Comments on: Marauding Microsoft? http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/ Sun, 07 Sep 2008 16:54:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.1 by: Kingsley http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-248 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-248 Hotmail, Money, Powerpoint, Visio - products made by startup companies that looked like they would compete with Microsoft, but instead got bought out by them instead. Well, its better than getting bulldozed. Your friends are right. Dunno if the VC's are being smart in doing that though. Hotmail, Money, Powerpoint, Visio - products made by startup companies that looked like they would compete with Microsoft, but instead got bought out by them instead. Well, its better than getting bulldozed.

Your friends are right. Dunno if the VC’s are being smart in doing that though.

]]> by: Yazad http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-249 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-249 Kings, The argument was that MS would <i>compete</i> and make the start-ups bankrupt. If MS is on a buying spree, it might make good sense for the VC's to invest not abandon. Kings,
The argument was that MS would compete and make the start-ups bankrupt. If MS is on a buying spree, it might make good sense for the VC’s to invest not abandon.

]]> by: Shanti http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-250 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-250 Kind of OT, but Microsoft-related - what do you guys think of Eolas' lawsuit against IE? I think it is stupid to grant such overreaching patents to entities that anything and everything can be claimed to be patented by them. Kind of OT, but Microsoft-related - what do you guys think of Eolas’ lawsuit against IE? I think it is stupid to grant such overreaching patents to entities that anything and everything can be claimed to be patented by them.

]]> by: Manoj Nayak http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-251 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-251 Hi Yazaad, I think you completely missed my point. I have no qualms about microsoft ban,but what i meant to say is "Windows operating system be it any,98,2000,professional,me is not a very user friendly operating system", it gives various errors,conflicts and what not which is difficult for a layman to settle". If Bill Gates gives me a very good product and enough variety of choice to suit my needs,i would gladly kiss . Hi Yazaad,

I think you completely missed my point.

I have no qualms about microsoft ban,but what i meant to say is “Windows operating system be it any,98,2000,professional,me is not a very user friendly operating system”, it gives various errors,conflicts and what not which is difficult for a layman to settle”.

If Bill Gates gives me a very good product and enough variety of choice to suit my needs,i would gladly kiss .

]]> by: Yazad http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-252 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-252 Manoj, I am a "layman" using computers on a daily basis now for 10 years. I've not yet come across a better OS than Windows. On the contrary Linux is harder to use. It might be better, but it is definately *not* user friendly. Manoj, I am a “layman” using computers on a daily basis now for 10 years. I’ve not yet come across a better OS than Windows. On the contrary Linux is harder to use. It might be better, but it is definately *not* user friendly.

]]> by: Ankh http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-253 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-253 I'd agree with you on that one, Yazad. Manoj, you say that MS as a OS isn't user friendly? I'm just shocked. I would think MS put the "friendly" in user-friendly. Why do you think most Linux apps that are coming up look exactly like MS look-and-feels? It's partly because of the comfort people have with MS products, but it's also because it is the best OS out there. And the errors you speak about as simply because it's undergoing rigorous testing every single day. I've seen enough issues with OSS too, and that's in a limited audience. (Kingsley, before you launch into a usability analysis of MS products, hush!) I’d agree with you on that one, Yazad.
Manoj, you say that MS as a OS isn’t user friendly? I’m just shocked. I would think MS put the “friendly” in user-friendly. Why do you think most Linux apps that are coming up look exactly like MS look-and-feels? It’s partly because of the comfort people have with MS products, but it’s also because it is the best OS out there. And the errors you speak about as simply because it’s undergoing rigorous testing every single day. I’ve seen enough issues with OSS too, and that’s in a limited audience.

(Kingsley, before you launch into a usability analysis of MS products, hush!)

]]> by: Shanti http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-254 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-254 I agree, Ankh - now a Mac is something that I absolutely, positively cannot use - almost at the same level as a command-line-based OS liked Linux or Unix. Very unintuitive interface. I agree, Ankh - now a Mac is something that I absolutely, positively cannot use - almost at the same level as a command-line-based OS liked Linux or Unix. Very unintuitive interface.

]]> by: Ravikiran http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-255 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-255 The truth is a lot more complicated. You might get bought over (kingsley's examples - that is a good thing, btw), Microsoft might have a token product but not really interested in the market(Visual sourcesafe - MS' worst product ever) MS might try but fail (Frontpage - which it bought, but doesn't seem to be really going anywhere) There are thousands of niches where MS is not going to be a threat except to the paranoid( take citydesk for example - easy-to-use content management made by a former MS guy who was in the excel team) Then there is the fact that MS makes life a lot easy for developers and exposes APIs to such an extent that it is actually giving you tools to come up with a competitor to its existing product. So yes, MS is a threat. but it is a threat like any other. Before entering a market you have to worry about whether MS will enter or not, whether you have a chance even if it does, whether MS will buy you out, or whether its better to compete in a niche where MS won't go, etc. That's true for any venture. The truth is a lot more complicated.
You might get bought over (kingsley’s examples - that is a good thing, btw), Microsoft might have a token product but not really interested in the market(Visual sourcesafe - MS’ worst product ever)
MS might try but fail (Frontpage - which it bought, but doesn’t seem to be really going anywhere)
There are thousands of niches where MS is not going to be a threat except to the paranoid( take citydesk for example - easy-to-use content management made by a former MS guy who was in the excel team)
Then there is the fact that MS makes life a lot easy for developers and exposes APIs to such an extent that it is actually giving you tools to come up with a competitor to its existing product.

So yes, MS is a threat. but it is a threat like any other. Before entering a market you have to worry about whether MS will enter or not, whether you have a chance even if it does, whether MS will buy you out, or whether its better to compete in a niche where MS won’t go, etc.
That’s true for any venture.

]]> by: Vijay Venkatesh http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-256 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-256 Actually, the Macintosh is the most user-friendly. Apple put the friendly into user-friendly in 1984 with System 1's GUI (Graphic User Interface). Of course, it has it's niggling faults and minor problems, but nothing like the crap that I went through with Windows. Linux if for the techie. The Windows 3.1 user interface is an exact reverse copy of Apple's System 6. Many aspects of Windows XP are stolen from Mac OS X, which Microsoft is quite famous for. Right from the go, things just worked without much thought, with the Mac. I don't have to reinstall my OS every few months. Actually, the Macintosh is the most user-friendly. Apple put the friendly into user-friendly in 1984 with System 1’s GUI (Graphic User Interface). Of course, it has it’s niggling faults and minor problems, but nothing like the crap that I went through with Windows. Linux if for the techie.

The Windows 3.1 user interface is an exact reverse copy of Apple’s System 6. Many aspects of Windows XP are stolen from Mac OS X, which Microsoft is quite famous for.

Right from the go, things just worked without much thought, with the Mac. I don’t have to reinstall my OS every few months.

]]> by: Gautam http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-257 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.yazadjal.com/2003/10/14/marauding-microsoft/#comment-257 Well what you say about Jobs'(Apple's) originality in the field of usability is very true. But what most MS bashers tend to overlook, is that had it not been for MS (or some other evil empire) we would not have had such a fantasticaly large number of users in such a short period of time. (ofcourse that is because microsoft actively overlooks piracy) No MS (or clone) would mean no variety in PC hardware and no choice of hardware vendor a la Apple. Also the instability problems of Windows are largely due to the wide and ever changing types of hardware it has to run on to make a living for the evil MS employees. Apple makes the software and the hardware and can custom tailor both. Windows' has to do a far more complicated job at running on existing and future hardware and still keep on going. And i think XP does a more than decent job. It matters little if MS copied the Mac interface. I never used a Mac coz they are so bloody expensive. i have had about 4 or 5 computers since the early 1990s. all running flavours of windows/dos, and linux maybe the apple of a techies eye but it has a long way to go to become stable user friendly and hardware compatible (from a novices perspective). (case in point it takes 5 minutes to load a sound driver in windows and restart the comp, it takes about 45 minutes to compile ALSA on the same comp and you are still not sure whether its going to work.. and then you got to get eSound.. and the it goes on :-D) Well what you say about Jobs’(Apple’s) originality in the field of usability is very true. But what most MS bashers tend to overlook, is that had it not been for MS (or some other evil empire) we would not have had such a fantasticaly large number of users in such a short period of time. (ofcourse that is because microsoft actively overlooks piracy)

No MS (or clone) would mean no variety in PC hardware and no choice of hardware vendor a la Apple. Also the instability problems of Windows are largely due to the wide and ever changing types of hardware it has to run on to make a living for the evil MS employees. Apple makes the software and the hardware and can custom tailor both. Windows’ has to do a far more complicated job at running on existing and future hardware and still keep on going. And i think XP does a more than decent job.

It matters little if MS copied the Mac interface. I never used a Mac coz they are so bloody expensive. i have had about 4 or 5 computers since the early 1990s. all running flavours of windows/dos, and linux maybe the apple of a techies eye but it has a long way to go to become stable user friendly and hardware compatible (from a novices perspective).

(case in point it takes 5 minutes to load a sound driver in windows and restart the comp, it takes about 45 minutes to compile ALSA on the same comp and you are still not sure whether its going to work.. and then you got to get eSound.. and the it goes on :-D)

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