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Microsoft is Dead

paulgraham.com

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Re: Microsoft is Dead

#261

Post by alive88 »

danielha wrote: post #81
jellerbee wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you explain the power Microsoft had to shut down people where "true innovation" came from? and who or what stopped them from doing this? What is the difference between "true innovation" and -- I don't even know how to ask this exactly -- "untrue innovation"?

They had the ability to throw their weight around -- and they did. One popular example: competing browsers such as Netscape or Opera hardly stood a chance against an integrated IE in Windows. What changed this landscape? A few things, one of which was US v Microsoft.

but ironically. the browser should be integrated in the core of the OS.

Re: Microsoft is Dead

#262

Post by alive88 »

Goladus wrote: post #202
danielha wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They had the ability to throw their weight around -- and they did. One popular example: competing browsers such as Netscape or Opera hardly stood a chance against an integrated IE in Windows. What changed this landscape? A few things, one of which was US v Microsoft.

Lotus 123 and WordPerfect were also crushed by Microsoft.

and Microsoft developed a superior office package. They were at one point behind 123 and WP.

Re: Microsoft is Dead

#263

Post by alive88 »

amichail wrote: post #18
schoudha wrote: post #16

Microsoft is still and will likely continue to be the world's most profitable software company. OS X will not reach 20% global marketshare by the end of the decade and Goldman Sachs IBankers will still be punching away on MS Excel for the foreseeable future. What does it mean to be dead then? What I think Paul Graham is saying, and this is underscored by the notion of "being dangerous," is that Microsoft is no longer…

Startups are the ones with fresh ideas because larger companies don't want to take the risks. Larger companies could later acquire those cutting-edge startups when it is more apparent that their ideas are good ones.

I wouldn't discount large company innovation, but certainly acquisition becomes part of their innovation model.

Re: Microsoft is Dead

#264

Post by alive88 »

zackola wrote: post #242

Old news! Death to Microsoft! The more interesting question is do they really not realize they suck? When you have Google as the #1 search engine being used within Microsoft and iPods as the #1 music players being used by Microsoft employees, I find it very hard to believe they don't know they suck. http://www.techweb.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=189500876&cid=RSSfeed_TechWeb http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/comme…

In your two examples MS acknowledges the comparison (1) they entered search late, with the wrong strategy. they admit it. (2) Zune also entered late. but was an effort to get established in those markets.

Both examples do not comprehensively define MS, or future of core MS strategies, or of the future of MS including search and player strategies

Re: Microsoft is Dead

#265

Post by tommyw »

I think your point about MS inheriting status from IBM is key here. MS has always been primarily a business proposition. Bill, in presenting IBM a DOS he essentially bought off the shelf, posited the entire enterprise as 'a deal' to be struck.

What OSX and Linux both present is a vision, an ideal of how things should be. That ultimately is what is absent in Redmond.

Re: Microsoft is Dead

#266

Post by IamDavo »

Agree. I now laugh when I hear the Softies talk about how MS is competing with Google. That game is over. Google does not need to compete with MS, but MS must compete with Google. It is also sad to see their current ad campaign with the dinosaurs...do they even see what they are doing? I went back to Mac 4 years ago and have never looked back. I am am one app away from being completely Microsoft free!

If they did not have so much cash I would short the stock.

Davo

Re: Microsoft is Dead

#267

Post by theafroguy »

Although I totally agree that Macs are far superior, I don't share your surprise when I come across a PC. Apple are definitely gaining traction, but Micrsoft still commands most of the market.

Re: Microsoft is Dead

#268

Post by polterguy »

It's quite funny you say this, because even their Ajax initiative deliberately sucks! We're a competitor to ASP.NET Ajax and we're not even afraid of them! Sure they've got like 10 000 more downloads per month than us, but their product quality sucks to such an extent we think they've with purpose built it bad just to make sure it's good enough for developers to embrace it but bad enough it'll take ten years to build Office with it! Someone at MS once said; "for someone to take the lead over MS today means MS must 'bend over' and let themself become the IBM version 2.0", well that's just what they're doing in these days! And we're here to "plug" them!! ;)

PS! ajaxwidgets.com

.t

Re: Microsoft is Dead

#270

Post by kencarpenter »

Microsoft is dead because their primary product is sold to sheep, who buy the biggest instead of the best. ... How long did they work on Vista, and how bad is it? Too long, and awful!

Long live Apple! Gimme an iPhone now!

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