Microsoft at the Tipover Point

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Microsoft at the Tipover Point

Posted by ryuzaki0 on Sunday December 28, 2003 @05:10AM from the yeah-right dept.

David Gerard writes "In the wake of Microsoft's first flat quarter, The Inquirer brings us The IT Industry Is Shifting Away From Microsoft - Linux is being taken seriously, Microsoft is not trusted and our favorite monopoly is finding it harder and harder to compete with 'free.'"

17 of 824 comments (clear)

Oh shit! by Quasar1999 · 2003-12-28 05:12 · Score: 4, Funny

You know what this means right? We've backed Microsoft into a corner, so now it's going to pull every dirty trick in the book to get it's profits back...

No, really, I wouldn't put it past them... Wonder what technology area they're going to monopolize next? Tivo looks prime for the picking... ;)

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Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
1. Re:Oh shit! by DrLZRDMN · 2003-12-28 05:30 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Wonder what technology area they're going to monopolize next?
  Embeded systems in vaccum cleaners, aiming for the market of products that don't suck.
2. Re:Oh shit! by akgunkel · 2003-12-28 06:20 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  Damn, yes. They could redesign the vacuum assembly to be increadibly simple: A tube with a WindowsCE PDA at one end! With that kind of sucking power, they would put every vacuum maker out of business!
  
  Their slogan will be "MS SuxDelux: So powerful, it'll suck the carpets right off your floors!"
3. Re:Oh shit! by Tablizer · 2003-12-28 08:51 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Here are some dirty tricks that MS has yet to fully take advantage of:
  
  Create Office-97 viruses and other "legacy viruses" that force customers to upgrade.
  
  Create Linux viruses. Bill Gates can take that 30 billion of his and create a secret virus lab in some 3rd world corner cave. Nobody leaves the cave.
  
  Do a better (quieter) job of bribing benchmark companies.
  
  Outright bribe CIO's to use MS. Take them on cruises etc. the way that pill companies do with doctors.
  
  Create a marketing campaign that focuses on some vague feeling one gets from using MS products. Farfegnugen.
  
  Poke fun at some of the silly conventions and features in OSS. There are plenty.
  
  Make XP-2 not support pre-2000 MS apps.
  
  Poison Linus, hypnotize him, and/or replace him with a shill.
  
  Outright lie about Linux in TV commercials. The court cases will take years.
  
  Get Osama to use Linux for terrorism, making W ban it.
  
  Bribe the courts to ban non-MS software using DRM, stupid patents, or some other dumb law.
  
  --
  Table-ized A.I.
4. Re:Oh shit! by MegaHamsterX · 2003-12-28 10:10 · Score: 2, Funny
  
  Both of you have some serious flaws in your logic, this is Slashdot, so that's O.K.
Re: More like the calm before the success storm by Black+Parrot · 2003-12-28 05:26 · Score: 3, Funny

> This is the beginning of a growth period for Microsoft that is on a whole different scale than the last one.

No, I don't want to buy your MSFT.

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Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
Charlie Demerjian by MadFarmAnimalz · 2003-12-28 05:30 · Score: 2, Funny

Yes yes, somewhat offtopic I know, but a google search on the author gave me this piece which I found hilarious.

Although to be honest, I did expect this fellow to be a ranting flamer from the Inquirer article...

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Blearf. Blearf, I say.
So in other words... by dolo666 · 2003-12-28 05:39 · Score: 2, Funny

2004 is going to be a good year. :)
Re:Well... by OECD · 2003-12-28 05:47 · Score: 4, Funny

On one hand, I'm breaking out the wine for a little celebration.
If true, it would certainly be time to break out the wine!

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One man's -1 Flamebait is another man's +5 Funny.
Can they sell ads on the critical updates website? by hh1000 · 2003-12-28 05:57 · Score: 2, Funny

Maybe Amazon could work a deal to sell you books to read between reboots.
Security, starting again by StrawberryFrog · 2003-12-28 06:30 · Score: 2, Funny

Re security: The fact remains that Microsoft's entire infrastructure is based on fundamentally flawed designs, not buggy code ... To change them, Microsoft would have to dump all existing APIs and break compatibility with everything up till now.

Can you say ".NET" ?

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My Karma: ran over your Dogma
StrawberryFrog
Re:Serious Question by grmb1 · 2003-12-28 06:35 · Score: 2, Funny

> Microsoft NEVER innovates

Oh MY God! So their press releases are all lying? It can't be! :)

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-- grmbl woz heer
Re:So "MS 2003 server" runs itself? by TheRaven64 · 2003-12-28 07:48 · Score: 2, Funny

You have to pay MCSEs now?

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I am TheRaven on Soylent News
Re:Serious Question by grmb1 · 2003-12-28 08:41 · Score: 2, Funny

Well, in fact it was sacrasm, you know. :)

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-- grmbl woz heer
Re:yes i agree by Groo+Wanderer · 2003-12-28 09:10 · Score: 2, Funny

"the article was a little ruthless if you ask me"

Gee thanks. That was in fact the nicest compliment I got for the piece, either here or in e-mail. It was a compliment, right?

-Charlie (the article's author)
Inquiring minds by Osmosis_Garett · 2003-12-28 11:00 · Score: 2, Funny
want to know! Also in this issue
- Britney : Really against the music?
- Batboy found hiding at Neverland Ranch!
- Beagle 2 lands on Charon, finds life!
- Weapon inspectors find WMDs!
Re:Serious Question by GreeboNZ · 2003-12-28 11:54 · Score: 2, Funny

Microsoft Bob?