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Changing Climates for Microsoft and Google
ReadWriteWeb writes "Weather metaphors abound as this article looks at the evolving software environment — and in particular the competition between Microsoft and Google. Milan says that while Google enjoys relative dominance on the Web platform today, two fissures exist that will force them to move. The first is Microsoft's ability to use the exact same HTML based strategy as Google (like Microsoft's current Live initiative); and secondly Microsoft leapfrogging the current environment by solving rich application installation/un installation and enforcing an acceptable contract regarding what rich apps can do on a user's machine.
Unfortunately for Google, Microsoft is a lot closer to solving these two issues than people think. Microsoft has the best virtual machine with .NET, the best development tool with Visual Studio and the best access to developers with their MSDN programs. And they have a notion. Steve Ballmer himself has started touting the exact strategy they need — Click Once and Run."
Spoken like a true troll who has used neither .NET, nor Visual Studio or MSDN. All three statements are absolutely true and tens of thousands of architects, developers and testers would back me up on that.
Quality, performance, value; you get only two, and you don't always get to pick.
"Google doesn't even have to release its own OS, all it has to do is begin favoring Linux distributions strongly and MS loses that section of the market"
Are you suggesting that people would leave behind Windows to follow some Google applications?
Maybe, in 5 years, if Google builds a killer-app that is anything CLOSE to Microsoft Office AND Microsoft totally fucks everything up.
Sure anyone can open MS Access or Visual Studio and build a little database app for a 5 person company, but the data is now locked up in windows, building in web access is a pain, and you can't run anything but windows on your desktops.
Data doesn't have anything to do with an OS. 'Fred Smith' = 'Fred Smith' on any platform. I don't understand how data has anything to do with OS.
Many companies don't run anything except for Windows on their desktops (mine included). Spending an extra day to do the same thing in case, one day in the future, years down the road, we *may* be a Mac box in the business is a waste of time and money for me. Actually, I probably would never allow another platform in my business because of things like longer development time, and other such headaches.
I think that the assumption that every program has to run anywhere, anytime is a false assumption, at best. It's kind of like a suburban homeowner buying a Mack Tractor-Trailer to drive to work every day in case one day he has to move (at which point, it would still be cheaper and easier to hire somebody else to do it). If I have to build an app for my business that needs to scale to millions of users on all kinds of devices, I think that I might have a bit of notice, and I could plan for it then. Spending that kind of time and money NOW, when it's not needed, would be a very dumb business move, especially considering how quickly technology changes. And you have to realize, that there are many, many, MANY businesses in the same boat as myself, for which Visual Studio is "da bomb".
from dictinary.com
"money obtained ruthlessly and at a cost of suffering to others."
I think MS qualifies
from the american heritage dictionary online
"Money gained at the cost of another's life or livelihood. "
Considering the number of good companies they ruined, this might qualify as well.
From the MSN dictionary (oh the ironies!):
"money gained at another's expense: money that somebody gains at the expense of another person's life or well-being"
I think MS qualifies as well.
Considering the long hours I put in fighting thier crappy software and the high blood pressure and weight problem this contributed to, I think it is appropriate. How many years of life may I have lost because there was no time for me to take care of myself? How many years did I lose due to stress? What effects did the stress of thier software have on other people? How many other people ruined thier health trying to get the crap to play nice?
The other poster was right, MS software *can* cause suffering.
But that's just my opinion.
putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+