So, Microsoft is changing the BSOD. I take issue with most/all things Microsoft does as of late, but this is a step too far. Here's a comparison:

Before

After

Thoughts

The BSOD is a frustrating thing for a user. Your system has crashed entirely, there's no coming back from this, you simply have to wait. So, the best thing the system can do is provide clear, concise instructions. The BlueSOD has the stop code and a prominent QR code. This provides a specific string of text for troubleshooting and an easy to access link to resources.

It being blue feels like a holdover from the era where Microsoft system/kernel level settings were just always in that shade of blue, but it has an additional value now. The screen suddenly turning blue catches my eye in a way that it turning black does not. My screens, for various reasons, may go black while I'm sitting at my computer (it going to sleep, monitors adjusting, etc.). Them going all blue however? That's unusual, and immediately draws my attention.

It changing to black I think blurs the boundary between sleep and issue, and the only thing that I would say is improved with the BlackSOD is the line of "What failed: [process name]". However, in a remarkably hostile move, that is tucked at the bottom of the screen in a tiny font, smaller than anything else displayed.

This can and probably will change, but it feels indicative of a problem Microsoft has had for a while. They can't change of the core user interactions, nor the system itself in any significant way because of backwards compatibility, so instead they just tweak how things look, repeatedly. It's either that, or they find new ways to force advertisements onto the system and make more of the components rely on a web connection.

Microsoft is a company who has long since not cared about Windows, despite it being such a core part of their image. Their real money makers are data centers and B2B (Business to Business) services, but those aren't things most people would ever think about, let alone be familiar with. It's a company without a strong direction, a failure to commit to anything significant, and it shows.

The closest they've come is their recent push for AI, but I've made my thoughts on that clear enough at this point. Apple shows actual initiative with their push to their own silicon, relatively seamless compatibility layers, etc. I would say that the MacOS experience is actually improving, but I've been disappointed or angry with every decision made by Microsoft since Windows 10-ish. It was enough that, despite significant troubleshooting and several things not working, I've gone to Linux and not looked back.

Microsoft changing the BSOD is just one of many things. But it is one. Windows is a dying platform and I've never been more sure of that.