Microsoft Responds To "Like OS X" Comment 505
Z80xxc! writes "After a comment by a Microsoft employee claiming in an interview that 'what we [Microsoft] have tried to do with Windows 7... is create a Mac look and feel in terms of graphics,' the Windows 7 team has issued an official rebuttal, saying that the comment came from an employee who was 'not involved in any aspect of designing Windows 7,' and that it was 'inaccurate and uninformed.'"
What Apple does right (Score:5, Interesting)
Apple and Microsoft attack the problem of user interface from two completely different points of view. Microsoft wants things to be orthogonal, logical, menu driven, hierarchical, and otherwise fully featured. Apple takes the approach that the user doesn't want to fuss with all sorts of menus and submenus (no two button mouse for years!) and just wants to do what they need as simply as possible. So you end up with two completely different interfaces.
Apple's interface is elegant but inflexible. Everything fits into the existing scheme and runs perfectly within that scheme.
Windows' interface is flexible but clumsy. While this has gotten much better in later versions, we're still looking at deeply nested menus, and applications which do not necessarily have any UI themes in common with each other.
However the key point is that Microsoft is gradually becoming more user-centric. As far as that goes in their own perspective. They are making changes to the OS that were implemented in Mac years ago, and now that they are here, they make Windows a better product.
Aesthetics is a major theme with Apple, and it is one that Microsoft hadn't fully embraced until Vista. Listen to the users. Let the users tell you what is good and bad. Build the interface to match the user.
In a sense, the MS employee was right. Microsoft is doing a lot to emulate Apple. And frankly, it's about time.
Re:What Apple does right (Score:2, Interesting)
When you say contextual menu, you mean the right-click menu?
Cause this isn't what I am talking about.
What I am talking about there is a menu options in Tools -> Options -> Random Area -> Some Option. In Windows (most anyhow, and most linux apps too), the underlines appear when I hold down alt (I used italics to demonstrate where this will be). I can then go Alt + T + U + R and then use arrow buttons to get too Some Option.
How do you do this in Mac OS X?
Look and Feel (Score:3, Interesting)
Considering Apple's litigious nature and the fact that it once sued Microsoft for allegedly infringing on the MacOS "look and feel", I can easily see why Microsoft would want to distance itself from this guy's statements. Apple has always wanted to have exclusive rights over Mac-like graphical interfaces, damn the negative consequences to the rest of the industry.
This guy's statements are fodder for Apple's bloodthirsty lawyers. Should it turn out he's lying about Microsoft's intentions, firing him would seem to be the best course of action.
Re:they've been copying Mac all along... (Score:5, Interesting)
If you ever saw the Triumph of the Nerds documentary by Bob Cringely, you'd have seen Steve Jobs saying [youtube.com] "Picasso had a saying Good artists copy, great artists steal. And we have always been shameless in stealing great ideas."
Of course, in the same documentary he also says [youtube.com] "The only problem with Microsoft is that they just have no taste" :)
Re:ego (Score:2, Interesting)
Advertising laws have been twisted so much that we're allowed to use subjective lies, but you can be sacked for giving away facts... roll on 1984. It's late. Very, very late. But not never...
Re:ego (Score:3, Interesting)
He's not really that random, he's the "partner group manager with Microsoft", LinkedIn says he's the SMB & Distribution Director at Microsoft Ltd [linkedin.com]. He's kinda high up there, and in my opinion that's a huge slip, to say on record your company took inspiration from your main competitor. Can you imagine how bad it would sound if Chevy said "We wanted the look and feel of the Ford Mustang when we created the new Camaro". I'd be surprised if he wasn't looking for a new job by now, or at least given a position where he'll never be asked another question again
Re:Save face? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:ego (Score:3, Interesting)
Why would they even bother to deny it? It's not like they tried to deny their Microsoft store inspiration. If anything, they were being blatant about their inspiration.
OS X does have a nice UI. If they did take some Win 7 ideas from OS X to improve Windows, then I think they did a decent balancing job between outright copying, and failing miserably. That said, they should have paid more attention to details past the first layer of the UI. There are still far too many obscure clicks or info overload to get to specific settings, like changing an IP address for example. Although I supposed some might love to see every possible network configuration option all on one screen, a little information partitioning would go a long way. They still have to balance convenience with presentation. I think they went too far the other way in an attempt to keep the clicks to a minimum, or to hide more advanced configuration settings from the casual observer.
Windows 7 is ok, but it's still Windows, and all that the definition entails.
Re:Save face? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:ego (Score:2, Interesting)
How is Iphone better than a WinMobile device?
http://www.testfreaks.com/blog/information/why-windows-mobile-rules-iphone-vs-windows-mobile-part-2/ [testfreaks.com]
Re:What Apple does right (Score:3, Interesting)
So, what you're basically saying is that Apple designs their interfaces to be intuitive, and Microsoft... doesn't.
Yup, that pretty much covers it.
But to be fair, you have to remember that Microsoft wasn't originally targeting yuppy thirty-somthethings and college students, they were going for business programmers and well, nerds. This is a completely different audience than Apple, and frankly, they hit the mark. Nerds don't want intuitive. Nerds want it the way they want it. This kind of interface is great for a logical thinker who can remember where they buried that TPS report, but not so hot for a non-programer who still confuses RAM with drive storage.
Re:Save face? (Score:2, Interesting)
WINDOWS 95:
- trashcan copied
- Shutdown procedure copied
- Finder Menu copied
It isn't Windows 7 that is remarkable. It's Windows 95 that went-off and blatantly copied the Mac interface (to the point where I said "I feel like I'm using a Mac"), and they've been using the 95-style paradigm ever since then. I'm surprised Apple never bothered to sue.
Re:Put aside the ego... (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm torn! On the one hand, I don't think you can legitimately call Microsoft learning from a competitor a debacle on their part. On the other hand, I can see from your sig that you loathe the usurping and stupid SI versions of computer memory terms and their pandering to the brainless as much as I do!
So I'll merely lament your inappropriate modding as Flamebait. Slashdot's getting so that you can't post anything without getting a Flamebait or Troll mod unless you write like you're talking to a very spoilt child that will cry if you contradict them.
Regards,
H.