I don't think people choose to stay with XP, because they are stubborn and don't care about support, etc. It is likely because, it is/was by far, the best OS Windows ever put out. They are used to it, and it works, and it doesn't crash everyday. But, mainly, when you have 10 to 30 computers in your network, the idea, image or not, of changing them all, is frightening. Plus, there is only one good OS ahead.
Windows 7 built on XP and somehow is even better, and finally got Windows back to a numbering system. It always seems shorter, seems like three years, but we really haven't been in Windows 7 that long before 8. They are those who disagree, and I have read many articles looking for the one that could convince me that Windows 8 was worth the switch, but Windows has a difficult time deciding what OS to put where. While they used to put an OS on Windows Desktop, they would then try to force that on the phone. Now, they have a good OS for the phone and tablet, but it is just way overboard for a desktop. I remember the first time I loaded Windows 8 onto a VM, I was in love. Until I tried to use it. The Metro UI was overwhelming, and it seemed like every time I tried to get back to where I started from by clicking on an icon, I was sent deeper into the bowels of a new and horrible OS. To just go from start menu to no start menu was too much to ask. And, to end up with two desktops where I would use the normal one in trepidation that anything I did would flip me around to this purple mismatch.
I still remember the first time when I was in this sea of charms, some big, some small, when I hit some button, any button, and all of a sudden there were 50 utility buttons or whatever you want to call them.
How can someone say the Start menu is past its prime. This is like saying the steering wheel is past its prime. It just makes sense, you either use icons on the desktop, taskbar or start menu. You have to remember, Microsoft already confused us with the one column start menu where you had to go back and forth between programs and pinned icons.
Another issue is if you are using the Metro UI desktop, that while you can turn it off, you start with charms that have news stories or sports stories going across the page. That's all we need for out staff to have Facebook signings or whatever moving across the page. I would see that Seattle beat Denver, and of course I am going to click on it.
James must be way ahead of me when it comes to understanding the craziness of Microsoft's latest OS. It took me hours, and I was still learning when I decided I could use the 30GBs or so of VM space.
This OS was the brain child of one Steven Sinofsky, president of Microsoft's Windows division. He was hell bent on it and would listen to know one even if it were just a shade lighter on the purple. Combine that with "must have forgotten his Ritalin" Steve Ballmer who hated Sinofsky, and this is what you get. Which is why Sinofsky was forced out and Ballmer quit.
Some people point to the fact that Windows 8 or 8.1 or Update 1 is slowly starting to sell. This is because Windows was forced on every computer with an OEM license. Walk in to Best Buy and try to find a stock computer with Win 7. You have to download a copy of Win 7.
Windows seems to be getting into a nice rhythm of good, bad, good, bad, with each good OS not completely moving away from the previous one, but significantly changing it. Not a patch, but an entirely new OS. They should have learned from Vista. Windows 9 seems much too far away. I, myself, can't wait as it will correlate with my rollout of Windows 2012, where I could be stuck with much of the same.
Basically, it comes down to
Paul Thurrotte , who, if he told me, I would go running back to my garage to dig out 3.1.
