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Paul Graham Claims "Microsoft is Dead"

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the don't-fear-the-reaper dept.

netbuzz writes "He doesn't mean dead as in six feet under, but rather that the software giant no longer instills the kind of fear — particularly among entrepreneurs — that it did back in the day when it was making road kill out of companies like Netscape. Microsoft obits have been around for almost as long as the company, but Graham's stature, style and devoted following are likely to make this one a classic."

4 of 536 comments (clear)

  1. Not dead, but irrelivant by Wellington+Grey · · Score: 4, Informative

    If you read the actual article, Graham isn't actually claiming that Microsoft is dead (despite his provocative title) but that it is simply irrelevant -- that it's something startups don't need to worry about.

    -Grey

    --
    Silver Clipboard: Time Management Tips
  2. Re:It's not dead yet by Izaak · · Score: 5, Informative
    No one wants to have to worry about distro, GUI, etc. and compatibility issues, hunting for drivers,etc.


    Have you tried Ubuntu? Your argument might have been true at one time, but it doesn't hold water anymore. Ubuntu is actually easier to install and manage than Windows, and installing software is waaaaay easier with their point and click Add/Remove Applications interface. It even trumps Vista in the eye candy department when you install Beryl. The only advantage Windows has at this point is availability of various popular applications and games, and that gap is steadily narrowing.

    The truth is, most users have no loyalty to Windows; their loyalty is to applications. As the Linux application market matures (and it is, rapidly), arguments against migration dissolve.

    Thad

    --

    The Bolachek Journals

  3. Re:It's not dead yet by Shag · · Score: 4, Informative

    Actually, since the NT Kernel was heavily influenced by some coders (and code) from DEC...

    We're talking about UNIX and VMS.

    Welcome back to 1987, only with smaller boxen that fit with your decor and have slicker UIs. Oh, and the games are better, for the most part.

    Oh, and remember how UNIX vs. VMS turned out?

    (Unfortunately, it's harder to turn your old computer into a bar now...)

    --
    Village idiot in some extremely smart villages.
  4. Re:It's not dead yet by westlake · · Score: 4, Informative
    Insightful would be saying that Microsoft never was in touch with the world of computing, only with their own little microcosm.

    That little microcosm pretty much defines the limits of the industries that evolved around the commercial computer-on-a-chip.

    Thirty years experience in programming for the micro computer.

    90% of the world's desktops. Development tools for the PC. An office suite, a server OS.

    The U.S. Navy's Off-The-Shelf "Smart Ship" OS. [Stop thinking about the Cruiser Yorktown - decommissioned in 2004 - and start thinking about the Carrier Ronald Reagan, in service now]

    Synonymous with PC gaming. Strongly positioned in console gaming. Mobile devices. Etc, etc.

    How much more "in touch" do you need to be?