Linked by Thom Holwerda on Thu 10th Apr 2008 12:57 UTC, submitted by estherschindler
"In a session at the Gartner Emerging Trends conference today, analysts Neil MacDonald and Michael Silver identified many reasons that Windows (and thus Microsoft) are in trouble. Microsoft's operating system development times are too long and they deliver limited innovation; their OSs provide an inconsistent experience between platforms, with significant compatibility issues; and other vendors are out-innovating Microsoft. That gives enterprises unpredictable releases with limited value, management costs that are too high, and new releases that break too many applications and take too long to test and adopt. With end users bringing their own software solutions into the office... Well, it's just a heck of a sad story for Microsoft."
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RE[3]: Microsoft is in trouble?
by MordEth on Fri 11th Apr 2008 09:45
in reply to "RE[2]: Microsoft is in trouble?"
Member since:2006-07-16
Hopefully the businesses will have the sense to look at the problems with Office 2007 before it comes back to bite them. I've seen a few too many places that think that password-protecting documents (e.g. financial spreadsheets) constitutes proper security, and if you do that with Excel 2007's new spreadsheet format, it can be defeated with unzip and a text editor.
(You can read how on http://ooxmlisdefectivebydesign.blogspot.com/, in addition to reading other amusingly sad commentary on OOXML.)
Of course, we all know that Microsoft places security first and foremost, because they've told us so. 
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Member since:
2006-05-12
"Office 2007 is another example. They change the UI but can't deliver a fundamentally better product."
I use Office 2007 for school because it is required. There are only a few minor features that are useful, but the layout of the UI has change some and ALL of the formats are incompatible with even Office 2003. Now that ISO has sanctioned OOXML (Office Open XML, not to be confused with Open Office!) as an official standard it looks like they have succeeded in moving the goal posts again.
Office is a staple product in modern business, and it is only a matter of time before companies adopt it again making it nearly impossible for companies to use a competing office product.
The standard has been criticized by many as being intentionally complex and if by some chance some other competitor did succeed in implementing it they would simply move the goal posts again.
That win alone will ensure their dominance for quite a while. Honestly the only chance we really have is to ask ISO to overturn the standard (see noooxml.org).