Wither Microsoft?

[Mike Sux Cox]

The recent quarterly earnings report, required by law, issued by the
Microsoft Corporation are a harbinger of what is to come. Slowing
revenue growth, and declining profits...

[snip facts from an alternate universe]

You seem to be a pretty smart guy, so, I really need to ask. Do you
purposely live in your own made-up reality or are you of the belief
that if you keep repeating something it will somehow become true?

 

[John Bailo]

The recent quarterly earnings report, required by law, issued by the
Microsoft Corporation are a harbinger of what is to come. Slowing
revenue growth, and declining profits. What we see here is a Chrysler,
circa 1973, in the making. A bloated heavy industry giant unable to
compete in the 21st century marketplace and using legal tricks,
government subsidies and public relations to prop up its decaying
position. Bill Gate is a Chairman Mao, shown crossing the Yangtse to
exhibit his /youth/ , but we all know that he is being carried across by
divers below.

The question is: Wither Microsoft? Do we allow the natural course of
events which would be the mass impovershment of those associated with
the fading Empire, a dustbowl around Lake Samnammish, where once wealthy
/marketing execs/ will be turned into sharecroppers, or should Microsoft
be allowed to take part in the new and growing OSS movement.

The recent statements by Redhat, Novell executives and even Linus
Torvalds may be seen as an olive branch in that direction.

What if? What if Microsoft took the challenge, and decided to no longer
try and monopolize each and every level of the playing field, but to
actually do real competitive work, and try to build a Linux distro for
the desktop. Clearly they know a few things about the desktop whereas
all their other attempts in server software, e-commerce, hardware
gaming, etc, have been abject failures, unworthy of the name /Microsoft/ .

Suppose Microsoft could be placated with, say, 1/4 of the Linux desktop
market. The other 3/4 going to the real winners, Novell, Mandrake,
Lycoris, Lindows, and others who have produced highly usable and working
desktops (no, I did not forget Fedora, I am just supposing they see
their product more as bleeding edge, rather than commercial).

Think of it, Microsoft and Bill Gates -- a full quarter of the desktop
market could be yours, if you play your cards right. If you cease being
Goofus and become a Gallant in the busienss world maybe others will
accept you and allow you to do commerce in the very competitive world of
the desktop.

Oh, it will take time, since you, Microsoft, are so, so far behind the
leaders in desktop software, but, so long as you are willing to learn,
there may be others who can help and teach you.

Microsoft, I hope you think long and hard about it. What is it to be?
A failed bankrupt hulk of a shell, rotting in the tumbleweeds of 156th
Avenue North? Or a player, in the new world of KDE, GNOME, Open Office
and the future of the desktop...

 

[Melvin]

The recent quarterly earnings report, required by law, issued by the
Microsoft Corporation are a harbinger of what is to come. Slowing
revenue growth, and declining profits...

[snip facts from an alternate universe]

You seem to be a pretty smart guy, so, I really need to ask. Do you
purposely live in your own made-up reality or are you of the belief
that if you keep repeating something it will somehow become true?

The Bailo has always made up the facts to suit whatever delusion he
is currently experiencing. No rhyme or reason, just a bitter individual.

His information is good for adding to killfiles though.

 

[Jeff Relf]

Hi John Bailo ,
Re: Dusting off your crystal ball . . .
you chant ... o-o-o-o-o-ohhmmmmm . . .
o-o-o-o-o-ohhmmmmm . . .
then you predict Microsoft's future , saying ,
" Slowing revenue growth , and declining profits " .

Linux is about special servers ... Special desktops .

Microsoft is about a Virtual network of

backward-compatible binaries and API's .

Even the connections are virtual .

Linux is not Microsoft , and vice versa .

 

[John Bailo]

Hi John Bailo ,
Re: Dusting off your crystal ball . . .
you chant ... o-o-o-o-o-ohhmmmmm . . .
o-o-o-o-o-ohhmmmmm . . .
then you predict Microsoft's future , saying ,
" Slowing revenue growth , and declining profits " .

Linux is about special servers ... Special desktops .

Microsoft is about a Virtual network of

backward-compatible binaries and API's .

Even the connections are virtual .

Linux is not Microsoft , and vice versa .

The word /backward/ is about the only rational part of your post.

What is a /special server/ ? Given that the entire Usenet system runs on
Linux as well as most web servers and sendmail systems, then the entire
thing would be seen as special.

Microsoft is, I agree, virtual. It is not real. It doesn't produce
Operating Systems -- just boot apllication loaders.

That is why I offer the olive branch to Bill Gate -- take 25% percent of
the desktop, write a decent distro, and feed your employees. My guess is
that they couldn't maintain a 25% percent share and it would be quickly
whittled to 5%. But, I am just trying to help him help himself.

 

[Jeff Relf]

Hi John Bailo ,
Thou doeth inquire , " What is a Special server ? " .

Google is a special server .

Novell's shit is a special server .

Novell's future desktop's will be
targeted to very specific tasks .

What's so hard to understand about that ?

 

[John Bailo]

Hi John Bailo ,
Thou doeth inquire , " What is a Special server ? " .

Google is a special server .

Novell's shit is a special server .

Novell's future desktop's will be
targeted to very specific tasks .

What's so hard to understand about that ?

No, I am mistaken. I like that idea. Because that is the very essence of
Linux. In Linus biography he talks about wanting to write a /personal/
operating systems. What that means to me, is that he wanted /his own/
operating system. In the sense that my computer is /my/ computer, he
wanted an Operating system that was /his personal operating system/ That
is something Microsoft cannot produce. Linux can be special because it
is open source and it can be customized in so many ways -- to power
Google, the search engine that Bill Gate says _kicked his ass_ or the
premier e-commerce site, Amazon.

Each business is /special/ and /unique/ -- a bland boot application loader
such as DOS cannot handle these special needs -- it is too inflexible --
it does not follow the infinitely tailorable needs of the 21st century.

That is why Wall Street has cast its votes for Linux.

 

[John Bailo]

The problem with being on top is that there is nowhere to go but down...

...but that doesn't mean that the pile is shrinking.

You mean there's just as much stinking bullshit as ever?

 

[tadchem]

The problem with being on top is that there is nowhere to go but down...

....but that doesn't mean that the pile is shrinking.


Tom Davidson
Richmond, VA

 

[Peter Hayes]

The recent quarterly earnings report, required by law, issued by the
Microsoft Corporation are a harbinger of what is to come. Slowing
revenue growth, and declining profits. What we see here is a Chrysler,
circa 1973, in the making. A bloated heavy industry giant unable to
compete in the 21st century marketplace and using legal tricks,
government subsidies and public relations to prop up its decaying
position. Bill Gate is a Chairman Mao, shown crossing the Yangtse to
exhibit his /youth/ , but we all know that he is being carried across by
divers below.

The question is: Wither Microsoft? Do we allow the natural course of
events which would be the mass impovershment of those associated with
the fading Empire, a dustbowl around Lake Samnammish, where once wealthy
/marketing execs/ will be turned into sharecroppers, or should Microsoft
be allowed to take part in the new and growing OSS movement.

The recent statements by Redhat, Novell executives and even Linus
Torvalds may be seen as an olive branch in that direction.

What if? What if Microsoft took the challenge, and decided to no longer
try and monopolize each and every level of the playing field,

You can't make a leopard change its spots.

but to actually do real competitive work, and try to build a Linux distro for
the desktop.

They'd only do that if they found a way to monopolise Linux, and the
only way they could do that is through patent and copyright
manipulation.

Clearly they know a few things about the desktop whereas
all their other attempts in server software, e-commerce, hardware
gaming, etc, have been abject failures, unworthy of the name /Microsoft/ .

Suppose Microsoft could be placated with, say, 1/4 of the Linux desktop
market.

Microsoft don't do "placated".

The other 3/4 going to the real winners, Novell, Mandrake,
Lycoris, Lindows, and others who have produced highly usable and working
desktops

Once Microsoft get a foot in the door, Linux as a free and independent
OS for the mass market is finished. You know the Arabic saying, "Let the
camel get its nose in the tent and the rest of the camel is sure to
follow."

(no, I did not forget Fedora, I am just supposing they see
their product more as bleeding edge, rather than commercial).

Think of it, Microsoft and Bill Gates -- a full quarter of the desktop
market could be yours, if you play your cards right. If you cease being
Goofus and become a Gallant in the busienss world maybe others will
accept you and allow you to do commerce in the very competitive world of
the desktop.

Oh, it will take time, since you, Microsoft, are so, so far behind the
leaders in desktop software, but, so long as you are willing to learn,
there may be others who can help and teach you.

Anyone doing that will be assimilated.

Microsoft, I hope you think long and hard about it. What is it to be?
A failed bankrupt hulk of a shell, rotting in the tumbleweeds of 156th
Avenue North? Or a player, in the new world of KDE, GNOME, Open Office
and the future of the desktop...

Microsoft is a company dedicated first and foremost to monopoly control
of its market. The only way that will change is if the current
leadership retire to soak up the sun on their tropical paradise island,
and the new leadership have a more pragmatic approach to the desktop
market.

And that's not likely to happen because the mindset, the raison d'etre
of Gates & Co is to win. They're not like so many of the dot-com
entrepreneurs whose sole ambition was to sell out and retire at 25.

 

[Jeff Relf]

Hi Peter Hayes , You say ,
" Microsoft is a company dedicated first and foremost to
monopoly control of its market " .

It's a natural monopoly .

And it's expensive to maintain ,
all the new binaries and API's have to be
reasonably backwards-compatible .
And new devices are designed for Windows , not Linuxes .

Linuxes today has none of that ,
so they can only do very specialized tasks .

 

[John Bailo]

Hi Peter Hayes , You say ,
" Microsoft is a company dedicated first and foremost to
monopoly control of its market " .

A dedication to which they have /FAILED/ as witnessed by shrinking
profitz...

It's a natural monopoly .

It is an _ungodly_ stinkpile.

And it's expensive to maintain ,
all the new binaries and API's have to be
reasonably backwards-compatible .

And new devices are designed for Windows , not Linuxes .

Really? The most powerful home /device/ will be the Sony PS/3. Built
from the ground up on Linux...so it doesn't carry all the tired old
baggage of DOS.

Linuxes today has none of that ,
so they can only do very specialized tasks .

All tasks in the moderm world are /specialized/ - the DOS production
system cannot keep up with the consumers changing needs and moods.

That is why Wall Street blessed Linux and dropped DOS-soft like a hot
potato...

 

[Peter van der Goes]

The recent quarterly earnings report, required by law, issued by the
Microsoft Corporation are a harbinger of what is to come. Slowing
revenue growth, and declining profits...

[snip facts from an alternate universe]

You seem to be a pretty smart guy, so, I really need to ask. Do you
purposely live in your own made-up reality or are you of the belief
that if you keep repeating something it will somehow become true?

If that were so, there might be some hope.
Actually, he's a not so smart guy who likes to hear himself talk (and stir
up trouble).

 

[Peter Hayes]

Hi Peter Hayes , You say ,
" Microsoft is a company dedicated first and foremost to
monopoly control of its market " .

It's a natural monopoly .

In the same way Standard Oil tried to be a natural monopoly a century
ago.

And it's expensive to maintain ,
all the new binaries and API's have to be
reasonably backwards-compatible .

What Microsoft have to do is what Apple did and create an all new OS
with a "Classic" mode. No legacy code, no legacy security holes.

And new devices are designed for Windows , not Linuxes .

Please explain why nVidia put out drivers for most popular Linuxes.

Linuxes today has none of that ,
so they can only do very specialized tasks .

Eh?

 

[Jeff Relf]

Hi John Bailo , You make another funny ,
" The most powerful home Device will be the Sony PS/3 .
Built from the ground up on Linux " .

That's an example of a Specialized device .

Linux is perfect for that .

But I was referring to PC devices .

How many personal computers are there ? 400 million ?

How many PS/3's are there ? 0 ?

 

[Jeff Relf]

Hi John Bailo , Showing no market savvy , You comment ,
" Wall Street blessed Linux and dropped DOS-soft
like a hot potato " .

The tech boom-bust cycle is about 30 years long ,
and the last boom was far bigger than any before . . .

The fun has just begun .

 

[Jeff Relf]

Hi Peter Hayes ,

You say Microsoft is an unnatural monopoly ,
" In the same way Standard Oil tried to be
a natural monopoly a century ago " .

API's and binaries have to be backwards-compatible ,
and new personal computer devices have to be
designed for it ... All of that is super expensive .
No Linux even comes close .
That's why Microsoft has a natural monopoly .

You say ,
" What Microsoft has to do is what Apple did
and create an all new OS with a ' Classic ' mode .
No legacy code , no legacy security holes . "

Apple is specialized , just like Linuxes are ,
neither one is like Microsoft .

You ask ,
" Please explain why nVidia put out drivers
for most popular Linuxes " .

That's great ,
if all you want on your personal computer
is a nVidia card .

 

[John Bailo]

The tech boom-bust cycle is about 30 years long ,
and the last boom was far bigger than any before . . .

For a given technology, yes. For old style boot application loaders,
such as DOS, the curve fell to the ground. That is why Warren Buffet,
an investor in shoe companies and restaurant supply equipment has
pummelled Bill Gate with his Bershire Hathaway stock ( up from $66,000 a
share to $88,000 a share this quarter).

The new stocks of the Web, Internet, OOP and p2p (here I include
Linuxes) are just beginning their ascent.

 

[John Bailo]

Hi John Bailo , You make another funny ,
" The most powerful home Device will be the Sony PS/3 .
Built from the ground up on Linux " .

That's an example of a Specialized device .

Linux is perfect for that .

But I was referring to PC devices .

How many personal computers are there ? 400 million ?

How many PS/3's are there ? 0 ?

How many bar codes are there? These will all be Java carded.

How many home devices are there? These will all be Linuxed.

 

[John Bailo]

Jeff Relf wrote:

Apple is specialized , just like Linuxes are ,
neither one is like Microsoft .

Yes, absolutely. That is the reason that GM beat Ford. They offered
specialiation, tailored to the consumer.

Bill Tyrant Gate has been force feeding crapware to the people for
decades. No wonder Wall Street and the World Opinion revolted and threw
off the Old Petty Dictator and replaced him with a Penguin -- owned by all !