MeVsWorld

Whispers about Windows 7 and even Midori (a non windows OS by Microsoft which will probably end up being vapourware) are all over the net.

Windows is a mess, too big a mess to sort out; a complete rebuild is what’s required.

It’s the same as a workplace or home, you keep adding new things, moving little bits, but eventually it gets so messy that there’s nothing to do but take it all out and restart.

Move all the furniture, chuck a bunch of stuff out, if it’s that bad then knock all the walls down. You have a blank canvas. Build from the ground up and enjoy the fresh newness!

Microsoft have been bolting and bodging old components and new together since the 90s, components within windows XP still date back years. They have also never actually developed their own kernel; one was made with IBM and the other purchased.

In short, Microsoft have never had to build anything from the ground up, and it looks like they have been desperately trying to avoid having to do so but building something on someone else’s foundations will always lead to compromise

So what is my reaction to Vista’s impending death and roomers of research into ‘Midori’? It’s very possibly too late!

The main problem for Microsoft is that Apple have done it already. OS10 was apples big rewrite, and it was a well planned early response to hardware advances that were likely to take place in the coming few years.

The OS9 to OS10 switch and the woes that followed are so long behind us that it makes absolutely no difference to 99% of us now. The G5 to Intel processor switch caused minor headaches, but the few issues remaining are in the final stages of sorting themselves out. Basically none of the big changeovers in Apple’s operating system or in their hardware will affect most people now.

This is a problem for Microsoft because a big change in Microsoft’s primary operating system will present huge compatibility issues requiring developers support. It will take a year at least to see the level of support and stability that XP enjoys, but this is assuming that Microsoft stick to one OS only.

A lot of users have already been pushed over to operating systems which have already been through the big transitions required to keep up with software demands and hardware support. More will follow as the needs of the few quickly become the needs of the many.

The only operating system Microsoft have which will support over 3 gigabytes of memory, usable by applications is Vista 64. Support from developers for Vista 64 is horrible because most people are still on Microsoft’s 32 bit versions.

Microsoft needed to develop and launch one version of Vista, 64bit, rewritten kernel, not based on any old windows OS components and they needed to do this several years ago in my opinion.

The future, if Microsoft stays on the path they are on? Windows XP will still be Microsoft’s only stable and supported OS well into 2009 and maybe even 2010. Its age shows now to anyone doing any serious creative work, think of how this poor old OS will fare in 2010, weaknesses seen now only by power users will be clear to all.

Mainstream PC software and games developers will start looking for another platform to develop for and Linux I should think will be top of the list. Microsoft’s failures will only serve to fuel the rise of this already viable alternative. And the obvious move for most PC users in need of power and developer support?

Whatever happens now, Apple are already winning windows users every day, if Apple can find a way to retain control of hardware (which is the reason its so stable) but diversify enough to enable support of some third party upgrades that would lure hard core gamers over (Creative sound cards, huge graphics cards etc) an Apple operating system could well take the top spot within the next 5 years.