Windows 7 was made by you. Windows 7 was made by me. Windows 7 was made by Wally down in accounting. By Beverly in sales. By Joe in building maintenance. Windows 7 was made by all of us millions of beta testers who eagerly shared our feedback and helped shape Microsoft's new OS into the marvel it is today!
At least that's what the company wants everyone to believe. However, those of us who actively participated in the beta process -- either officially, as part of the formal beta program, or unofficially by grabbing and testing every wayward build leak -- know the real story.
[ Get InfoWorld's 21-page hands-on look at the new version of Windows, from InfoWorld’s editors and contributors. | Find out what's new, what's wrong, and what's good about Windows 7 in InfoWorld's "Windows 7: The essential guide." ]
For example, we know that, despite Microsoft's feel-good message about customer input, the truth is that Windows 7 was created largely through a hermetically sealed development process driven by Stephen Sinofsky and a select group of his closest advisers.
We also know that major design decisions -- like the new task bar -- were finalized months, if not years, before the first milestone builds leaked. And we know that, despite a massive public beta program, virtually nothing in the OS changed from the time it was first made available in January until the final bits were frozen in July.
The truth is that Microsoft's entire marketing campaign for Windows 7 is predicated on a lie. The company spin machine claims an unprecedented level of customer involvement, while our own truth detectors tell us that the exact opposite is true: Microsoft ignored the Windows community like never before with Windows 7. Even its "private" beta testers -- the exclusive group Microsoft invited to test the OS and then very publicly ignored -- are on the record as complaining about the lack of access.
Now to be fair, Microsoft probably didn't need a lot of input to figure out what it had to accomplish with Windows 7. Vista was and is a spectacular flop, and its many warts -- sluggishness, instability, an overbearing security model -- are still visible for all to see. As product lifecycles go, Vista's was dead on arrival; Microsoft executives have admitted as much in interview after interview.
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Download now »Randall - your column is called "Enterprise Desktop," and I believe you have quite a bit of relevant expertise and experience. How about writing about something to do with the actual operating system, and maybe how it fits into businesses, works together with servers - how it provides a better desktop experience. If you don't like the OS, maybe rather than pointless complaining, you could write about ways it could be configured or used more effectively? No one cares about things that can't be changed, or about the truth of MS marketing.
Windows is what it is, and we can't change it. So help us deal with it in the most effective way possible - maximize the effectiveness of what works, and work around what doesn't work.
When Vista was in beta, I read nothing but glowing reports of how rich, exciting, smooth, and fast is was.
After Vista was released, the ugly truth came out. Even Microsoft had to backpedal, go back into the lab and conduct hack-and-patch marathons, and quickly squirt out a replacement.
When Windows 7 was in beta, I read nothing but glowing reports of how rich, exciting, smooth, and fast is was. It was said to run just as quickly and smoothly on teeny tiny netbooks as it does on big expensive PCs.
Now that Windows 7 is released, will history repeat itself?
Windows 7 supposedly runs beautifully on big expensive PCs. But how about those teeny tiny netbooks that caused Microsoft to reverse itself and continue to push XP? Will XP go away? THAT will be a BIG indication of ny success or victory by Windows 7.
Some ugly truths are coming out. Does Microsoft need someone to blame? It was Becky the waitress and John the mailroom clerk that muffed Windows 7! We didn't do it! The millions of fools who wrote Windows 7 did it!
Looking forward with anticipation!
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