Windows Evolution to Windows 8: Opinions (including my own) ...
<< Thats just one persons opinion. >>
Here's another's opinion ...
Windows 3.1 = GOOD
Windows 95 = BAD
Windows 98 = Good
Windows ME = BAD
Windows XP = GOOD
Windows Vista = BAD
Windows 7 = GOOD
Windows 8 = Time will tell.
And yet another's opinion (mine in this case) ...
• Windows 1.0 [don't pesonally know; still was using DOS only]
• Windows 2.0 [don't pesonally know; still was using DOS only]
--> Windows 2.1 = FAIR [but limited personal experience]
• Windows 3.0 = FAIR [still using DOS primarily]
• Windows 3.1 = GOOD
• Windows for Workgroups (WFWG 3.11) = VERY GOOD
• Windows 95 = GOOD (from day 1) --> VERY GOOD
• Windows 98 = GOOD
• Windows 98 SE (Second Edition) --> VERY GOOD
• Windows ME(Millenium Edition) = BAD (never ran it but supported it)
• Windows XP = GOOD (especially by SP1 time) --> VERY GOOD (by SP2 time)
• Windows Vista = BAD --> FAIR (by SP1 time) to GOOD (by SP2 time)
• Windows 7 = VERY GOOD --> Excellent (today)
• Windows 8 = Time WILL tell ... but it's looking pretty darned good to me for the very early stages of an OS overhaul as ambitious as what Win'95 was. I've had limited exposure only to it, although I ran the Consumer Preview for a week or so, (primarily in desktop mode) in Oracle's VirtualBox VM to satisfy myself that I could operate the desktop with mouse and keyboard in almost identical fashion to what I've been doing for years.
Any characterization of Windows 95 as BAD flabbergasts me. Challenging for some ... maybe, and especially for newbies to personal computing and those who had not developed reasonably good basic computing skills, BUT it was a seminal release, a game changer, and it opened the door to personal computing and Internet usage for the masses. Personally I bought a copy at 9 AM at a local Staples on D-Day, drove home, and completed an in-place upgrade from rock solid WFWG 3.11 with its 32-bit file and disk access by noon.
I did another in-place upgrade from Win'95 to Win'98 on its initial release date. While nowhere near as revolutionary as Win'95, relatively speaking it had almost as many issues requiring work arounds or generating frustration on Day 1 as Win'95 had 3 years earlier. No show stoppers in either case, although both required some acclimation and some patience (and I certainly saw my fair share of blue screens with both). Like Win'95 Windows 8 will have a learning curve, will require aclimation, and until we hit SP1 updates will likely be very welcome.
While Vista was indeed BAD initially (particularly bad for driver support, because of OEMs unauthorized modifications to their own devices which many were slow in fixing for Vista, and also because it was bug-ridden) it sure isn't BAD today. Unquestionably it is better today than XP SP3. I had skipped it (although I supported a few friends machines running it) and continued to run XP on 2 desktops and a laptop, but purchased a Vista enabled system with a free upgrade to Windows 7 a few months before the Win7 release. At that time while Vista SP2 was not in automatic distribution it was available for download which I immediately did. I was pleasantly surprised at just how stable it was and prepping it to run Win7 my way upon release was very beneficial as a relearning exercise when I did an inplace upgrade to it shortly after receiving my free upgrade disks from Microsoft via HP ...
... All JMHO & FWIW.
"Windows 8 isn't the biggest Windows Release since Windows 95. It's the biggest release, ever."
- Paul Thurott, Windows 8 Secrets -
Best,
- Eric - |
