How a User Interface Degrades Over Time ⇥ grumpy.website
The original Windows 95 interface is _functional_. It has a function and it executes it very well. It works for you, without trying to be clever or sophisticated. Also, it follows system conventions, which also helps you, the user.
I’m not sure whom the bottom interface [from Windows 11] helps. It’s a puzzle, an art object, but it doesn’t work for you. It’s not here to make your life easier.
As someone who uses a Windows computer for my day job, I can confidently say this allergy to contrast affects both platforms alike, and Prokopov’s comparison offers just one example. Why this trend persists, I have no idea. I find it uncomfortable to look at for long periods of work — the kind of time I imagine is comparable to those who build these operating systems.