Windows 8 chief leaves
By
Eddie Makuch, News Editor
Only weeks after Windows 8, Surface products launch, Steven Sinofsky departs technology giant for reasons unknown.
Just a few weeks after Microsoft launched Windows 8 and its Surface tablet line, 23-year company veteran Steven Sinofsky has left the technology giant. Sinofsky was president of Microsoft's Windows and Windows Live departments. He will be replaced by Julie Larson-Green.
Neither Microsoft nor Sinofsky provided any rationale as to why now was the time to leave. In a prepared statement, Sinofsky spoke fondly of his time with Microsoft.
"It is impossible to count the blessings I have received over my years at Microsoft," Sinofsky said. "I am humbled by the professionalism and generosity of everyone I have had the good fortune to work with at this awesome company."
Sinofsky joined Microsoft in July 1989 in the role of software design engineer. In the span of three years, he was promoted to technical assistant for Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, and in 1999 he became senior vice president of Office. He was promoted again in 2006 when he took on the role of senior vice president of Windows, and in 2009, was again elevated to president of Microsoft's Windows business.
According to a recent profile of Sinofsky at GameSpot sister site CNET, Sinofsky was a controversial leader, reportedly sparring with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
By
Eddie Makuch, News Editor
Eddie Makuch (Mack-ooh) is a News Editor at GameSpot. He works out of the company's Boston office in Somerville, Mass., and loves extra chunky peanut butter.
91 comments
It is really good for tablet designs. Windows phone 8 and Windows 8 are actually not the same OS's. Some of the core programming is compatible with one another but they are 2 different OS's. Windows 8 is a great OS for hybrid tablet/ultrabook devices. I will stick with windows 7 on my PC until there is a big reason to upgrade.
Microsoft has done plenty of stupid things in the past decade but Windows 8 is definitely in the top 3. That probably has something to do with this guy being fired.
Whats so great about Windows 8? Serious question ( i know it rhymed and all). I just hate the design, Windows 7 and even Vista were real sleek this just looks like a bunches of ugly boxes on the screen. Maybe for a touch screen, but on my desktop? naw. But let me know what makes it better than 7
Problem I have with windows 8 is that it has no chance in the places it's primarily designed for. Cell phones? LOL ya right windows nice joke...oh you were serious about actually trying to shave market share off apple/android phones. Tablets? Well I mean you have a shot of splitting the bottom with android but you actually think you are going to come anywhere near the IPAD? LOL The people the OS was least optimized for (desktop/laptop) are the ones going to be stuck with this this thing long after the windows phones/tablets crash and burn.
I mean windows 8 isn't Windows ME bad or anything but it's just a very fragmented awkward OS that feels like you are running two different operating systems on top of each other (traditional windows and the "not" metro) that have very tenuous connections with each other. In some instances the two feel completely disconnected from each other like opening a browser inside the traditional windows environment is completely different then opening the browser in "not" metro. It just feels clunky to me and less intuitive to those already who are intimately familiar with how windows normally worked in the past. It just feels like change for the sake of change with no real purpose in mind other then to try and break windows into the cell phone/tablet market they have no hope in breaking into.
Dont cry about Windows 8 until you try it.
I had a big cry when i heard about it and that it was touch screen, but u can use it just like you use ur PC now with Windows 7 or earler anyway so dont stress, it just adds more u can do with it if u wanted to. Give it a chance it really is good.
I was a sceptic but now im a believer.
Its great and what u see of it in videos is just the start menu, u can go back to your desktop view any time.
7 Like Windows 8 is great. Exactly How many of the kids crying here actually have it?
No I didn't think so.
No start button? Download one.
Bad for games? Total lie.
Anything else? No of course not, because you were talking out of your ass to begin with. So hate on.
Congratulations, You're now more hip/less mainstream than you were before.
I'm sure all your idiot friends will think you're much cooler and more tech savvy now because you whine all the time about new software.
@naryanrobinson im am agree with you, win 8 is and improved win 7 with the metro interfase that you coul skip at all if you dont like it, and thats all
@naryanrobinson I have not used windows 8 yet to me the presentation looks good but i have not used it so i have no idea how well it functions. i have windows 7 pc and that is good enough. when i up grade my phone i plan to go from my windows phone 7 to a windows phone 8 so once that happens i will get some idea i guess as they share the same kernel.
@jtthegame316 Picking an OS based on it's kernel really is a terrible way of choosing. It has almost nothing to do with the end-user experience unless it's truly awful.
What people don't seem to understand is that Windows 8 *is* just an improved Windows 7... PLUS an EXTRA interface *if you want*.
People act like you can't plug a mouse into a Windows 8 PC or something.
Ignore the Metro thing and it's just a faster, cleaner, prettier Windows 7. It's even more compatible with 7 than 7 was with Vista. There's really no reason not to upgrade unless you don't have $40.
@jtthegame316 Yeah of course there's no hurry. I refuse to buy v1.0 of *any* software product and won't be picking this up until SP1.
I want the performance enhancements, but not at the cost of reliability. There's always as many problems in the first 6 months as in the following 4 years combined.
Either way, I'll be ignoring the whole Metro thing because it's not meant for a desktop anyway, so why *would* a person use it?
@naryanrobinson i am not picking on the os i like the look of it in fact. just 7 is good enough so no need to hurry to upgrade. it is likely that at some point i will have a device running windows 8 just not yet because they kinda did such a good job with 7 that people are not going to be in a hurry to move to 8 but a lot of them will down the line even the some of the people moaning for the sake of moaning about it. somewhere you misunderstood me because like you i am on the side of windows 8. infact in time i will likely have at least 2 windows 8 devices if i include the windows phone 8 when i up grade to that.
@naryanrobinson windows 8 would be great ONLY if it was the only option..if its you're only option then I guess you have a great OS. If say amiga os would have taken windows spot back in the 90s I think it would have benefited the industry a lot more..pc's can definitely have a better replacement
@naryanrobinson windows isn't so much as a extremely terrible os..but when you compare it to linux and osx..its just kind of a joke or something made for schools or work places
This comment has been deleted
@obsequies @naryanrobinson Why would he want a mac? any one with sense is not going to fork out for a mac because of the fact you could pay over a grand for a mac but you could get a more powerful windows pc for cheaper. people that don't buy macs its nothing to do with affording them and everything to do with not wasting there money.
@naryanrobinson wow I'm glad I don't have to put up with such losers like you in real life..later
1 Like @obsequies Yep. Aw this is priceless.
You prove my point for me infinitely better than I ever could lol
It's gold, keep it coming XD
3 Like @obsequies Ha, yes just as I thought.
Another crying clueless idiot ;)
Not used to dealing with real facts huh?
Adorable.
@naryanrobinson I didn't even read the story you just wrote, you're obviously an ignorant moron who either can't afford a mac, are too stupid to use linux or can't figure out how to make a hackintosh so you lump anyone who says windows is a piece of garbage into one category and rant about it..grow up open your eyes you loser. Am I going to use windows 8...um yeah anyone who is involved in computers is going to have to use it it somewhere along the line..am I able to admit that windows has always been inferior in ways to osx and linux..yes because I'm not some lunatic
@naryanrobinson windows has always been a pos compared to linux and mac..I don't see how you can argue otherwise. The only benifit of windows WAS gaming..times have changed and windows has changed so much as to try to keep that last breath of air that it magically still has
@Sgthombre how about b/c i can get a full OS on a mobile device instead of the POS ones Apple and Android deliver
I think the part where he was unveiling this and it froze during the demonstration was a little foreshadowing for was was and is to come. :)
Why aren't there more competing operating systems for PC so that we don't always have to be at the mercy of Microsoft's poor quality products?
1 Like @Tauu Because up until windows 98 they barely bothered with anti pirate protection, let them copy and get used to it.
So now today if you out linux infront of someone they don't know what to do with it, installing a new browser and plug ins for it for example can be a nightmare.
Like it or not, windows is what people know, even when it acts up they know how to deal, so they just won't get another and so there's no room on the market for anything else.
@Tauu I believe it's called monopoly power. Once a company has a firm grip on it, it will be hard and costly to develop a form of competitive structure to go head-to-head with that company.
It was popular to hate on Vista but I loved it. I got it on a new PC and it ran like a charm. As of right now, I don't see the appeal of a Windows 8 "upgrade" for my home PC running Windows 7.
3 Like Well no one's surprised by this really. I've only seen negative word of mouth regarding Win 8 wherever I go, not that this is surprising; the theory about every other OS being crap is pretty true.
Win 8 - bad
Win 7 - Good
Win Vista - Holy mother of bad
Win XP - great
Win ME - bad
Win 98 - good
etc. etc.
@BuBsay i agree with you. it seems like win me, vista and 8 are just betas released to public. have them to identify the major issues and then release another one in like 18 months to fix all of it
13 Like That picture basically shows us what it would have been like to have Bruce Willis in Star Trek.
Given the well-documented tensions between him and Ballmer, he was probably only planning on staying through the Windows 8 launch window. Now that it's over, he's free to leave.
I have used windows 8 quite a bit now, but don't really like it on my laptop. On a tablet it works great though.
@AquinasQuinn @stonefang Maybe they thought if we didn't have a tablet, we'd want one, so why not turn the desktop/laptop into one?
What could possibly go wrong?
Too bad. Win 8 is a great OS. Most of the haters here I'm sure haven't used it. Like any MS OS you might want to wait for SP1.
@dkpunk how can you not use it..its in every store and people have been able to try it for months. windows has always been a pos compared to mac os and linux. The only purpose of windows used to be gaming but mac's and now linux are getting more support..no point to windows anymore
@obsequies @dkpunk LOL what a joke of a comment. mac barely got the first cod black ops 2 months ago. there is still a point to windows. its called getting a game when it first releases not 2 years later
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