4 May 2008

Yahoo! Microsoft is dead.

It is with a six-pack of schadenfreude that I consider the collapse of Microsoft's attempt to eat Yahoo. Particularly hilarious is this zinger from Steve Ballmer:
At the heart of our strategy is a commitment to bring the benefits of competition, choice, and innovation to everyone who uses the Internet.
Competition? from a convicted monopolist? Hollow laugh. Choice? Only until they use cross-subsidy to wipe out their competitors. Innovation? Microsoft has never had an original idea other than Microsoft Bob.

The yellow press is full of speculation that Ballmer's job is on the line. As a replacement, let me be the first to recommend former SCO head Daryl McBride. He has lots of experience that will help in Microsoft's probable new line of business: threatening people with lawsuits. The RIAA route is the last avenue of the irrelevant.

3 comments:

Adolfo said...

I was ready to stop using Yahoo as my main internet page. My computer came with the ever-crashing Vista- This is my last piece of equipment I get using anything that relates to Microsoft. Microsoft is getting less and less reliable. The latest I had with Microsoft Vista is that I tried to unzip a folder. It was just not able to do it. It asked me to remove it from its current location (why? who knows)I did it and it did not happen. I thought there was something wrong with the file(zip). The good thing is that you have Ubunto, and it was done in a heartbeat. No problems. End users like myself are getting tired of using and paying for a software that gives you trouble. Computers are meant to help YOU. Microsoft has chosen to help their business partners. Most of the people (average users) are unaware of that. Trust is not there anymore. I dislike the whole 'copyright infrigtment' idea. Every time I am moving music and my own photos and videos, I simply cannot do it or move it. Microsoft appears to be checking every single information/move to make sure its business partners are happy. THEY ARE MY OWN PICTURES AND MOVIES! Because of the idea of protecting their 'copyrights' Microsoft is unable to install updated software out there in the market, new formats, etc. Thanks to you,hon, I am truly understanding and learning why open source is important not only good for end users, but for society in general.

I have heard from friends who have Apple who do not much about computers saying how EASY it is to use their machines and how happy they are with their Macs. The way Microsoft does business is just not fair to businesses and end users. I am glad Yahoo is not part or their team. I just hope Apple does not become that unfriendly/unwelcome to other formats and start blocking them from evolving like Microsoft does. Amen.

Scott said...

Apple does such a good job with their usability and reliability, but they have been one of the biggest non-conformers to the whole open source idea (QuickTime, iTunes, etc.).

Ubuntu has been great for me, but I fear that it still has a ways to go before my mother will be able to use it. I think of Ubuntu as where Microsoft was back in 1995. The trick for Ubuntu now is getting the most popular software companies to support the platform. (I'm talking to you, Intuit!)

Unknown said...

As far as Intuit goes, the chances of them adapting their software for linux are slim to none (and slim just left town). Quicken is all but dead; online banking has slaughtered that market, and it is actually leaving retail. I honestly don't expect it to be sold at all in three years.

At this point the contenders are online (mint.com, wesabe.com, etc) and work on any operating system. A new commercial desktop personal finance package (like Quicken Linux) is about as likely to happen as a new Hollywood summer blockbuster on the Y2K menace. If you want desktop personal finance on Linux, you're going to have to use GnuCash.