Well, Windows 8 has been out for a few months, and people seem to be torn between loving it or hating it.  Many of our customers ask us “why did Microsoft have to change Windows?”  In actuality, Windows has gone through some really drastic changes in the almost 30 years since its first launch.  Here is a brief history…

1985 – Windows 1.0 ships (no one predicted big things for this somewhat clunky visual file-management utility)

1987 – Windows 2.0 (not only graphical, but you could now overlap open windows)

1990 – Windows 3.0 ships (this version transformed the way that users interacted with their PCs)

1992 – Windows 3.1 (revamped to include networking and better memory management)

1994 – Windows 95 launches (the first complete operating system, essentially killed off DOS)

1998 – Windows 98 (this was the staple operating system for many computers, for many years)

2000 – Windows 2000 (a business-class operating system, equipped with networking and file sharing)

2000 – Windows ME (basically a “repackaged” Windows 98, that did not get high praises)

2001 – Windows XP arrives (merged 2000 and ME into Microsoft’s most successful operating system to date)

2007 – Windows Vista (as with ME, this version did not go over well with technicians and users alike)

2009 – Windows 7 released (proved to be the comeback OS that Microsoft needed)

2012 – Windows 8 debuts (completely changing the way we interact with our computers)

Looking at this extensive list, you may notice a few things.  Firstly, Microsoft released a new operating system about every 2-3 years… except for Windows XP which did not get replaced for almost 6 years.  That is one reason why many expected greater things from Vista.  They had an extra 3 years to get it right.  Many believe that they were actually working on Windows 7, but since it wasn’t ready yet, they decided to launch Vista to keep the revenue flowing in.

Another thing you may notice is that only every third operating system was a hit.  Is it just that Microsoft’s software developers are really crappy at developing new software? Or is it that they push the boundaries so much that it takes us users a bit to get used to it.  For example, when Windows 1.0 launched, we were all using DOS.  Comfortable DOS.  Why change?  By the time we got used to the graphical interface, Windows 3.0 was out.  Windows was finally a big hit! Then we got comfortable again… until Windows 98 launched, and we were again pushed out of our comfort zone.  This time, however, the users embraced the changes.  Same thing happened with Windows XP, and Windows 7.  Windows 8 is really that “in-between” operating system that is pushing us to rethink how we use the computer.  Are we ready for it yet?  Probably not, but give us time – we will learn to love it.