Windows 8: One Ring to Bring Them All and in the Darkness Bind Them

Last week I read about Microsoft's Surface tablet here. Naturally some see it as Microsoft's attempt at emulating the success of Apple's iPad. Some see it as Microsoft copying Google's Nexus strategy. I see it as the piece of software that will make or break Microsoft. Whatever it is, hardly a day goes by nowadays that I don't read something about Windows 8; it is THAT big.

It is no secret that the future of the consumer technology lies in connected mobile devices. Handhelds. Before his death Steve Jobs went as far as declaring a post-PC world. Data collected last year had shown for first time that smartphone sales globally has surpassed PCs and soon the combined sales of mobile devices, smartphones and tablets will overwhelm PCs by million if not billions! I mean, just look at Fujitsu's Lifebook 2013 concept; who would buy PCs any more with this... AUTOBOT around?


The post-PC world needs an ubiquitous OS that can exist cross-platform. I like to think that Google has a real competitor in the mobile space in the form of Chrome OS and Android. Google's acquisition of Motorola recently plus Intel and Motorola's partnership to introduce Intel's smartphone for US market formed an image at the back of my mind; a Motorola Atrix with Chrome OS as its webtop OS running on both ARM and x86 architecture. Apparently I'm not alone. 


Technology moved at a blinding pace in the space of 10 years. Within just 10 years, status quos changed. Palm died, RIM's Blackberry rose and fell, Apple soared, ARM became mainstream, AMD married ATI, Google's Android and Samsung beat Nokia, and Intel somehow found ways to rise from somewhere down below to be literally everywhere... (wait a minute... hey, I think Intel is the real winner here as even Apple uses their chips now!)


Within 10 years, Microsoft found themselves dethroned not by a single competitor but by multiple segments and ecosystems. They absolutely need Windows 8 to remain relevant. They need Windows 8 to be the ubiquitous OS that can be everywhere to fight the battles in an increasingly convergent world where PCs are no longer the 'in' thing. Heck, nowadays apps and casual games like Mafia Wars and Draw Something that were such hits on social networks don't even need Windows to run!

I do think the magnitude of failure would be even greater than the infamous Vista.

Thanks: Just, Thanks. Thanks, dragonajie

I don't think it is necessary to reply an email with just 'Thanks'. I personally think it an irritating waste of resources, especially 5 seconds of precious time (that I can use to check Twitter) to click, read the damned word and close. No I don't have preview pane enabled in my Outlook; we were hit with worms from automatically loaded pictures a few years back so I had that off since.


I think, if you absolutely must show courtesy and your utmost appreciation in emails, say "Thanks, I'll buy you coffee next time" or "Thanks, let's go on a date". Just "Thanks" blows.


What irritates me the most though is auto-signature in emails that reads 'Thanks, [Sender name]'. Then the sender replied with just 'Thanks', so I get 'Thanks. Thanks, [Sender name]'. Seriously, I can't be the only one, right? RIGHT?


So let me give everyone a suggestion. Instead of replying with just 'Thanks' to end a thread of email conversations, just delete the message title and replace it with 'Thanks [EoM]'. Seeing that and 'EoM' (by the way that means End-of-Message, pops) the receiver would not bother to open your email and you get the message across.


Edit: I forgot that there's an even more irritating species: replying 'np' to a 'Thanks' to a mailing list of 100 people. Dear God #facepalm.


And don't even get me started on 'Your welcome'.


Thanks,
dragonajie