It seems that the new "features" of the MS Office suite, MS Windows 8, and Xbox One are turning users away in droves, and I am one of them. I should have guessed when Google released its compatible office suite, MS would have to make drastic changes, and with the PS4 just around the corner and Nintendo's oddball ideas, well the Xbox One had to find a way to remain competitive and suck the money from it's gamer's other than just buying up all the good game developers because when all MS's competitors are offering free multi-player, it makes that gold membership look pretty crappy, although I have no idea wtf MS was thinking when it released Windoze 8...
So, let's start with Ribbons... Oh how I loathe ribbons for office, but I'm not the only one. It seems more IT users, you know, the guys who get paid to use this shit for a living, hate it as well. You want to know why? Because it's slow and inefficient to have to not only memorize which ribbon your control is on, but you just wasted an extra 2-3 clicks getting to the control you wanted (the one that used to be right on top, in sight) which might not sound like a lot to the average user, but to a professional, you just added several minutes to a single project, perhaps even up to an hour of wasted, frustrating time in a single day. It's alright, I already made my decision to use the Google office suite instead of breaking down and getting the new office with some Ubit hack just to use the program... no, I prefer my programs to work out of the box thank you very much.
So on to the Xbox One... which starts with it's atrocious PR effort, followed up by its.. well just read this article. Here, I'll list them off one-by-one: 1. Privacy, 2. Region-locking, 3. Used Games*, 4. Mostly always-online, 5. Show me the video games! Anyways, there's a great article in last months Game Informer magazine that details how MS is trying to screw over it's users to gain a little capital, however this article on Cracked really hits the nail on the head! In case you didn't get it, I won't be purchasing the Xbox One... ever! And other users aren't duped into supporting this monstrosity either!
Which brings me to the most failed "upgrade" of them all IMO, Windoze 8. First off, let me say Window 7 is without a doubt the most perfect version of Windows MS have ever conceived and it would have been so much better off just sticking with that format. Having said, that, never in my life have I seen such a backwards jump, no leap, than what MS did with W8. I know, as does everyone else, what they were trying to do, to make a unified system that words both on phones, the X1, and the PC simultaneously - ultimately because they want more MONEY and want to remain relevant - but using Metro (ribbons for windows) on a PC was by far the stupidest idea MS have ever conceived of yet! So why all the hate? First off, Metro... again, like Ribbons, slows everything down. In some cases, you have to scroll through countless screens to find the program you want, so add in even more click than the two or three extra ones with ribbons. Second, if you want to make any changes at all to your desktop or file settings, or see hidden files, be prepared to spend a lot of wasted time exiting the desktop and frivolously clicking through a montage of needless apps to get to the program you need. Need I even mention the removal of the Start Menu?* I've decided I'd be better off figuring out how to make a Linux machine than ever having to use W8, which is what I actually plan on doing if I ever purchase a new computer.
What I despise the absolute most however, is how the entire business world seems to follow MS with such fervor, upgrading their systems as soon as possible to the next generation MS product to remain "on top" and "relevant". I admit, even in the administration department of my work, they upgraded to Ribbons so we could use the now .docx format, and W8 because... why the fuck not I guess... And I feel this is what most businesses do, instead of doing what is right for their workers. Thank god most sales of these products comes from consumers, which makes MS rethink it's development strategies, however a little start menu here and extra DRM for used games there does not spell change. The reality is, MS has a vision for a unified Metro/ribbons based universe where everything is connected and will not alter course save for bankruptcy. Here is a great article on the subject; MS will not change with Windows 9 so... The way I see it, this as the defining moment, the end of MS as we know it. The more they push their agenda, the more the average user will be forced to find other avenues to support their computer well-being, and businesses will come to the realization that, "oh shit... there are more operating systems that JUST WINDOWS..." and once that starts happening, coupled with my predicted low sales of the X1, watch as MS flounders and someone else comes in to steal the spotlight for another decade or so. MS, it was nice knowing you, but in the end, you turned out to be just another selfish, money-grabbing bitch like the rest of them. I'll take my money and spend it elsewhere, thank-you very much! Oh and, quick edit here: I'm not some antiquated user who can't get with the times... there are literally hundreds of thousands of users who feel as I do, from average users, to professionals, to column writers, to editors. The list goes on and on. The MS we know will come to a close if it keeps pushing users away at it's current rate.
* So it seems after much scrutiny, MS has decided to backtrack on these issues, however I'd like to point out that they should never have put their customers in this position in the first place, and it's a sad state of affairs when a giant corporation like this strays so far from consumer desires.
So, let's start with Ribbons... Oh how I loathe ribbons for office, but I'm not the only one. It seems more IT users, you know, the guys who get paid to use this shit for a living, hate it as well. You want to know why? Because it's slow and inefficient to have to not only memorize which ribbon your control is on, but you just wasted an extra 2-3 clicks getting to the control you wanted (the one that used to be right on top, in sight) which might not sound like a lot to the average user, but to a professional, you just added several minutes to a single project, perhaps even up to an hour of wasted, frustrating time in a single day. It's alright, I already made my decision to use the Google office suite instead of breaking down and getting the new office with some Ubit hack just to use the program... no, I prefer my programs to work out of the box thank you very much.
So on to the Xbox One... which starts with it's atrocious PR effort, followed up by its.. well just read this article. Here, I'll list them off one-by-one: 1. Privacy, 2. Region-locking, 3. Used Games*, 4. Mostly always-online, 5. Show me the video games! Anyways, there's a great article in last months Game Informer magazine that details how MS is trying to screw over it's users to gain a little capital, however this article on Cracked really hits the nail on the head! In case you didn't get it, I won't be purchasing the Xbox One... ever! And other users aren't duped into supporting this monstrosity either!
Which brings me to the most failed "upgrade" of them all IMO, Windoze 8. First off, let me say Window 7 is without a doubt the most perfect version of Windows MS have ever conceived and it would have been so much better off just sticking with that format. Having said, that, never in my life have I seen such a backwards jump, no leap, than what MS did with W8. I know, as does everyone else, what they were trying to do, to make a unified system that words both on phones, the X1, and the PC simultaneously - ultimately because they want more MONEY and want to remain relevant - but using Metro (ribbons for windows) on a PC was by far the stupidest idea MS have ever conceived of yet! So why all the hate? First off, Metro... again, like Ribbons, slows everything down. In some cases, you have to scroll through countless screens to find the program you want, so add in even more click than the two or three extra ones with ribbons. Second, if you want to make any changes at all to your desktop or file settings, or see hidden files, be prepared to spend a lot of wasted time exiting the desktop and frivolously clicking through a montage of needless apps to get to the program you need. Need I even mention the removal of the Start Menu?* I've decided I'd be better off figuring out how to make a Linux machine than ever having to use W8, which is what I actually plan on doing if I ever purchase a new computer.
What I despise the absolute most however, is how the entire business world seems to follow MS with such fervor, upgrading their systems as soon as possible to the next generation MS product to remain "on top" and "relevant". I admit, even in the administration department of my work, they upgraded to Ribbons so we could use the now .docx format, and W8 because... why the fuck not I guess... And I feel this is what most businesses do, instead of doing what is right for their workers. Thank god most sales of these products comes from consumers, which makes MS rethink it's development strategies, however a little start menu here and extra DRM for used games there does not spell change. The reality is, MS has a vision for a unified Metro/ribbons based universe where everything is connected and will not alter course save for bankruptcy. Here is a great article on the subject; MS will not change with Windows 9 so... The way I see it, this as the defining moment, the end of MS as we know it. The more they push their agenda, the more the average user will be forced to find other avenues to support their computer well-being, and businesses will come to the realization that, "oh shit... there are more operating systems that JUST WINDOWS..." and once that starts happening, coupled with my predicted low sales of the X1, watch as MS flounders and someone else comes in to steal the spotlight for another decade or so. MS, it was nice knowing you, but in the end, you turned out to be just another selfish, money-grabbing bitch like the rest of them. I'll take my money and spend it elsewhere, thank-you very much! Oh and, quick edit here: I'm not some antiquated user who can't get with the times... there are literally hundreds of thousands of users who feel as I do, from average users, to professionals, to column writers, to editors. The list goes on and on. The MS we know will come to a close if it keeps pushing users away at it's current rate.
* So it seems after much scrutiny, MS has decided to backtrack on these issues, however I'd like to point out that they should never have put their customers in this position in the first place, and it's a sad state of affairs when a giant corporation like this strays so far from consumer desires.
"The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained liberation from the self." -Albert Einsetin