Microsoft admits Windows 11 lost its way, Nadella pledges to "win back fans"

[acrossthestars]

I thought Microsoft was a B2B enterprise now. Why do they even continue with this pretense that 'Windows matters"? It hasn't mattered for the last few years or so, when they were shoving Copilot into, well...everything. Something must have gone seriously wrong with their balance sheet, for them to make such a drastic about-face―something speeches about "quarterly earnings" and "shareholder confidence" cannot reconcile...

 

[Joeg1484]

As a Linux user, I would never switch back just because I have tasted openness, performance and security that Windows has never had, BUT, in office spaces, Windows has some clear advantages and this would be great for those poor sysadmins that have to spend their weekends and evenings unfu--ing broken systems and servers because of crappy code practices and ridiculous corporate moves.

 

[JackMcHue]

It's extremely unlikely I will go back. The age-old adage remains true: "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

 

[LordVile95]

Windows 11 is beyond saving. Release v12 and only then... we'll see.

Microsoft are not to be trusted. They made sure of it.

What’s wrong with 11 exactly?

 

[highwind]

There are no Windows fans. Just people that are forced to use it, because of years of legacy compatibility with programs and hardware. If these things were equal, most people would jump to Linux or MacOS.

Reality check:
Most desktops and laptops are made of common standard hardware and are usually just used for simple browsing and office duties, still Windows has a much higher market share than Linux and MacOS together

Also MacOS being tied to (mostly overpriced) Apple hardware isnt a „Windows legacy compatibility“-issue

 

[acrossthestars]

If these things were equal, most people would jump to Linux or MacOS.

That is true with the Macbook Neo, because it is so affordable (as opposed to most Macbooks, which typically cost ~$1000+), but it still largely untrue of Linux. Aside from the fact that there are maybe(?) 2 manfacturers (HP and Dell, and now Framework) who support Linux Prebuilts (thought they are rarely shown, front and center), most people still largely associate Linux with "nerds" and "power users". Windows is the default, because it is familiar even when it is a bad product―making it a "known quantity"―and typically it "just works". Or it used to.

In order for the average person to use Linux, installing commonly-used commerical applications needs to be at least mostly as easy as it is on Windows, with few or no barriers to entry, I.e. no requiring the terminal to install some obscure script from Github. Linux is getting there, but it still isn't there...yet.

 

[The Werewolf]

The core problem is that Microsoft chases after whatever shiny trend is in front of it and discarding whatever they were doing. They have the attention span of a herd of cats.

Case in point: WPF. .Net/WPF is a brilliant framework. You can make pretty much any kind of app easily using it and it's native. Even better, as Avalonia UI proved, you can make 100% cross-platform and stay UI consistent to each platform with minimal work. You can even use it for the Web through ASP.Net and Blazor while retaining all the same UI and code running that UI.

But when Sinofsky decided the future was Web and Tablets (because the iPad scared him) they tossed it all out for WinRT and Visual C++/HTML-JS. They had to give in a bit and quickly get it up on C# and then when even that flopped, finally sort-of made it work with .Net/WPF. If they'd just built WinRT as a .Net/WPF component it would have been trivial.

Then they decided to try killing off WPF again - this time with WinUI on the Windows side and MAUI (aka Xamarin Forms) on the crossplatform side - this time it was sort of "WPF-ish" but broke everything because it was basically an incompatible rewrite.

So yeah, not a surprise they decided AGAIN that the future is Web apps and tried to abandon .Net/WPF only to have it blow up in their faces. Maybe this time they'll look at things like OpenSilver and Avalonia and stop screwing around, focus on making .Net/WPF better and more openly cross-platform and stop wasting our time and energy with these inane rabbit holes they keep diving into.

No one was crying that Win 10 didn't look "modern" enough. Tjey were, however rightly ticked when Win11 just changes or outright broke so many basic things for no obviously good reason.

 

[longjohn119]

If you want me back in your corner then you need to do 2 things. Extend Windows 10 support another year until October 2027 and release Windows 12 before October 2027.

I'm just not going to install Windows 11 just like I refused to use Windows 8 and should have refused to use Windows Vista

Every other version of Windows is Beta Junk ..... Win ME, Vista, 8 and 11 were all Beta Junk

 

[WindowsUser7]

I think Laptop manufacturers need to re-introduce physical WiFi switch to stop hackers from attacking the system stealthy. Software switch is not reliable as hackers could manipulate or disable it. What I don't understand is that why are some computer manufacturers making Laptops with physical switch for camera. If a hacker could access camera, that hacker could access the Hard drive or SSD drive as well. People are not fools these days.

I still have Windows 10 as I could use a Laptop with a hardware WiFi switch when I get some indication that someone hacking computer. I flipped the switch and clean the virus during such suspicious sessions.

Make Laptops by introducing physical WiFi switch. I think, this may be the reason why Windows 7 was a big success.

 

[WindowsUser7]

Why is it that Laptop manufacturers stop making Laptops with physical WiFi switch? When Windows 7 was released many Laptops had physical WiFi switch so that people could turn off WiFi for good by turning off the hardware switch. I don't trust software switches as it is prone to manipulation by a hacker. What I don't understand these days is that why are Laptops made with harware switch to turn off camera only! If a hacker could gain access to camera, the that hacker may be able to access the enture storage device. I believe, all new Laptops need to have physical WiFi switch to cut off access to the internet if a user suspect intrusion.

 

[Starfals]

If the ram usage gets lower than 10, the OS boots faster, gaming gives me more fps = W11 perfect. If not, then why bother with this hot steaming bugmess. Every update bugs it, lags it and slows it.

 

[scoffer]

Whatever the problems are, then the blame lies with His Majesty Nutella. Personally, I wouldn't trust him with my grandmother. The guy's a complete arsewipe.

 

[Tyler Dur Den]

Proof that MS doesn't get it:

"...Other work focuses on fundamentals...moving more Control Panel functionality into the modern Settings app without breaking older hardware and workflows."

One of the problems with modern windows IS the settings app. The control panel was perfectly fine. They should be REMOVING the settings app, not adding things to it.

They really just don't get it.

 

[Axiarus]

Fully gaming on Linux now. Too late, Microsoft.

 

[netman]

"Microsoft admits Windows 11 lost its way, Nadella pledges to "win back fans""

More Like... Microsoft admits Microsoft lost its way, Nadella pledges to "win back shareholders"

 

[GeoffreyA]

7 was literally just a rebranded vista after vista has caused people to upgrade from older PCs that couldn’t run it.

No doubt, 7 benefited from the teething issues of Vista, but it still was a more refined version. In design, it's the final 5 or 1 per cent that transmutes good into excellent.

 

[Anton Longshot]

Said it before - fire the people responsible for the Win11 disaster - that includes Nadella.
Stop the user-hostile attitude.
Then maybe just maybe some of the people who who left may return.
For me personally it's too late and unless the unexpected happens to me I will likely leave if and when I manage to fix some issues in my personal life.
In the meantime I'll stay on W10 - upgrading to W11 will never happen.

 

[LordVile95]

No doubt, 7 benefited from the teething issues of Vista, but it still was a more refined version. In design, it's the final 5 or 1 per cent that transmutes good into excellent.

I really don’t think it was more than a service package labelled as a new version rather than an update but the issue with vista, similar to 11 actually, was that people had to upgrade for it, the bottom end minimum spec performed badly and things were branded “vista ready” when they really weren’t. 7 came out with similar specs but as 90% of people were either buying new systems or had upgraded for vista there was significantly less resistance. For example if they release the next major revision of W11 as W12 with planned additions like moving the taskbar etc but keep the system requirements identical people would love it and say it’s so much better than W11 whereas if they released the exact same build as W11 everyone would rag on it.

 

[GeoffreyA]

I really don’t think it was more than a service package labelled as a new version rather than an update but the issue with vista, similar to 11 actually, was that people had to upgrade for it, the bottom end minimum spec performed badly and things were branded “vista ready” when they really weren’t. 7 came out with similar specs but as 90% of people were either buying new systems or had upgraded for vista there was significantly less resistance. For example if they release the next major revision of W11 as W12 with planned additions like moving the taskbar etc but keep the system requirements identical people would love it and say it’s so much better than W11 whereas if they released the exact same build as W11 everyone would rag on it.

I agree that perception played a big role: Vista took the brunt of the pain; people didn't like UAC, the sluggishness, and the compatibility glitches. By the time of 7, people were ready. Nonetheless, there were subtle differences. The colour aesthetic was more subdued, the wallpaper more cheerful and beautiful, the taskbar was sent from heaven, translucency in more places, UAC was curtailed a bit—all these little touches make a better impression on the mind. There were some improvements in performance too, such as half the VRAM for each window.

Indeed, it would be in Microsoft's best interest to release K2 as Windows 12 or Windows XL or what have you. The stigma attached to 11 is as great as ME, Vista, and 8, so they've got to start from a clean slate of perception/marketing.

 

[AmigaInside]

What’s wrong with 11 exactly?

When Microsoft themselves admit there's something wrong with their own OS, surely you don't need me to point you to the endless list of what's wrong with W11. This information is known for a long time and W11 does have a certain... reputation.

In short: after all these years, it's still not stable and reliable. Unexpected, serious bugs keep cropping up. Not to mention the UI regressions, artificial hardware limitations, manic AI additions, "use online account", etc. etc.

 

[MiqWalsh]

I think Laptop manufacturers need to re-introduce physical WiFi switch to stop hackers from attacking the system stealthy. Software switch is not reliable as hackers could manipulate or disable it. What I don't understand is that why are some computer manufacturers making Laptops with physical switch for camera. If a hacker could access camera, that hacker could access the Hard drive or SSD drive as well. People are not fools these days.

I still have Windows 10 as I could use a Laptop with a hardware WiFi switch when I get some indication that someone hacking computer. I flipped the switch and clean the virus during such suspicious sessions.

Make Laptops by introducing physical WiFi switch. I think, this may be the reason why Windows 7 was a big success.

I gave up on Winblows at EOL for Win XP. 'Puppy' Linux has the answer to this.

The system itself loads into RAM from read-only files at boot. Everything you do during a session gets saved into a separate directory called the save-folder. Because we use a 'layering' type of file-system, the contents of the save-folder get amalgamated with the system files at boot-time.....with the result that all the user ever sees is a complete, homogeneous system at the GUI level.

The user gets the option to save the session changes or not. IF you think you've been compromised - or you don't want something you've done, or tried out during the session - choose to NOT save it. Result? At next boot, the system is still as it was at boot of the previous session. Everything else is still exactly as you left it.

Works for us.

MiqW.

 

[LordVile95]

When Microsoft themselves admit there's something wrong with their own OS, surely you don't need me to point you to the endless list of what's wrong with W11. This information is known for a long time and W11 does have a certain... reputation.

In short: after all these years, it's still not stable and reliable. Unexpected, serious bugs keep cropping up. Not to mention the UI regressions, artificial hardware limitations, manic AI additions, "use online account", etc. etc.

It’s bette than W10 was and you still don’t need to use an online account

 

[toooooot]

Windows 11 is beyond saving. Release v12 and only then... we'll see.

Microsoft are not to be trusted. They made sure of it.

I am so desperate and disgusted by 11 that I will probably upgrade, even if I have to pay full price for a new key.

 

[AmigaInside]

I am so desperate and disgusted by 11 that I will probably upgrade, even if I have to pay full price for a new key.

I feel you. Quite happy here with W10. I'd instantly move to Linux but can't give up on much-loved Windows-only software - yet.

 

[3ogdy]

Stop with the restrictions and look at Windows XP and what put Windows on everyone's desktop. It was user friendliness, the ability to do things (no stupid illogical restrictions such as the ones with the taskbar and start menu).
Why not be able to have the theme we want, why not have themes from previous Windows versions.
It was freedom ,Microsoft. The freedom to do things with ease. That's one of the things that made XP work.

It's not just customization, it's they updates, the need to go through a lot of hassle to prevent windows from doing what you don't want it to do.

Who are you building Windows for in the first place? Us or the Microsoft Corporation?

We, the users, should be in control, as it was with XP.