Desperate Acts (of Microsoft)
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft is expected to spend $650 million next year to let the world
| know it has a shiny new search service and Web advertising network.
| That money is more than double the amount Microsoft will spend rolling
| out Vista, the new operating system that will contribute vastly more to
| its revenues.
|
| Microsoft's two-year catch-up effort in search has yielded only
| middling results. This year it dropped from 11% to 9% of all searches.
| Google handled 61% of the 204 billion searches worldwide in the past1
| 2 months.
|
| "We're late to the game. We admit it," confesses a full-page Microsoft
| ad in national papers, begging the world to try out its new Live
| search service. You almost want to hand Chief Executive Steven Ballmer
| a cup of cocoa.
|
| [...]
|
| Think of this fight as determining a few decabillion dollars of market
| value circa 2010. The current figures are $147 billion for Google and $284
| billion for Microsoft.
`----
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2006/1127/044a_print.html
Microsoft embraced a new strategy which involves FUD'ing the Web in the same
way that it has been FUD'ing Open Source.
Here is some further discussion.
MSN Still Going Nowhere Fast
,----[ Quote ]
| It is worth noting that Microsoft still hasn't made any headway
| in the search-and-portal game and, in fact, is falling farther and
| farther behind. As a result, it is not surprising that Steve Ballmer
| is now warning media companies that Google is the Evil Empire --
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| because no other competitive tactic has worked.
`----
http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/061116/20767_id.html?.v=1
If you can't beat them, insult them. Gates has also been trying to portray
Google as dangerous because of their handling of information. Has he looked
in the mirror recently? Microsoft has acquired a spyware company, broadcasts
information from people's PC's, patents tracking methods on the Web, swaps
cookies between sites (remember Passport?).
And then...
Gates: Internet Bubble Is Back
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/OXeSW60uKg5mvA/Gates-Internet-Bubble-Is-Back.xhtml
Gates warns of return to Internet bubble era
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/09/yourmoney/msft.php
Of course, because Microsoft sucks on the Internet. The latest statistics
suggest so as well.
Google, Ask Gain Search Share; Yahoo, Microsoft Lose Ground
http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/061020/18896_id.html?.v=1
Nothing seems to be working, so Microsoft is retracting.
Sources: Several Windows Live Projects Halted
,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft's Windows Live desktop search project has been
| shelved "indefinitely," although not much reasoning has been
| given as to the reason for its demise.
`----
http://www.betanews.com/article/Sources_Several_Windows_Live_Projects_Halted/1163715423
It is clear that Microsoft is aware of the important of this disruptive
technology/paradigm.
Ozzie: Vista, Office must adapt to Web era
,----[ Quote ]
| Ozzie said that the transition to integrate online services into Microsoft
| products has been a challenge but that changes within the company are
| happening.
`----
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6133895.html
Will Web 2.0 ultimately kill Windows?
,----[ Quote ]
| Allchin shared his thoughts on Windows Live (which, along with Windows and
| developer tools also falls under his organization); competition with Google
| and Apple; and why a client-based version of Windows won?t ever completely
| disappear, regardless of how successful Web services become.
`----
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=66
Of course, Microsoft does it all wrong and excludes rivals, even once they
exit the beta phase.
,----[ Quote ]
| In order to use Microsoft Office Live, you will need to have
| Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or later running on Microsoft Windows
| 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Microsoft Windows Server 2003. You
| can download the latest version of Internet Explorer from the Microsoft
| Download Center.
`----
http://home.membercenter.office.microsoft.com/Misc/CompatibleShell.aspx?linkId=UnsupportedBrowser
|
|
