It's inevitable since Windows 7 was considered a decent operating system--Windows 8 is going to be called crap, whether it is or not.

That headline was a question asked around the recent confab where was showcased yet again. Particular emphasis was put on the humdrum Metro Interface.

Let me get this straight. Microsoft came out with an uncompetitive smartphone which utilizes these weird tiles and failed to achieve any sort of market dominance or even serious attention. So the company jumps off a cliff by going with this as if it's the greatest thing ever and they make it the core of the new OS? Exactly who is out there in Redmond thinks this is a great idea?

So the meme begins to form at this show that Windows 8 may be the new Windows Vista, meaning this will be ridiculed and demeaned whether it is any good or not. Microsoft just seems to walk into these situations. I, for one, think it will be just fine; the Metro interface is easily avoided. And I should mention that this column is being typed up on a computer running Windows Vista.

But the reputation and fickle nature of the users and reviewers are lining up to slam Windows 8 as a loser when it is just another OS upgrade, neither good nor bad.

The tech community likes good/bad flip-flops. It's very binary to have a good OS then a bad OS. It's natural. We have Windows XP (good), Windows Vista (bad), Windows 7 (good), Windows 8 (bad).

This is more natural than the hodgepodge of good and bad versions of Windows before Windows 2000 which to many people remains the best OS Microsoft ever created. It ended an era of year-dated versions including Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows 2000 with odd turkeys in-between. And there was something of a binary state during this too with Windows 97 as the turkey between 95 and 98 and obviously Windows ME as the turkey between 98 and 2000. (Windows 97 never shipped; it was pulled and changed to Windows 98. Yes, this counts for the purposes of this debate. Keep reading.)

Let's call this the Star Trek syndrome, where every other version of Windows is great and it is always followed by a turkey just like that series of movies.

With this pattern somewhat set in stone Windows 8 will be a perceived as a dog whether it is or not. In Europe they are already saying things like this:

But while Windows 8 looks set to give Microsoft a boost in the tablet market, there are things about the platform that make me think it may not be quite so successful elsewhere.



In fact, I'm starting to wonder if Windows 8 could be the next Windows Vista.



Don't get me wrong - I know there are some compelling new features coming in Windows 8, many of which V3 listed in our recent Top 10 article on the subject, but Microsoft is implementing a great many major changes all at the same time in Windows 8, and the last time they tried this was with Windows Vista.

Microsoft needs to realize that this has been going on and will continue to go on. The company has to change its roll-out pattern. It better have Windows 9 waiting in the wings so Windows 8 is only on the market a short time to make some quick money...followed by more quick money.

The other way to do this is to pull a Windows 97 trick: yank Windows 8 and never release it but instead wait a year and roll out Windows 9  the winner.

Pay attention to the Windows 8 rollout and see what you think. There will be a lot of references to Vista, you watch.