Not The Big Bad Wolf No More
Microsoft have been the beaten pinata for many years now, with increasing frequency. However, I think in the last year or so, with the rise of Google slowed with various amounts of bad press, they are no longer just the big bad wolf. They still might be that, but there’s a couple of youngsters joining them. And the wolf is showing some cunning.
Acquiring Winternals (and SysInternals) might be seen as a loss for the community, but I’m of a mind to think it’s a pretty smart move. Mark (on his blog) seems to truly believe in making Windows a better product. I hope this happens.
The one object of issue in my mind is the massive inertia of Microsoft. Sure, acquiring Mark and Bryce (although the blog doesn’t say Bryce is joining the move) is a great strategic decision. They have developed some great, even awesome :), tools.
But can they actually make a change?
Well, I think so. There is a shift, possibly small, but it’s happening. If Microsoft continue to acquire agressively, then perhaps they are changing the way they work. Maybe with the passing of Bill it’s no longer a totalitarian government. Maybe they see the mistakes made and are actually changing (not just wanting to change).
Here’s to Microsoft becoming more agile and making Windows a better product with each passing day.
Stu,
To be honest, I think the only weak spot at Microsoft is their PR department. For the most part, they do make good software.
What MS has really suffered from is the “king of the hill” syndrome. Anyone on top is a automatic target. For some inexplicable reason, some folks just have to try and tear down success.
IBM used to be the top dog. We used to cheer on this small business to take them out. That small business was Microsoft and we vilified IBM for “being unfair”.
Be careful for what you wish for.
Comment by Russ Eggen — July 20, 2006 @ 1:12 am
Aussie’s have never heard of the Tall Poppy syndrome. It doesn’t exist .. heh heh.
I’m liking the idea of MS staying at the top of the hill, afterall, they’ve had more experience at it than most others in the techo world .. doesn’t really matter I guess.
Was just hoping for a place where software was created based on skill and teamwork, bonding, a sense of pushing into the unknown, creating quality merchandise, the power .. etc etc. You get the drift. The magic place that rarely exists in one company for too long.
Comment by Stu — July 20, 2006 @ 10:23 am
[...] A Licence To What? Published by Stu 0 minutes ago in News & Opinions, Gear Grinding An observant Bill actually read a licence agreement on an update from microsoft the other day. It’s for the .Net Framework .. and the point of interest is : 3.4 Benchmark Testing. You may not disclose the results of any benchmark test of the .NET Framework component of the Software to any third party without Microsoft’s prior written approval. What’s going on here? Is .NET so bad that they have to put a nda (of sorts) into their licence agreement?That’s pretty much screwing with the whole idea of transparent business, because how else is the public going to make informed decisions if the results are filtered by the people who make the product?Mostly, what are they doing? Here I was, fervently hoping that the jugganaut was heading into a good direction. Now, I guess it’s such a big jugganaut that some things slip under the radar. But this is a licence agreement. For one of their stud products. What is doing MS? One question I have (apart from the others), is can they legally enforce this? Can you make an edict that noone can report on their experiences with your software unless they first pass said experiences through your own propaganda sieve? This has been another gear grinding session from the makers of Dev Dawn .. come for the drivel, stay for the angry, disenfranchised programming rants. [...]
Pingback by A Licence To What? at Dev Dawn — July 27, 2006 @ 6:32 pm