Windows chief bows out
link: original article - section: microsoft
REDMOND, Wash.--Sitting behind a one-way mirror, a white-haired man struggles to access a shared music library within Windows Vista. "I'm lost," he says. "I'm in trouble here."
On the other side of the glass, several Microsoft executives try to talk him through the experience. Thousands of people have gone through similar tests inside Microsoft's usability lab. But on this day, February 1, 2006, the person inside Building 28 isn't just some random beta tester. It's Windows boss Jim Allchin.
And at that time, Allchin had plenty to grouse about. Windows Vista had been in testing for many months. The company had already drastically reshaped the operating system to try to get Vista onto store shelves by the holidays, but by Microsoft's own account there were still lots of bugs. While the latest versions of Windows Media Player and Internet Explorer that Allchin put through their paces had improved since his last trip to the labs, other parts of Vista were still driving him crazy.
Fast-forward nearly 12 months. Although Microsoft couldn't get through 2006 without being forced to delay Vista once again, by the start of 2007--after five years in development and endless feedback from thousands of testers--the majority of Allchin's gripes had finally been addressed.
The result: Vista is ready for the masses and set to hit store shelves on Tuesday. One day later, Allchin, as promised, will retire after 16 years with the software maker.
It's not yet clear how Allchin's latest product will affect his legacy. While early reviews of the operating system have been lukewarm, Allchin said he is confident that time will show Vista to be a significant improvement over previous versions of Windows.
A case in point: Vista's networking feature--one of Allchin's biggest gripes a year ago. Now, when users connect to a new network, they are asked if it is a home, work or public network, with the operating system automatically setting firewall and other settings based on that decision. That's a far cry from early testing.
"If you back up 18 months ago or whatever, the networking was so complicated to figure it out," Allchin said in an interview last week. "I actually think at that time it was probably worse than XP, and now we're dramatically better."
Security. Searching. Photos. Music. They're all much improved, Allchin says.
Remember Longhorn?
But outsiders often point to what might have been, recalling the company's original vision, shown by Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates at a developer conference in October 2003. Microsoft wowed developers with a bold new Windows, code-named Longhorn, built around a new file system and deep changes to the way Windows works under the hood. At the end of the conference, the company provided developers with an early test version of the software, packaged in a sleek black package labeled simply "The Goods."
As Microsoft tried to get all of the pieces to work together, however, it found it wasn't going to be able to deliver those goods in any reasonable time frame. It began working on a plan B, with fewer changes deep within Windows and more modest improvements in desktop searching.
In August 2004, Microsoft confirmed it was revamping its plans, pulling out the file system and making other changes as part of an effort to get the operating system ready in time for the holiday 2006 shopping season.
