Not so for ALL versions of Windows:
Windows for Workgroups 3.5 was a welcome advance from the DOS interface.
Windows 95, with all of its flaws, made connecting to the Internet almost transparent,
compared with the line by line text in the Windows for Workgroups 3.5 Winsock, and made
the Internet mainstream.
Windows 98 was released too soon. There were bugs and blue screens galore until MS
released the CD with major fixes.
Windows Millennium was analogous to the old Atari PAC MAN, where thousands of copies were
buried in the desert by the manufacturer. It should never have been released. It was a
half-breed of Windows 98 and the forthcoming Windows XP. It made my clients miserable,
and my bank account soar from all of the tech calls. I guess that MS figured that there
were enough people who would upgrade to the latest version of Windows, and wanted the
anticipated revenue from Windows Millennium upgrades until Windows XP was released. Alas,
Windows Millennium was so bad that retail sales tanked quickly after the VERY negative
word of mouth spread. Most Windows Millennium systems that I have worked on had OEM
versions that came bundled on new systems.
Windows XP was released before it should have been because Windows Millennium did not
generate the anticipated retail sales revenue. Ergo, the first version of Windows XP had
its share of problems. But, after SP1 and later updates, Windows XP became the best, and
most dependable OS for mainstream end users.
As for Windows Vista: I agree with the fellow who got unmercifully flamed when he wrote
that Windows Vista was an eye candy system resource hog. For a soon to be released OS, it
does not seem to be nearly ready, nor is it as user friendly as Windows XP. For the
flamer who responded that upgrading hardware is inexpensive, and that eye candy is not a
negative thing: I predict the average end user when faced with peripherals that are
orphaned, and probably needing to add RAM, add a larger hard drive, and upgrading the
display adapter to get the full benefits of the eye candy (then add the cost of the
Windows Vista upgrade itself) will wait until their old system needs to be replaced with a
new system which will have Windows Vista preloaded. I do not believe that MS will see
much revenue from retail sales of the operating system during the first year of its
release. Keep in mind that many people who subscribe to this group are more tech oriented
than most end users. Windows Vista is definitely not ready for its announced release
date. If I am wrong in my assessment, my bank account will again soar from all of the
tech calls.
T.C.
mayor said:
I think I heard something similar with every new iteration of Windows.
--
Leo
Myths: Bigfoot, the Tooth Fairy and Al Gore.
