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Microsoft Responds To "Like OS X" Comment

Posted by samzenpus on from the imitation-is-the-greatest-form-of-flattery dept.

Z80xxc! writes "After a comment by a Microsoft employee claiming in an interview that 'what we [Microsoft] have tried to do with Windows 7... is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics,' the Windows 7 team has issued an official rebuttal, saying that the comment came from an employee who was 'not involved in any aspect of designing Windows 7,' and that it was 'inaccurate and uninformed.'"

25 of 505 comments (clear)

  1. ego by sopssa · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Random person thinks he knows everything, grows an ego and tells "juicy" stuff to press to boost that said ego while actually knowing nothing.

    Nothing to see here. But I suspect lots of Linux/Mac OSX fanatics will be coming in 3.. 2.. 1..

    1. Re:ego by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I suspect lots of Linux/Mac OSX fanatics will be coming in 3.. 2.. 1..

      I came as fast as I could! Just let me get my breath back and I'll start bashing whoever the bad guy is in the story! Who is it today? MacDonalds? Apple? Microsoft? Jack Thompson?

    2. Re:ego by zmollusc · · Score: 5, Funny

      ..0
      OMGBBQ!!!!! Gnome is bettar than both!!!!! and anyway it all comes from PARC work blah blah GEM blah blah Amiga blah ....

      --
      They whose government reduces their essential liberties for temporary security, receive neither liberty nor security.
    3. Re:ego by sitarlo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Or, totally informed person tells the truth and evil corporation fabricates a "rebuttal" to save face.

    4. Re:ego by Jarik+C-Bol · · Score: 4, Funny

      Penny Arcade put it well:
      http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/10/30/

      --
      I've decided to Diversify my Holdings. I've divided my cash between my left and right pockets, instead of all in one.
    5. Re:ego by gbjbaanb · · Score: 4, Funny

      so did xkcd.

    6. Re:ego by Mitchell314 · · Score: 5, Funny

      I don't get why it'd be funny, but I also don't get why it's modded troll. Some people are just to trigger happy, eh?

      Maybe it's a KDE user who did it.

      --
      I read TFA and all I got was this lousy cookie
    7. Re:ego by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I doubt a KDE user would do it, they'd have to spend too long looking through the huge array of buttons and options that do similar things in order to just be at the end of desperation, push one of them in the hope it does the right thing.

    8. Re:ego by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Jack Thompson is a safe bet in all situations.

      For every Off-topic mod you get, you'll be almost guaranteed one Insightful mod. As long as you're against Jack Thompson. Which I am!

      --
      Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
  2. Things not to do if you like your job by Random5 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Pretty sure on the list of 'Things not to do if you like your job', admitting you're inspired by the competition and complimenting their design TO THE PRESS has got to be in the top 3.

    1. Re:Things not to do if you like your job by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 4, Funny

      I would probably go with defecating on the CEO's desk, being caught copulating with cleaning equipment, and attempting to snort toner out of the photocopier would take up those top slots, but hey, if you think you can get away with one of those...

      --
      Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
    2. Re:Things not to do if you like your job by spruce · · Score: 4, Funny

      In my defense, that mop was a slut

  3. What Apple does right by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Apple and Microsoft attack the problem of user interface from two completely different points of view. Microsoft wants things to be orthogonal, logical, menu driven, hierarchical, and otherwise fully featured. Apple takes the approach that the user doesn't want to fuss with all sorts of menus and submenus (no two button mouse for years!) and just wants to do what they need as simply as possible. So you end up with two completely different interfaces.

    Apple's interface is elegant but inflexible. Everything fits into the existing scheme and runs perfectly within that scheme.

    Windows' interface is flexible but clumsy. While this has gotten much better in later versions, we're still looking at deeply nested menus, and applications which do not necessarily have any UI themes in common with each other.

    However the key point is that Microsoft is gradually becoming more user-centric. As far as that goes in their own perspective. They are making changes to the OS that were implemented in Mac years ago, and now that they are here, they make Windows a better product.

    Aesthetics is a major theme with Apple, and it is one that Microsoft hadn't fully embraced until Vista. Listen to the users. Let the users tell you what is good and bad. Build the interface to match the user.

    In a sense, the MS employee was right. Microsoft is doing a lot to emulate Apple. And frankly, it's about time.

    1. Re:What Apple does right by Procasinator · · Score: 4, Insightful

      One of the problems OS X has is that it lacks the ability to use these menus through the keyboard easily. In Windows I can hit the Alt key, and quickly see all the menus I can open by using an other key (the letter used for the menu item will have an underscore). Such as Alt + F is the file menu.

      Each menu item then can be accessed usually through an access key. So Alt - F - S would be save. I know in both Windows and Mac OS X you have direct save short cuts too, and you can configure short cuts to common items, but that's not I want.

      What I want is to be able to access a menu list from the keyboard quickly while exploring, not remember various different short cuts.

    2. Re:What Apple does right by gtomorrow · · Score: 4, Informative

      System Prefs > Mouse & Keyboard > Keyboard shortcuts*.

      A quick look tells me that CTRL-F2 puts focus on the menubar, CTRL-F3 places focus on the Dock, etc etc. OSX has had this since (someone correct if i'm wrong) since at least 10.2 .

      So, that's about enough of this "can't navigate in OSX without the mouse" propaganda. [/wishful thinking]

      * Apologies if the wording isn't exact as i'm translating from the italian.

    3. Re:What Apple does right by TheRaven64 · · Score: 5, Informative

      I don't understand your complaint. On windows, you do alt, F, S and get to the save menu item in the file menu. On OS X you do contol-F2, F, S, and get to the save menu. It is just one more keystroke. I'm not sure why this is better than using shortcuts to jump straight to the menu though, nor why you think pressing keys to explore the menu is better than using the mouse.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  4. So? by war4peace · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So a Microsoft employee says something out the top of his head. In a normal discussion between me and you, this would be just an opinion, something along the lines of "I think that...". But change the speaker and all of a sudden it's along the lines of "BIG SECRET REVEALED!!!1111" kind of thing. Even worse, for most people it becomes one with the company's official PoV and this simple statement grows so much that the company must spit out a rebuttal via an official channel/spokesman.
    We are living in a twisted, perverted world, where one can't express an opinion without being beheaded by both the press and the company he's working for. God help us all! :)

    --
    ...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
  5. Hi by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm a Mac and Windows 7 was MY idea

  6. employee who 'inaccurate and uninformed' by hibernia · · Score: 4, Insightful

    and no longer has a job

  7. Re:they've been copying Mac all along... by JerryLove · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So Mac copied Xerox Star, and Windows Copied Mac? Do you know who copied whom for OS/2, Amegia Workbench, NeXT, Linux, BeOS, and GeoWorks; all of which have similar WIMP interfaces?

    It would be silly to say that any (other than STAR) evolved in a vacuum; but "borrowing ideas" has happened in every direction.

  8. This is not like OS X! by zebslash · · Score: 5, Funny

    Microsoft has issued an official rebuttal: "We never used OS X as a source of inspiration in the design of Windows 7. This is completely uninformed. We used KDE 4 instead".

  9. Re:If this is true... by recoiledsnake · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Windows 7 is still clunky, slow, and unstable.

    Citation needed. I use Windows 7 and it's certainly not one of those.

    --
    This space for rent.
  10. Save face? by professorguy · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The employee specifically said they copied the Mac's "look and feel" which is a determining factor for infringement lawsuits. So as far as lawyers are concerned, he basically said "We stole some of Apple's work."

    They ain't trying to save face. They are trying to save a lawsuit loss (i.e., money).

  11. Re:they've been copying Mac all along... by Halo1 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If you ever saw the Triumph of the Nerds documentary by Bob Cringely, you'd have seen Steve Jobs saying "Picasso had a saying Good artists copy, great artists steal. And we have always been shameless in stealing great ideas."

    Of course, in the same documentary he also says "The only problem with Microsoft is that they just have no taste" :)

    --
    Donate free food here
  12. Re:If only.... by Procasinator · · Score: 5, Informative

    Ummm... Windows Vista and onwards is more secure out of the box. I mean, Mac OS X hasn't even really implemented ASLR yet. That Mac OS X is more secure is a common misconception.

    Read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/hack-windows-security-snow-leopard,8704.html

    Charlier Miller covers why he thinks Windows is more secure than Mac OS X.