Microsoft under threat?

Microsoft is really in the verge of danger. Symbian OS is really a threat to their bussiness because of it's state as open platform. i wonder what would be their next move in the market considering their product's status.

...and the floodgates open once more.

Although I would like to, M$ will never be (or better in the near future) obsolete in the PC market. Even though smartphones are the latest craze etc. they will never (ok never is a big word, more like in the near future 😃 ) replace PCs. Since PC is where serious stuff is going on, I believe that M$ will have an advantage over all companies trying to compete. Symbian may be a rival for M$ (more like the daddy) for the mobile market, but lets face it; thats not the only market there is. Since M$ has the upper hand in the PC world, they can easily "sabotage" the mobile market with an "uncompatibility" issue. Its just like history repeating....the best OS doesnt always win.

I agree. Microsoft has the resources to sell crap at a loss. It doesn't need to make a profit in any market to make a dent in others' market share. Look at the PocketPC - now I'm not saying it's crap, but Microsoft is yet to make money on it. The Microsoft smart phone is even more so.

The only way that Microsoft will ever leave the mobile market to those who know what they are doing is if the PC software market collapses - and Microsoft will make sure that will not happen until it is ready for it to happen.

DRM, Palladium and all that nonsense is Microsoft's way of ensuring that someone will need Microsoft in the future, like a dodgy office worker who ensures that the right problems always come up by creating them in time for him to come to the rescue.

And nobody should ever be happy to see Microsoft under threat, because that is when it will get even nastier, more cunning with more believable yet poisonous lies and half-truths. Trust me, Steve Ballmer (aka Vladimir Harkonnen 😉 ) can get uglier (I know it's hard to believe, but it's true). You thought Bill Gates was bad, Ballmer is worse!

Microsoft will take no prisoners, and if needs be, Microsoft will buy a Manufacturer and a Network Operator. It is that determined, the Symbian alliance needs to watch its back at all times.

Another example to follow on from TANKERx's is Internet Explorer. The worst web browser in the world achieved dominance in the market by being bundled free with the OS, having M$s webserver app have special "features" that only IE can use, and finally by distributing offering features in IE that require the use of non-W3C compatible code so that the sites break on browsers adhering to the standard.

To M$ "Embrace and Extend" means "copy and corrupt", "Innovate" means "take bits from lots of apps and make them into one app".

The only reason M$ are bothered by Open Source is that they can't buy it out or throw money at it to stop it.

...stab stab stab

Yes, I suppose that 'Stab, Stab, Stab' is a good argument against the points made so far. :roll:

It is my opinion that Microsoft will rule the PC market forever,well,if not forever,for a very very long time.

The money is very Joe Average is.That is why Nokia is the top handset seller.I don't think that my little brother will go trough all the trouble of compiling DRI and getting it to work with Redeon cards and installing KDE and spending hours to configure XFree86 to start in a suitable bpp mode so that he can play Quake.And note that Quake is a native Linux game.I don't even want to get in more technical issues.

Joe Average has a nice shiny OS,he can play games on it,listen to music,watch movies,and he is happy with it,he does not want to know or care what goes on behind the curtain.That is why Microsoft will rule the desktop market and Linux and Open Source will stay for enthusiasts.

About the mobile market? Symbian had the advantage right now but I guess that only time can tell,in the mean time,I'll be cheering Symbian. 😊

I don't think its about MS loosing the PC market. Though I do think Linux will make big inroads in emerging economies and I can't see why Openoffice.org should not gain in popularity everywhere. Its more that the PC market is becoming less significant. It's reached saturation point and is now showing very little growth. Microsoft need to find new markets to keep their revenue stream going.

Remember nobody is number one for ever. If you go back to the 1970's IBM were the Microsoft of the age nobody could ever see anyone knocking them of the number one IT spot. The catch phrase at the time was "nobody was ever sacked for buying IBM".

It only takes small cracks in your Windows to make them shatter 😉

[quote="SwitchBlade"]Another example to follow on from TANKERx's is Internet Explorer. The worst web browser in the world achieved dominance in the market by being bundled free with the OS, having M$s webserver app have special "features" that only IE can use, and finally by distributing offering features in IE that require the use of non-W3C compatible code so that the sites break on browsers adhering to the standard.

To M$ "Embrace and Extend" means "copy and corrupt", "Innovate" means "take bits from lots of apps and make them into one app".

The only reason M$ are bothered by Open Source is that they can't buy it out or throw money at it to stop it.[/quote]

IE is still the best browser available.
There is nothing to replace it.
The new Opera had a chance if they hadn't included all those bloody useless functions like an email client and stuff :evil:

[quote="TANKERx"]Yes, I suppose that 'Stab, Stab, Stab' is a good argument against the points made so far. :roll:[/quote]

there wont be enough space for my reply and anyways no point changing minds that can't be, we all have our veiws, if maybe misguided sometimes. 😊

[quote="Dazler"]
IE is still the best browser available.[/quote]

Nah it's still turd, and never was the best browser. It's still dogged by compatability issues with the W3C. I'm sticking with Mozilla, smaller, faster, stable, compatible. 'Nuff said.

I vote Mozilla also. 4.1b makes it even better now, but I hate those sites that refuse to work with it. It's like they're going out of their way to ensure you have to use IE!

I have nothing against IE, I just love the look, feel and functionality of Mozilla, and I feel safer with her. I'm worried that I may catch a nasty disease with IE.

any OS, that is open source, free of DRM and other client side restrictions and "big brother", will have a compeditive edge, and threatens microsoft 😊

f*ck DRM :P :evil: :evil: :evil:

The German government seems to be trying to get rid of Microsoft as well according to this ZD Net article. Which starts with the following.

"The German government has decided to move a significant proportion of its computers from Windows to Linux, despite aggressive price cutting from Microsoft "

This all helps to make organisations aware that there are viable alternatives to MS and gives them more confidence to use them.

Just spotted that the Register has a slightly better article about the above

[quote="langdona"]The German government seems to be trying to get rid of Microsoft as well according to this ZD Net article. Which starts with the following.

"The German government has decided to move a significant proportion of its computers from Windows to Linux, despite aggressive price cutting from Microsoft "

This all helps to make organisations aware that there are viable alternatives to MS and gives them more confidence to use them.[/quote]

well good for them.. thats the first good i've seen from them..

blah microsoft costs so much lol 1 grand for office 2000 and they wonder why people pirate it.

Linux rulez 😊

microsoft has lost the plot: they think they are "competing with linux" by sending a few source code snippets from some outdated version of windows or other 80's software to the big bosses of a few universities.