Posted on October 28th, 2008 by Barry Collins

Microsoft makes Windows less annoying

There’s been no shortage of humility from Microsoft at PDC this week. The likeable Steven Sinofksy, who was parachuted from the successful Office 2007 team to oversee the Windows 7 launch, has perfected his self-deprecating schtick.

“UAC was so famous I thought it might surpass Clippy,” he remarked to journalists earlier in the week.

He issued another half-apology for UAC during his Windows 7 keynote today, dryly remarking “we got a lot of feedback on Vista RTM. From users, from the press, from bloggers… Oh, and from one or two adverts.”

“We had the best of intentions of helping to secure the platform more,” he continued, before adding: “we probably went a bit too far.”

Yes, Stephen, you did. But Microsoft certainly appears to have learnt its lessons before Windows 7. The new OS includes a slider that allows you to set the level of UAC interference, right down to the equivalent of ‘don’t darken my door again, buster’, which I suspsect is the setting that most PC enthusiasts will immediately deploy.

The nagging can be silenced elsewhere, too. System Tray pop-ups can be disabled, and you now have the option to condemn those irritating “love me, love me” System Tray icons that certain software makers love, to an overflow area.

In fact, I’m yet to find something in Windows 7 that’s lit my infamously short fuse. Give it time, though. Give it time.

Tags: PDC, Steven Sinofsky, System Tray, UAC, Windows 7

Posted in: Windows 7

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2 Responses to “ Microsoft makes Windows less annoying ”

greemble Says:
October 29th, 2008 at 10:10 am
“In fact, I’m yet to find something in Windows 7 that’s lit my infamously short fuse. Give it time, though. Give it time”

Are you the right person to be reporting at this event? It would seem by that comment, you’re actively looking for something to complain about – and certainly expecting to find something wrong

Any chance of a little objectivity instead of the standard ‘it’s Microsoft – it must be bad’ line?
stokegabriel Says:
October 29th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
1) I would like all Windows settings to be all in the same place, a sort of Windows “Control Panel” to set Windows Sounds , the proposed UAC slider, a button to spring open “Adobe Style” to make network/ wireless settings etc, instead of scattering them here there any everywhere.

2) I want an OS that requires 2 HDD, the 2nd HDD should completely image the 1st HDD but lag a little behind it timewise. In the event of a problem with the OS, it could then rebuild the OS on the 1st HDD using the image backed up on the 2nd HDD.

3) HDDs as above should be easily removable (with some physical layer of security) and in the event of a HDD failure, the affected drive could then be removed and replaced and shouls RAID style automatically.

4) With regard to applications/ programs, I really like the way Adobe has set up the Photoshop Elements workspace, Basic, Guided, and the Full Monty.

Note all the above is not using new technology, more of a mash up of what is already available but automated, refined, and a bit more invisible.

I would also like to see Linux/ Unix style embedded file security/ permissions applied to all files. So files would be read only unless the originator assigns permission to allow change etc.

I know M$ main revenue is derived from business, however I think they would do well to investigate the home/ home office/ small business market. Perhaps they could bring themselves to talk to people a bit futher down the food chain, like PC enthusiasts and Techs working in that arena. I could have told them that Vista was way off the mark in many ways within a few hours of first seeing it.

If M$ don’t then over time I think the alternatives such as Ubuntu, which are by and large user demand driven will eat their lunch. I know the threat is not realistic at present, but the gap is narrowing with inceasing momentum.

I am not contrary to what you may surmise a M$ basher, but the number of times I am frustrated to distraction by Windows, does prompt the occasional rant which are mainly well justified. Take the conclusion of “My life with Linux” in the current issue (170), the final paragraph on P138 reads “it’s also fun, and when was the last time an OS was accused of that!
Precisely, and because M$ don’t deliver that a lot of talent is walking away from computing and IT, it’s simply not fun any more. We need to get that back otherwise it’s going to be Windoze pretty soon.