[SATLUG] Pokes at Microsoft (off Topic)

[Ernest de Leon]

Now you're talkin....South Park is one of my favorite TV shows...and just to
add my .02 USD, Bill Gates is by no means a technical person much less a
technical genius, he is simply a man who is good at marketing and business.
That said, he is also a very good person with a good heart who tirelessly
pursues philanthropic efforts.  I admire him for that.  I really dislike
when people take personal potshots at the man or when they sum up
'Microsoft' as Bill Gates.  We all know that Ballmer has been the puppet
master for a while now, and he has actually let the company slide downward
in market share on all fronts since he took over.  Now Google has M$ in it's
crosshairs, and I can't even put my happiness into words.  Microsoft should
take heed from the US auto industry: for so many years they fed the public
crap with poorly designed, hardly functional, overpriced and low quality
products.  All the while, there were people who barely graduated high school
(if that) making more money than me while assembling these pieces of crap.
Luckily, it all came crumbling down (with a little help from the Japanese
auto makers), and there is once again competition in the marketplace.
Microsoft has opened the door, and to think that no one will step up and
take something from them is both ignorant and arrogant.  I hope Google and
others show M$ what complacency around a barely mediocre product can do to
your bottom line.

I'm in this field for the long haul, it will be interesting to see who
remains on top when all of the dust has settled.  My guess: Google by one
percent marker share.  No one should have so much of the market that they
are afforded the luxury of backing off innovation.

Ernest

On 3/3/07, James Tiner <jtiner at satx.rr.com> wrote:
>
> You know, I just couldn't see this thread any longer without mentioning
> that last night they showed "South Park - Bigger, Longer, and Uncut" on
> Comedy Central last night. It was uncensored and funny. One of the best
> parts is where the general is trying to give a briefing for the war with
> Canada and the computer locks up. he calls for bill gates and says
> something along the lines of "I thought you said windows 98 was going to
> be more stable, faster and have better access to the internet." When BG
> begins to reply, the general shoots him.
>
> On Sat, 2007-03-03 at 12:53 -0600, Walt DuBose wrote:
> > I can't help myself...so here goes.
> >
> > I have had the opportunity to talk with some of the greatist minds in
> the world.
> >    Men who have made major contributions in their academic areas of
> expertise
> > and in areas where they were simply interested.  A couple were in the
> U.S. and a
> > couple in Europe and one from Asia.  All spoke at least two languages
> and were
> > active in art, literature (poetry mostly), or music or all of these.
> >
> > There are(were) NOT computer people and in fact only two used a personal
> > computer.  One finally moved to using an electric typewriter in
> 1995.  Most
> > wrote everything in and engineering/professor hand writing.  Most had
> advanced
> > degrees (more than one) in physics, math, music, art, astromery,
> chemistry,
> > biology, etc.  And then had interest in and were considered experts in
> other
> > areas of science, math, the arts and humanities.
> >
> > To a person, they felt that the development of and use of Microsoft's
> software
> > had held back the development of the sciencies, math, the arts and
> humanities.
> >
> > Note that they were not totally unaware of Microosofts legal problems
> and the
> > problems they were causing.
> >
> > When asked them about Unix/Linux and after having to explain to them the
> Unix
> > was developed by mainly by AT&T and Linux by one individual in concert
> with many
> > others and about the open source movement, they all completely agreed
> that this
> > confirmed their belief that the development of and use of Microsoft's
> software
> > had held back the development of the sciencies, math, the arts and
> humanities
> > and that had the human race adopted the open source path in the
> development of
> > computer science that humanity would be much further ahead in solving
> some of
> > the world's biggest problems and would have brought together nations
> more than
> > any political venture could ever do.
> >
> > If I named two or three of these individuals, you would know them
> instantly and
> > if you googled the others you would know of their works and status.
> >
> > Thus I am lead to believe that they are(were) correct in their
> assessment of the
> > world's use of Microsoft.
> >
> > As a final note, all were what today we would consider religeous
> individuals and
> > at least two were active in a local "House of Worship".
> >
> > I believe that they would all have enjoyed attending a SATLUG meeting or
> at
> > least socializing with SATLUG members.  We would have learned so much.
> >
> > Best Regards,
> >
> > Walt
>
> --
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-- 
# Ernest De Leon

"If Microsoft is 'flexible' it explains how their head got where it is."