The Biggest Problem with Windows Today? The Past

Like previous versions, Windows 10 is an amalgamation of the old and the new. But today, more than ever, it is the old that is holding Windows back. And I think we're overdue for a change.

This mix of old and new has been the hallmark of Windows for decades, it's the secret sauce that has powered the success of this product line for both businesses and individuals: Through the simple act of buying a new PC, we were able to take advantage of new functionality in both the hardware and the software while retaining compatibility with all of the applications and peripherals we already owned. This has made Windows a safe bet, and combined with the choice of PCs types and price points, it has made Windows the right bet.

But there have always been competing forces pulling at the Windows ecosystem from opposite ends. And as time has moved on, those forces have pulled ever stronger. The first, of course, is the Mac, which sits at the high end of the market and has attracted ever more users steadily over the years thanks to its "it just works" reputation and a halo effect from Apple's super-successful iPhone handset and other devices. And then, from the low-end of the market, we've had Linux-based netbooks in the past and, today, Google Chromebooks. These devices have succeeded (albeit in a very limited way) almost solely through low-ball pricing to date. But with the advent of Android app compatibility, we see the very real possibility of a range of PC-like devices that are much less complex than PCs while offering true PC-like functionality.

Meanwhile, Windows, macOS and Chrome OS have all felt the impact of the far more popular mobile platforms that have made the PC market almost an also-ran. And each platform maker, in turn, has responded by adding mobile functionality to these desktop products with varying results. As noted, Google is adding Android app support to Chrome OS. Apple has added many iOS features to macOS, though it has done so slowly, almost prudishly. And Microsoft? Today, Windows 10 is the ultimate hybrid platform: Not only does the desktop version of the OS utilize many mobile features, it offers unique transforming capabilities that the others can't match.

But this transition, this revolution, has come at a cost. Windows 10 is also an unwieldy mess, a legacy software product that is serviced like a mobile platform, often to disastrous results. It's a grand idea, but the implementation is held back by the technical realities of having to support the legacy systems that still beat at the center of this platform.

I've written a lot about the servicing issues with Windows 10, but I'll point you to the two articles that are perhaps the most relevant to this discussion: Windows as a Service Isn’t Working and Microsoft, It’s Time for a Reliable Computing Initiative. Those titles should provide all the information you need about my stance, but I'll boil it down to something even more general: Microsoft isn't very good...