Microsoft Suffers Leaks, Lagging Sales Numbers As They Look Forward To Windows 8

nandemoari writes "With only a few weeks until Microsoft's Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 (RC1) is released, Microsoft is already looking for people to help with Windows 8. An April 14th job ad posted by Microsoft says the upcoming version of Windows will have new features like cluster support and support for one way replication. Apparently the Windows 8 kernel is being reworked to provide dramatic performance improvements. Windows 8 will also include innovative features that, according to Microsoft, will revolutionize file access in branch offices." Relatedly, several users tell us that both 32 and 64-bit versions of the Windows 7 release candidate have been leaked into the wild via p2p networks. The current leaked version shows little change beyond bug fixes, so it would seem what you see is what you get. This all comes as Microsoft posts quarterly sales that have fallen for the first time in the company's 23-year history. Seeing a 6% drop in revenue and a 32% drop in earnings, some within the Redmond giant expect the downward trend to continue.

Comments

Dear Microsoft.. please listen to your users

[brxndxn]

Dear Microsoft,

I am a frustrated user. I am frustrated because you are continuously making it difficult for me to use your software. You are making it even more difficult for me to buy your software.

I called Microsoft yesterday.. I wanted a clear answer on exactly how many licenses I need of Windows XP in order to develop software that will run on a Windows environment. The first guy I talked to told me I need one license per virtual machine. I asked him if I needed a license every time I copied the virtual machine to start a separate project. He said that I do..

Then I asked how do I get VLK licenses like the big corporations do.. He told me I need to talk to that department and.. okay.. long story.. I'll fork my rant here.. Send me message if you want me to continue my licensing rant in detail.

Next rant: Windows Vista.. Stop telling me it is better than Windows XP. But, also stop telling me Windows 7 is better than Windows XP. Out of all the Windows desktop operating systems I've used, Windows XP 64bit seems to be the most stable and the most user-friendly (and software developer friendly).. So why are you making it so goddamn hard for anyone to buy Windows XP 64bit? Anyone that understands anything about software knows that Windows Vista was a miserable attempt to wrestle control away from the user..

Next rant: Why are you forcing Vista on everyone that buys a computer in the store?! There have been multiple times I would've purchased a store computer for convenience (for home or workplace) if it just had an option for XP.

Next rant: DRM. Fucking stop it. Start enabling people - not disabling them. Stop listening to media companies that are trying to force you to handicap your operating system. People pay for stuff that's convenient. Make it convenient as possible. Stop installing WGA spyware on everyones' computers.

Next rant: Stop changing interfaces for the hell of changing interfaces. Give me a 'compatibility mode' interface. For example.. Leave an option for toolbars to look like Excel 2003 in Excel 2007.. Or.. leave an option for Windows Vista to behave like XP.. And, if you don't put 'classic startmenu' back into Windows 7, I swear to God I'll never buy it.. I will use XP. (I'm using Windows 7 now.. I want my fucking classic startmenu. How dare you try to guess what program I feel like using.)

Next rant: Stop adding more steps in the process to get anything done!!! In Windows 95, Startmenu > Programs displayed everything.. Then.. Windows 98/ME/XP started scrolling and hiding shit by default.. How the fuck is that more convenient? It's just one extra click.. How about changing an IP address? It is easier and quicker in XP than Vista.. How about changing resolution? so much easier in XP than Vista.. or Windows 7..

Next rant: Stop choosing the dumbass options for everyone by default.. give a 'poweruser' setting during setup so Windows explorer doesn't try to hide exensions, hide details, hide operating system files..

Next rant: No puppy dogs.

Next rant: Build disk-imaging into the OS. Let me install a drive, go to disk manager, and copy my old drive.. It's easy as hell to program.. And it's easy as hell to do in linux.. make it easy to do in Windows.

Next rant: Be stricter with developers.. Make the OS so it has to explicitly ask the user to 'run on startup' or 'run a popup daemon' that will annoy us to upgrade all the time..

Next rant: Follow your own fucking standards. If I disable all icons on the desktop for my users in group policy, I should not have a 'Windows media player' and 'Help and support' link on the desktop. Also, likewise with Printers link and Outlook express.

Next rant: Spend some effort on file organization. Windows 7 shortens the paths to 'documents and settings'.. but it is no more organized! Stop making 'My Music' folders on computers that have no music and never will!

Next rant: Stop wasting GUI space.. How is a thicker window border any more convenient? How about I get to control the size of t

Linux will never beat Windows and you know it

[Anonymous Coward]

For all the freetards do, they still can't equal the ease of use of Windows. It's the universal corporate standard for a reason. Canonical's shit-colored desktop doesn't work.

Don't take my word for it--download the live CD yourself and try it. If you like it better than Windows I'll eat my own ass. (It'll be the color of Ubuntu.) If everyone tried the CD they'd see how bad it was. Windows advocates do download it and know how badly it sucks.

Go on, mod me down, Canonical shills--but you can't hide how much your system sucks forever.

Again, don't take my word for it--download the live CD. Really, do this. You'll see just how much it sucks.

Re:Windows XP Mode

[Blakey Rat]

True, but the crummy Classic mode, along with the horrible mess they made of Finder and the UI in general, were the primary reasons I'm now using a Windows computer as my main computer. I mean, if I can't run the Classic apps I love anyway and have to buy/learn new ones, why bother paying the premium for a Mac?

Obviously, I'm not typical.