Launching a new operating system used to be an event. It used to represent the latest and greatest set of productivity enhancing technologies that would change the way we did things. It usually meant a shopping trip to buy a new computer and a bunch of other toys. The operating system has maxed out. It has gotten so good (or good enough) at what it does that even large scale changes are cosmetic and evolutionary in nature. The operating system has been relegated to the back seat, powering our web browsers and the docking stations on our mobile phones. Tomorrow, when Microsoft officially launches that new service pack they call Windows 7, I doubt it will make much of a splash unless there is a new device or web service that goes along with it.
October 21, 2009