“Windows and Office: they’ve been Microsoft’s two biggest cash cows since… Forever. But in Microsoft’s second fiscal 2012 quarter ending December 31, 2011, Windows/Windows Live dropped to No. 3, behind the Microsoft Business Division (home of Office) and Server and Tools.”
that Microsoft is becoming the new IBM.
What does that mean, exactly?
Please elaborate.
It means that Microsoft is becoming a services company as their primary business (instead of products), just like IBM did in the 80s/90s.
all the money from linux and android
Since Microsoft’s deals for licensing bits of Linux are probably no more than faux PR-deals, in all probability this is offset by this trend:
http://www.networkworld.com/community/blogs/linuxfoundation2012repo…
“Linux Foundation Report Shows Growing Linux Adoption Rates in the Enterprise
New survey shows Linux as the preferred platform for Big Data, virtualization, and cloud computing trends.
…
Among the key findings, the study shows that 8 out of 10 respondents say that they’ve added Linux servers in the past 12 months and plan to add more in the next year. The same number of respondents say they plan to add more Linux over the next five years, compared to only 21.7% of respondents planning an increase in Windows servers. When it comes to Big Data, almost 72% of respondents choose Linux as the platform, whereas 35.9% plan to use Windows.”
Since virtualization and cloud computing are the latest buzz-words, this trend to Linux has got to hurt.
Edited 2012-01-20 05:09 UTC
But that’s the point; it’s not hurting anyway.
Per the article: Microsoft’s server division is doing so well that it has offset the losses from the Windows division.
The licensing deals are faux-deals, where do you get that from?
The companies that Microsoft has targeted for these deals also sell Windows products … apart from Barnes & Noble, who have contested Microsoft’s claims. Most of these claims in the B&N case have been found to be either trivial, or simply not infringed by Linux or Android.
Basically, if companies want to continue selling Microsoft software they simply agree (in secret) to a deal with Microsoft, which costs them next to nothing, provided they agree to an NDA which lets Microsoft PR continue to pretend that Linux infringes Microsoft patents for real. It is far cheaper than going to court, even when there is zero merit in Microsoft’s claims.
Edited 2012-01-20 11:50 UTC
It came from your imagination; understood.
Barnes & Noble pummels Microsoft patents with prior art
http://www.itworld.com/mobile-wireless/225615/barnes-noble-pummels-…
Barnes & Noble Exposes Microsoft’s Dirty Patent Tricks
http://lxnews.org/2011/11/16/microsofts-dirty-patent-tricks/
Barnes & Noble complains to DOJ about Microsoft patent shakedowns
http://www.afterdawn.com/news/article.cfm/2011/11/11/barnes_amp_nob…
My imagination? Sure, whatever. Is that like where I am the only real entity, and the rest of the apparent real world exists only in my head?
Frankly, I didn’t think I was that important, but there you go.
Edited 2012-01-20 13:32 UTC
No your assertion that they were somehow “fake” licensing deals is in your head. You don’t know what the term of the deals were, you’re just guessing: ie, your imagination.
No actually the biggest gains were in for Entertainment, XBOX and Home Cinema Devices.
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2012/01/microsoft-reports-rec…
But I actually read the articles.
Microsoft Business Division strong showings will certainly drive more revenue to Windows/Windows Live in mid/long term. Do they run on other platforms than Windows?
Microsoft does have some iOS/Mac products. Maybe from there?
The percentage of Mac products in their portfolio is almost negligible 🙁
Is this a sign of the infamous ‘post-PC era.’
No, it is a sign of the post-Windows era. Computing is as personal as ever and there are only coming more personal computing form factors to the fore. (Desktops, Laptops, Smart Phones, Tablets etc. can and are all used as personal computing devices). What is different, is that Windows is slowly fading as the single most important OS platform in that equation. The emphasis right now is on the applications and services, not on the underlying platform.
There is a major shift towards universal technologies like HTML 5 and JavaScript. It is becoming more important to be ubiquitous and platform agnostic. MS had the opportunity to deliver on the agnostic platform themselves with the .NET platform. If they had truly freed it up and hadn’t tied it to the old, aging Windows architecture, they would have been on the forefront of delivering the next wave of tools people would want to use everywhere. Alas, they tried to use .NET as another mote around a fading Windows.
We can only hope that MS realizes in time that Windows is a fading crown jewel and that to thrive and expand they need to let go of their penchant to lock everything and anything into that platform. Use it as plumbing where appropriate, but make your real assets (Applications and Tools) run everywhere. .NET could become the underlying API. Just free it up (perpetual, royalty free, worldwide licensing and no field of use or license type restrictions), make the compliance tools free to use and control what .NET is through trademarks.
Then again, their UEFI Secure Boot shenanigans show that they are unwilling to change their spots. Everything needs to be tied to boat anchor Windows. We’ll see if King Balmer can stem the tide…
I don’t think they will, though – it’s too deeply ingrained in their culture.
And if they did, I suspect they would fail. .NET is pretty heavy compared to HTML5, and the world is moving to ARM and lighter weight applications that are open network focused.
Unlike Bill Gates, I don’t think Mr. Ballmer can steer the Microtanic worth a darn, even if he could see the icebergs ahead.
They are already throwing the Win32 partially away with the new WinRT infrastructure.
Maybe in Windows 7 + N, Win32 might eventually be dropped, who knows. It has take them ages, but 64 bit Windows systems no longer have the Win16/CP-M compatibility layers.
As for UEFI, I also don’t like it a bit, being the one who submitted the story, but truth be told, most business don’t care.
The multinational consultancy company I work for, has seen an increase in Windows server based projects.
They are already throwing the Win32 partially away with the new WinRT infrastructure.
Oh yeah, they are ditching Win32, but the replacement is WinRT, wich again is tied to Windows. MS needs to think beyond OSes.