Windows is currently all things to all people. But that assumes that all users have the same needs and they don't. Most users struggle daily with stuff that we take completely for granted.
I too hate it when Microsoft adds a feature that assumes I'm an idiot. Every time I install Windows I have to go through the configuration dance to get it to "power user" settings. By default, it's not setup for you or me. It's not really setup for the average user either -- it's somewhere in the middle.
Exactly. Every new windows system takes me about 2 days to set up. Every default seems to be wrong, so I spend so much time rediscovering how to change it again.
On Mac I'm set up in an hour or two. Either the default is right, quick to change, or too much trouble to change to be worth the bother.
Not to be the Linux fanboy, but with Ubuntu, I am usually set up in 20 minutes and up-to-date in 30, if the bandwidth is nice.
I am considering building a metapackage just for me, rbanffy-desktop, to set up eveything on my box automagically upon invoking "aptitude install rbanffy-desktop" (or selecting it from the GUI installer). That way I would be up and running before I am back from lunch. Maybe I will need two, rbanffy-repos to set up 3rd party repos (VirtualBox, Skype, Google, PPAs) and one to do the heavy-lifting. Sounds like a good fun project.
Really? For me Linux takes days. Longer than Windows. Given that it's much more customizable than the other two I spend a lot of time setting up everything how I want.
You can tweak it for years if you want, but that doesn't mean you can't start working after a couple minutes. The point is a Windows box takes a full day to set up. You can somehow reduce that by slipstreaming SPs and fixes into the install disk, but keeping track of them and merging them into an install disk is a career in itself (one I would chose crime over)
That's why it would need to be something new. Right now we have the "big pool" where you can have as much fun as you want, but you can also drown and there aren't lifeguards to help you out. What we also need is a "kiddie pool" where the water is shallow and safe. I don't think he's advocating for replacing the big pool with the kiddie pool. He just wants this AppStore that would allow regular folks to install / uninstall apps without the fear of messing up their system. A rewrite of the OS to prevent apps from doing what they want would break a ton of existing app -- that just won't fly. But, a "new type" of app, something that's safe and you install from the AppStore...
Wait, are you being sarcastic? Whenever I use Windows I feel like it's trying to hold my hand the whole time (you have unused icons on your desktop!) and won't let me do basic things like setting up a custom backup script or picking a different window manager.
Bingo! I wanted comment this exact same thing. I use Windows because I want to control what I do, not let someone else control things, like I have with my iPad and iPhone.
If the future of Windows in a controlled environment like iOS4.0, then my future leads to making Ubuntu my primary boot segment.
I really don't like it when Microsoft decides to add a feature on the assumption that I'm an idiot.