The real reason we are angry with Windows 8

Windows 8 has made a splash, and different people have different reactions. Some are happy, some are confused, and some are angry.

The PC revolution was about control, and about independence. PCs, in the early days, were about "sticking it to the man" -- being independent from the big guys. Owning a PC (or a microcomputer) meant that we were the masters of our fate. We controlled the machine. We decided what to do with it. We decided when to use it.

But that absolute control has been eroded over time.

• With CP/M (and later with MS-DOS and even later with Windows), we agreed to use a common operating system in exchange for powerful applications.
• With Wordstar (and later with Lotus 1-2-3 and even later with Word and Excel) we agreed to use common applications in exchange for the ability to share documents and spreadsheets.
• With Windows 3.1, we agreed to use the Microsoft stack in exchange for network drivers and access to servers.
• With Windows 2000 SP3, we had to accept updates from Microsoft. (The license specified that.)

We have gradually, slowly, gave up our control in exchange for conveniences.

Now, we have come to the realization that we are not in control of our computers. Our iPads and Android tablets update themselves, and we lack total control (unless we jail-break them).


I think what really makes people mad is the realization that they are not in control. We thought that we were in control, but we're not. The vendor calls the shots.

We thought that we were in control. We thought that we called the shots.

Windows 8, with its new user interface and its new approach to apps, makes it clear that we are not.

And we're angry when we realize it.