles, with apparently no thought of how it will affect computer users.
The consumer preview is still beta, and maybe Microsoft will somehow create a usable system. But I don't see how, given the complete mess that is Metro. Ugly and clumsy, with the worst task handling I've seen since Mac OS 1.0
Metro salvages Bob from the position of the worst UI in history in the same way that Obama salvages Jimmy Carter.
But perhaps the most infamous of Microsoft operating environments was MS-Bob.
Bob was a crapaliscious dung heap foisted on the public. Bob was mostly useless. An interface that did nothing to enhance computing. Someone thought Bob was "cute" and that the computing world was just dying for cute.
But really, Bob was garbage with not purpose to exist. So Bob faded from memory like a bad toothache.
Jump forward in time, and Bob has risen from the dungheap of history. This time to be called "Windows 8," or more appropriately, Metro.
Let me toss in a disclaimer; the first time I saw and used the Aero interface, I thought "this is it, this is EXACTLY what a user interface should be." Aero is the high-water mark for an interface between man an machine.
So Microsoft has taken the brilliance that is Aero, completely discarded it, and replaced it with a blocky mess that obscures the desktop. Oh, you can forget about elegantly docked windows that let you keep a dozen programs running. The Aero peak feature the so brilliantly lets you manage running programs in the command bar is gone, because Metro makes multitasking a thing of the past. XBox doesn't multitask, so why would anyone want to? Open a program, and it will obscure all else. Oh, and good luck finding applications. Microsoft wants you to spend your time at the XBox live store, not doing mundane tasks like Excel or Email. Speaking of Email, see that ugly box that says email? Don't expect it to launch Outlook and connect to an Exchange server, nope, Microsoft doesn't appear too friendly to the idea that people would use computers for something other than the XBox live marketplace. That ugly block will launch the Windows Mail program and try to get you to use MS Cloud mail (MSN Mail by another name still smell like an outhouse.) Just because the machine has an installed copy of Outlook that is fully configured to a professional mail system doesn't seem to move Metro Bob. Ditto the ugly block that says "Calendar." Don't expect it to actually load your Outlook calendar, use a Google Android device for that, Microsoft will have nothing to do with it.
Overall, Windows 8 brings nothing to the party. There are no significant advances in the OS to warrant an upgrade. The major change is the Metro UI, which is designed for cell phones and video game consoles, with apparently no thought of how it will affect computer users.
The consumer preview is still beta, and maybe Microsoft will somehow create a usable system. But I don't see how, given the complete mess that is Metro. Ugly and clumsy, with the worst task handling I've seen since Mac OS 1.0
Metro salvages Bob from the position of the worst UI in history in the same way that Obama salvages Jimmy Carter.
