Microsoft, give us a new operating system!
Not all PC users are the same. There are hundreds of millions of them and they vary enormously in interests and in technical knowledge. Yet we have a dominant computer operating system with a one-size-fits-all approach. Microsoft’s model of bundling as much as possible into the operating system means that many millions of home PC users have systems that are far more complicated than would be necessary to meet their needs. Sure, Microsoft has a so-called home version of both Windows XP and Vista but these “home” versions aren’t that much different from the business versions. In theory, Linux has the right idea with its basic kernel to which packages are added to give additional functionality. But in the consumer market Linux faces very big practical obstacles and is almost invisible. Microsoft’s muscle and the vested interests of the PC vendors mean Windows isn’t going away. So what average, non-technical home PC users need is a new basic operating system from Microsoft.
Mike Elgan says it well:
I think one of the reasons Vista is such a mess is that it tries to sell the same OS to businesses as it does to consumers. Legacy support is absolutely essential in enterprises. However, with Windows, consumers are burdened with all that legacy support code, but they don’t have IT departments to sort it all out.
If Microsoft created a consumer OS as a blank-slate exercise, starting from scratch and refusing to support anything older than Windows XP, it might be able to offer a faster, easier-to-use and more stable environment.
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