Micrrosoft has taken a rather narrow view with their Vista. Problems facing computers today do not relate to "yet another UI attempt" and there are already much more interesting UI advances from other companies (try multi-point touch display f'rinstance.)
MS needs to address stability, security and performance. Stability of its own applications would be a start. Security to remove or control its own mistakes in design compromises. And performance in terms of delivering a near real-time experience to the user.
Isn't it interesting that the only machines that never need to reboot (in my household) are the TiVo (Linux) and the house file- and print-server (also Linux) but my Tablet PC can't go a full day without something coughing up a fur ball. And my Windows Media PC needs constant attention to drive fragmentation and a level of technical "intervention" that would be completely outrageous to a TiVo user. It's also interesting to note non-English speaking visitors tend to end up on the Mac for browsing or checking their email. They also tend to use the TiVo (which involves learning how to switch away from the Media PC, which is usually sitting there with a list of movies and a browser window open to a Google page) but they know how to use TiVo... even the remote is immediately easier and more familiar.
If they built a stable, secure OS that ran smoothly, I think the customer base would increase. As long as we get upgrades to Windows for Workgroups, like NT, XP and Vista, it's just more of the same.
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Micrrosoft has taken a rather narrow view with their Vista. Problems facing computers today do not relate to "yet another UI attempt" and there are already much more interesting UI advances from other companies (try multi-point touch display f'rinstance.) MS needs to address stability, security and performance. Stability of its own applications would be a start. Security to remove or control its own mistakes in design compromises. And performance in terms of delivering a near real-time experience to the user. Isn't it interesting that the only machines that never need to reboot (in my household) are the TiVo (Linux) and the house file- and print-server (also Linux) but my Tablet PC can't go a full day without something coughing up a fur ball. And my Windows Media PC needs constant attention to drive fragmentation and a level of technical "intervention" that would be completely outrageous to a TiVo user. It's also interesting to note non-English speaking visitors tend to end up on the Mac for browsing or checking their email. They also tend to use the TiVo (which involves learning how to switch away from the Media PC, which is usually sitting there with a list of movies and a browser window open to a Google page) but they know how to use TiVo ... even the remote is immediately easier and more familiar.
If they built a stable, secure OS that ran smoothly, I think the customer base would increase. As long as we get upgrades to Windows for Workgroups, like NT, XP and Vista, it's just more of the same.