Microsoft is toast, unless is can fully commit to one desktop. Actually, its toast either way, and they must know it.
If it sticks with the old desktop, it cannot deliver anything attractive on mobile devices, and if it commits fully to Metro/Modern/Mayhem/Whatever, then it needs to convert its whole back catalogue of applications to that framework - or ditch them.
Office is Microsofts' cash cow, but they will have hells' own job of converting Word, Excel etc. to Metro.The Office suite of applications have evolved over many years, on Win32, and just don't fit the lego block mobile paradigm at all. A conversion job like that would suck up huge amounts of resources at a time when they are hoping to forge forward with new advances in mobile and cloud apps and services.
Perhaps Ballmer knew they were heading for the buffers at full speed, and that's why he suddenly left the company that he had given most of his adult life to.
Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft is toast, unless is can fully commit to one desktop. Actually, its toast either way, and they must know it. If it sticks with the old desktop, it cannot deliver anything attractive on mobile devices, and if it commits fully to Metro/Modern/Mayhem/Whatever, then it needs to convert its whole back catalogue of applications to that framework - or ditch them. Office is Microsofts' cash cow, but they will have hells' own job of converting Word, Excel etc. to Metro.The Office suite of applications have evolved over many years, on Win32, and just don't fit the lego block mobile paradigm at all. A conversion job like that would suck up huge amounts of resources at a time when they are hoping to forge forward with new advances in mobile and cloud apps and services. Perhaps Ballmer knew they were heading for the buffers at full speed, and that's why he suddenly left the company that he had given most of his adult life to.