Windows 8 is version 1.0

Lots of people have critiqued Windows 8, and they seem to have forgotten the "rule of three" for Microsoft products. (The "rule of three" states that the early versions of new products are lame and that the third version of the product is the potent one. This rule also applies to the movie "The Maltese Falcon".)

Windows 8 is a step in a new direction for Microsoft. It defines a new UI and a new method for distributing software. It makes older versions of Windows obsolete.

There are a lot of changes, and I don't expect Microsoft to get it right on the first release. (They didn't with Windows, or with Visual Basic, or with .NET, either.)

What I *do* expect is that Microsoft will learn from their experience and release new versions. I expect a follow-on to Windows 8. Perhaps it will be called Windows 9. Perhaps it will be called Windows 8.5. Or Windows 8.1. Or maybe "Windows Tablet" or "Windows Mobile". Or maybe something prosaic like "Windows Touch". I don't know the exact name.

What I do know is that Microsoft releases new versions of its software. I expect a new version of its mobile device software, suitable for phones and tablets. I expect that Microsoft will fix the problems of the first release (what we call "Windows 8").

So I am not judging Microsoft solely on its Windows 8 product. I believe that they will release another version, and that later version will fix problems -- and change things.

Laud Microsoft or laugh at them. But don't expect them to stand still.