Originally Posted by
Squeegee Beckenheim
I don't see that happening. Windows has been the standard for way too many years. Almost every PC program written thus far has primarily been written to run on Windows. People use Windows because A) it's what computers come with and B) all of the software they want to use woks on it.
If someone were to try to take over the market they'd have to get computer manufacturers to supply their new computers with the new OS, and they'd have to ensure that their OS was compatible with all the software that's compatible with Windows. The first won't happen because Joe Bloggs doesn't know anything other than Windows and isn't going to buy a new machine that doesn't have it on it, therefore manufacturers and retailers aren't going to supply machines with a different OS on for fear they won't sell. The second is a mammoth task which seems unlikely. The best that could be hoped for is a different OS which can run a Windows emulator. Which rather defeats the object.
Your point B above is why I stick with Windows. But, if MS has decided to push a mobile UI onto the desktop, and people get used to that, what's to stop Android from becoming a desktop OS, especially when $45 buys an Android computer you can plug into your TV?
MS is going to lose the market of people who just want web content, and Windows 8 won't stop that. I think their first priority should be to serve their core market of people who need a full desktop environment. They can build a separate mobile OS if they really think they stand a chance in that market.