The next person who says that Windows 8 is the next Vista deserves to be kicked in the shin, twice. The context for making this comparison is so far off-base that by saying it, not only does it make you sound dumb, but it lowers the IQ of those around you. If you need a few examples of folks calling Windows 8 the next Vista, here you go (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).
Windows 8 could flop, it could sell only three units, but that’s not the point when you make a comparison to Vista which was a black mark on Microsoft for a host of other reasons. The point is that Vista tanked because of stability, vendor support and, ultimately, consumer perception of the platform, not because it tried to change the game dramatically like the approach of Windows 8.
Take Windows 8 for a spin. It will not crash. Vendor support is solid (albeit still growing) but it is radically different. For those who used Vista, you will remember the painful days of having no drivers available for your hardware or you used buggy drivers that caused more crashes than Adobe Flash.
Windows 8 is dramatically different and has significant variations when compared to previous Windows platforms which is why it could tank harder than a Russian nuclear sub during the Cold War. Consumers initially don’t like change, but are typically quite good at accepting it over the long term. Windows 8 will likely follow that path: complaints up front, followed by acceptance. If users will adopt Windows 8 on the same scale as Windows 7 remains a question that will be answered in the coming years.
Despite the loud, and sometimes uneducated, rants about Windows 8, it is nothing like Vista. The next time someone says Windows 8 is the next Vista, make sure to call them out for the inability to create an original and accurate thought.
Image Credit: Deviant Art