Here at Download Squad we know that the holiday spirit means more than just shopping for the
coolest gadgets (you know, for others on our list). The holidays are also a great time to be thankful for all that we already have. Many times we overlook the obvious positives in our lives to focus on the latest
cool thing to attract our attention. Those overlooked things do deserve some recognition, too. In that spirit we'd like to send some holiday cheer toward Microsoft. For those of you who just fell off your chair, yes we do believe that Microsoft deserves a big bear hug from us. Here are ten reasons why:
- We love that Microsoft spread computing beyond geekdom. Over the last thirty years, Microsoft's unrelenting charge toward world dominance has brought computing technology to the forefront of society. While many will argue that Microsoft is a great hindrance to the spread of computing, we are certain that without the Microsoft-Intel duopoly computers would still be the purview of pocket protector adorned, horn-rimmed glasses wearing geeks (sorry, no offense).
- We love to hate Microsoft. It seems as though Microsoft cannot do right by its
customers. Being the biggest fish in the ocean, it's only natural that Redmond take the heat for any computer ailments we suffer. And, on a regular basis, Microsoft obliges us with one screw-up after another (here's the latest example).
- We love Microsoft's recent openness. So many Microsoft employees write blogs. Whether it is an astute marketing ploy or not is yet to be determined, but hearing from the likes of Omar Shahine and Chris Pratley is a good thing. The spread of blogging throughout Microsoft has added a humanizing quality to the company that you can't imagine coming from other tech behemoths like IBM or (especially) Apple.
- We love Microsoft's remarkable agility in the marketplace.
Microsoft is huge, and should, by definition, be slow. While some may
argue they are actually slow to move, we are hard-pressed to find a
better example of a mega-company adapting, and ultimately, dominating
its space like Microsoft. Some companies talk a big game (yes,
Scott McNealy, everyone is staring at you right now) while their core
market implodes; Microsoft has, so far, avoided this collapse.
- We love Microsoft's unheralded wealth creation engine. We'd venture to guess that without Microsoft, many of our readers wouldn't have much to do. Whether it be fixing blemishes in Microsoft's
products or building rival applications, we're pretty sure that more
paychecks are generated around the Microsoft ecosystem than any other
software company today.
- We love Microsoft's own wealth creation engine.
Microsoft set the standard for employee wealth creation. Period.
Before Microsoft, it was a rare occurrence for "the Man" to share the
spoils of business with the worker bees. Microsoft changed this, and
ushered in an era of unprecedented expansion of employee wealth
creation.
- We love The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
While Bill G.'s charitable work
is not directly related to Microsoft, there isn't any doubt that
Microsoft's success has allowed Gates to focus his energy (and about $29 billion) on some of
the world's most terrible ailments. - We love Paul Allen's ventures. Paul Allen is our kind of founder. He's no longer involved in the
company he helped build, and, while Bill's off trying to save the world, Paul spends his money in, shall we say, some interesting ways. How can anyone not like a guy who'd build a shrine to Jimi Hendrix?
- We love Steve Ballmer.
He's nutty, oddly passionate, sweaty, and bald. That's not the profile
of your run-of-the-mill CEO, nor the type that Hollywood would cast.
That's why we love him. (That, and we love it when he goes ballistic.)
- We love that, from time to time, Microsoft really does innovate.
Yes, we know that Bill G. likes to say that Microsoft is an innovation
engine, but for the most part, we don't see the company as a gusher of
new ideas. When Microsoft does let the creative juices flow, we can
get everything from Microsoft Bob to OneNote. Bob is
best forgotten (though we can't resist rubbing Microsoft's nose in it yet again), but OneNote (and the upcoming update, OneNote 12) should
be considered among the best new applications to be released in the
last decade.
With Vista, Office 12, and other critical products
to be released in the coming year, Microsoft's fate for the next 30
years could be determined in 2006. We know it's hard to get emotional
about a multi-billion dollar company, but we ask you to join us in a
virtual hug for Microsoft this holiday season (hey, somebody's gotta do it).
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Comments
24
Subscribe to commentsMark D.Dec 2nd 2005 3:04PM
Wow, glad to see some well-formulated replies near the end there, it almost descended into "Windoz3 Micro$h4ft" idiocy there. I could see the guns loading from the Lin, Win, and Mac sides ready to rip each other apart over the fact that they refuse to believe something might have merit, even if they don't like it.
Me personally, I work on windows pcs and macs all the time, and dable with linux on the side. I generally like them all since they serve specific purposes well, and what one OS lacks the other has, it feels like every OS zealot only sees in black and white, when they really should be seeing in shades of gray.
Also, Steve Hampton, you make especially good points.
Just in response to #8 on the tabbed browsing:
Though I'm unsure of Opera and it's extent of tabbed browsing history, I used to use several different IE-derived browsers way before Firefox and they had tabs. It's definately nothing new, but don't act like it was an original idea for any of the other major browsers, it's been kicking around for a long time, even AOL technically had multiple browser windows in one workspace for years (and contained in the one program, which was a major detractor when it'd crash and lose the session.) Nobody cried when Firebird had tabs, and it wasn't their idea, why should we weep over Microsoft doing it? We could all be indignant over a major company accepting a popular feature, or we can be glad that finally Joe Six-Bit will get something of use added to his online experience. The majority of IE users may never feel inclined to acquire and learn a new browser, but if their default one slowly evolves to be more useful, well, maybe they would. Change may be good, but people fear it, a subtle shift like this could make the idea of changing out a major program like a web browser less of a hurdle for your average mom and pop user.
Michael BomanDec 2nd 2005 8:45PM
Microsoft has been improving a lot since Bill Gates & Co. went on the secure computing crusade. I used to be a Linux zealot, and I still can't be productive on a Windows machine without installing CygWin on it, but I agree with Nitin Badjatia (the article author), especially for #2.
Think about it, what would Linux, BSD and other free OS's be if people didn't look at Microsoft and said "I can do better then that"...
Personally I don't care what OS I use anymore, as I am running applications - not operating systems - and some are better then others (note: I have Linux, Windows and OSX at home. My Sparc machines are getting a bit old to be used on a daily basis thought, but they used to run Solaris for me as well...). And as an IT Security Consultant I see vulnerable machines everyday, regardless what operating system they are using.
Blue BalloonDec 3rd 2005 8:56AM
1. MS-DOS been stole by original DOS creator.
2. Windows 95 stole from Mac OS 7
3. IE stole Netscape's show.
4. IE stole Firefox's tabs.
5. Vista stole Mac OS X's candy.
Captain's LogDec 3rd 2005 8:59PM
You've got to be kidding.
Microsoft didn't share wealth with it's workers. How else could you pay 60% below market and get people to work 80 hours a week. If anything, this policy ushered in the era of sloppy bloated code riddled with security holes as big a semi. Get it done, launch and do it without regard to quality.
Giving. The only reason Microsoft or Bill for that matter gives is to better his image. Studies that Microsoft conducted proved that a corporation and its founder who gives is looked upon better by the public. It's calculated, cold and meant to try to assuage the guilt for killing off so many other companies with monopolistic practices. Thousands of people had their ideas, their life's blood stolen by Microsoft and their army of lawyers. Shame on you for forgetting this fact.
Steve Balmer. Is simily the henchman behind the utterly unfair business practices. And he's the fall guy again. Microsoft share price has lost 400% since he's taken over. Bill won't be blamed for this, Steve will. And what's with giving away 50 Billion. What a stupid move that was.
Paul Allen, I hear is an ass**** to work for. A typical microsoft manager who has his head up his ass.
I'm sickened to read your post. Every point you make is new speak.
The only thing Microsoft did right is to license DOS and turn that into a monopoly. Illegal, mafia type business practices protected by an army, AN ARMY of lawyers made the compnay what it is. Everything else of worth has been stolen from others.
They haven't been nimble in business, they have been paranoid of loosing their grip on their monopoly. Nothing else drives the company but fear. It's evident in everything that they do. It coursed throught their very corporate blood, in every word that they speak. They are behind in everything and make it up with driving fear.