Comments on: How Microsoft has become the Beleaguered Apple ‘96 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/ Daniel Eran Dilger in San Francisco Fri, 16 May 2008 05:04:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Ephilei http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-8122 Ephilei Wed, 07 May 2008 21:10:32 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-8122 I work in the Salvation Army. We use Lotus Notes and love being cheap. Even with the cost free integration of an office suite into Notes, we're keeping Office as de facto because it's so common and (with a special deal from MS) quite cheap. I work in the Salvation Army. We use Lotus Notes and love being cheap. Even with the cost free integration of an office suite into Notes, we’re keeping Office as de facto because it’s so common and (with a special deal from MS) quite cheap.

]]> By: harrywolf http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-7796 harrywolf Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:49:58 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-7796 Microsoft wont collapse - there is a complete economic system that surrounds them, and that system wont let them fail. There are millions of people who need the daily mess of Windows to pay their mortgages and feed their kids. If computing is to evolve into a world where maintenance is cheap and common sense prevails, ( a Mac and Linux world, lets say) then we are talking about a revolution in human behaviour. Unlikely. Microsoft is a typical company in our flawed world. They do lots of things wrong, are grossly inefficient, suffer envy and jealousy and greed for power. In other words, normal. Apple has a visionary in charge, makes a beautiful product, is interested in style, is very efficient, by comparison. In other words, abnormal. I dont believe that Microsoft and Apple are even faintly comparable, and are not even in the same business. Apple are a very special business, one that could be making electric cars in 10 years, such is their design and vision of a different world. Microsoft is just a normal, dull, fearful business; hopelessly stuck in behaviour that ought to hasten its downfall, but doesnt. Apple is what we might be, were we to look beyond our pointless fears, suspicions and insane delusions; Microsoft is what we have become, a daily reality of grinding tedium and fear. The 'battle' between M$ and Apple is a microcosm of our world, where the good and sane battle the other 95%, the masses who live on fear and distrust, who vote for war and believe in a variety of Death Cults (mainstream religion), and are addicted to magical thinking and delusion. Microsoft wont collapse - there is a complete economic system that surrounds them, and that system wont let them fail.

There are millions of people who need the daily mess of Windows to pay their mortgages and feed their kids.

If computing is to evolve into a world where maintenance is cheap and common sense prevails,
( a Mac and Linux world, lets say) then we are talking about a revolution in human behaviour.
Unlikely.

Microsoft is a typical company in our flawed world. They do lots of things wrong, are grossly inefficient, suffer envy and jealousy and greed for power.
In other words, normal.

Apple has a visionary in charge, makes a beautiful product, is interested in style, is very efficient, by comparison.
In other words, abnormal.

I dont believe that Microsoft and Apple are even faintly comparable, and are not even in the same business.

Apple are a very special business, one that could be making electric cars in 10 years, such is their design and vision of a different world.

Microsoft is just a normal, dull, fearful business; hopelessly stuck in behaviour that ought to hasten its downfall, but doesnt.

Apple is what we might be, were we to look beyond our pointless fears, suspicions and insane delusions; Microsoft is what we have become, a daily reality of grinding tedium and fear.

The ‘battle’ between M$ and Apple is a microcosm of our world, where the good and sane battle the other 95%, the masses who live on fear and distrust, who vote for war and believe in a variety of Death Cults (mainstream religion), and are addicted to magical thinking and delusion.

]]> By: Rip Ragged http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-7677 Rip Ragged Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:49:23 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-7677 I agree they have more time than Apple did, but I suspect the fall will be swift. Not because of the lock-in alone, but for a combination of factors. The way they're spending money to fight the fall will hasten it. As their money evaporates so will their buffer. Add to that the innovation going on around them while they are paralyzed. Their technology becomes more burdensome than useful every day. If they retrench and rebuild they may last a while longer. If they continue to try to stretch, as Apple seemingly is forcing them to do, the fall will be sudden and ugly. I agree they have more time than Apple did, but I suspect the fall will be swift. Not because of the lock-in alone, but for a combination of factors. The way they’re spending money to fight the fall will hasten it. As their money evaporates so will their buffer.

Add to that the innovation going on around them while they are paralyzed. Their technology becomes more burdensome than useful every day.

If they retrench and rebuild they may last a while longer. If they continue to try to stretch, as Apple seemingly is forcing them to do, the fall will be sudden and ugly.

]]> By: Windows Vista, 7, and Singularity: The New Copland, Gershwin, Taligent — RoughlyDrafted Magazine http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-7673 Windows Vista, 7, and Singularity: The New Copland, Gershwin, Taligent — RoughlyDrafted Magazine Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:15:51 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-7673 [...] ← How Microsoft has become the Beleaguered Apple ‘96 [...] […] ← How Microsoft has become the Beleaguered Apple ‘96 […]

]]> By: addicted44 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-7670 addicted44 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:59:38 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-7670 @Rip Ragged: I agree that the lock-in is reducing. What I am claiming is that the lock-in gives MS far more time than Apple ever had. But you are correct, that the lock-in is not just a lock-in for customers but also a lock-in for MS, in that, they dare not drop backwards compatibility! Thats a very good observation I had not thought of. @Rip Ragged:

I agree that the lock-in is reducing. What I am claiming is that the lock-in gives MS far more time than Apple ever had.

But you are correct, that the lock-in is not just a lock-in for customers but also a lock-in for MS, in that, they dare not drop backwards compatibility! Thats a very good observation I had not thought of.

]]> By: Rip Ragged http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-7669 Rip Ragged Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:50:15 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-7669 Respectfully disagree. The lock in fades a little more with each consumer purchase of a Mac, and with each installation of a Linux server. Microsoft doesn't dare make any radical changes to anything. Their entire business model is based on backwards software compatibility. Microsoft is locked-in to their lock-in. The rest of the world is beginning to discover it is not. "The collapse has already begun. It cannot be stopped." – Hari Seldon Respectfully disagree. The lock in fades a little more with each consumer purchase of a Mac, and with each installation of a Linux server.

Microsoft doesn’t dare make any radical changes to anything. Their entire business model is based on backwards software compatibility. Microsoft is locked-in to their lock-in. The rest of the world is beginning to discover it is not.

“The collapse has already begun. It cannot be stopped.” – Hari Seldon

]]> By: addicted44 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-7668 addicted44 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:31:03 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-7668 The general idea of this article is correct, in that MS has hit a stalemate, but the fact is that MS is not close to failing the way Apple was. The simple reason for that is they leveraged their monopoly to create a lock-in that will be very hard to get rid of. Apple never had that. They will flatline, but I doubt they will collapse (unless they make drastic moves in an effort to grow). The continued need for supporting stuff like VBA and Acces within the enterprise is too great. In fact, the place I worked at (and many other consulting firms) paid for expensive Oracle or DB2 licenses, but they always had to have 1 IT guy on staff simply to create an Access front-end for the consultants, who had no idea how to deal with SQL and wanted to use what they knew, i.e. Access and Excel. Fortunately, the personal market seems to be veering towards alternatives (especially on macs, with iwork). The lower quality workers is more a result of Google's increasing prominence and desirability than anything MS has done. Contrary to what you claim, MS is actually one of the good guys as far as H1B visas are concerned, since their H1s earn about the same as their American counterparts. Most of MS's H1 hires are graduates from great American Universities with as good (if not better) GPA's and recommendations as Americans. There are companies that abuse the H1 system to lower wages, but MS is not one of them. The general idea of this article is correct, in that MS has hit a stalemate, but the fact is that MS is not close to failing the way Apple was. The simple reason for that is they leveraged their monopoly to create a lock-in that will be very hard to get rid of. Apple never had that. They will flatline, but I doubt they will collapse (unless they make drastic moves in an effort to grow). The continued need for supporting stuff like VBA and Acces within the enterprise is too great. In fact, the place I worked at (and many other consulting firms) paid for expensive Oracle or DB2 licenses, but they always had to have 1 IT guy on staff simply to create an Access front-end for the consultants, who had no idea how to deal with SQL and wanted to use what they knew, i.e. Access and Excel. Fortunately, the personal market seems to be veering towards alternatives (especially on macs, with iwork).

The lower quality workers is more a result of Google’s increasing prominence and desirability than anything MS has done. Contrary to what you claim, MS is actually one of the good guys as far as H1B visas are concerned, since their H1s earn about the same as their American counterparts. Most of MS’s H1 hires are graduates from great American Universities with as good (if not better) GPA’s and recommendations as Americans. There are companies that abuse the H1 system to lower wages, but MS is not one of them.

]]> By: OlsonBW http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-7651 OlsonBW Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:09:09 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-7651 @beanie If you ignore the initial point that Gartner and EMEA only look at sales they you will always be looking at the wrong places to know in reality how many actual new servers are out there. If you continue to look at sales then people at Microsoft will pat you on the head for looking at the wrong data. @beanie

If you ignore the initial point that Gartner and EMEA only look at sales they you will always be looking at the wrong places to know in reality how many actual new servers are out there.

If you continue to look at sales then people at Microsoft will pat you on the head for looking at the wrong data.

]]> By: Lance_G http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-7650 Lance_G Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:08:53 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-7650 Interesting article as always, Dan. BTW, PLEASE tell me where I can find a larger size version of the image of Jobs planning the Open Source Assault with the X-wing pilots. I grew up consumed with Star Wars and would love to make that my wallpaper on my computer at work. Interesting article as always, Dan. BTW, PLEASE tell me where I can find a larger size version of the image of Jobs planning the Open Source Assault with the X-wing pilots. I grew up consumed with Star Wars and would love to make that my wallpaper on my computer at work.

]]> By: OlsonBW http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-7649 OlsonBW Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:06:24 +0000 http://www.roughlydrafted.com/2008/04/19/how-microsoft-has-become-the-beleaguered-apple-96/#comment-7649 @John Muir If you look at message boards for Ubuntu there are definitely more than just experts on there. While they won't be rank beginners, those people don't call Microsoft either. They talk to whoever in their family is willing to deal with that computer. These are the people that will deal with Linux too. And if they don't know the answer, they will go to the Ubuntu message board. You will see these people and people like this on the Ubuntu message board and on Apple's message boards which are supported mostly by co-non Apple people (meaning the Apple message boards). @John Muir

If you look at message boards for Ubuntu there are definitely more than just experts on there. While they won’t be rank beginners, those people don’t call Microsoft either.

They talk to whoever in their family is willing to deal with that computer. These are the people that will deal with Linux too. And if they don’t know the answer, they will go to the Ubuntu message board.

You will see these people and people like this on the Ubuntu message board and on Apple’s message boards which are supported mostly by co-non Apple people (meaning the Apple message boards).

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