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Microsoft, Rebooted, Emerges as a Tech Leader

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Re: Microsoft, Rebooted, Emerges as a Tech Leader

#141

Post by cmdrfred »

untog wrote: post #124
cmdrfred wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Microsoft wasn't the first to do a single one of those things. Copying Apple and Google isn't innovative in my opinion nor Websters.

And Apple wasn't the first to make a touch screen smartphone. They were just the first to do it well.

Lets say their implementations are marginally better.

* runs sandboxed apps from a web store - Android(2008), IOS(2007)

* as well as traditional Windows apps - Only Windows obviously

* built in AI assistant - Apple(2011)

* excellent pen operation - Wacom(1992)

* built in accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer - Every flagship phone since 2005

* cloud integration with OneDrive, Office programs, email etc with the ability to continue work from different devices - Google drive, Google docs, Gmail (2007)

* face-recognition or fingerprint log-on - Available on circa 2000 Fujitsu laptops

* increased security features - SELinux(1998)

I'm not impressed. Most of this stuff has been done for over a decade if the version from 8 years ago is worse that isn't saying much.

Re: Microsoft, Rebooted, Emerges as a Tech Leader

#142

Post by pjmlp »

treebeard901 wrote: post #123
Aldo_MX wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In case you hadn't noticed, "Embrace, extend and extinguish" is from 1995, 21 years ago.

The "embrace, extend, extinguish" meme is largely overused these days in reference to Microsoft. If the trend towards using the cloud continues and the desktop OS becomes more of a terminal to cloud services then we could be looking at a modern version of "EEE". Embrace linux for the customers, extend Windows software to Linux for those customers, and let market trends extinguish the desktop OS.

The interesting bit is that FOSS movement that created the modern mainframe, aka browser + cloud, just made it even easier for companies to leech on free software and user data.

Re: Microsoft, Rebooted, Emerges as a Tech Leader

#143

Post by mynameisvlad »

michaelmrose wrote: post #140
mynameisvlad wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A big part of the current senior leadership wasn't even at the company in 1995.

The sco scam was in 2003 and the recent move towards arm devices that use treacherous computing to lock the user out of modifying their machine was recently who cares about 1995.

This whole thread is about EEE, which is a concept coined in 1995 and my reply was addressing

>what are the odds that the company's executive-level culture has changed?

So, quite relevant.

Re: Microsoft, Rebooted, Emerges as a Tech Leader

#144

Post by yummyfajitas »

I recently bought a Lenovo sporting Windows 10 and decided to give it a fair try. I've been using Windows exclusively on my personal laptop for about 2 months and so far it's a good experience. This is after 16 years of running linux (or briefly a mac) on the desktop.

The window manager is tolerable (not as good as Xmonad, but equivalent to Unity). Windows subsystem for linux is letting me get my work done with no problems. Anaconda lets me do scientific python work natively from within windows. Emacs seems to work just fine. Cortana is actually pretty cool.

Overall, I haven't felt the need to race back to Linux. I'm surprised to say this, but Windows might be an acceptable linux.

(A while back I wrote about my failed attempt to use OS X: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1787411 )

Re: Microsoft, Rebooted, Emerges as a Tech Leader

#145

Post by strictnein »

throwawaymsft wrote: post #132
strictnein wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Balmer was good at what he did: making Microsoft lots of money. Balmer ran MS from 2000 to 2014. Here's what the profits for that time period (since 2002) looked like: https://www.statista.com/statistics/267808/net-income-of-mic... So not incompetent, just focused on something else.

I'd say he was average at making money. It sounds impressive but you need to annualize and compare it to the market as a whole. 5.36B to 22B in 12 years = 11.7% annualized profit increase from 2012 to 2014. However, MSFT stock appreciation was 22 -> 41 or 5.2% annualized. (Stock includes expectations of future growth, etc.) Average S&P was ~7.8% for that time period. Ballmer would have done better for investors by ju…

You including their 2003 stock split in your calculations?

edit: because, if not, it's more like a 9.85% return on the stock

Re: Microsoft, Rebooted, Emerges as a Tech Leader

#146

Post by ChuckMcM »

shmerl wrote: post #119
ChuckMcM wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The idea of having their own "brand" of laptop I think was really important for recognition. It was always easy to tell the Apple users with the glowing Apple logo but the other laptops could be all shapes and sizes and that didn't say there was one competitor or 15. Having the branded laptops making an appearance really helped solidify in people's minds that it was a Microsoft product these other people were using.

That's why I like to put Debian sticker on my laptop. Otherwise people assume I'm using Windows. Kind of silly, but years of Windows domination brainwashed people.

Exactly. An externally visible indicator of the software running on the hardware. The glowing apple on Macbooks, a sticker in your case, or the windows icon detail on the Surface line of devices. I've seen a number of people who have a Tux sticker for the same effect.

Re: Microsoft, Rebooted, Emerges as a Tech Leader

#147

Post by yuhong »

lisivka wrote: post #131
suprgeek wrote: post #108

The young'uns here probably have not lived thru the Microsoft era in the 90s when "Embrace Extend Extinguish" was the operating motto and any Market where MS entered would send competitors quaking in fear. They were late to the internet party and then under the disastrous leadership of Ballamer (mindshare wise, not revenue) they completely lost the plot. Now they are indeed enjoying a resurgence, less evil, more rele…

They are still trying to sue IBM for Linux via SCO: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/03/linux-kernel-laws... . So I see no change.

Is MS still contributing money to this lawsuit? It was on my poorly written wishlist, but I was not sure about it at the time.

Re: Microsoft, Rebooted, Emerges as a Tech Leader

#148

Post by amenod »

witty_username wrote: post #7
mmmeff wrote: post #4

How do these paywall articles keep finding their way to the top? I call BS.

Use the link named "web" below the submission title to bypass the paywall.

That doesn't work for me (I still get just the snippet). Ah well, let's find something else.

Re: Microsoft, Rebooted, Emerges as a Tech Leader

#149

Post by ZenoArrow »

ebbv wrote: post #66

I just can't agree with this conclusion. Microsoft has taken some great steps since Nadella took over. Doing more projects aimed at regular developers and taking baby steps towards open source, but that is not enough to be a leader. In fact, I think in 2016, we are in a much worse place when it comes to tech leadership than we were in the late 90s and early 00s. The tech world has been poisoned by money and everythin…

> "Do something truly innovative with all your billions Microsoft"

What exactly are you looking for? Are devices like HoloLens and Kinect and Surface Studio not innovative enough for you? What would you class as 'truly innovative'?

Re: Microsoft, Rebooted, Emerges as a Tech Leader

#150

Post by morgante »

Camillo wrote: post #110
dpark wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not entirely gone but it's dying. I'm still in a private office. Lots of devs on my team are doubled up, though. Many teams have already moved to open spaces. Demographics are a factor. Lots of devs, especially younger devs, and especially devs who've worked at other younger companies are asking for open floor plans. Not all of them, but a sizable chunk. That plus reduced cost for providing office space to devs…

They are asking for open floor plans? Is there anything young people won't ruin?

I'm skeptical of the claim and suspect it might be (yet another) case of an older developer blaming young people for things.

None of my friends (all in their 20s) prefer open offices.

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