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It was about 10 years ago when Microsoft introduced its new operating system, Windows 8. Windows 8 was a hybrid operating system for tablets and desktop computers that featured one of the most radical user interface changes since Windows 95.
That’s because Windows 8 did away with the iconic Start menu and button in favor of a new “Start Screen” with Live Tiles that update dynamically. While the new user interface worked well on touchscreen tablets, it frustrated PC users who were still using a mouse and keyboard. Overall, the operating system received mixed reviews and strong pushback from the press, failing to rejuvenate the slump in PC sales at the time.
10 years after its release, former Windows Division President Steven Sinofsky, one of the main architects of Windows 8, spoke with Ars Technica’s Benj Edwards about the operating system’s origins, its development, and what he personally feels. about the operating system now. You can watch the entire interview by clicking the source link at the bottom of this article, but we’ve rounded up some of the most interesting bits for you.
About the changes in the interface design of Windows 8
Edwards asked Sinofsky if the iPad, which was a popular Apple product at the time, was the driving force behind Windows 8’s design changes. He responded by saying that the main motivations for changing the Windows 8 interface were because ” Windows had run its course.” He expounded further:
If you look at how Windows thought when we built Windows 7 (2006–2009), the world was very focused on how the PC would compute for what the industry called “the next billion.” Windows 7 ended up being built on the tail end of a vision that would never come true: the PC that powers computing for the billions of PC users.
He further mentioned that because more people were starting to use iPhones and Android devices at the time, the only hope of growing the dwindling PC market was to have an experience more aligned with smartphones. He says the entire design of Windows 8 was about taking the essence of a PC and taking it beyond smartphones.
In the tile-based Metro interface
Metro is one of the design languages created by Microsoft. The design language evolved in Windows Media Center and Zune, and was used in Windows Phone 7.
According to Sinofsky, the tiles arose from a “synergy” with the Metro design language, which itself was an evolution at Microsoft. While they considered various alternatives, they found that the combination of the Start screen and Live Tiles fixed the main shortcomings they saw in how the Start menu, taskbar, system tray, devices, and notifications became “unusable.” in Windows.
On the evolution of your opinion of Windows 8
One of the biggest complaints about Windows 8 was the removal of the Start menu. However, according to Sinofsky, the feature had already reached its functional limits. “In many ways, I think the feedback exaggerated the role of the Start menu in the same way that early Windows critics exaggerated the removal of “C:\>” from the core experience,” he said.
Also, he mentions that most computing is now done through app grids and is launched by touch. “Desktop computing is on the decline. That assumes that desktop computers are not used at all, and for a few billion people, they will never see desktop computers as traditionally imagined,” the former Windows boss said.
Overall, Sinofsky says that he and his team tried to take Windows to the next natural step in computing. He claims his vision to do that was “too much too soon”, resulting in Windows failing to move forward and hold its own in a shrinking desktop world.
On what Windows 8 did better and worse
Sinofsky believes that the Windows 8 feature called “Contracts” was its greatest innovation. Contracts are agreements between Windows and a developer’s app that allow them to integrate Windows 8 features into their app. For example, Windows 8 allows users to share content from one app to another using the Share contract. “Apple didn’t extend this to third-party apps until 2014, I think, and up to iOS 13, although a lot of what was done in Windows 8 still hasn’t gotten there,” he said.
He also mentions that little things like swipe gestures from the edges or typing to launch programs were also one of the best features of Windows 8.
On the other hand, Sinofsky claims that the least satisfying aspect of Windows 8 was that “there was no real Windows 8.1 and 8.2,” because like any Microsoft project, they started out knowing they were on a 10-year journey.
He also has a regret with Windows 8:
Unlike most everything Microsoft did that succeeded (Windows itself, Microsoft Word, Windows NT, and more), Microsoft actually completely backed down on the idea of transforming Windows when actually the platform (WinRT API), the hardware (Surface for ARM), and the general user model could have made substantial progress if the company had held firm. While that’s not the “worst feature,” it’s what I think about the most when I think about what might have changed with a future Windows 8.
On why he wants people to remember Windows 8
Sinofsky says that Windows 8 will be remembered for how it performed in the marketplace. “My hope is that, over time, some people will reflect on what was done, review the initial reactions, and realize that what Windows 8 tried to do was the classic effort that businesses should make: it’s always better to break one same as getting interrupted by another company. That’s what we try to do,” he said.
He also claims that Windows 8 is an example of something that failed because it had “too much” innovation. “The market couldn’t absorb all of that at once, even though all the pieces turned out to be relatively prescient on so many fronts,” he concluded.
Did you use Windows 8 when it came out? What do you think of the operating system 10 years later? Let us know in the comments section.
Source: Ars Technica
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