I think the author is going over the top criticizing drop shadows and such. But I can see what he means when he talks about minimize animations and the godforsaken Windows troubleshooting wizard. I've never experienced a single instance where the Windows troubleshooting wizard helped me solve a problem any more complicated than "Is the printer really plugged in?" If it wants to hold my hands, at least it should steer me in the right direction!
It's OK for software to act like a kindergarten teacher from time to time, if it actually delivers enough value to justify it. For example, painting the chrome of a focused window in brighter colors helps the user tell which window is in focus. But when the "childish" feature adds nothing but inconvenience, that's when people start getting annoyed.
Disclaimer: I'm quite fond of Windows 7 Aero, though I always make those oversized, over-detailed icons way smaller than they are by default.
It's OK for software to act like a kindergarten teacher from time to time, if it actually delivers enough value to justify it. For example, painting the chrome of a focused window in brighter colors helps the user tell which window is in focus. But when the "childish" feature adds nothing but inconvenience, that's when people start getting annoyed.
Disclaimer: I'm quite fond of Windows 7 Aero, though I always make those oversized, over-detailed icons way smaller than they are by default.