The idea that you have to have Windows 8 before Windows 9 is obvious from the sheer logic of the naming convention—of course 9 comes after 8. Beyond the naming, though, the latest Windows operating system, which is expected to be unveiled by Microsoft at an event in San Francisco tomorrow, couldn’t exist without Windows 8.
Every iteration of a product like the Windows operating system is an evolutionary process. Microsoft strives to find ways to make the operating system more intuitive, more effective, and more efficient, while also integrating new technologies that have developed since the last version. Microsoft developers also must respond to user comments and feedback, and incorporate features and changes when there is sufficient demand—but only if it won’t fundamentally alter the capabilities and experience Microsoft wants to deliver.
There is a simple, existential reality involved. Wherever you are in life today is the result of your cumulative experiences. You represent the good, the bad, and the indifferent events that have shaped you. You might look back on your life and wish certain things hadn’t happened, or that you would have done something different, but you give up both the good and the bad you have today from that experience.
For example, I’d rather not reflect on my first marriage and it’s nice to imagine how life would be had I not made that mistake. But, I also have three fabulous children that resulted from that failed relationship. Ultimately, the good outweighs the bad, and I have to accept that I had to go through that to get where I am now.
The same is true for Microsoft Windows.
Windows 8 has struggled, and faced significant backlash. It was the most dramatic overhaul of the Windows user interface, and imposed a distinctly different experience out of the box. Virtually all of the features and capabilities of Windows 7 still exist within Windows 8, but many businesses and consumers simply can’t see past how different Windows 8 seems to realize that it is more the same than not.
It’s easy to say Microsoft should never have launched Windows 8, just as it’s easy in retrospect to say that Windows Vista, or Windows Me were failures we’d like to forget. Good, bad, or indifferent, though, these “failed” versions of the operating system are still part of the evolution that moves the platform forward over time.
The reality is that there are hundreds of millions of Windows users, and it’s not possible to please all of them at once. Had Microsoft erred on the conservative side, there would also be disgruntled customers complaining that Microsoft isn’t doing enough to adapt and embrace new technologies.
It’s all a learning curve. Hopefully a company like Microsoft understands the capabilities of technology—both right now and in the foreseeable future—and it is sympathetic to how its customers will use that technology, and it will develop an operating system that meets those needs. The goal is to push the envelope, and expose users to new features and capabilities, while also respecting the legacy that has been built, and the fact that customers are conditioned to expect things a certain way. It is a delicate balancing act, and ultimately it’s a game of trial and error—hopefully with more trial than error.
After Windows Me, we got Windows XP. After Windows Vista, we got Windows 7. If Windows 9 is half as good as either of those versions, the backlash and frustration of Windows 8 will all be worth it.
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