I got a chance to see the new Windows 7 beta in action. I am both impressed and non-impressed. I think they’ve improved on Vista, which I didn’t find to be a problem if you ran it on the right hardware, but I don’t think it will solve the problem.
People buy a computer for many reasons, but for most of us, being fascinated by the computer is not one of them. We want to use it to do things, in the same way we buy microwave ovens without really wanting to know how they work. We don’t need to, in the same way we drive on roads we have no idea how to build — this is specialization of labor.
What they want is what Windows XP started to give them: transparency. They want to turn it on for the first time and have it basically just work. They want it to keep working for the next four years while they use it as their primary machine, and probably for another four after that as a media server. They want to be able to easily swap out components, add consumables like RAM and disk storage, and upgrade the monitor easily if they need to.
They do not want to wade through spyware, or to learn a whole new visual language just to navigate the operating system. They do not want strange words to learn and confuse, or any terminology specific to the brand they bought. They also do not want to be abandoned by that brand: there should be one phone hotline, and one local store, where they can get trusted service and advice at non-ripoff prices.
Microsoft and Apple have been operating for too long on a “features” diet. Any time a problem or opportunity comes up, they throw features at it, adding bulk and interface complexity to the operating system. What they need to do is step back and see how many of these issues can be eliminated with good, transparent design, and how they can do it in as small and unobtrusive an OS as possible.
This description applies to both technical and interface concerns. People got really excited for “MinWin,” a tiny version of Windows that used little disk and RAM at the expense of backward compatibility and most of its features. They love the idea of a stripped down, nearly invisible interface, instead of a Pink Floyd light show. They want the thing to start quickly, not screw up, and be user serviceable without a CS degree plus Microsoft certification.
I don’t think this is unreasonable and suggest that the first of the two to actually deliver this will dominate the market for the next decade.