Yikes Paul. I think it's safe to say that you jumped the shark on this one. I too have been in awe of your past essays and have learned from your wisdom. I feel that this must have been a reactionary piece that you've written. Perhaps Microsoft is competing with or hurting one of your Y-Comb startups or something? It sounds like you're venting in frustration. The Mac IS "just plain cool" but the fact is that Microsoft does treat their developers with respect and loves them. They still know how to say "Thanks" and do it often. For you to suggest that Google and company have crippled them shows your lack of understanding of Microsoft's true power. It is not in the OS. It's in their developer base that utilizes their development tools - still the largest of it's kind on the planet. The day Microsoft starts taking these guys for granted is the day they will die - not a day sooner.
Microsoft is Dead
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Re: Microsoft is Dead
#432What is the number one activity a 15 - 25 year old American male will buy a computer for today? Its gaming. And Microsoft is still the number one gaming platform.
By hanging out with a bunch of graduates from top schools that work at your startups you've basically stuck your head in the sand. These people are not your average Americans. Your Average American is using his computer for things that your circle of friends have no interest in.
Seriously, get out of the valley for a few months and go visit people, regular people, around America. Go see what kids are doing in PC "bhangs" in Asia.
"Everyone uses macs" ... this is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.
And do you think Snipshot and Jumpcut type programs are ever going to be fast enough and feature rich enough for people that care about their media? Snipshot might be ok for a quick brightness adjustment or a resize, but have you seen what kids are using photoshop for today? Go visit a popular online forum like Something Awful, Fark, or Genmay -- look at the Photoshop Phriday type activities the kids are having fun with. Tell me that you can do that stuff with Snipshot.
Honestly, you old school Valley guys are just as bad as anyone from Redmond. You've got your own blinders and have as little clue as anyone else about what people actually want to do with their technology. Everyone embraces trends like Google, Facebook etc. after the fact, as though those things were carefully thought out strategies when really there are a thousands of things being tried and some are bound to succeed because people want to do _something_ online.
The internet is evolving organically and though you smarty pants would like to think that a bunch of clever people are making clever choices to provide the market with what it wants, its more like putting capabilities out there seeing what will stick. People love to paint this fiction about succesful start ups, as though they were smarter than others in choosing the right "niche". Its all a load of horseshit -- nobody, least of all the founders, has any idea what the market is going to take to.
So you can all sit in a circle jerk dumping on Microsoft, as though their random-walk through feature scape is something different than what you guys do, but the fact of the matter is that you are all the same. They use their own money to fund a ton of crap, most of which is nonsense, and you use other people's money to fund a ton of crap, most of which is nonsense.
Re: Microsoft is Dead
#433At the end of January 2007, I bought my first MAC. Yes I hold licenses for Windows so I can play Unreal Tournament 2003 and other already purchased software. No, I will not be purchasing Vista unless I run out of things to throw on the fire.
Everyone, Please buy a MAC. Help support the death of a big, dumb, pathetic excuse for a real OS.
Bill Gates, Please stick to games and Office. You have my credit there but really, genuinely, there is no advantage to having to reactivate because I changed my video card. The Genuine advatage program is malware at it's best.
As far as screwing the customer, Microsoft is all about that. Especially with the 64 bit XP Pro and it's wonderful lack of drivers and wireless support, which I found somewhere else on the web, gave the tip to them and in turn, Microsoft thanked me for my comments and blew me off.
I just now installed over XP Pro on my main PC and am compiling KDE on FreeBSD 6.2.
You are very right sir, they are dead.
Re: Microsoft is Dead
#434There's an article in Iberian Portuguese, for those who want to read this language, based on this essay at
http://www.efeitosvisuais.com/blog/2007/05/22/microsoft-is-dead-parte1/
Re: Microsoft is Dead
#435I just interviewed at Google. They are dead, too. All the egos and hubris of MSFT from the mid 90's, wrapped up in a comforter of cult-like Jesus-freak "this is teh google wayz" BS.
Re: Microsoft is Dead
#436Microsoft is not DEAD yet!!
This is the conclusion I come out with after I read the news about Microsoft in action again. If you read the news on the recent All Things Digital you will know what I mean.
I am not super fan of microsoft but I respect them as they are really working on new product to benefits people like you and me.
They have came out from the stiff competition of internet & pc world and go into new arena that again they become the leader now.
If you want to find out more about this, I have put up in my blog about the recent introduced of Surface Computer: http://www.interneton9.com/2007/06/microsoft-surface-computer-appeared-in-d-all-thing-digitals/
There is no point to discuss who afraid who here now. We should go on to discuss how this products can bring a lot ore convenience to us in our daily life.
Steven Wong
Re: Microsoft is Dead
#437Microsoft is not DEAD yet!!
This is the conclusion I come out with after I read the news about Microsoft in action again. If you read the news on the recent All Things Digital you will know what I mean.
I am not super fan of microsoft but I respect them as they are really working on new product to benefits people like you and me.
They have came out from the stiff competition of internet & pc world and go into new arena that again they become the leader now.
If you want to find out more about this, I have put up in my blog about the recent introduced of Surface Computer: http://www.interneton9.com/2007/06/microsoft-surface-computer-appeared-in-d-all-thing-digitals/
There is no point to discuss who afraid who here now. We should go on to discuss how this products can bring a lot ore convenience to us in our daily life.
Steven Wong
Re: Microsoft is Dead
#438Guess what, Microsoft still owns your dumbass.
Re: Microsoft is Dead
#439I think you are definitely catching on to what is going on. Microsoft is only hanging around because of the monopoly it has in its grip. As soon as Windows drops in usage (which, by the way, is happening) Microsoft will drop in ranks.
Re: Microsoft is Dead
#440Nice article.
Wrote it at YNET 4 years ago same subject, more reasons.
pitty you can't read hebrew :)