The Dark Force We often wonder why Macophiles and Linux people portrayed Bill as the dark force in the universe. Guy was just trying to earn a buck
and put a computer on every desktop. Now hes turned his attention to righting other wrongs. Photo Lucasfilms
Until this battle station is fully operational, we are vulnerable. The Rebel Alliance is too well equipped, they're more dangerous than you realize. General Tagge (Star Wars, 1977)
Admit it.
Now that Bill has turned the helm over to Steve to guide the MS death star and the ship has taken more than its share of broadsides, its almost tough to keep kicking Vista
almost.
Ok so maybe Intel did finally decide that theyre not going to install Vista across the board.
So?
Maybe theyre going to put all their corporate systems on their other customers OS?
Maybe theyve decided that freeware -- when we first heard of Ubuntu we thought it was a new African nation -- is easier for the global enterprise to use and support?
Maybe theyre still satisfied with XP as we are or maybe theyre a little closer to MS than we are and have seen what Windows 7 looks like and know its closer than we think?
Its true that MSs CFO Liddell wasnt really credible when he said that there were no Vista-related issues but what did you expect him to say?
In his best Darth Vader stance he responded to one analysts challenge saying, I find your lack of faith disturbing.
Hes not used to being beat up when he talks like Bill and Steve are when they step on the stage.
Ballmer, the companys big bear, super salesperson, had a great sound byte we can always wake up smarter,
Liddell needs a better speech writer!
State of Change
In the name of full disclosure (popular phrase these days) we use XP on all of our systems including the two new notebooks we just purchased.
Three reasons:
XP and the apps do everything we want to do very nicely thank you
We admit were human and dont really like a lot of change
We figured wed wait to upgrade a year or two until all of Vistas undocumented features had been ironed out
But we know a lot of very technically-savvy people who use Vista.
Being very objective theyve noted:
recalling the release of earlier MS operating systems it is cleaner, better and more solid than the others in the same time period
there are security features that were added sorely needed in our malware world that are bothersome but can be disabled
Vista enables a lot of video-centric work much better than XP
Vista is backward compatible and works with enterprise systems and applications which is extremely important in the business environment
Vista does a more efficient job of using dual and quad core chips which helps sell
more computers
The new OS means new applications, new drivers, new peripherals, more customer support but that drives the PC/CE economy
Doing More
The IT industry is the engine that drives almost every aspect of our lives today.
Computers used to be glorified typewriters or game systems but people have found more uses, more applications, more benefits with the technology.
Figure 1 - Expanding Options With a common computing platform that was fairly open, creative minds have been able to offer new/different solutions at a reasonable cost. More importantly, businesses/governments have been able to use the applications in new, different ways. Source -- IDC
Our kids have more computing power in their rooms today than a room full of IBM mainframes. And they need, use it all without even batting an eye.
The more they have, the more they want.
The more the industry delivers, the cheaper it is.
Writing with their systems is of almost no importance to our kids today. Theyve got serious needs.
Figure 2 - Must Have Features Suddenly computing power is in nearly everyones hands and we cant seem to get enough of it. We have adapted the systems to video, audio and even work functions and the uses continue to expand. Source -- Intel
Theyre busy making new environments in SecondLife.
Theyre designing/producing their own game avatars and scenes in their video games.
Theyre taking brilliant photos, modifying them, turning them into photo videos, adding sound tracks and sharing them with everyone.
Theyre shooting video as good as the pros, adding superb transitions and eye-popping special effects, editing/authoring it and making movies people actually want to watch!
Theyve got all that stuff stashed on their new Instinct phones.
Sure couldnt do that on our old Atari system!
Vista Moves Mac Sales
It isnt true that when Bill saw the final version of Vista he invested in Apple and started planning his retirement.
A lot of people (mostly Mac users) like to say that Vista is the best sales tool that Jobs has for Macs.
They love to point out the dramatic sales increase Macs have enjoyed.
Figure 3 - Dark Horse Mac users like to point with pride how Apples systems have gained market share compared to WinTel PCs. The move is probably more a result of the success of iPods and iPhones than the sudden realization that a Mac is a better platform. Of course, Vista did help Apple system sales
a little. Source Piper Jaffey
Eight ten million systems in use compared to a paltry one billion plus PCs.
True Mac sales have grown pretty dramatically.
The numbers have grown so much Macophiles are starting to admit that:
Macs do crash (occasionally)
The OS does have holes and doorways hackers can exploit
More malware is finding its way onto peoples system
The difference between the two OSes is that Jobs really doesnt want all the headaches (and costs) involved in supporting everyone.
Like it or not business runs on Microsoft.
Figure 4 - The Business of Business While Macs have shown a slight increase in the business environment, they continue to be relatively niche applications in the marketing and communications departments. The global business of business still runs on Windows and its many flavors. Source Yankee Group
Small/medium/large businesses, governments, non-profits, legal/medical/educational institutions, you name it probably wouldnt fare too well working day-in, day-out on the Apple OS.
As Hans Solo said, Traveling through hyperspace isn't like dusting crops, boy!
Dealing With Tomorrow
Things might have been different
if:
Gary Kildall (check Wikipedia) hadnt decided to go fishing instead of meeting with the IBM renegades who liked the idea of DIY computing
Bill hadnt struck the deal with IBM and ran across the street to buy his neighbors DOS stuff
Jobs hadnt nosed around Xeroxs PARC labs and adapted all the neat toys they created
It isnt different.
But it is changing.
The OS is the foundation for a questionably profitable industry.
At least it counts for a lot of jobs around the globe.
It takes a lot of people to develop, support, buy, use the technologies that are an integral part of business, industry, government, personal/home entertainment.
Consumers want, need, expect complete and seamless business and entertainment at home and on the road.
We expect it to work with hardware/software across the network that may be two-three generations old.
We expect it to work with chips, boards, memory, applications, content from as many as 30 different firms on our system
flawlessly, immediately.
Were lucky the darn ship even gets off the ground!
If we didnt have Vista to hate, wed have to turn on Jobs closed garden or the freebie stuff you can download, use and support on your own.
Seeing that he had to get back to manning the MS helm and the approaching horde Ballmer calmly asked Gates a few weeks ago, We've analyzed their attack, sir, and there is a danger. Should I have your ship standing by?
The Long Walk At the end of June Bill took the long, lonely walk as he retired from Microsoft. Funny, his office still has his name on the door and no one has taken his name plate off the parking spot. Hell probably stop in from time to time
just to check things out. Photo Source -- Lucasfilms
Bill walked down the hall with a sense of fulfillment and commented, Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed, the ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force.
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