Slashdot Mirror
Five Years of Ballmer -- the Effect on Microsoft
An anonymous reader writes "In the five years since Bill Gates surprised the technology world by announcing he would give up his title as chief executive at Microsoft to Steve Ballmer, the company has changed significantly. Ballmer is largely credited for tripling the company's cash balance, with sales growing from less than $23 billion in 2000 to $36.8 billion last year. Critics claim that today, we see a much 'gentler' side of Microsoft and Ballmer seems to have received an "A" in Wall Street's eyes."
"Everyone is fooled, prepare for phase 2..."
Give it up for meeeeeeeeeee!!!
----- "All right. It was a miracle. Can we go now?"
Developers! Developers! Developers! Developers!
(Anyone still have that video?)
So the Wall Street monkey like the Monkey Boy. See, there's your proof of evolution!
He scares the shit out of you so you have to buy his product or face his wrath.
So instead of bouncing around like a big ape screaming, "DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS! DEVELOPERS!", he's now tip-toeing around like a cute, bald, Teletubbie whispering, "developers, developers, developers"?
Maybe the reason because they don't advertise as much is this.
Not trying to make fun, but ive NEVER seen a fat man move like that and have that much energy...except Chris Farley
Is there a connection? Where have all the bananas gone?
Power to the Peaceful
.NET is as innovative as .SHIT
.NET isn't innovative, it's a business move. They're making developers depend on their shitty platforms more and more every day.
.NET passport. I think this was a Windows 'innovation,' but it was so fucked up in general that I can't tell.
Ask anyone who really uses software how much fun it is that Mono had to be created at all, instead of an open, INNOVATIVE, cross-platform standard being introduced.
Anyway, I believe our parent was talking about innovation and using features of Windows XP as an example.
I can think of some XP innovations.
- The virtual desktop manager they put on their site? No, that sucks.
- The Windows activation process to fend piracy. Err, actually I wouldn't know. I always just crack XP and skip that part.
- Internet Explorer. Just kidding. Oh christ, am I ever kidding...
- The screen fades into black and white after you click 'Turn off the computer.' Yeah, I like that one.
-
And then, of course, if we want to discuss Microsoft innovation at large and move away from Windows there's always their desktop search program. Which they only made because Google has a desktop search.
Upping Hotmail's storage capacity? No, that's also a move made in response to an innovation of Google's.
Re-writing their MSN search? Another anti-Google measure.
Paint.NET? I downloaded it from Slashdot. It sucked.
Finally, "Trusted Computing." There's an innovation. I can't wait until Microsoft can remotely delete files off of MY computer that they deem inappropriate or illegal. Yeah, right. Over my cold dead body, motherfuckers.
Looks like the only way MS can innovate is in the face of competition and long-term destruction. So what do they do? Introduce more anti-piracy and anti-privacy crap into our lives.
We are going to see the end of Microsoft's reign of power. It's only a matter of when, not if.
Chairman Gates: Lord Ballmer.
CEO Ballmer: Yes Chairman?
Chairman Gates: Rise...
Emper^H^H^HChairman Gates: Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design. Your friends, up there in the Justice Department, are walking into a trap, as is your OSS community. It was *I* who allowed the users to know the location of the source code. It is quite safe from your pitiful little band. An entire legion of my best coders awaits them. Oh, I'm afraid the DRM will be quite operational when Longhorn arrives.