Windows 8's Big Mistake

Microsoft made a huge mistake when they created Windows 8. It's not the mistake that too many people believe it is. I've been reading the comments on various tech sites where so many people whine and complain -- yes, that's what I said -- that Microsoft took away their precious start button. They say the start menu was just perfect, and they hate that big start screen. I read complaints that the close button is gone and why does everything have to be full screen. Nothing but endless complaints about various little things that don't really matter.

These people are all stuck in the past. They don't understand that time marches on. Microsoft has to make changes to keep up with new trends and new technology, not to mention that they have to have something new so they can actually make a little bit of money. They are after all a business first. All of those old things that Microsoft took away have been replaced by equally good ideas. The only problem is that many users just don't want to give the new interface a chance.

But wait! I said, "equally good." Yes, I did. The new Windows 8 user interface is every bit as good as the old Windows 7 desktop interface. So, what's the problem? I said myself that Microsoft made a huge mistake. So, what is it? I already told you what the mistake is. The new interface is as good as the old one.

That's just it. It's as good, but it isn't better for many people. I think it's better, but that's just me. Microsoft should have made Windows 8 so much better than Windows 7 that everyone would want to upgrade. But they didn't, and now way too many people are confused and complaining. These people think the start screen is everything in this new operating system. They are unwilling to look past that and see that their old familiar desktop is still there. They didn't stop to think that they weren't really using the start menu very much anymore and that an improvement was needed.

So, why should anyone upgrade to Windows 8? Because even though it's not obvious, there are many improvements. First of all, the start screen, whether anyone likes it or not, is actually a huge improvement over the tired old start menu. You can put your shortcuts anywhere you want, and the computer boots right up to the start screen, where you can launch your apps or programs with one click of the mouse. It took two clicks to do it with the old start menu, and sometimes you had to dig down through folders to get what you wanted. Ugh.

Many people just don't want to look into the future. I do. I think I can see the direction they're going with Windows 8, especially with all the leaks of the next version of Windows floating around out there. Windows will get to the point where it really is a lot better than windows 7 is now. People will not only need it , but they will want it bad so they can have the best possible experience there is.

There are already great changes that are almost hidden in Windows 8. For instance, many of you like playing games with Windows, right? You start the game up and your windows controls are now all gone. No task bar. No windows close button. It's all full screen with only that one program at a time. You can't just do a quick switch to your email or web browser. To get to other programs you have to completely close down your game to get back into Windows. How many clicks does that take?

That's not the way it works with Windows 8 apps. And I have seen some impressive games as Windows 8 apps. Sure, they're all full screen, but your Windows controls are all there. All you have to do to switch to your email is go to the top right corner of your screen to access the app switcher. Quick and painless. And your app pauses for you so you can come back to it right where you left off. You can also go to the top or bottom right corners to reach the Charms bar, where you can do anything your app lets you. The bottom left will reveal your Start screen every time. This also works with full screen video when shown in any video app. I'd like to see you do that with windows 7.

These and many more improvements are there waiting for you in Windows 8. Even more of these improvements are coming next summer with Windows 8.1. Windows 8 probably isn't better than Windows 7 yet for many people, but it will get that way with an update or two. Windows 8's only real mistake is not being much better than Windows 7 quite yet. It will get there. I'd rather be running
Windows 8 now so I can get used to the changes that are coming. Like I said, it's just as good as any older operating system already. I'll talk about my take on some of the other current improvements to Windows in future posts.