Preventing Another Vista-like Release With Windows 7
CRE writes "An article at the OS News site details how Microsoft could best avoid Windows 7 becoming another Vista-esque release. The author advises Microsoft to basically split Windows in two. Windows 7 would be a new operating system based on the proven Windows NT kernel, but with a completely new user interface, with backwards compatibility provided by VMs. In addition, to please business customers and other people concerned with backwards compatibility, Microsoft should create 'Windows Legacy', basically the current Windows, which will receive only security and bug fixes. Relatedly, APCMag is reporting that Microsoft has moved Julie Larson-Green (the driving force behind Office 2007's Ribbon UI) over to work on Windows 7's interface."
A relevant comic.
They tried "Microsoft Gates" at one stage, but people got confused.
"I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
Just implement a process that involves actually throwing out 2/3+ of all the features before coding, then cycle that about three or four times to let the really needed items rise to the top. Then simplify, simplify, simplify.
"Just cause it fits in there - doesn't necessarily mean you should put it in there." ~ Words of wisdom from my sophomore roommate after 3 months of debauchery.
Get your tagline off my lawn.
Ok, so yer saying that the "D2" was his service pack level? Holy Mother of Anakin!!! That's Service Pack #226!!!
I would have expected them to transfer the designer behind the ribbon UI to the other side of the front door, not over into the shell team. The ribbon UI is quite probably the single most misdirected UI effort that has ever taken place within MSFT. Yes, it's worse than Clippy.
Right as take-up in widescreen LCDs is reaching record highs, they go and release a version of Office that not only takes up more vertical space than the previous toolbars could be adjusted to, it completely ignores the nature of the screens everyone is buying. Completely ridiculous.
In a few years everyone will be using 24+ inch widescreen displays, except that the ribbon and start menu/taskbar will have grown to occupy all but one vertical inch of the screen, leaving a sliver of space where we can read a line of text at a time.