Hi Charles, Well, to begin with there are sometimes a technical reason for a change, but a lot of times there isn't. Unfortunately, a lot of end users aren't savvy enough to recognize the difference between the two. In this case your question is a little of both.
Regarding issues with sound it has to do with the fact the audio mixer in Windows was designed in the mid 90's for a completely different era of audio hardware. Ten years later by the mid 2000's there was a lot of newer better audio hardware with 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound support that Windows could not handle because the mixer was out of date. So in Windows Vista Microsoft upgraded the sound mixer, but in the process a lot of older software like DirectSound and older versions of Windows Media Player broke. Rather than upgrade DirectSound Microsoft replaced it with XAudio2, and of course upgraded software like windows Media Player with the required new audio support. So as far as sound goes it has a purely technical explanation and was a mandatory upgrade. Its just that games, particularly audio games, are still using things like VB 6 and DirectX 8 which were designed before the audio mixer was updated and are now broken as a result. As for things like the ribbons there isn't a technical reason for why they have largely replaced menus in modern Windows. I wasn't there when the decision was made so can't testify as to why they were adopted, but I can put forth a few ideas on the subject. One thing is that software engineers are creative people by nature. We like to create things, that's why we are programmers, and as a result we are always looking for new ways to do things. We fly in the face of the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" mentality because we always want to change something, improve it, and make it better if we can. So obviously someone at Microsoft thought the ribbons were a good idea even if many end users might not agree with that. However, its more than simple creativity at work. Companies are in the business of making money. They have to sell you something to stay in business even if that something is just a fresh new look and feel with little advantages or real changes. In the business world its call "perceived obsolescence." Basically, a corporate way of milking a product for all it is worth by making changes for change's sake. For example, let's say a PC builder like Del releases a new PC in the spring with an Almond case, a 19 inch display, keyboard, mouse etc. Now in the fall they have their new PC ready to ship, but they have lots of parts in their inventory from the spring run. What they will do is come up with a shiny new black case, maybe a matching 19 inch display, keyboard, and mouse and release their old model on the market before their new models in order to get the most out of their spring run even though it is virtually identical to their last run besides a fancy new case and color change. Anyone who wasn't technically astute or savvy enough to compare specs might assume the new run is a brand new machine when it is basically the same thing as the spring run with a very minor makeover. We see very much the same thing with software. If Microsoft has troubles selling something like Office, don't have a lot of new updates in it, they may try and change the user interface, give it a new look and feel,in order to hopefully sell it as a new product. Even though the changes are very minor. In short, there aren't always technical reasons for a change, and it is just the developer's way of staying in business. You have to realize something like the ribbons is do more to attempts to make money than anything else. Companies of all kinds are always making changes in the hopes they can continue to sell something old as something new. It is a bit dishonest in ways, but nobody ever said business was ethical or completely honest. Cheers! On 9/8/14, Charles Rivard <wee1s...@fidnet.com> wrote: > I don't know much about the technical reasoning, but I don't know why, for > example, the ribbon system has replaced the pulldown menus, why sounds are > handled in such a way that games no longer work and recording of music > cannot be done as it used to be, and why perfectly user friendly Email > clients such as Outlook Express are replaced by less user friendly ones, and > > that sort of stuff. > > --- > Be positive! When it comes to being defeated, if you think you're finished, > > you! really! are! finished! --- Gamers mailing list __ Gamers@audyssey.org If you want to leave the list, send E-mail to gamers-unsubscr...@audyssey.org. You can make changes or update your subscription via the web, at http://audyssey.org/mailman/listinfo/gamers_audyssey.org. All messages are archived and can be searched and read at http://www.mail-archive.com/gamers@audyssey.org. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the management of the list, please send E-mail to gamers-ow...@audyssey.org.
