When it comes down to it, what most people want in an operating system is stability. They want something that works well out of the box, and they really don’t care too much about the extras that come with it because they can always download them at their convenience. In the case of Windows Vista, examples of extras would include things like Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker and Windows Mail.
Do these extras really need to be shipped with the operating system? Microsoft thought so when Vista launched, but it looks as though they have re-thought the idea. Microsoft has confirmed that the next version of Windows will not ship with built-in programs including the three we mentioned above.
Our initial reaction to this change was definitely a good one. Since the launch of Windows Vista, there has been some confusion with the difference between the applications that come with Vista, and those that are available for download through Windows Live. For example, Vista ships with Windows Photo Gallery, yet one of the Live applications that people can download is Windows Live Photo Gallery. Installing the latter does not replace Windows Photo Gallery. This is where people get confused.
What does all of this mean for you? First of all, less confusion. Windows Vista general manager Brian Hall spoke to ZDNet and discussed the issue of confusion. He said in regards to the changes, that, “It makes it much cleaner.” There’s no need to have two different applications that offer nearly the same type of service to users. Less confusion for users is a great thing any day!
Microsoft is going to end-up taking the applications that they have removed and include them (we suspect) with their bundle of Windows Live Services. This means a user can download the group of Live services, and then choose which of them they want installed. This should certainly make things easier in the end. This also means that those applications could potentially get updated more frequently. To us, it’s a win-win situation.
Should Microsoft un-bundle applications from Windows to provide a cleaner, simpler operating system?
“In the case of Windows Vista, examples of extras would include things like Windows Photo Gallery, Windows Movie Maker and Windows Mail.”
None of which I use. FastStone Image Viewer & Thunderbird. I have no need for a Movie Maker even if it does doubles as a player I have GOM.
They include the extras so they use their OS dominance to crush the competition, same than with the browser.
Interestingly enough, probably some of the same people that brag that a Linux distro comes with everything you need, not “just the OS” are probably in favor of “reducing crapware installed with Windows.” Eh. I don’t care, but maybe some thought should be given to those not on broadband… there are still a few out there…
I doubt MS removing a few programs will decrease the install footprint enough to matter much, considering the size of todays’ hard drives. Maybe they should include it on the CD/DVD but give users the option of installing it during OS setup, with the default being OFF, and then have it in the Add/Remove programs thing.
What mrcool10 said makes lots of sense. Its understandable if users don’t like apps that are too integrated into the OS like IE for example but complaining about bloat is another matter.
I would love to see them strip everything in Windows down to the basics. I don’t care about IE, Windows Mail, Notepad, Wordpad, etc… They can include them on the install disc for users that may want them but I do not want them installed by default because I prefer to install my own apps (ie: Firefox, Thunderbird, etc…)
I really hope they do this and strip out as much as possible. I wouldn’t even mind if they gave an option to just boot into a minimal setup for gaming. I hope they hear their customers, because I’m sure the overwhelming vote will be for them to clean out their gutters.
I agree with most of the comments above, a simple-tight-coded operating system will work better than a complicated one with many applications. In this case small is beautiful.
I have been expressing my opinions and desires about the future of windows as well. The leaner the better.
In my opnion is not about a cleaner, simpler or unbloated operating system. It’s about update schedules. Separating those apps from the main code will give them the chance to be updated more often. And Microsoft needs to be competitive in the “cloud” market for the future.
YES! Get rid of all the crap and fix the OS. All the shit that comes with Vista is a disgrace.
What would people use to download Firefox if IE was taken out ?
I really hope they do this and strip the OS. Im a gamer and dont need that extra crap cluttering my hard drive and making my windows updates four times longer than they should.
What would people use to download Firefox if IE was taken out ?
Command line FTP?
In theory this sounds good, but some things are nice to have. For example, photo gallery is very useful just for a simple, quick UI to do pic slideshows, and view in fullscreen. IE is necessary for gettin on web in 1st place. Notepad & calc are nice for plain text notes and math calculations…
There are definitely some things that are useful.
However, I’m thinking things like live mail especially aren’t useful out of the box in this web-centric computing world.
On installing Windows, by default the ONLY OS should be installed.
As a first OPTION then one could choose to install or not those typic (often usefull) apps netster007x mentions, as well as those which often become doublons for most of us.
As a second OPTION, the choice to install these apps linked with WLive.
This too could be a win-win solution for both sides.
Well, one could argue that including a mail app could keep people from buying Outlook… one of their own products.
I would love to see a more “advanced” install option where users can pick and choose what they want without a program like nlite/vlite.
I do like the Photo Gallery app that comes with Vista, although the Windows Live Photo Gallery is a little nicer.
I was working on something today, and photo gallery proved incredibly quick and EZ for simple things like rotating & cropping. It’s great that it keeps originals available for all edits so I never have to worry about messing up a pic.
YES!!! Bundled apps are the greatest disadvantage of windows at this point. Take the problem I just had for example. Installed a windows update, it broke WMP, had no way to repair it because it won’t let you reinstall. Ended up reinstalling windows to fix it. Only thing that should come bundled is IE, and even that should try and be less closely integrated to avoid the situation in my example.
I used the movie maker app recently – it was fine for what I needed, and I was glad to have it there.
The annoying thing is not the extra apps, its when they make the presence of the apps an advertisement. Microsoft should be more aggressive in making sure they and their partners do not make the apps that are freely available a hindrance rather than a help.
Some examples:
- Anything from Norton and AOL should be taken out on the street, burned to a crisp and stomped on using old boots.
- Adobe reader doesn’t work on Vista business without an upgrade. wtf?!
- purchasing a license for office on Vista should be a credit card entry away, not a jaunt down to my nearest computer store.
i will be the first to admit that i vlite the heck out of my legit windows home premium. i have a computer and a laptop. my pc is my media center and my laptop is for work. for the media center, i remove everything except for networking and vista media center. windows mail, calendar, etc. all goes by the wayside. for my laptop, everything except for networking and other vital pc functions remain. there are no games or media center components on my laptop. for as much as computers do cost, i don’t like anyone telling me what i should have on my pc. if i paid for it, then allow me to do what i want to do with it (in reason). i don’t feel as if i am pirating the software because (a) i purchased the software by way of purchasing the computers and (b) i am not sharing the moded os installs with anyone. to make a long story short, i think microsoft should release a clean version of its new os and allow users to decide what they want to add to it (a la carte) and maybe charge a reasonable fee for the add-ons. that way, the people who want windows live mail, calendar, movie maker and the like can have it; and for people like me, who things such software is a waste of space we can be without the annoyances.
I think MS should not have a bunch of added applications added to the next version they release but instead have the applications readily available for people to download if they want certain applications. This would benefit the hardcore gamers by freeing up resources for the gaming rigs.
Un-bundle the applications from the default installation, and put them in a CD. They can prompt users to install it in the “Welcome to Windows” message.
Also, get rid of the annoying Windows Live installer, and let us have a stand-alone executable, please.
I think its foolish to say they won’t include these Apps. Sure the hardcore complain about bloat, but that’s because we know how to get better applications and will also know about optimisation etc. Just look at Apple’s ad campaigns – they harp on that you can make movies, organise photos, make albums, view art for your music, have video conversations etc. Apple bundle almost every App except a decent Office rival with the OS and people love them for it.
What’s important for Windows is that all the Apps _can_ be uninstalled without loosing functionality. Streamline the OS by all means and allow an option to install without them, but default should install them.
Better yet, by removing the Apps from Windows itself they could integrate them with each other a lot better (basically making them synonymous with Windows Live Apps) which would improve things across the board. So any version of Windows would come with all the latest Live Apps (iLive anyone?
) and then any changes Microsoft make to them could be added as updates rather than new programs, or even updated from the internet as the OS installs.
Although if Windows didn’t come with WMP then a lot of API’s could also be broken. Developers use those a lot to embed media in their own programs. I guess they could try to include what’s necessary for the API’s, and remove the program though.
I definitely agree. They just need to make it easy for people to find and download these apps. Maybe this could be done by offering them as downloads when the user starts up the computer for the first time.
I think Microsoft could not bundle the apps, and still make it easy for people to download though. For example, in Vista there is no Windows Live Messenger included. Instead a download link for Windows Live Messenger is shown in the Start menu. That way people don’t have to go find the download, and yet Microsoft isn’t bundling the app.
Like has been said, I think a more barebones Windows OS would be nice. Theres lots of apps (and features) I dont use.