2011: Is Microsoft Drifting Into Insignificance?

[Guest]

Microsoft has developed a very special talent to shoot itself in the foot and I am wondering what happened to the company that has commoditized computers with passion and unusual ideas for the future of computing?

2011: Is Microsoft Drifting Into Insignificance? : Read more

 

[theshonen8899]

The day Steam goes on Linux is the day I abandon Windows. The world needs to understand that there is a capable OS that doesn't cost them a foot.

 

[reprotected]

Since when is Kinect a wireless controller? I thought it was a portable motion sensor made for public purchase, since other motion sensors don't sell in public.

 

[jkflipflop98]

They're just a bloated company riding on the success of their superiors whom have long since left the organization. They no longer have any vision.

 

[Guest]

I've often wondered if long-term exposure to Steve Ballmer's asshole caused brain damage. Now, thanks to "SoCal Sam", it's confirmed!

 

[illo]

i think of microsoft like I do the USA. used to be the 'big dog' and they arent anymore, only nobody told them.

and really innovation now is nothing more than a $$$ million marketing plan.

but to answer your question Wolfgang, Microsoft lost its innovation when a salesman took control.

 

[socalboomer]

Honestly, Wolfgang, this rant was brought on by the opinion of ONE guy at Microsoft? Out of how many, thousands?

You ask what kind of game changer that Microsoft has brought out? Besides Kinect?

I consider Win7, perhaps not a game changer, but a very solid evolution - every bit as much an evolution as was Win95, which was, if you'll remember, merely a shell on top of MS-Dos (complete with open kernel, driver issues, crashing, etc.)

XBox360 is top of the line, driving innovation - would we have the PS3 or the Wii if we didn't have the XBox360? Heck, it's a triangle competition (fanboi rants aside).

Office has made great strides, and their unheralded OneNote is amazing. I can't live without it and haven't found anything else that does what OneNote does (and if anyone has something, I'm still waiting, especially for a Mac or Linux program so I can put it on a cheap, old, laptop. )

Their hardware is still excellent - remember, they drove the optical mouse revolution as theirs was the first affordable one to get rid of the ball - Logitech's was a couple of years later. Their keyboards are solid and quite good - I go back and forth between Logitech and Microsoft - love them both.

Drifting into Insignificance? Hmmmm - let us know what it's like there as that's your location NOW.

 

[cronik93]

[citation][nom]theshonen8899[/nom]The day Steam goes on Linux is the day I abandon Windows. The world needs to understand that there is a capable OS that doesn't cost them a foot.[/citation]

This^ 1,000%. I'm tired of dealing with Windows. Linux is faster, lighter, and more reliable and also there a are tons of distro's to choose. Ubuntu being my favorite of course.

If I owned a lappy just for average usage I'd install Linux on it right away.

 

[milktea]

That drive to lead is gone from MS

 

[DSpider]

Have you noticed how the Windows 7 interface looks surprisingly like what KDE looks like on Linux ?

Part about Kinect was pure FUD. "Waste of time", "script kiddies", "monetize"... FUD, FUD and more FUD. They have developed quite a skill in this department. I bet they hold bimonthly FUD seminars teaching how to discourage independent developers and direct people away from FOSS (free open-source software).

 

[rwpritchett]

Steam for Linux would be epic.

 

[dgingeri]

I think MS peaked with Windows XP. Windows Vista was considered a huge step back, and Windows 7, while good to use and pretty stable, still isn't as flexible at Windows XP. The fact that the majority of users still use Windows XP even more than a year after Windows 7 came out shows this.

Microsoft has lost it. They aren't going to continue to be a dominant force in future computing.

What I want to see is an OS that does nothing but host virtual machines. Every app is self contained with its own OS. The apps could not interfere with each other. A virus infecting one could not touch others or the OS. It would be perfect for support purposes. Written properly, with full virtual access to the video and sound hardware, it could be even better for games, as they could have their own OS with no interference from any OS bloat.

I hope Cloud computing dies quietly in the near future, though. I will never trust my documents, settings, and internet history to be stored on someone else's servers, especially MS. Microsoft is going very wrong with Windows 8.

 

[vittau]

[citation][nom]theshonen8899[/nom]The day Steam goes on Linux is the day I abandon Windows. The world needs to understand that there is a capable OS that doesn't cost them a foot.[/citation]Unfortunately that's not enough.
Steam is already available for Mac OS, but most of the games are not compatible.

Of course having Steam on Linux would be a good incentive to develop for it, but I'm afraid that's simply not enough...

 

[DSpider]

Oh, and Steam can run on Linux. There's a project called "PlayOnLinux".

I'm using VirtualBox for my Windows-based software (mostly for school) but games can run too. Granted not at full speed - for that you will need a dual booting setup, one for internet, media, office, etc and one strictly for gaming, with a gaming theme, gaming icon set, etc.

 

[MeanSquare]

I'd have to agree with all you've said. I'm not sure exactly when Microsoft lost any intent to lead, but clearly with Windows Phone 7, they've put themselves solidly into a "me-too" category. On the desktop, it will probably take decades before Windows market share erodes to a point where iOS and Linux are real competitors, but in the game-station and smart-phone market, I suspect it won't be nearly that long before Microsoft becomes a "whatever happened to..."

 

[campb292]

Microsoft OS's control 85%+ of the Notebook and Desktop PC's out there (check usage data). What they need to do is ride along just like they are without moving +/-5% in either direction... get bigger get sued more, get smaller lose a little money get sued less, stay the same and ride a perfect market model.

 

[malphas]

They're completely lacking in any kind of vision or coordination, they have departments that compete against each other when they could be working together to beat the real competition (Xbox and Games for Windows), everything new they release is derivative and at least 18 months later than the rest of the market, they trot our Ballmer to embarrass the entire organisation by slating something by Apple which later goes on to be a huge success, they overprice their products or put obnoxious advertising in them (WLM, Windows Phone 7) as if this were still the 90's and they were still on top. I could go on. It's just a mess.

 

[damianrobertjones]

XP and Windows 7 are as flexible as each other. The reason why people are still on XP is that they probably don't want to spend the money, aren't bothered or are standard people that don't know about such things.

As for Microsoft, maybe they should run a marketing spin that calls the competition, sorry, the CONSUMER, stupid, sad, with little to no friends.. Apple adverts. Or, they could be google and stretch out into every damn sector, releasing beta after beta of buggy code etc.... Google.

They can't as they would be slammed. Tech sites are against MS (Sites like engadget at least) and whatever they do, it's not enough. Heck, look at tablets, "Microsofts Tablet"... They don't make tablets, oems do.

Lets get one thing straight right now: If Toshiba, Asus, Sony, Acer, Fujitsu or IBM actually had a back bone, any of those players could be up there taking customers from Apple. Heck, I at least give Google credit for doing just something like that.

We 'need' Microsoft for stability. Someone above stated that they'd move from Windows if Steam was released on Linux, but, which one, which version, which release, would there be drivers (probably), should all the oems quickly change over and bam, we'd be back to square one with millions of pcs being infected. Who would support you, would there be thousands of paged dedicated to help (eventually)?

At times we can be so short sighted that it baffles me no end. But then again, on the other hand, let's get rid of MS and see what happens. It could, after all, be to our benefit.

P.s. I see MS as a software house that makes an operating system FOR other peoples kit. Blame the oems for being lazy, not ms. (Once again I cannot 'submit my comment' using Opera)

 

[Cache]

Microsoft really has found itself lost, in part because it is not designed to be a corporation dedicated to innovation. It was designed to be an operating system. Given that most of the computing world uses Windows in some flavor or another is testament to the fact that it has succeeded with its' primary and original goal. MS Office only serves to enhance the business-side of the OS, so that's okay. But that's where the fairy tale ends.

What Microsoft ultimately lacks is a human understanding of computers. Oh, I can usually trust that any printer, scanner, peripheral, or damn near anything will run with Windows. I can trust that the OS will do a generally respectable job (not shining, mind you, but for the average user it will do just fine) of loading drivers and doing what it needs to do. But that's where Microsoft stops.

They never think to ask how to integrate everything in my life in a workable manner. They don't consider how to make the PC the center place of my home in a way that enables me to interact with my utilities, banking, or any of my major appliances. There is no suitable market for people to build on Windows outside of things like widgets and fonts--and those are almost all variations of the same few themes with no real innovation or public interaction. They have no long-term idea of what they want to do aside from doing a Windows version of what everyone else is already doing--usually poorly.

Microsoft needs to develop a reason for us to need it. There is no shortage of ways that MS could encourage people in its' own brand, but I sincerely doubt they would be nimble enough to grab the opportunity or have resolve enough to invest in the entirety of a product.

 

[randomizer]

[citation][nom]vittau[/nom]Unfortunately that's not enough.Steam is already available for Mac OS, but most of the games are not compatible.Of course having Steam on Linux would be a good incentive to develop for it, but I'm afraid that's simply not enough...[/citation]
The primary reason why I would want Steam on Linux is for the chat functionality, not for games. Once an adequate distribution platform is available, game development on other OSs will start to increase. Slowly, of course.

[citation][nom]MeanSquare[/nom]but in the game-station and smart-phone market, I suspect it won't be nearly that long before Microsoft becomes a "whatever happened to..."[/citation]
Microsoft has been a "whatever happened to..." in the smartphone market for the last decade.

 

[bearracuda]

If microsoft is wilting away and dying ten years from now, then it's replacement will be a throwdown between nvidia and linux. Honestly, until someone can industrialize and truly mainstream linux, I don't see it succeeded. The average consumer (meaning the 90% of microsoft's customers who just waltz into best buy and buy the first computer they see in their price range) needs to be hand-fed. And there's not a whole lot of hand-feeding you can do with linux, even if there were enough people to do it. It's the most difficult platform to learn, and grandma barely knows how to check her email. Then there's that problem of linux being free, which means best buy won't sell it cuz they can't exact their pound of flesh by upping its price, unless they make a version themselves and start charging for it.

Nvidia, on the other hand, has good business smarts, knows how to turn a dime, is very innovative, and is diving head first into new frontiers (or at least new to them). I wouldn't be surprised in 10 years to see them making everything from motherboards to flash games.

 

[zachary k]

the day that linux can natively run all games is the day that i switch form windows. (not really, i bought windows 7 so i will use it for its life cycle)

 

[pale paladin]

My question is, who other then Google is innovating on this fictional level you speak of? If I hear another: Apple innovated.. innovation shpeal I'm gonna firebomb an orphanage. here is what you are missing Mr. Ggruener: popularity of a product doesn't constitute innovation or a progressive design or implementation. It means that some people are enticed with certain products because they are simply different or new, and sometimes those strange or aesthetically groundbreaking get popular because of that. The Xbox 9000 will be just as big a hit as the 360 and Microsoft will again come out with a great operating system that is not a revolution from from previous versions but will work with almost all software and hardware and will be affordable for us normal people who spend 5000 dollars on a car not a computer.

 

[TeKEffect]

[citation][nom]socalboomer[/nom]Honestly, Wolfgang, this rant was brought on by the opinion of ONE guy at Microsoft? Out of how many, thousands? You ask what kind of game changer that Microsoft has brought out? Besides Kinect? I consider Win7, perhaps not a game changer, but a very solid evolution - every bit as much an evolution as was Win95, which was, if you'll remember, merely a shell on top of MS-Dos (complete with open kernel, driver issues, crashing, etc.) XBox360 is top of the line, driving innovation - would we have the PS3 or the Wii if we didn't have the XBox360? Heck, it's a triangle competition (fanboi rants aside). Office has made great strides, and their unheralded OneNote is amazing. I can't live without it and haven't found anything else that does what OneNote does (and if anyone has something, I'm still waiting, especially for a Mac or Linux program so I can put it on a cheap, old, laptop. ) Their hardware is still excellent - remember, they drove the optical mouse revolution as theirs was the first affordable one to get rid of the ball - Logitech's was a couple of years later. Their keyboards are solid and quite good - I go back and forth between Logitech and Microsoft - love them both.Drifting into Insignificance? Hmmmm - let us know what it's like there as that's your location NOW.[/citation]

I'll maybe agree with the one guy representing the company part. But Windows 7 is good. I use it but it should have been out years ago. And there isn't anything I couldn't have thought to put in it. Its a good boring product.

Sony and Nintendo are the reason there is a xbox360....not the other way around. Yes we would have ps3 without them just like we have playstation without them.

So your going to credit them with making a good mouse long ago.. plenty of good ones now. And office, come on, Libre office is going to continue to keep people from over paying for that product.

 

[dkant1n]

I think M$ is still a monster but is nothing compared to what it used to be. They really lost on the mobile market and the way I see it the world is moving in that direction