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Microsoft is Dead (2007)

paulgraham.com

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Re: Microsoft is Dead (2007)

#31

Post by code_duck »

eldavido wrote: post #10

It's really interesting how in 2007, I believed (as did pg, seemingly) that the web would eventually overtake desktop software. Fast forward seven years, and some of the biggest names in software (Instagram, Lyft) have completely abandoned the web for "desktop" (really, native) software. That so much code ships directly to mobile devices says a lot about the power of centralized app stores and truly sandboxed install…

Facebook has been steadily building a website for Instagram since they acquired it. You can now view, comment on and like photos from a browser.

Re: Microsoft is Dead (2007)

#32

Post by blntechie »

joeguilmette wrote: post #22
eldavido wrote: post #10

It's really interesting how in 2007, I believed (as did pg, seemingly) that the web would eventually overtake desktop software. Fast forward seven years, and some of the biggest names in software (Instagram, Lyft) have completely abandoned the web for "desktop" (really, native) software. That so much code ships directly to mobile devices says a lot about the power of centralized app stores and truly sandboxed install…

Instagram and Lyft are the biggest names in software?

It's not. But clearly there is a momentum towards native apps again. Surprising is that this momentum is happening even in desktops. You just have to see how many popular services one used to do from browsers are being done from mobile/tablet apps now. Email, chat, social, weather etc.

And I'm not even including non-web apps like Instagram, Vine, Snapchat, Uber, Lyft etc. here.

Re: Microsoft is Dead (2007)

#33

Post by xux »

[deleted] wrote: post #29

[deleted]

"I already know what the reaction to this essay will be. Half the readers will say that Microsoft is still an enormously profitable company..."

Looks like he hit right on the spot.

Re: Microsoft is Dead (2007)

#34

Post by xarien »

blntechie wrote: post #26
primitivesuave wrote: post #18

The most common form of Microsoft-hate usually centers around how a company of such gargantuan size makes such gargantuan fuck-ups. But this is to be expected of companies of gargantuan size, and is certainly not limited to Microsoft alone (although recently they've had more than their fair share). My qualm with Microsoft is all the little things that they let slip through. Little things like having a control panel w…

Wasn't control panel decently organized even in Windows XP SP2? Honestly, I don't see much difference between Mac's System Preferences now and Control Panel of Windows XP era. Searching these settings sucked in XP but Windows 7 resolved that. Windows 8 is one thing I can agree with you. It made using the PC unnecessarily hard for mouse and keyboard users.

For my windows partition, I actually quite enjoy the move from win 7 to win 8. Here's a few things that I've taken a liking to:

1) Boot into desktop mode. This was introduced in 8.1 and definitely better for my uses than having to open a desktop from the metro UI in 8.0.

2) Win-f, I used to use win-r quite a bit to run programs quickly. However, with the changes MS has made with caching, win-f is just as fast and saves me from having to remember the commands for system preferences and the like.

3) Powershell. Win 8 ships with powershell and it's actually decent.

4) I have personally found it to run faster than win 7 as it shifts more UI load to the graphics card.

Re: Microsoft is Dead (2007)

#35

Post by parasight »

xux wrote: post #33
[deleted] wrote: post #29

[deleted]

"I already know what the reaction to this essay will be. Half the readers will say that Microsoft is still an enormously profitable company..." Looks like he hit right on the spot.

Well that was quite an easy forecast writing an article condemning (hey, it's just a metaphor) a profitable company.

Re: Microsoft is Dead (2007)

#37

Post by primitivesuave »

blntechie wrote: post #26
primitivesuave wrote: post #18

The most common form of Microsoft-hate usually centers around how a company of such gargantuan size makes such gargantuan fuck-ups. But this is to be expected of companies of gargantuan size, and is certainly not limited to Microsoft alone (although recently they've had more than their fair share). My qualm with Microsoft is all the little things that they let slip through. Little things like having a control panel w…

Wasn't control panel decently organized even in Windows XP SP2? Honestly, I don't see much difference between Mac's System Preferences now and Control Panel of Windows XP era. Searching these settings sucked in XP but Windows 7 resolved that. Windows 8 is one thing I can agree with you. It made using the PC unnecessarily hard for mouse and keyboard users.

Honestly I loved Windows XP, although I really only used it as a teenager because it was the only OS that could run Civilization III. I remember that blue control panel that neatly organized all the settings - it is astounding that it was considered more user-friendly to just make a big three-column list of every subcategory of settings.

One thing to note is that for someone who knows what they're doing, the structure of settings don't make much of a difference, because you'll find things eventually. It makes a big difference when technology-inept people like my mom have to fix problems like "how do I make the computer screen not hurt my eyes?". They just don't connect the phrase "display settings" to the concept of brightness, so navigating settings becomes a nightmare for them.

Re: Microsoft is Dead (2007)

#38

Post by sgarman »

primitivesuave wrote: post #18

The most common form of Microsoft-hate usually centers around how a company of such gargantuan size makes such gargantuan fuck-ups. But this is to be expected of companies of gargantuan size, and is certainly not limited to Microsoft alone (although recently they've had more than their fair share). My qualm with Microsoft is all the little things that they let slip through. Little things like having a control panel w…

Things like you are describing are not always designed from the ground up the way you see them in the end. It's quite probable it built up over time starting with just a few controls ending in many. It's easy in retrospect to see this error but it's been built and shipped and probably lower priority for a company of that size. This is a pretty common issue for large companies or projects with many people aka design by committee.

Re: Microsoft is Dead (2007)

#39

Post by spiderPig »

So are these the same thoughts the hacker community will have with Apple's iOS in the future (there'll inevitably be some missteps)? Or even OSX for that matter? I fail to see why in-principle the community that is so vocal about FOSS gives them a pass.

Re: Microsoft is Dead (2007)

#40

Post by Mustafabei »

I guess they don't see themselves as the community sees an all round and productive IT company. They had and do still have an abundance of market penetration (considering the business world in Europe and Asia and so on). They couldn't (maybe didn't) kill the desktop by replacing it with surface. They really could have, and the whole business world may be on tablets today, but they didn't do it. (and please don't tell me that the business world are on tablets today, tablets are still accessories to laptop and desktop computers)

I understand if anybody says "hey! MS is not a company as you or others would prescribe to be and you don't get what surface is and what it is for!" Maybe that's true. But they had lots of chances of coming back as a competitive, innovative actor and they keep grounding their chances with products like Windows 8. Last month, may father, who is an author and do not get along well with any computer called me and said: "I just could not work with this Windows 8." To note, he barely learned to cope with the old fashioned windows interface. Loading a considerable amount of cognitive load to consumers upon whom your market penetration depends does not seem like good idea. It at least is not "innovation".

We will see what the concept will be like in 5 to 10 years or so, when the planned obsolescence time of the currently available MS running hardware (and software for that matter) comes. But to replace things like Word, Excel? Quite possible, but difficult. When those can be replaced, I think we will see whether the company stands over a house of cards or not.

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