__/ [ John Locke ] on Monday 12 March 2007 04:37 \__
>>| I am not really an expert in this but when I read all the negative
>>| headlines and articles I ask myself if Microsoft really will survive
>>| the next 10 years.
>
> Microsoft is on a downhill slide. Instead of using common sense to
> run the company, they operate with a "profit only" mentality. They
> hire a bunch of attorneys and write up a slew of insane policies. They
> don't listen to the consumer and give you only what Microsoft wants
> you to have.
>
> This is corporate suicide. The writing is on the wall.
One thought that crossed my mind revolves around compatibility issues in
Vista. A lot of Microsoft software has survived the underlying changes,
while all that 'hostile' and 'nasty' third-party software is being elbowed
aside (some of it is no longer maintained, or its developers simply lack
knowledge as to how to regain Windows compatibility).
How would you feel as a /user/ if Microsoft wanted to replace your favourite
applications with ones from Microsoft?
How would you feel as a /developer/ if Microsoft backstabbed you like this?
Remember the motto: developers, developers, developers, developers.
When developers feel betrayed, when they feel like the prospects of that
platform are poor (less than 1% market share, despite a $500 million
marketing onslaught), then they shift their attention elsewhere. The GPL has
proven, thanks to companies such as Red Hat, that there is money to be made
through services, support, and setups. It is the only way to compete. Look
at Sun. Look at Microsoft's already-sliding profits.
Microsoft relied on Live and Vista when it comes to recharging the
quickly-stagnating stock (before the buybacks began). Live is losing its top
executives these days and there's a lot of uncertainty. Vista gets horrific
reviews while its core team is falling apart as well (Allchin, Gates, and a
few other that get reshuffled).
Zune and Origami fall apart (managers depart and teams are being
disassembled), XBox managers depart, analysts consistently show that the
XBox 360 will /not/ be a winner; Office fails to have its new 'format'
accepted by the ISO and it's the biggest cash cow (!!!).
There's a good phrase to fit here...
It is the beginning of the end
Truthfully, the beginning of this end was 1-3 years ago, depending on one's
perspective. It's only now that evidence is becoming far too compelling too
dismiss. A part of me is just hoping that Microsoft's evil empire will not
be replaced with another. And I worry about AMD, which is having financial
trouble while Intel plays very dirty. No competition is /always/ a door to
customer abuse.
--
~~ Best wishes
Roy S. Schestowitz | Useless fact: penguins are the greatest birds
http://Schestowitz.com | RHAT Linux | PGP-Key: 0x74572E8E
5:20am up 13:23, 8 users, load average: 0.74, 0.62, 0.80
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