Linked by David Adams on Tue 16th Aug 2011 16:48 UTC, submitted by sjvn
"Who is Microsoft fooling? Other than on the desktop, Linux is eating its lunch, and it's only going to get worse for Microsoft."
Thread beginning with comment 485321
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
Member since:2005-11-13
Yeah, but does MSFT really need to beat Linux everywhere? For them to succeed, they just need to beat Linux where their core money-printing-machine is: Windows and Office.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking they were talking about. Linux has never been a threat on the desktop, and probably never will be. Hell, we don't even have Windows vs Linux on the desktop pissing contests here, as opposed to the old days where it would happen almost daily
We already live in an era where the web is entrenched in our lives (i.e. we're past the point of saying "the web is where everything is going to") - and the smartphone market, while on meteoric ascension, still is not mature enough for us to declare Google/Android/Linux and Apple winners (although I believe this will happen in 2-3 years).
Wishful thinking. Every time a new technology comes around (web, mobile, tablets, etc), pundits are always quick to predict the end of the desktop. It hasn't happened yet, and won't any time soon, so long as the desktop continues to be the best way to get real work done.
RE[2]: But does it need to?
by vitae on Tue 16th Aug 2011 18:42
in reply to "RE: But does it need to?"
Member since:2006-02-20
Yeah, that's what I was thinking they were talking about. Linux has never been a threat on the desktop, and probably never will be. Hell, we don't even have Windows vs Linux on the desktop pissing contests here, as opposed to the old days where it would happen almost daily
Once upon a time it looked like OEMs might actually give people a choice of OSes on the desktop, then they eventually just caved to Microsoft. Dell, HP, etc. made the choice for us.
RE[2]: But does it need to?
by JAlexoid on Wed 17th Aug 2011 00:11
in reply to "RE: But does it need to?"
Member since:2009-05-19
The desktop will diminish when cloud related technologies have proliferated enough to make the average user care less about software and data on his local system. It's starting, but it's a long way to go.
My prediction is that the first thing to go in the desktop computing is the departmental server, as it'll be replaced by a high bandwidth connection to a private or virtual-private cloud system.
Next will be the full blown desktop computer to go. That has partially started in more advanced organisations - Citrix "replacing" local OS or thin server. But it will be more like Android/iOS - locally apps(incl HTML5 stuff) provide GUI and input, while all heavy lifting is done on the server.
RE[2]: But does it need to?
by toast88 on Wed 17th Aug 2011 17:30
in reply to "RE: But does it need to?"
Member since:2009-09-23
"Yeah, but does MSFT really need to beat Linux everywhere? For them to succeed, they just need to beat Linux where their core money-printing-machine is: Windows and Office.
Yeah, that's what I was thinking they were talking about. Linux has never been a threat on the desktop, and probably never will be. Hell, we don't even have Windows vs Linux on the desktop pissing contests here, as opposed to the old days where it would happen almost daily
"
Too bad that the sales for normal desktop PCs are on the fall:
http://www.canalys.com/newsroom/wintel-share-global-pc-industry-fal...
http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1744216
You know, pride goes before a fall. Microsoft is losing market shares and if they don't get their a**es up soon and get seriously moving, they'll be doomed for decline.
Remember, there were other companies like Commodore, Atari, Sun and SGI that were acting with similar arrogance and eventually went bankrupt or were bought up.
Microsoft is not invincible.
Adrian
Member since:2009-05-19
Yeah, but does MSFT really need to beat Linux everywhere? For them to succeed, they just need to beat Linux where their core money-printing-machine is: Windows and Office.
The issue for them is that they are under threat of any good enough free alternative. You don't need to be the best to oust Windows/Office. A surprising small amount of people use MS Office to it's full potential. OpenOffice/LibreOffice and even Google Docs can handle 99% of what MS Office is used for.
RE[2]: But does it need to?
by daedalus on Wed 17th Aug 2011 07:40
in reply to "RE: But does it need to?"
Member since:2011-01-14
Yes, but as a previous poster pointed out, it's about a package that "just works". I've given people Open Office in the past, and they complain because they save a document, send it to someone who is then unable to read it in Word. All it takes is a Save As and change the filetype, but that's an extra step people don't need when they use MS Office. And so it stays.
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/18/13 11:21 UTC
Nokia has posted its quarterly results for the first quarter of 2013, and just like the quarters that came before, there's not a whole lot of good news in there. The rise in Lumia sales still can't even dream of making up for the sales drop in Symbian phones, and when broken down in versions, the sales figures for Windows Phone 8 Lumias in particular are very disappointing. In North America, Nokia is getting slaughtered.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/16/13 9:29 UTC
The day has finally come: Google has started shipping Google Glass to the lucky few early adopters. Now that it's shipping, Google has also unveiled a lot more about the API and the specifications of the device itself. While the company had already given out substantial details at earlier occasions, there are still a few surprises here.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/15/13 22:44 UTC
Almost exactly three years ago, I wrote about why OSNews was no longer OSNews: the alternative operating system scene had died, and OSNews, too, had to go with the times and move towards reporting on a new wave of operating systems - mobile, and all the repercussions that the explosion of smartphones and tablets have caused. Still, I was wondering something today: why aren't we seeing alternative operating systems on mobile?More Features »
Sponsored Links
Member since:
2011-02-17
Yeah, but does MSFT really need to beat Linux everywhere? For them to succeed, they just need to beat Linux where their core money-printing-machine is: Windows and Office.
As long as they're able to do so, they should be fine. We already live in an era where the web is entrenched in our lives (i.e. we're past the point of saying "the web is where everything is going to") - and the smartphone market, while on meteoric ascension, still is not mature enough for us to declare Google/Android/Linux and Apple winners (although I believe this will happen in 2-3 years). MSFT still has time to catch up with linux on mobile and print huge amounts of money.
Please note that I haven't used a Microsoft product (Xbox included) in the last year or so - I believe that today they are nothing more than patent trolls who stifle innovation. Nevertheless, they're not as dead as I hope they'll be.