Microsoft continues with its innovations and, in this case, surprises the industry by revealing that it's in the process of recovering a Windows 8 program that was removed at the time. And, although the situation seems unprecedented, the truth is that, today, it may become more accepted than it was in the past.
The Windows company is testing several applications that, if all goes well, may be officially released in the near future. The most interesting one is People, which, as we mentioned, is a tool that originates from the now-classic and forgotten version 8 of its operating system. Why did they decide to go back in time?
A new plan
Windows users have been seeing the aforementioned app come and go. It's called People, a tool that originally appeared independently in Windows 8. The service it offered was more like an address book than anything else, and ultimately, it didn't really catch on. From then on, Microsoft revived the tool on several occasions, always trying to find a twist to integrate it into other apps. However, it didn't generate the interest it had hoped for, and on several occasions, it was eventually removed. For example, we saw it in Windows 10 several times.
Microsoft liked the idea of adding shortcuts to your favorite friends or coworkers so you could send them emojis from the Taskbar. It was used to greet people, as a way to say hello in the morning or goodbye at the end of the day. However, at the time it was introduced, it never really caught on. Ultimately, users didn't use it, and it ended up being a completely useless feature.
However, it seems Microsoft wants to give it a new twist. In this case, it again has a similar functionality, but it integrates with the contacts we have in Teams and helps us send short, quick messages to people in our professional circle. It's quite simple to use. We can click on user profiles to see a small amount of information, type in the text box that appears next to their names, and send the messages. The system informs us if they've been received, so we don't have to open Teams to send messages directly from the app. It could help save time, but it may not end up being as decisive as Microsoft is considering internally.
In practice, with what Microsoft has shown so far of this new incarnation of People connected to Teams, we can't help but think how retro it looks. Because the tool has a certain ICQ feel that catches our attention. It seems that, if this type of concept ends up being successful, we'll be one step away from having a minimized Messenger again, receiving and sending messages. It probably wouldn't be such a bad idea either.
The other of the new apps
We haven't mentioned it, but Microsoft calls both People and the other app, File Search, mini-apps. Both use the taskbar and aim to increase productivity and make better use of your computer. In the case of File Search, it's a service that allows us to easily search for content across everything in Microsoft 365.
The search engine is very efficient, as it not only searches file names but also within content. It also allows you to preview files and then easily share them. It's certainly a good idea that could be well-received. But, without a doubt, of the two apps, the one that's attracting the most attention is People. Now we'll have to see how many users use it and whether it ends up becoming a new standard that recaptures the essence of the text messages we used to send each other in the past.