"The other half, the younger half, will complain that this is old news."
I laughed out loud when I read this because, as a 17 year old, it was exactly what I was thinking when I saw the essay's title.
Microsoft is Dead
441–450 of 454 posts
Re: Microsoft is Dead
#442i have no idea in what planet you live in, my website statistics show 99.56% of my visitors (150,000 a month) are using windows 0.38% macintosh and the rest 0.06% linux. you want to be an apple resseller thats fine, but pleaese stay away from this bulshit. yes we are all waiting for microsoft to fall (20 years we are waiting). we all know that linux is nice (pain in the ass but nice) and apple has a great os (only graphic artists, and journalists uses it these days).
nobody is afraid of them accept their customers but then they are far too strong for any other os
Re: Microsoft is Dead
#443Paul - predictions like yours appear regularly - each time it is something else that would Âkill MicrosoftÂ: pen-computing and OS/2 Warp in the early 90s, Netscape in the mid-90s, Client-Server and the network computer from Sun and Oracle in the late 90s, Linux and open-source in the early 2000s, and now Google and Apple. Clearly Microsoft has lots of challenges ahead but I suspect they have many smart people working to tackle them. ItÂs far from Âgame-overÂ, just like it was 17 years ago when there were far fewer Microsoft users on this planet..
Re: Microsoft is Dead
#444Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wow, this is obviously the viewpoint of someone who is not at all familiar with gift societies, someone who seems to me to be desperately clinging to a dogmatism in order to convince him- or herself that his or her life has been lived in a moral manner. The truth is that it's not all black and white. Socialist != Evil, and Capitalist != Good. You speak of corporations bringing happiness to people, but I would like to…
"In summary, my problem is not with capitalism, and I am not a socialist. I merely fear that the inevitable end of capitalism is the type of corporate society that has been steadily evolving in the U.S. and elsewhere, one in which paper and numbers are more important than people." You contradict yourself. Obviously you have a problem with capitalism because you beleive people should be forced at gunpoint to live the…
im not a big IT guy like most of the people commenting in this forum, and i can't say that i would add anything to the conversation. I have just begun C++ education, so i'm getting a grasp on the universe of IT very slowly.
The one thing i can say though, is that I've taken plenty of courses on politics, and i know from your comments that you're just a tool who's so afraid of "socialist views" that you'll stamp down people who bring up valid points to your own. Oh, and before you start typing out a response, I'm not a socialist.
Capitalism is a great thing, it allows free enterprise and strengthens a society. people no longer have to work outside farming for 14 hours a day, they have the opportunity to work in a job and buy their food and other supplies; they have much more choice than our ancestors in the past (although one could argue from a philosophical point if this is truly makes them happy, but i'll save that for another rant). In short, people are not obligated to any one position or limit and can choose to do anything at all, since all jobs give money, or some equal form of payment.
But capitalism also gives people in a better position the ability to take advantage of others; since people are no longer self-sufficient and rely on money to accomodate their needs, it gives other people the ability to exploit these people (often with fear tactics or conformity) and make them think "they really need this new 2006 model with 8 cup holders and all-wheel drive," or that "the world is dangerous and a rapist could be just around the corner, so buy a gun to protect yourselves from those rap music-listening-hoodlums." this is present in our society, and you can see it in most advertising.
socialism attempts to protect people from themselves by making everyone equal, and instead of people providing for themselves, the government does. all in all the debate can continue in another discussion as to which one is superior.
i dont necessarily agree with brandon's comments about walmart being evil, because they don't MAKE you go there, and they don't try to convince you. you really don't have to go to walmart if you don't have to, its that simple.
at the same time, bitgeek, your incoherent babbling seems to point every problem with our society in the hands of socialists, and that people in a free society can't be evil, but provide a necessary service (which some do and some don't). its utterly stupid and ignorant, so please find a time machine and go to the 1950's where you belong
thats all. i know this has nothing to do with MS dieing or anything, just thought i'd stamp out another idiot's rambling today.
Re: Microsoft is Dead
#445You must have been in the passenger seat of that car they dug up from 1957. There is no doubt Microsoft has helped progress the industry (albeit sometimes monopolistically and heavy handedly - but hey they are trying to maximize ROI for shareholders). Often they also wait for others to progress the industry and come late to the game. Nonetheless, it is remarkable that a company of that size and influence can adapt to such changes and drive further improvements and direction. I don't see them becoming a non-factor. They are far from dead. Time for you to get back into that car and get lowered back into the old drive-in movie you must have been watching.
Re: Microsoft is Dead
#446To paraphrase, everybody is moving off of Windows to Macs and Linux... only grandmas are using Windows? What have you been sniffing? Do they only hire 12 year olds at Y Combinator or just people with the mental capacity of a 12 year old (no offense intended to those readers who are actually 12 years old out there... just making a point about Paul Graham's immaturity of thought).
Re: Microsoft is Dead
#447[deleted]
Re: Microsoft is Dead
#448 my self
My name is KANIKA . i am 10 years old . I am in class 5 . In ICSC board in india . I like to give test on internet . my hobbeis are dancing ,cycling, watching t.v , helping mother , helpnig the family . my wish is to work hard and be the great person but the great from father of india gandhi ji
Re: Microsoft is Dead
#449Earlier quoted context omitted.
Technically it isn't a legit copy of Windows. OEM versions are usually tied to the computer they are originally sold with. Personally I don't think it is fair, but that's how licensing works under a monopoly. Jonathan Allen
Tied how? Certainly not legally. When you buy the computer you buy a license... no court would uphold charging people for something and not letting them have it. The "shrinkwrapped" license agreements are not really enforcable... at least not in a legitimate (eg: competant) court.
Actually yes legally. You never buy the software. You are always buying the right to use the software under a set of circumstances. OEM Licenses are licenses sold under the basis of being tied to a single physical piece of hardware.
Re: Microsoft is Dead
#450I no longer consult but if I had a small business or non-profit as a client today I would: - Hook everyone up to a high speed connection. - Not worry about OS or platform as long as they could run Firefox or IE - Sign them up with Google Apps ( http://www.google.com/a/ ) - Sign them up with a web-based accounting system such as ACCPAC Online, ePeachtree, Oracle Small Business Suite, etc if they do in-house accounting…
Don't think that would work unless you intend to be out there on a weekly basis. We as IT people can get around any system but throw an average user in front of something they haven't seen before and they refuse to even try to learn.
Also what I think most people are overlooking is that while you can run INFRASTRUCTURE services on any OS, those are services that everyone has. Most companies out there have some custom grown app that differentiates them. They use this app internally to do their specialized work on. These apps run almost exclusively on windows simply because it has not been worth it to develop them for the other operating systems.
Everyone is trying to find a reason not to use Microsoft, but it is my opinion that if you take an objective look at the operating systems out there (right now) it is still the best OS. Do you think it is easier to find someone to support windows or do you think it is easier to find someone to support OS X? If you hire an employee, what are the odds that they will be familiar with Windows vs Linux? Do you have an existing investment in Windows? If so how long a ROI is there on scrapping your existing config for something new? What are the odds that the software that someone suggests to you will run on Windows vs running on Unix? Why would you want to limit your options to only those programs that have web front ends when you can have a rich selection of Desktop programs and web interface programs?
Maybe in 10 years we will be at a point where Microsoft isn't in control but its also possible in 10 years that someone new will come on the scene and own everyone. While different can be good, different for the sake of different is not usually worth it.
Also as a side note: Google Apps may be a killer in about 5 years but right now its pretty infantile. I've really tried to use it but honestly OpenOffice or Microsoft Office as so much better its not even funny.