A Mac user's take on the Windows 7 UI

Microsoft tried to reinvent the desktop OS interface with Vista, to little fanfare. Does Windows 7 turn its UI around?

After I installed Windows Vista in November 2006, I was perplexed. Why was it suddenly so much harder for me to use my computer? I knew XP cold, and I could use it without thinking. But with Vista, I felt a little lost and began to notice the extra work required to perform tasks that had become second nature. By hiding various features in an attempt to simplify Vista's interface, Microsoft was in fact adding overhead to my Vista transition, forcing me to learn a new UI.

Information Workplace Platforms: Oracle vs. Microsoft - read this white paper.

Like many, I just couldn't see how Vista's "new look" benefited the Windows experience. I became further entrenched in my belief that Microsoft's ongoing divergence from the well-established menu approach pioneered by Apple is fundamentally wrong.

[ Which OS wins the UI contest? See Windows 7 vs. Mac OS X side by side in InfoWorld's comparative slideshow. ]

Microsoft Office -- and to a lesser extent Internet Explorer -- went nuts in this direction, relying on buttons, variable menus, and right-clicking for almost everything. These UIs made Vista's user interface appear intuitive by comparison, yet they also hinted at further UI confusion to come. It was as if Microsoft's strategy for UI design was to leave its customers at a loss for where to start or what to do next. Not surprisingly, users have rejected Microsoft's latest offerings in amazing numbers.

Source : http://www.infoworld.com/article/09/01/27/04FE-mac-view-windows-7_1.html