Over the years, we’ve all enjoyed our favourite native Windows software, but it seems the more popular a Windows program is, the more keen Microsoft becomes on getting rid of it.
WordPad & Notepad
WordPad was a very popular free and lightweight word processor that was removed from Windows after January 2024. As a free alternative to Microsoft Word, which is a component of the costly Microsoft Office suite, WordPad was highly valued by many users.
In a move that was obviously meant to compensate for WordPad’s removal and to help address negative feedback, Microsoft subsequently introduced formatting and other advanced features into the previously basic Notepad. However, that only served to annoy many more users, especially coders, who valued Notepad’s simplicity.
So, we went from two popular applications to a hybrid text editor that few are happy with.
Skype & Teams
Skype was officially retired in May 2025 and replaced by Teams. As far as I am concerned, Skype has been, and always will be, one of the marvels of modern technology.
To emphasize Skype’s universal popularity, in 2019 it was the sixth most-downloaded app during the previous decade. As a user of both Skype and now Teams, I am of the opinion that Teams is a poor replacement for Skype.
Why Skype had to go, I have no idea. I can only guess that replacing Skype with Teams was financially motivated. Regardless, it was, in my opinion, a poor swap.
Windows Live Mail & Mail
Windows Live Mail was a popular email client that was part of the equally popular Windows Live Essentials suite of applications, which hasn’t been supported since 2014. Both its predecessor, Outlook Express, and Windows Live Mail were hugely popular email clients.
Indeed, in those XP and Windows 7 days, either Outlook Express or Windows Live Mail was the default email client on every single one of my clients’ machines.
Why Microsoft decided to replace the full-featured Windows Live Mail with the half-baked and totally underwhelming Mail app, and more recently with the equally half-baked and underwhelming Outlook app, I have no idea.
Your average home PC users generally require two basic features: 1) the ability to browse the web, and 2) to be able to effectively manage email. Surely, it has to be incumbent upon an operating system to provide an effective medium for both?
The end result is that the default email client in Windows has been seriously downgraded.
Control Panel & Settings App
Microsoft has gradually (slowly?) been deprecating the Control Panel in favour of the Settings app, for what reason I do not know. As far as I am concerned, the Control Panel is far more intuitive than the Settings app will ever be.
To me, the Control Panel has always been configured perfectly with settings and options easily located, whereas the Settings app seems to be a total shemozzle. Maybe I’m getting too old, but I could always remember where everything was located in the Control Panel but find myself constantly seeking reminders online to locate settings and options in the Settings app.
BOTTOM LINE:
When I look back on Microsoft’s decision-making, two sayings come to mind:
- If it isn’t broken, it doesn’t need fixing… and…
- When you’re on a good thing, stick with it
I’m sure there are more examples of Microsoft superseding popular products with inferior alternatives, but the above four are most prominent in my mind.
If you can recall other similar instances, let us know via the comments.
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Seems like some of the Microsoft team need to justify their jobs.
Similar to Malwarebytes, once a great program now it’s just over bloated.
As always, thanks Jim!
Two free apps that some may find worthwhile are EditPad Lite for a text editor and Notepad++ for coders (and also as a text editor). Both are also available in portable versions.
Cheers.
JIM: I, along with your cult following, always enjoy reading your contributions here in the DCT, especially so since I, too, am an “old geezer” at 87. I, too, started out on a Commodore-64 and added a Vic-20 for reasons that I don’t remember, and then decided to self-teach myself GW-Basic, a nice old hieroglyph from the early pre-MS era for college work. Anyway, fast-forward up to the current clime and to chime-in with your brow-beating of MS’s giveth-then-take away Trump-like game I wish to ask you if you’re aware of a regular ad poster in Farcebook begging you to download a WORD or WORDPAD posting it as a “free download”. So, download it and you may get a “free” ‘TRIAL’, and then the financial aspect will kick in. Check it out for us, and tell us if I’ve missed or misinterpreted their offering, and then maybe give us all your findings. Thanks in advance. ~ Ralph
Sorry Ralph but I’ve never seen any such ad on Facebook, not that I visit Facebook very often.
Cheers… Jim
Hi Jim. I use both the Settings and Control Panel for finding and solving problems. Both should be made available, and M$ needs to stop thinking as that is when they make the wrong decisions, Mindblower!