tag:theconversation.com,2011:/id/topics/windows-8-8601/articlesWindows 8 – The Conversation2021-10-24T18:58:55Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1664932021-10-24T18:58:55Z2021-10-24T18:58:55ZWindows XP turns 20: Microsoft’s rise and fall points to one thing — don’t fix what isn’t broken<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427937/original/file-20211022-22-oltsjo.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=23%2C69%2C5163%2C3382&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Twenty years on from the public release of Windows XP, the popular operating system is still regarded one of Microsoft’s greatest achievements. </p>
<p>As of August this year, Windows XP still maintained a greater <a href="https://gs.statcounter.com/windows-version-market-share/desktop/worldwide/#yearly-2021-2021-bar">market share</a> than its successor, Windows Vista. </p>
<p>When mainstream support for XP ended in April 2009, it was running on a huge <a href="https://gs.statcounter.com/windows-version-market-share/desktop/worldwide/#monthly-200904-200904-bar">75% of Windows computers</a> and about 19% of people were still using XP when <a href="https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/faq/extended-security-updates">extended security support</a> finished in 2014. Microsoft provided security support in a few special cases, such as for military use, until 2019 — an incredible 18 years after the initial release.</p>
<p>But what made XP excel? And what has Microsoft learned in the two decades since its release?</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/airports-atms-hospitals-microsoft-windows-xp-leak-would-be-less-of-an-issue-if-so-many-didnt-use-it-147018">Airports, ATMs, hospitals: Microsoft Windows XP leak would be less of an issue, if so many didn't use it</a>
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<h2>The rise and rise of Windows XP</h2>
<p>Windows XP launched on October 25, 2001, during a golden age at Microsoft when <a href="https://news.microsoft.com/2001/07/19/microsoft-announces-record-revenue-for-fiscal-year-2001/">the company was achieving its highest revenues yet</a>, dominated the PC market, and had taken a strong lead over Netscape in <a href="https://thehistoryoftheweb.com/browser-wars/">the browser wars</a> (after the latter led the race through the 1990s). XP also came at a time when more people than ever were buying their first personal computer.</p>
<p>These personal and business computers arrived with a full suite of Microsoft software <a href="https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/industry-blog/en-gb/technetuk/2013/05/14/licensing-logic-whats-the-difference-between-oem-retail-and-volume-licenses/">pre-installed</a> and ready to use. As a result, the Windows operating system defined many people’s computing experience. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427938/original/file-20211022-36962-12b86n9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427938/original/file-20211022-36962-12b86n9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427938/original/file-20211022-36962-12b86n9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427938/original/file-20211022-36962-12b86n9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427938/original/file-20211022-36962-12b86n9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427938/original/file-20211022-36962-12b86n9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427938/original/file-20211022-36962-12b86n9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427938/original/file-20211022-36962-12b86n9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Microsoft has long relied on Intel and AMD processor chips for its devices, but last year announced plans to make its own.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>Built on the core of the highly successful Windows NT operating system (also the foundation for Windows 2000), Windows XP provided an option which, for the first time, looked and felt the same whether it was being used at home or at work. </p>
<p>The prioritisation of users’ needs in this way represented a watershed moment for Microsoft, and was a key ingredient in the long reign of XP. XP also featured <a href="https://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/10-features-that-helped-windows-xp-achieve-legendary-status-1318570">several innovations</a> including the introduction of the Microsoft Error Reporting platform. </p>
<p>Earlier versions of Windows had become infamous for the so-called “<a href="https://www.howtogeek.com/163452/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-blue-screen-of-death/">blue screen of death</a>” that appeared when the system encountered an error. XP replaced this with a small pop-up to collect data about the error and send it to Microsoft’s engineers to help them improve the software.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427941/original/file-20211022-23-1ibn6yq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427941/original/file-20211022-23-1ibn6yq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427941/original/file-20211022-23-1ibn6yq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427941/original/file-20211022-23-1ibn6yq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427941/original/file-20211022-23-1ibn6yq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=333&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427941/original/file-20211022-23-1ibn6yq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427941/original/file-20211022-23-1ibn6yq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427941/original/file-20211022-23-1ibn6yq.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=419&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The original ‘blue screen of death’ from Windows NT would have been largely nonsensical for most people. The most current version of this screen includes a sad-face emoticon and a QR code for troubleshooting.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_screen_of_death#/media/File:Windows_NT_3.51_BSOD_ita.png">Wikimedia</a></span>
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<p>During the tenure of XP, Microsoft also launched <a href="https://www.codemag.com/Article/0710022/History-of-the-VS-IDE">Visual Studio .NET</a>, a software suite for building new Windows programs. This combined all their developer tools for a variety of programming languages, including Visual C++ and Visual Basic, and the new “object-oriented” language C# – a rival to the popular <a href="https://www.java.com/en/download/help/whatis_java.html">Java</a> language. </p>
<p>This was further evidence of changing attitudes at Microsoft; the company was centred on prioritising users. But it didn’t last.</p>
<h2>The fall of Vista and Windows 7</h2>
<p>In 2007, Windows Vista — the successor to XP — was released. It was considered <a href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-top-five-reasons-why-windows-vista-failed/">an inferior, bloated and unusable system</a> by many commentators, including <a href="http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1898610_1898625_1898627,00.html">Time magazine</a>. Designed for high-powered computers, Vista was often excruciatingly slow and frustrating to use on older machines that comfortably ran XP.</p>
<p>Windows 7 followed Vista in 2009, confronting users with massive changes. It initially forced users on computers with a keyboard and mouse into a tablet-style interaction on the home screen. </p>
<p>The familiar icons and desktop format vanished. Instead, users were greeted with differently-sized tiles, and scrolling mechanisms that were perfect for touch-screens but awkward for mouse navigation. </p>
<p>It seemed Microsoft no longer had users’ wishes as its priority. It wasn’t until the release of Windows 8 in 2012 that the company returned to its user-first paradigm. And this change was spurred in no small part by having to compete with Apple’s MacOS (Macbooks), iOS (iPhones and iPads) and Android phones and tablets.</p>
<h2>Branching away from PCs</h2>
<p>Although released at the same time as Windows XP, Microsoft’s first tablet offering was widely regarded a failure too. The Windows XP tablet was based on a cut-down operating system and a completely different family of processors. </p>
<p>The tablet’s system was hamstrung by connectivity issues related to its need for consistent and stable internet connection (which even now is not a given in the mobile world). It was also incompatible with existing software offerings. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/10/16452162/windows-phone-history-glorious-failure">similar story</a> unfolded in the mobile phone space. Early Windows phones such as Windows Phone 7, released in 2010 without many basic functions such as <a href="https://mspoweruser.com/a-history-of-windows-phone-the-road-to-threshold/">copy and paste</a>, were never serious competitors for Apple’s iPhones or Google’s Android phones.</p>
<p>In 2013 Microsoft purchased Nokia’s mobile and devices division (later abandoned and resold in 2016), but its phones were still unsuccessful. </p>
<p>Although Windows phones are still available, Microsoft changed lanes in 2014. Incoming chief executive Satya Nadella said the new agenda was “<a href="https://news.microsoft.com/2014/03/27/satya-nadella-mobile-first-cloud-first-press-briefing/">mobile first, cloud first</a>”, meaning cloud-connected mobile computing was the focus. Nadella outlined a desire to create a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/janakirammsv/2020/02/03/a-look-back-at-ten-years-of-microsoft-azure/?sh=3e596d674929">Windows NT for the internet</a>. </p>
<p>This is something the Microsoft Azure cloud-computing service and Surface Pro tablet — now with the same processors as its PC cousins and the ability to run without a constant internet connection — have achieved.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427940/original/file-20211022-17-19nnq8v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427940/original/file-20211022-17-19nnq8v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427940/original/file-20211022-17-19nnq8v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427940/original/file-20211022-17-19nnq8v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427940/original/file-20211022-17-19nnq8v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427940/original/file-20211022-17-19nnq8v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427940/original/file-20211022-17-19nnq8v.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Microsoft Azure allows services such as virtual computing, storage and networking, all of which is managed through Microsoft’s own data centres.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>Cloud or service-oriented computing means you can use any type of device to access your operating system (known as “platform as a service”), and office productivity tools such as Office365 (“software as a service”). </p>
<p>Azure represents a return to Microsoft providing computing that serves the needs of businesses and people.</p>
<h2>If it’s not broken, don’t fix it</h2>
<p>Modern computing is a balance between portability, power consumption, usability and speed, among other factors. Companies can no longer just throw advanced hardware at a problem and expect the public to tolerate poor user experience.</p>
<p>The success of XP, and subsequent failures of its successors, present many lessons to the technology sector — the chief of which is this: if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. </p>
<p>By acknowledging earlier mistakes and reverting to a user-first policy, Microsoft could indeed secure its place in the market for decades to come.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/were-just-not-compatible-any-more-why-microsoft-finally-dumped-internet-explorer-161416">We're just not compatible any more: why Microsoft finally dumped Internet Explorer</a>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Erica Mealy does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Windows XP really was a game-changer for computers. But Microsoft has seen some turbulent times since the version was released 20 years ago.Erica Mealy, Lecturer in Computer Science, University of the Sunshine CoastLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/458202015-08-23T19:44:41Z2015-08-23T19:44:41ZWindows 95 two decades on: but why all the upgrades?<p>It’s been 20 years since the launch of Microsoft’s <a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-AU/windows/history#T1=era4">Windows 95</a> operating system, which changed the way we interacted with computers. But what was it that was so special about the software and why all the upgrades over the years?</p>
<p>Windows 95 was Microsoft’s big push into the world of <a href="http://www.britannica.com/technology/graphical-user-interface">graphical user interfaces</a> for its operating system. <a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-AU/windows/history">Previous versions of Windows</a> required users to provide input predominantly by using the keyboard, with a mouse click only here and there. Windows 95 introduced Microsoft users to a world where everything was “point and click”, with the mouse was used as much as possible and the keyboard only used where necessary.</p>
<p>It’s <a href="http://mentalfloss.com/uk/go/32106">been argued</a> that the free games packed with Windows 95 – Solitaire, Minesweeper (a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com.au/bill-gates-was-a-microsoft-minesweeper-addict-2015-8">favourite of Bill Gates</a>), Hearts or FreeCell – were all designed to teach us how to use the mouse for click, drag and drop actions.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92383/original/image-20150819-10868-bozg7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92383/original/image-20150819-10868-bozg7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92383/original/image-20150819-10868-bozg7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92383/original/image-20150819-10868-bozg7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92383/original/image-20150819-10868-bozg7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=371&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92383/original/image-20150819-10868-bozg7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92383/original/image-20150819-10868-bozg7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92383/original/image-20150819-10868-bozg7j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=466&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Playing Freecell, everyone’s favourite distraction on Windows 95.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/reprehensible/171797019/">Flickr/reprehensible</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>The Windows 95 screen was composed of a number of icons and other images, rather than a collection of text windows. Documents could now be edited by highlighting words with a mouse, and clicking to cut or paste.</p>
<p>Opening, copying and saving files could now also be performed by pointing and clicking. This made everyday computing tasks more intuitive and more efficient to perform, and users of the system responded favourably to it. </p>
<h2>The battle with Apple</h2>
<p>For Apple users, this appeared to be nothing particularly new. Since the launch of the <a href="http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_classic/specs/mac_128k.html">Macintosh</a> in 1984, Apple had been providing interfaces with similar functionality.</p>
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<p>From the perspective of 20 years later, it seems natural that Microsoft would seek to overcome a perceived technological advantage in favour of its main competitor by introducing a similar development of its own.</p>
<p>This was no simple effort though. Graphical user interfaces, particularly for an operating system, require significantly more storage and processing power than text-based ones. Storing images takes vastly more space than text.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92472/original/image-20150820-32485-ym567.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92472/original/image-20150820-32485-ym567.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92472/original/image-20150820-32485-ym567.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92472/original/image-20150820-32485-ym567.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92472/original/image-20150820-32485-ym567.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92472/original/image-20150820-32485-ym567.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92472/original/image-20150820-32485-ym567.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92472/original/image-20150820-32485-ym567.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">All you need is a simple click to open programs on Windows 95.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpasden/5447816379/">Flickr/John Pasden</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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<p>A simple task such as opening a file by clicking on an icon requires display monitors that can show sufficient detail, which in turn requires greater processing power. This means that a “point and click” system is only possible with a particular level of hardware development. Accordingly, Windows 95 (or in fact any version of any operating system) can be considered as a showcase for what can be done with the hardware of the time. </p>
<p>Users took to Windows 95 quite quickly. And as with many technological developments, the success of the system led to raised expectations, so that graphical interfaces became the norm and anything less became unthinkable.</p>
<h2>The need for upgrades</h2>
<p>Had technology and user expectations remained static, we might still be using Window 95 today. But developments in microprocessors, storage and networking
inevitably led to an expanded variety and range of applications.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92517/original/image-20150820-7228-owkbas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92517/original/image-20150820-7228-owkbas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92517/original/image-20150820-7228-owkbas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92517/original/image-20150820-7228-owkbas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92517/original/image-20150820-7228-owkbas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92517/original/image-20150820-7228-owkbas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92517/original/image-20150820-7228-owkbas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92517/original/image-20150820-7228-owkbas.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Look at all those discs needed for Windows 95.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/programwitch/7488906888">Flickr/K Latham</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
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<p>This in turn raised user expectations to new levels, and drove expansion into previously unexplored territory. This means it’s unlikely that any operating system will ever be the final word, but rather will be one more step in a never-ending chain of development. </p>
<p>It is easy to forget how different today’s computer use is from that of 1995. Perhaps it is an accident of history that Windows 95 coincided with the rise of the internet, but its use at that time was primitive by today’s standards.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92644/original/image-20150821-15942-191byvz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92644/original/image-20150821-15942-191byvz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92644/original/image-20150821-15942-191byvz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92644/original/image-20150821-15942-191byvz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92644/original/image-20150821-15942-191byvz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=561&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92644/original/image-20150821-15942-191byvz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92644/original/image-20150821-15942-191byvz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92644/original/image-20150821-15942-191byvz.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=705&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<p>This was a time before Facebook (founded in <a href="https://www.facebook.com/facebook/info?tab=page_info">2004</a>), Twitter (founded in <a href="http://twitter.about.com/od/Twitter-Basics/a/The-Real-History-Of-Twitter-In-Brief.htm">2006</a>) or other social networks. Internet banking was still at least a decade away. Mobile phones (large and cumbersome by today’s standards) were not ubiquitous, and were used mainly for making phone calls (how novel).</p>
<p><a href="http://www.csiro.au/en/Research/DPF/Areas/Wireless/Wireless-technologies/WiFi">Wireless internet connections</a> were still a twinkle in the CSIRO’s eye. <a href="http://www.google.com/about/company/history/">Larry Page and Sergey Brin</a> met at Stanford in 1995 but it would be a couple of years before they even register <a href="http://www.google.com/">google.com</a>. Internet use typically meant sending and receiving electronic mail, or perhaps exploring the brave new world of the world wide web using the <a href="http://www.wired.com/2010/04/0422mosaic-web-browser/">Mosaic browser</a> (but without the benefits of search engines).</p>
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<p>Connection to the internet at home was chiefly by dial-up modems, which meant that many fledging web sites were largely text, as if there were too many images, it would take too long to download them. The idea that photos, let along videos, would be routinely exchanged over the internet sounded like science fiction (particularly as photographs were still typically taken on film-based cameras rather than digital ones). </p>
<p>The game-changing nature of the internet meant that computing became an increasingly important part of everyday life. This made it inevitable that Windows 95 would need to be upgraded with in a few years.</p>
<h2>Through the next Windows</h2>
<p>And that’s how it’s been over the past 20 years. The twin pressures of technological innovation and expanding applications have ensured that there have been several new versions of Windows since 1995 (some of which, it must be said, were <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/article/the-best-and-worst-windows-versions-ever/">more memorable than others</a>). </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92489/original/image-20150820-32485-lzuhh0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92489/original/image-20150820-32485-lzuhh0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/92489/original/image-20150820-32485-lzuhh0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92489/original/image-20150820-32485-lzuhh0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92489/original/image-20150820-32485-lzuhh0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=383&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92489/original/image-20150820-32485-lzuhh0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92489/original/image-20150820-32485-lzuhh0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/92489/original/image-20150820-32485-lzuhh0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=481&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A Windows 10 event in Sydney. The upgrade is available free to many existing Windows users.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://news.microsoft.com/?attachment_id=215993">Microsoft</a></span>
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<p>It is now unremarkable to upload videos to sites such as Facebook, or to pause a movie playing on a laptop in order to pay bills online, tasks that were a pipe dream when Windows 95 was launched.</p>
<p>A further driver for change, which is largely invisible to the average user, is that a typical computer now contains multiple processors. This increases the processing power of the machine, but significantly complicates the architecture of the operating system, which needs to be able to exploit this extra capability whilst still remaining simple to use for the average person.</p>
<p>Annoying as it may have been to upgrade from say Windows 98 to Windows XP, sometimes upgrading to a new version of the operating system is simply the price of progress.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/windows-10">Windows 10</a> is still in its infancy, but so far it seems to have the hit the mark. It may not have to deal with floppy drives or dial-up modems, but there is still a lot more going on under the hood than in the days of Windows 95 all those years ago.</p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>James Harland does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Today marks the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Windows 95 operating system. What was it that made the operating system so special, and why all the upgrades over the years?James Harland, Associate Professor in Computational Logic, RMIT UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/366342015-01-23T12:51:58Z2015-01-23T12:51:58ZMicrosoft fight back begins with launch of Windows 10 that runs on everything, everywhere<p>Microsoft, once the dominant force in the software industry, has for a few years been on the back foot. Despite its undeniable clout and the world’s largest installed base of users, it has been slow to move with the trends that are reshaping the industry, particularly mobile and cloud computing. Its recent <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/21/windows-10-event-summary/">grand unveiling of Windows 10</a> – and a <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/21/microsoft-just-fired-latest-volley-in-the-face-computer-battle/">great deal more besides</a> – is the firm’s first step toward taking back the initiative.</p>
<p>The company’s strategy is perhaps to reorient the business towards mobile and cloud first, and establish a consistent strategy for its core business of Windows operating systems.</p>
<p>The first move, with the release of Windows 10, is to make good the damage caused by Windows 8. The previous version of its operating system introduced substantial changes aimed at tablet and phone users, but alienated those not using a touchscreen. With Windows 10 it <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/21/7865973/microsoft-windows-10-new-desktop-features">combines the best of both</a>: the venerable Start Menu is back, for example, but with integrated touch-friendly apps.</p>
<p>In the process Microsoft is finally bringing about the long-overdue process of establishing an operating system family that is consistent across servers, desktop and laptops, tablets and phones. Until now there has been versions of Windows for PCs, two different and incompatible versions of Windows for phones, and yet more versions for uses such as embedded devices, handheld computers or point-of-sale terminals. Windows 10 will run on all of them – it even promises <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/1/21/7865569/microsoft-xbox-app-windows-10">greater integration with Xbox games consoles</a> too.</p>
<p>It’s no secret that Windows as a mobile phone operating system was late to the party and is playing catch-up against Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. A <a href="http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/publications/wtid.aspx">survey by ICT</a> reveals more there are more than 1.7 billion handsets and 6.8 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide – not many fewer than the number of people on earth. But Microsoft has only around <a href="http://www.idc.com/prodserv/smartphone-os-market-share.jsp">3% of the global share</a>. With average use of mobile services now <a href="http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2014/smartphones-so-many-apps--so-much-time.html">up to three hours a day</a>, 75% of which is spent on mobile apps for social purposes and for work, internet users are now highly mobile and dynamic users — and they need devices and systems that support the way they use the digital world. Microsoft has to prove it can do this. </p>
<p>Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s new CEO, is focused on using Windows to support a richer set of services for consumers and businesses, including a cloud and mobile platform. In doing so he’s moving away from the old licence model of selling the operating system – Windows 10 will be a <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/21/microsoft-to-provide-free-upgrades-to-windows-10/">free upgrade</a> for the first year after launch, with greater cross-platform synchronisation between desktop, mobile, and Xbox. The aim is to provide a seamless and entirely Microsoft-based platform across which users can get involved in communities and use social media.</p>
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<p>Microsoft needs to provide a compelling user experience in order to drive users to its products. Another interesting launch is <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/21/microsofts-browser-with-a-halo-codename/">Spartan</a>, a new browser to replace Internet Explorer. Browsers are essentially the de facto user interface these days, with services increasingly appearing as packaged apps to keep users inside the ecosystem – Google’s <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/chrome/devices/">Chromebook</a> platform is a good example. Spartan will introduce features such as browser extensions, again long overdue as these have been available in alternative browsers such as Chrome and Firefox for years. </p>
<p>Making its <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/21/microsofts-announces-something/">Office 360 applications available free for mobile</a>, and introducing <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/21/windows-10-makes-microsofts-dream-of-universal-apps-come-true/">Universal Windows Apps</a> that will work across all devices, will help keep users in the ecosystem by giving them everything they need, without fuss or complication. If Microsoft can pull this off, it can turn the corner and bring together, with Windows 10, converging operating systems, platforms, and digital services – free or paid – that it offers.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/36634/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Mark Skilton does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Microsoft, once the dominant force in the software industry, has for a few years been on the back foot. Despite its undeniable clout and the world’s largest installed base of users, it has been slow to…Mark Skilton, Professor of Practice, Warwick Business School, University of WarwickLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/323922014-10-01T13:27:29Z2014-10-01T13:27:29ZMicrosoft skips to a round number for Windows 10 – so, is it perfect?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60516/original/hyvcdnrj-1412166815.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Windows in all shapes and sizes.</span> </figcaption></figure><p>The name came as a surprise, although it <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-christens-the-next-version-of-windows-as-windows-10-7000034196/">wasn’t the surprise watchers had been expecting</a>: the latest version of Microsoft Windows had been codenamed Threshold, and it was thought this would become its official name, rather than the more predictable Windows 9. As it happened, Microsoft jumped straight to a round number and <a href="http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2014/09/30/announcing-windows-10/">called it Windows 10</a>.</p>
<p>But what’s in a name, anyway? Presumably the world’s most overwhemingly popular computer operating system can bring more to the table.</p>
<p>The first taste of Windows 10, as is often the case with yet-to-be released products, focuses more on the superficial than how the operating system handles the computer’s processor, memory, input/output and other hardware devices. Such matters were quietly ignored for the time being, although the <a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/preview-coming-soon">technical preview</a> of Windows 10 which will be shortly be available for those who sign up to the Windows Insider programme will reveal more about what’s changed under the hood. </p>
<h2>Surface appeal</h2>
<p>Superficial or not, what every Windows user wants to know is whether the <a href="https://theconversation.com/windows-8-and-microsofts-missed-mobile-moment-22036">sweeping changes to the interface</a> introduced in Windows 8 in 2012 have been dealt with to their satisfaction. </p>
<p>The Windows 8 interface built around large tiles was designed with touchscreen computers in mind, perhaps under the impression that they would be commonplace in years to come. Not so. And so the familiar Start menu introduced with Windows 95 and which disappeared in Windows 8 returns. Hardly a revolutionary act, but one that will have many breathing a sigh of relief. At least some users will now know where to start.</p>
<p>Microsoft was boldly chasing cutting edge design with Windows 8, with its design language (<a href="http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-GB/library/windows/apps/hh781237.aspx">originally called Metro</a>) stripping away the embossed edges and drop shadows from windows ahead of rivals, including Apple. The flat design remains – from the background icons to the start bar, Windows 10 is flatter than ever.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60515/original/xby3ys3x-1412166585.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/60515/original/xby3ys3x-1412166585.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60515/original/xby3ys3x-1412166585.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60515/original/xby3ys3x-1412166585.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60515/original/xby3ys3x-1412166585.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60515/original/xby3ys3x-1412166585.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/60515/original/xby3ys3x-1412166585.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The Start menu is back, and flatter than ever.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Microsoft</span></span>
</figcaption>
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<p>While the tile-based look of Windows 8 is gone, it has not been entirely removed. Instead it emerges from the side of the Start menu, combining the two approaches, like a blend of Windows 7 and Windows 8. The app-based approach of Windows 8 is also retained, with apps launching in windows as would any program. The alerts that apps can produce have been collected into a central Notification Center.</p>
<p>Microsoft has attempted to replicate the multiple desktops approach possible with other operating systems such as Mac OS X and Linux. Windows 10 will introduce this approach, calling them virtual desktops, with a range of customisation options available for each.</p>
<p>Early rumours suggested Windows 10 would do away with the unpopular <a href="http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/charms-tutorial">Charms bar</a> altogether, but it seems it rather be hidden further. The Charms bar was an innovation of Windows 8 that aimed to help users quickly access common, context-dependent actions available to them on any given screen, such as for searching and sharing. Useful for touchscreen users, it got in the way for those using keyboard and mouse that make up the vast majority of Windows users.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">The latest version, certainly.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>One Windows, many devices</h2>
<p>Perhaps one of the biggest changes is the effort to finally deliver on Windows 8’s promise to combine the many versions of Windows that exist for different platforms – smartphones, tablets, touchscreens, laptops and desktops, running different processor architectures such as Intel x86 and ARM.</p>
<p>Microsoft is aiming squarely for that with an ambitious feature called <a href="http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/09/continuum-microsoft-finally-makes-touch-and-mouse-make-sense-together/">Continuum</a>, which will detect the processor architecture and device characteristics such as screen size and peripherals and change the interface accordingly. Unplug a keyboard, and touchscreen buttons to help navigate appear. Plug it back in, and the familiar Start button and menu re-appears.</p>
<p>An even more substantial step-change is Microsoft’s decision to move away from producing monolithic, periodic updates, released as point versions (Windows 8 to Windows 8.1, for example) or as service packs. Instead it seems the company will adopt the “release early, release often” approach of the open source movement and introduce regular, rolling upgrades. In one sense – as Microsoft itself has alluded to – this will be the final “version” of Windows, one that is perpetually updated. <a href="http://www.zdnet.com/windows-as-a-service-whats-threshold-got-to-do-with-it-7000033263/">Windows as a service</a>, if you like.</p>
<h2>Is it worth it?</h2>
<p>Windows 10’s announcement comes with all the usual claims of improved stability, higher security, better power management, more personalisation, and so on. All this is yet to be seen. Windows 10 must offer something for desktop and laptop users, and especially for the enterprise corporate users who make up much of the company’s profits. Certainly the promise of design, once run on all platforms that a unified Windows architecture offers, will be great news for developers.</p>
<p>As operating systems for mobile and desktop devices converge, feature lists become harder to differentiate. If Microsoft follows through and delivers a unified Windows architecture across multiple platforms, it may well turn out to be a better prediction than those that led to the design choices in Windows 8.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/32392/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hongji Yang does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The name came as a surprise, although it wasn’t the surprise watchers had been expecting: the latest version of Microsoft Windows had been codenamed Threshold, and it was thought this would become its…Hongji Yang, Professor, Deputy Director, Centre for Creative Computing, Bath Spa UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/220362014-01-16T23:55:13Z2014-01-16T23:55:13ZWindows 8 and Microsoft’s missed mobile moment<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/39245/original/zhmx9v6n-1389916237.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Windows 8 made sense in theory, but in reality has failed to hit the mark.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Justin Lane/AAP</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>To say that Microsoft is struggling at the moment is an understatement. The search for a new CEO is <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-long-search-for-microsofts-next-ceo-21804">not going well</a>, Microsoft mobile phones are still <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/09/market-share-smartphones-iphone-android-windows">failing</a> to capture any significant mind and market share and worse, at some point this year, Apple’s PCs, tablets and phones will be <a href="http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2014/1/15/technology/how-microsoft-lost-its-edge-against-apple">out-selling</a> Windows.</p>
<h2>Where it went wrong</h2>
<p>Of the many missteps that could be laid at Microsoft’s door, the move to Windows 8 ranks as one of the biggest. Driven by a forgivable logic, Microsoft wanted to produce an operating system that unified its PC, tablet and phone operating systems. The seamless integration of devices would appeal to the market and help Microsoft regain the ascendancy from Apple and Google. This may have worked if Windows 8 and the user interface that underpinned it had been less unattractive or more familiar. But since its release 14 months ago, Windows 8 sales are <a href="http://slashdot.org/topic/bi/windows-8-continues-to-struggle-for-adoption/">50% of those</a> of Windows 7 after the same period.</p>
<h2>Will Windows 9 stem the PC sales declines?</h2>
<p>In what is now a desperate move to change its fortunes, Microsoft is <a href="http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/threshold-be-called-windows-9-ship-april-2015">rumoured</a> to be rushing the release of Windows 9, code-named “Threshold” to 2015. Little is known about the changes that will be in the release although commentators are already theorising that Microsoft will try and wind back the tablet and touch features of the desktop version of Windows to something looking more like Windows 7. The sense however is that this is too little and far too late.</p>
<p>2013 saw the <a href="http://globalnews.ca/news/1072693/pc-sales-saw-worst-ever-decline-in-2013/">worst declines</a> in PC sales of any previous year, falling by 10%. Although tablet sales are partly responsible for some of this decline, another important factor is consumers and businesses holding on to their existing hardware for longer through a lack of incentive to upgrade or change. </p>
<p>For Microsoft, the problem has been further exacerbated by the fact that Apple PCs have actually seen an increase in <a href="http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/01/09/apples-domestic-mac-sales-surge-285-as-overall-pc-market-shrinks-75">sales</a>, especially in the US.</p>
<h2>What makes people use a particular technology?</h2>
<p>The factors that determine whether a consumer or business will use a given technology are complicated and researchers have developed a range of models to try and determine what drives its successful use. One such <a href="http://elefelious.wordpress.com/2013/03/">model</a>, proposes factors such as the amount of effort involved in a technology’s use, its cost, the habits of the user and the technology’s performance. </p>
<p>Of equal importance however, are social influence and hedonic motivation. In other words, the more people within your social sphere that are using a technology and also the more pleasurable the technology is to use, the more likely you will be to use it.</p>
<p>From the moment Windows 8 was launched, it has largely been reviewed negatively. For the desktop user, there were no benefits delivered in changing to a user interface that emphasised a tablet metaphor. In fact, the opposite was the case, it just got in the way. </p>
<p>Worse still, elements of the interface were simply ugly. Examples of this included the capitalisation of menu text and the washed out borderless interfaces that found their way into the Microsoft applications adopting the Windows 8 user interface look and feel. In short, it became less pleasurable to use than Windows 7, and social influencers were largely negative about the product.</p>
<p>The challenge facing Microsoft to turn around the negative sentiment associated with Windows 8 is considerable. Speeding up the release of Windows 9 may help, but only if Microsoft has made substantial changes to the user interface.</p>
<h2>The other hurdles for Microsoft</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/39190/original/kxftccns-1389848899.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/39190/original/kxftccns-1389848899.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/39190/original/kxftccns-1389848899.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/39190/original/kxftccns-1389848899.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/39190/original/kxftccns-1389848899.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/39190/original/kxftccns-1389848899.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/39190/original/kxftccns-1389848899.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">If Microsoft is unable to turnaround negative sentiment about Windows 8, it could be headed for the PC graveyard.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">tony newell/Flickr</span></span>
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<p>From a business user perspective, there are additional problems that Microsoft faces. The first is a large installed base of businesses still using Windows XP. </p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=10&qpcustomd=0&qpsp=2013&qpnp=2&qptimeframe=Y">Net Applications</a> 35% of PC desktops globally were still running Windows XP. In deciding what to upgrade to, it is extremely unlikely that companies would choose to move to Windows 8 which means that Windows 7 is likely to be the dominant PC operating system for the next decade at least. </p>
<p>For large organisations, the costs involved in migrating platforms are mainly in ensuring that all the applications they use work on a particular platform and the training and support costs of their users. Because of the poor reception for Windows 8, there will be less incentive for other software companies to rush to support it, preferring instead to concentrate on Windows 7.</p>
<p>A further wildcard in the PC market are platforms such as Google’s Chromebook which enjoyed a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com.au/chromebook-sales-2013-12">surge</a> in sales last year. It is possible that as businesses increasingly move to a software-as-a-service model, especially one that is web-based, Chromebooks will become increasingly popular replacements to desktop PCs.</p>
<h2>What next?</h2>
<p>Even if Windows 9 helps to reverse the negative impact of Windows 8, it is unlikely to stem the declines in the PC market. Microsoft will be concentrating its efforts on succeeding where it matters now, in the mobile market.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/22036/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Glance worked at Microsoft between 1998 and 2001.</span></em></p>To say that Microsoft is struggling at the moment is an understatement. The search for a new CEO is not going well, Microsoft mobile phones are still failing to capture any significant mind and market…David Glance, Director, Centre for Software Practice, The University of Western AustraliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.