Microsoft is Doomed

[Orbmiser]

+1
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[Shimapan]

I agree with most here that the Metro crap on Windows 8 is totally braindead
They probably thought: "Oh no, our Windows phone is failing spectacularly. Quick, let's force the same UI on all desktop users using our monopoly!"
Thus, they put the same retarded UI that already failed spectacularly on their phone on the desktop, where they don't care the least that it's a huge pain in the posterior to use. They didn't care when they released Win ME and Vista either (although those two ugly critters are still gold compared to Win 8.)
It didn't work out as planned though - the Windows phone is still dead in the water, and their pitiful Surface crap isn't doing any better.
The desktop sales are already declining anyway, and this just accellerates it a good bit.

Now this would be a great chance for the Linux desktop - but here we have a huge problem. Most people, when they hear about Linux, end up with Ubuntu or other big distros, which have one especially nasty flaw... They have Gnome 3 as their main desktop, which is still a huge pain to use. Understandably, many are quickly driven away again by the awful Gonome 3 and go back to an earlier version of Windows, or, if they have lots of meny, they switch to Apple. Once driven away, they won't come back again that soon. There aren't that much who overcome that first shock and look around, to see tha there are actually sane desktop environments around (Kde, razor-qt etc.)

If Mr. Shuttleworth had any wits in his brain, he would've dumped Gnome 3 long ago and used Kde, razor-qt or another sane DE. At least some of the other big distros would've followed suit, and the Linux desktop would've immensely improved by this.
Instead, he wastes his time with that megalomaniacal Mir madness - which is yet another stupid disaster, besides Gnome 3, and further clawing at the reputation of Linux and giving the non-Linux users more stuff to laugh at and point fingers at.

What the Linux desktop needs to advance is that such lunacies (Gnome 3) are shoved out of the way (or better yet, flused down the toilet) so that finally everyone can see that Linux is a worthwile alternative to Windows with good usability, and not just the lesser of two evils with Gnome 3 being not quite as awful to use as Metro.

(If I was a conspiracy theorist, I'd say that the Gnome developers are actually paid Microsoft employees with the task to keep people away from Linux by creating Gnome 3 )

[MartyMint]

If Mr. Shuttleworth had any wits in his brain, he would've dumped Gnome 3 long ago...

He did.

Instead, he wastes his time with that megalomaniacal Mir madness...

Not sure you know what Mir actually is.

[samriggs]

ahh Marty explain it lol.
Ubuntu uses unity not gnome 3 although you can use gnome 3 also if you so chose to but it is unity not gnome 3, some like it some don't.
Mir is that contraption that crashed into the sea awhile back, you know that tin can in the sky that got kicked out of space and landed somewhere on earth in quite a few parts
still don't know why they chose that name considering.
it's to replace X window server like wayland is doing.
Unity is somewhat like gnome 3 but ubuntu's version.
But your right a lot of noobs usually go straight for ubuntu first (I did when I first started but it had the old desktop back then with gnome 2), hopefully word gets out more, the ones in my area all know about mint instead and prefer it over ubuntu (with cinnamon or mate) is what I meant to say, not to many around here starts off with ubuntu anymore.

[exploder]

I see a lot of people in my area using Mint and Ubuntu. People that want a classic desktop with nice effects seem to take to Mint. A lot of people that are used to using a Mac or that would like one seem to be real happy with Ubuntu. My daughter uses a MacBook Pro but she really liked Ubuntu 12.04.

I simply like that both Mint and Ubuntu are doing things their own way. The graphics stack has needed some attention and who knows, maybe Mir will improve things. Ubuntu has after all gotten the attention of game developers and that is quite an accomplishment.

[js3915]

I see a lot of people in my area using Mint and Ubuntu. People that want a classic desktop with nice effects seem to take to Mint. A lot of people that are used to using a Mac or that would like one seem to be real happy with Ubuntu. My daughter uses a MacBook Pro but she really liked Ubuntu 12.04.

I would have to say Cinnamon desktop enviroment looks good... Has some elegance to it more than what Microsoft has to offer even if the bottom taskpanel is virtually the same in concept from the old XP.. Mint and cinnamon teams really did well making the desktop look sleek elegant uncluttered and well perfect...

Nice thing with Linux is alot easier to change the look to how you want take cinnamon for ex. Move the bottem panel to the top add Docky i think it is and voila you are more mac like. Or Remove both add one to the side is unity like if you wish.. Its alot more challenging with Windows, though possible yes.

[DrHu]

Most people will like something they can use or get as a first device (tablet, desktop or smartphone or even an ereader)
--so they become brand-specific, might explain the rabid attention Apple gets for any of the newer devices they profer: windows is not as hip, as they tend to wait a little for a market instead of trying to lead it..

Trending, aka social media hip/hype word..
I understand that tablet sales dropped just because Apple (a new) IPad wasn't around..
--they still lead the maket but are getting chased rapidly by Smasung (Android devices), now there is a the same idea, a portable OS that goes across all devices: smartphones, tablets, desktops (PCs) and ebooks

The generic OS that gets optimized mainly for smartphones is the new trend, lets hope it dies down soonner rather than later, unless you feel it helps to have the same buttons and operator sequences no matter whic h device is your preferred one to use..
--and usually many devices for the plugged in 24x7x365 online lives..

[KBD47]

I think that most people are holding on to their desk tops and laptops that are still doing the job just fine and considering the economy plus windows 8 all combined together are the reason for less pc purchases. It not that tablets are taking over, thats just hype for the manufacturers to sell and push a new product.

I agree, it was a 'perfect storm'. And it looks like the only laptops that are selling right now are the inexpensive Chromebooks.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2421744,00.asp

[Rudemeister]

I still think Microsoft is in for some rough times. Since this whole NSA snooping thing came out, people have become more conscious of privacy. It has been coming out in the press that Microsoft (Apple too) colluded with big government to put a backdoor in their operating systems. This in itself will not diminish the Microsoft brand hugely, but it is another of a thousand razor cuts. Linux code can be viewed by millions of eyes making it inherently less likely to have a backdoor. Microsoft code is a proprietary secret. Microsoft also had to do some changes just for the sake of changes to keep people on the upgrade treadmill. Windows 7 was about as ergonomically optimized as a desktop OS can get, which means there was nowhere to go but downhill. I tried Windows 8 and it's an ergonomic nightmare. Metro is a pain in at a$$. Then I tried Windows 8.1. Not much better. Also note that Windows RT is taking a huge dump. My son in law bought a Surface with RT on it a few months ago against my advice. He's a programmer and works for an MS developer. He's thoroughly entrenched in MS propaganda. But he's a nice kid and smart. But.....The Surface has been taking a huge dump in price because MS could not move them. People are voting with their wallets.This was their big stab at the ARM processor. Here's another razor cut that is hurting them. Forget Windows Phone. That's more than a razor cut. That's an arterial wound. X86 along with MS is in for some rough sledding, and they're closely intertwined. Mobile devices and tablets are 95% ARM. The younger generation is very locked in to this platform, which is very bad for MS. That GUI that Tom Cruise used in the film Minority Report was an ergonomic disaster. It required so much motion to get anything done that you get a cardiovascular workout just trying to use it. Windows 8 looks like it might have taken some foolish cues from this fantasy. Linux is creeping into the populace via stealth mode with Android. The desktop and more will continue to follow as people become more aware of alternatives of the former 800 pound gorilla (Microsoft) that is becoming the 100 pound chimp.

[kitsuneae]

I agree with most here that the Metro crap on Windows 8 is totally braindead
They probably thought: "Oh no, our Windows phone is failing spectacularly. Quick, let's force the same UI on all desktop users using our monopoly!"
Thus, they put the same retarded UI that already failed spectacularly on their phone on the desktop, where they don't care the least that it's a huge pain in the posterior to use. They didn't care when they released Win ME and Vista either (although those two ugly critters are still gold compared to Win 8.)
It didn't work out as planned though - the Windows phone is still dead in the water, and their pitiful Surface crap isn't doing any better.

It's not just their Desktops and phones: They are actually making the Xbox One (I'll call it XBone for short) run windows 8 with the same stupid layout, only they are running an application layer over top of Windows 8 so it can't be "modified".

You know what's really hilarious? Windows 8 by itself uses at least 3 GB RAM at all times. The XBone comes with only 8GB of DDR3 RAM. It also intends to stream all it's games over the internet.

They are pumping Millions of dollars into promotion for the XBone.

I hope it flops.

[Shimapan]

If Mr. Shuttleworth had any wits in his brain, he would've dumped Gnome 3 long ago...

He did.

No, he definitely didn't. It's still Gnome 3 under a thin paint coat called "Unity".
If you paint a turd a pretty colour, it's still a turd. (Although, in the beginning Unity was anything but a "pretty colour".)

I still think Microsoft is in for some rough times. Since this whole NSA snooping thing came out, people have become more conscious of privacy. ...

Yes, absolutely.
Their epic failures are piling up quickly:

- Windows Phone, an abysmal failure. Market share needs to counted in promille. Microsuck bought out the Nokia execs to put this nightmare on their phones. As a result, the once great Nokia is drowning like a brick now and close to ruin.

- Windows 8. A desperate attempt to put their abysmal Windows Phone UI on the sektop. It's a huge pain in the posterior, even worse than on the phone.

- Windows tablet (Surface) with Windows RT. Much of the same crap on yet another platform. Of course it had to fail.

- Xbox "One". The name alone is already completely retarded. First there was the Xbox 1. Then came the Xbox 360. Then... Xbox 444 1/4? Xbox 9001? No... "Let's just pretend we never had the Xbox 1 and call it Xbox 'One'."

One Console to rule them all, One Console to find them,
One Console to bring them all and in the darkness bind them!

With the same nightmarish Win 8 Metro UI, its insane memory appetite etc. I'd be very surprised if the XBone *doesn't* fail.

[MartyMint]

If Mr. Shuttleworth had any wits in his brain, he would've dumped Gnome 3 long ago...

He did.

No, he definitely didn't. It's still Gnome 3 under a thin paint coat called "Unity".
If you paint a turd a pretty colour, it's still a turd. (Although, in the beginning Unity was anything but a "pretty colour".)

Wrong.

Unity is not Gnome 3...it's not built with Gnome 3's toolkit...it's not built on Gnome 3. Aside from originally sharing the same stack, Gnome and Unity's split happened a long time ago.

Stop spreading nonsense.

[MartyMint]

With the same nightmarish Win 8 Metro UI, its insane memory appetite etc.

Metro does not have an "insane memory appetite".

Stop posting, Take a break. Read more.