Things Microsoft Still Does Well
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Things Microsoft Still Does Well
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Re: Things Microsoft Still Does Well
#25) Make money.
Re: Things Microsoft Still Does Well
#3*Thing
-> Enterprise
Re: Things Microsoft Still Does Well
#4Microsoft's enterprise software is really, really good. Active Directory, SQL Server, Azure, C# and Visual Studio are all amazing. They also make tons of money, and MS is really good at managing them as cash cows over time.
Not coincidentally, they just put the Cloud and Enterprise guy in charge of the company.
Re: Things Microsoft Still Does Well
#5I guess this is consumer focused as it missed some of the real MS Gold - Azure, MSSQL, Visual Studio, C#.
However, on the consumer path this interested me:
>As the console gaming industry evolves (dies?), Nadella needs to convince America that the Xbox is truly a living room feature, not simply a gaming device. If he can sell that concept, Microsoft will leapfrog Sony and recapture the lead.
Despite the claims of the "living room console" being made for years, I really can't find any evidence for it. I can't see why a $499 console will beat out an $99 Apple TV for OTT entertainment in the larger consumer market. I still think this idea that the gaming console will become "the box" is an idea that has roots in the early 2000s, where people only have 1, maybe 2 televisions at home. If "John Jr." is playing video games for 4 hrs/day, I commonly see he does it in his room, not in the living room where he can impede on "John Sr."'s decision to watch the Netflix. Sure they could buy 2 Xbox Ones, but John Sr. doesn't really need all that gaming power.
Re: Things Microsoft Still Does Well
#6I guess this is consumer focused as it missed some of the real MS Gold - Azure, MSSQL, Visual Studio, C#. However, on the consumer path this interested me: >As the console gaming industry evolves (dies?), Nadella needs to convince America that the Xbox is truly a living room feature, not simply a gaming device. If he can sell that concept, Microsoft will leapfrog Sony and recapture the lead. Despite the claims of the…
Agreed--I think the living room 'hub' is DOA in a world of smartphones and tablets. Why would I want to mess around with some clunky 10 foot interface when I can just pull my phone out of my pocket or pick up the tablet on my coffee table?
Re: Things Microsoft Still Does Well
#7Yes, the Xbox 360 has been a success in the US (beating the PS3), but in every other market than the US, the PS3 has beaten the Xbox 360.[1] And the article in question is very US-centric on that regard. I am not saying the Xbox is necessarily bad, but is it better than the PlayStation? I think that's rather subjective.
Although I hear that neither Sony nor Microsoft has made a lot of money from their console adventures.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_video_game_consoles_...
Re: Things Microsoft Still Does Well
#8Microsoft's enterprise software is really, really good. Active Directory, SQL Server, Azure, C# and Visual Studio are all amazing. They also make tons of money, and MS is really good at managing them as cash cows over time. Not coincidentally, they just put the Cloud and Enterprise guy in charge of the company.
I keep hearing this, but it's just such a foreign concept to me. The idea of - for lack of a better term - surrendering my entire development stack to a single company rings just about every alarm bell in my head.
What happens when (say) .NET isn't the best tool for a particular job? Just close your eyes and use the inferior tool anyway? Or use the right tool and just throw the hard-won Microsoft ecosystem synergies out the window? I'm constantly using different technologies for different projects; doesn't this come up a lot in the enterprise world, too?
Granted, I'm not an enterprise developer. I've never worked on a code base that more than 20 people were working on at once. But I don't understand what makes large organizations see a walled-in ecosystem like that as a plus rather than a trap.
Re: Things Microsoft Still Does Well
#9I guess this is consumer focused as it missed some of the real MS Gold - Azure, MSSQL, Visual Studio, C#. However, on the consumer path this interested me: >As the console gaming industry evolves (dies?), Nadella needs to convince America that the Xbox is truly a living room feature, not simply a gaming device. If he can sell that concept, Microsoft will leapfrog Sony and recapture the lead. Despite the claims of the…
Agreed--I think the living room 'hub' is DOA in a world of smartphones and tablets. Why would I want to mess around with some clunky 10 foot interface when I can just pull my phone out of my pocket or pick up the tablet on my coffee table?
You may be content with a 10 inch screen, but I live in a flat of 24-28year olds, and my xbox sees more use as a youtube player than it does as a gaming device. My flatmates are content to search for things using the awful controller text input to play them on the tv rather than use the laptops sitting right in front of them. I'd tell them about SmartGlass, but I doubt they'd use it.
Re: Things Microsoft Still Does Well
#10Microsoft's enterprise software is really, really good. Active Directory, SQL Server, Azure, C# and Visual Studio are all amazing. They also make tons of money, and MS is really good at managing them as cash cows over time. Not coincidentally, they just put the Cloud and Enterprise guy in charge of the company.
I keep hearing this, but it's just such a foreign concept to me. The idea of - for lack of a better term - surrendering my entire development stack to a single company rings just about every alarm bell in my head. What happens when (say) .NET isn't the best tool for a particular job? Just close your eyes and use the inferior tool anyway? Or use the right tool and just throw the hard-won Microsoft ecosystem synergies…
"Oops we developed our product on Silverlight because we're an MS-kit company and now Silverlight is crap. Now what?"