Attack on Microsoft and Windows Vista

A developer that used to work at Microsoft, and is now working at Google, wrote a highly critical blog post about his experience developing the updated Shut Down menu in Windows Vista. The blog post has a lot of valid points and I agree with some of the conclusions drawn by the press (the additional shut down choices could be simpler). However, people's willingness to redesign this feature sight unseen without consideration of anything other than their own needs and opinions is, of course, frustrating. The comments on the blog post are both infuriating and enlightening. Mostly the former.

• Blog post: "The Windows Shutdown crapfest" (and many comments on said post)
• Joel Spolsky's article: "Choices = Headaches"
• Business Week article: "Vista's Many Turnoffs"