Dealing with Change

Change. Some embrace it, while others cling to what they know. That's one of the best and worst things about software. It's always changing, always evolving. Just think how far software has come in the last 20 years.

Back when Microsoft introduced Windows 95, it was a revolution. Rather than DOS, a text-based computer interface where users had to enter commands at a prompt, it offered a graphical user interface, also known as a GUI, where users could launch programs and open files from icons on a "desktop" or in other "folders". Looking back now, it seems like an obvious change, as it made computers more accessible to many people because it made the interaction more intuitive.

But here's the thing. There were still lots of people out there at the time who were used to the text-based interface. So how do you make sure those people don't feel alienated by this change? By making it so one of those icons can launch a command prompt where users can enter text commands as before.

It's a simple but important lesson in user interface design. Even if you think you're creating the next great user interface, you need to be able to take a step back and not forget about what people are used to. It's important to learn from things that didn't work, but perhaps just as important to not ignore what did work.

Since Windows 95, Microsoft's OS has undergone much more gradual evolution. Windows 98, 2000, XP, and 7 were all well received and just built upon the successes of previous versions. Windows ME and Vista received less popular reception, but in both cases Microsoft bounced back by fixing the problems of the previous version in the next version.

Now, while Microsoft was busy churning out the world standard OS for desktop computers, another industry started to to take off. The smartphone industry. Wisely choosing to participate in this market, Microsoft developed Windows Mobile, an essentially mini version of desktop Windows. It makes sense at first glance, as it minimizes the change and transition for someone used to Windows on their desktop computer. But in practice, which I can share from experience as I owned a Windows mobile smartphone for a couple years, it really didn't work so well. Windows just wasn't designed to work on such a small screen.

Meanwhile, Apple developed the IPhone, which was a great innovation in user interface design for a smartphone, and as such took the helm of the smartphone industry. Eventually Google jumped on board with Android, where they took lessons from the IPhone interface and built upon it, eventually swaying some people to switch from IPhone to Android phones and become Apple's main competitor. Then Apple launched the IPad, a cross between a smartphone and a desktop computer, and really started the tablet industry. Google followed them into this space with their own tablet devices.

So what did Microsoft do? They made Windows 8.

Now I'll be the first to tell you that I did not like Windows 8 when it came out, and I still really don't. My brother-in-law, a big Microsoft fan, even gifted me a copy of Windows 8 and I chose not to install it, instead keeping Windows 7. I use Windows 7 on my work computer too. Only recently did I start using Windows 8 for the first time, and that's only because I bought a new laptop that came with it pre-installed.

So what's the problem with Windows 8 exactly? For one thing, they introduced the whole "Metro" look, which many, including myself, felt was a step backward. Flattening things like scrollbars and removing color, gradients, and transparency from the color scheme and icons was certainly an odd choice. But I think the bigger issue is that they changed too much while also taking away key successes of their past versions, like the Start Menu.

There's another software company, Stardock, which is making $5 per install for a piece of software they created named Start 8, which simply restores a Windows 7 style Start Menu to Windows 8. I for one think it's great that this company decided to do this, as did some other groups that released free versions. I personally installed Start 8 on my new laptop and it's made the transition to Windows 8 much nicer for me. In fact, I've done everything I can to make Windows 8 look and feel like Windows 7.

It will be interesting to see what Windows 9 is like. Hopefully Microsoft will learn from their mistakes with Windows 8 and bounce back strong, like they did with Windows 7 after Vista. They just need to remember what made their OS so popular in the first place.

Now you may be wondering why I've spent all this time talking about Windows. After all, I said I was an Open Source programmer, so why not talk about Linux, the Open Source OS?

Here's the thing, and I hope the Open Source community will forgive me. I like Windows. It's been installed on every computer I've ever owned, along with Microsoft products like Office. And I'm willing to spend money for these programs even when there are free versions available, such as Open Office. But it's not because I think Windows is perfect, or even necessarily better than Linux. I have a lot of respect for all the people who have devoted themselves to building Linux and making it what it is today. The thing is...

I'm used to Windows and haven't wanted to change.

Go figure.