[Info-vax] OT: Rob Short: Operating System Evolution

[Arne Vajhøj]

On 31-12-2009 14:44, JF Mezei wrote:
> The Windows religion is about comforming with the rest of the world, it
> is about not being different and doing the same stuff as everyone else.

MS is leading not following when it comes to desktop UI, office
package etc..

> You don't see Windows missionaries pushing that Windows is better. Their
> only argument is that it is "compatible" because everyone uses it.
 >
 > The Windows religion is also not as strong. There is much less
 > convinction in it than in the Apple religion. Windows followers just
 > blindly buy Windows because tey feel it is the only option.

Sure you do. You just need to be in the pro-Windows circles. comp.os.vms
is not where you find them though.

>> 4) the changes forced upon Intel by the ex-DEC employees at Microsoft
>> probably helped to make Intel the juggernaut it is today.
>
> No. It prevented Microsoft from going down fast because its softare was
> so instable that people started to migrate to the Mac fast. Remember
> that between Windows 95 and Windows XP was a slew of other releases that
> were lackluster.

People were quite happy with 98 SE.

>> it. The Vista fiasco was supposedly caused by a combination of lax
>> management (no more Bill Gates) along with the retirement of ex-DEC
>> employees (they actually had to bring Dave Cutler back from retirement
>> to move a few things along).
>
> I think XP was the exception at Microsoft. It was forced to make
> something that worked. (in fact, the virus prooblem had gootten so out
> of hand that Microsoft had to issues a "SP" (patch) which turned XP
> respectable and closed all the opened ports that made it so easy to
> infect a Windows computer.
>
> Vista was back at the "marketing" force, except that it failed because
> they added so many new features that Vista didnt run on existing PCs.

Most Windows version were actually quite popular with the users.

The only non-popular Windows version I know of is ME.

Even the much criticized Vista is the second most selling OS version in
history.

Arne