As of 2007, Microsoft decided to start elevating user experience to a first class citizen. The key word there is "start". These are their own words. So, what where they doing before then? I Googled "Microsoft's focus on the user", and all I found were references to Microsoft's focus on other technologies.

That's the Microsoft way. "We made this cool thing, that just happens to benefit our bottom line, and you should love it too.", would be a truthful advertisement. Instead, they give us the line that Windows is this great product that makes our lives so much easier. So, repeat this mantra with me..

"Windows is stable, Windows is Stable, Windows is.. exception processing message c0000013". I've heard all the arguments from Microsoft regarding this, and some of them are true. The only problem is that it doesn't hold true for the average user.

Sure, if you defrag your hard drive, keep your drivers up to date, check with Microsoft every Tuesday for an update, and install those updates, then yes, you have a very good chance of stability. Oh, did I mention you must also keep it off the internet, install antivirus software just in case, and make sure you run anti-spyware software. Oops. If you uninstall something, you must manually go and remove portions of the software that don't work, otherwise that garbage may or may not affect you.

Oh, and should you have to clean your registry, make sure you don't remove the wrong entry. May the Lord have mercy on your soul if you do. Also, you may want to have a disk handy for reinstallation, just in case your efforts cause the machine to behave like a very expensive brick. You're going to need it. That's a best case scenario, without engaging in the risky behavior of the average user.

What does the average user do? Well, they download tons of music and bootleg DVD's to their hard drives. They open every single attachment in their email, and then get a virus. They never install updates, they've never heard of defrag, and don't understand why they need run it. They surf the web, and manage to download every useless toolbar, along with all the spyware that comes along with it. They save everything to their desktop. They accidentally say "yes" to things that the system monitor says "no" to. They never back up their files, because the computer is working right now, and they are not particularly worried about whether it will work tomorrow.

Then, for one reason or other, the computer fails, and they take it to a friend who is not the average user. He can't do anything for them, but reinstall the OS, and download the updates for them, which may retard performance. He may offer them another OS which will work for them a little better, but they are used to Windows, and can't take the time to learn how to use anything else. Besides, you can't get iTunes on that one (Yes, I run Linux.)

How could Microsoft solve these problems? They could enable auto-defrag by default. They could switch file systems, drop DRM and ship it with SpyBot: Search and Destroy installed and properly configured. They could put an open source, lower resource hogging, antivirus program like Clamwin on their machines, instead of trying to sell a bloated version of Norton or McCafee. They could put shortcuts to the control panels on the desktop, so it doesn't take 4 oddly placed clicks to get there. I could go on and on. They could make sure the updates get installed on restart, instead of requiring shutdown. They could decrease the size of the install, and speed up boot time. They could keep it from being such a resource hog.

"But", you might say,"what about the user's choice." To that I say, "What of it?". Microsoft has always dictated to the user how their software will be used(Have you ever read the EULA all the way through?). If Microsoft is going to dictate, shouldn't they make sure their software is not an abject failure. They could do it now, via a hotfix, or a required update.. They won't, though. They just do not care. After all, they have Windows 7 to sell us in a couple of years.

As you can see, Microsoft's products are not very user friendly, or tolerant of the average user. Most people just want to get on the computer, get business done, and forget about maintenance. This is where Microsoft has made a fundamental error regarding users: They do not want to become an expert on their PC to use it, just like they don't want to become a mechanic so they can drive a car. They also want 100% up time. This is lost on Microsoft. Their goal for the PC is to make money, keep people from stealing their software, and own the market.

Microsoft can continue to laugh at the exponential gains that Apple and Linux are making in market share. Until they start doing more than giving lip-service to user experience, and stop depending on a user buying a new computer every 2 years, then their model is doomed to failure.

They probably won't listen to me, but then again, I don't use Windows.