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Software It's Ballmer's Time to Shine
Brandon Hill (Blog) - July 28, 2006 4:31 PM
Print E-mail del.icio.us 36 comment(s) - last by Runiteshark.. on Jul 30 at 10:41 PM
"Who said sit down!?"

With Bill Gates slowly stepping away from his day-to-day activities as Microsoft's chief software architect, Steve Ballmer is seeing more of the spotlight shine on him as analyst and investors inquire about what direction the company will take in the coming years. At this month’s meeting with financial analysts in Microsoft’s home city of Redmond, Washington, it was Ballmer who opened the floor instead of the omnipresent Gates. From Information Week:

Ballmer said he's continually peppered with questions from investors about how the company will expand its traditional software business, expand on the Internet, and "get our stock price to do something interesting." Shares of Microsoft have been trading in a narrow range for the last five years. Last week, Microsoft began a $40 billion stock buyback program designed to boost its share price.

The next few months will see the launch of several key products that are essential to Microsoft's core software business, so flawless execution is key. The two products are so important that Microsoft will be pouring $1 billion USD into marketing for the two software releases. With the multiple delays that have plagued both Windows Vista and Office 2007, many are wondering if Microsoft can actually stick the planned January release of Vista. Ballmer has been quoted as recently as May that that Vista would be released "When it’s ready" and Gates has said that there was an 80% chance that the company would ship the operating system by January 2007. The company is also looking to shorten the time betwen OS releases. "We will never have a five-year gap between releases of flagship products," said Ballmer at the analysts meeting.

Microsoft is also banking on its upcoming Zune line of portable media players to become a financial “pillar” for the company -- it is has also earmarked $500 million USD for the launch of the player. The iPod has been a tremendous cash cow for Apple and has become a must-have accessory for the ultra-hip urban trendsetters out there (and some not so hip old fogies I might add). Microsoft is hoping to strike gold with its Zune players which will feature Wi-Fi to enhance its community-based music sharing, content streaming, and Internet access for direct music downloads. Ballmer went to to say, "I know we have a long haul. For better and for worse, there is no other company that would be attempting to get in this business."

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Nice.
By Runiteshark on 7/28/2006 4:41:11 PM , Rating: 2
I love the header and then the picture. His bald forehead sure is shiny.


Anyway, I think that Microsoft should focus on a more modular-based Operating system. Hell, even if they threw it in while you install (which would say, be expert mode) where you could add/remove certain things. This would be great.

And by modular, I mean throw on support for another file system without massive modifications. Or add linux commands (binding commands) to the command prompt. This would be great, but alas.. You have the crap that is now.




RE: Nice.
By cgrecu77 on 7/28/2006 5:14:31 PM , Rating: 2
too many options are great for enthusiasts who like to tinker, but are a nightmare for developers. MS is first and foremost a business OS and for programmers there can't be no greater nightmare fixing incompatibility issues.

The new file system is not a simple upgrade to ntfs, it is a fundamental change in the way data is stored, you might call it a breakthrough. It's extremely difficult to revolutionize one of the core areas of an OS while maitaining compatibility and offering equal or better speed and more features ...

Of course, Apple would have just "blessed" its users with the new FS saying that "it's the new way" of doing things and unless you switch you are a "relic". Apple behaves in a very "american" way by creating products meant to used for 2-3 years and then thrown away(think iPod).


RE: Nice.
By emergethis on 7/28/2006 5:22:44 PM , Rating: 1
What are you talking about!?!?! Have you seen the number of file systems Linux supports!? If they really gave a flying fart about better technology vs easy to create they would ceate and API for their OS in a way where plug-in fs would be easy.


RE: Nice.
By Saist on 7/29/2006 11:09:04 AM , Rating: 2
The new file system is not a simple upgrade to ntfs, it is a fundamental change in the way data is stored, you might call it a breakthrough. It's extremely difficult to revolutionize one of the core areas of an OS while maitaining compatibility and offering equal or better speed and more features ...


9p, BeFS, BFS, minixfs, ADFS, AFFS, EFS, HPFS, UFS, VXFS, qnx4fs, sysvfs, ncpfs, codafs, ext3, XFS, JFS, JFFS, reiser3, reiser4, FAT, FAT32, NTFS

Care to guess what those are? Those are all file systems supported in a STANDARD Linux Operating system.

Sorry, but I'm gonna call B.S. on what you wrote about about revolutionizing one section of the OS while maintaining compatibility and offering equal or better speed, because Linux has been doing just that for literal years.

What I think you mean to say is that is difficult for a proprietary operating system manufacturer with no peer review, proven sloppy code, proven lock-in code, and proven malicious code obfuscation to revolutionize sections of their Operating System without properly documenting and publishing the changes for all developers to work with.


programmers there can't be no greater nightmare fixing incompatibility issues.

Now that part you actually did get right, just ask the developers behind Evolution or Samba on how difficult it is to fix incompatibility issues without documentation on the issues or how the applications inter-operate. However, this does NOT apply to Microsoft, who, quite frankly, doesn't care about incompatibility issues, and has been proven mulitple times (Dr Dos vs. MS Dos, Exchange, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows Xp, Service Pack 2 for Windows Xp, IIS, Microsoft Office) to deliberatly introduce incompatibility issues into their operating systems or products that make it impossible for existing products to read or interoperate with the new products.

Sure, it's a nightmare, for people who do try to document their work and actually do give a flying flip whether or not the product actually works "out of the box"


RE: Nice.
By cocoviper on 7/30/2006 3:43:44 AM , Rating: 2
yep, you're right.

I've done windows object oriented in classes in school and its total crap. A piece of software that was written perfectly acording to Microsoft's code standards for say Windows2000 WILL NOT WORK in WindowsXP without at least some code modification and recompiles.

Considering other OSes will run programs written on versions 5 years in the past, its pretty lame to purposely break the way object oriented code addresses the windows OS after onyl 1 or 2 years of it working.


RE: Nice.
By kattanna on 7/28/2006 5:47:41 PM , Rating: 4
quote:
I love the header and then the picture. His bald forehead sure is shiny


LOL i was thinking about his shiny bald head before i even clicked on the article...then with that pic..too funny



RE: Nice.
By R Nilla on 7/28/2006 5:56:44 PM , Rating: 4
I don't think he needs to be in any sort of spotlight ... his head is shiny enough!

- R. Nilla


Always Delayed
By othercents on 7/28/2006 5:06:51 PM , Rating: 2
I have yet to see Microsoft produce an operating system that wasn't delayed. XP, 2000, ME, 98, 95.. They where all delayed. Most delayed by 6 months or more, so I don't expect Vista to be any different.

Other




RE: Always Delayed
By brownba on 7/28/2006 5:39:45 PM , Rating: 2
dude, has any software product by any company ever been on-time?
it's a fact of life in the software industry - deadlines are rarely met.


RE: Always Delayed
By Pirks on 7/28/2006 6:18:30 PM , Rating: 1
quote:
I have yet to see Microsoft produce an operating system that wasn't delayed

Yeah, I mean why set deadlines at all?? Look at Apple - THEY NEVER set deadlines. It's most wonderful thing - they sit quiet and then BANG - Jobs jumps out suddenly - we got a new llamah toys, get'em hott! Compare it with MS lazy heads who start mumbling about this neewwzz greaattzz OSzz everybody's gonna worship, with it's next gen FS, next gen everything blah blah blahh - and we'll deliver that in 2005 for SUUREE... oh wait, let's shift it to 2006.. crap, let's cut off this new uberFS and ubereverything and set the last deadline to 2007.. January... but 80% probable, so 20% chance wi shift it to June! Oh wait, no, now it's 35% and counting! We warned you!

Now, what the f#ck is all this sh1t about? Is it about giving people a good laugh? About giving them reason to point their fingers at MS and mock the Shiny Entertainment called Ballmer? I mean, look at this - MS sits on a huge pile of resources, they can EEAASYY do SP3 and SP4 releases, not that horrible state they left XP in, they could do their updates much more INCREMENTALLY, and IMPORTANT! WITHOUT that stupid moronic clownish promises of UbErEvrything in 2005 at the VERY least... when are they going to learn from Apple? Jeez, let them make inferior OS, let them get under fire because their Flip3D looks simply pathetic and useless, but WHY do this with fanfare and showing the whole world how shiny Ballmer's head is, how nicely he shouts about developers and how good they are at delaying and shifting deadlines infinitely?

Why can't they start acting like Apple and stop promising any deadlines? Why don't they devote a large chunk of resources into supporting XP with continuous releases (where's damned SP3??!) while continuing developing gradual improvements and backporting some stuff from Vista? I mean, that could do it quietly and effectively, the way Apple does it - with fanfares and everything AFTER product RELEASE. I wish that teach our new shiny CEO something important, I can see that - MS is already feeling sorry about THE GAP between XP and Vista - NICE! Apple hit them hard already - let's cross the fingers and wish that competition only increases, I hope Leopard will put even more heat under fat lazy MS butt and force them to move a little faster, and shut their loud mouths until AFTER they released their new uberOS, Office or whatever.


RE: Always Delayed
By retrospooty on 7/28/2006 7:01:30 PM , Rating: 2
Well, when 90%+ of the OS market is waiting for your next release, you have to be public, and delays are known. Apple has less than 3% of the market, and can afford to be silent until product is nearly ready to ship.

The other thing is, when MS releases bugs, there are companies with 100's of billions of dollars running thier day to day OPS on MS systems, whereas Apple's bugs are less costly, due to the small user population, and even smaller business population.


RE: Always Delayed
By Pirks on 7/28/2006 7:59:50 PM , Rating: 1
quote:
Well, when 90%+ of the OS market is waiting for your next release, you have to be public
In other words the larger the software company is - the sloppier it can afford to be. When you're small you have to be smart, sharp and keep in shape. When you control the market - you can promise everything and deliver nothing - and nobody will complain because you're a huge guy and you control their OS, they try to open their mouth and yap - and you say "so what? thank us for doing even THIS! or else... no DX10 for you bitchy luser!" or whatever there could be in place of DX10.

Great! Your argument is another proof that MS needs serious hit in market share - then Apple will become less ignorant, a little slower and more sloppy, promising everything and talking a lot about the bright future MS-style etc etc while MS will behave a liitle more Apple-like - opening mouth not as wide, doing more real job done in a MORE CONSISTENT and incremental way, like Apple does - looks like we're slowly moving in this direction with Apple almost doubling its market share every year or so.


By L1NUXownz1fUR1337 on 7/28/2006 8:33:30 PM , Rating: 1
He just needs to throw a metal folding chair at stevie jobless to show who dah man.

Linux : livin without the evil nazi corporate gangsta ways





RE: baller justs needs to show his real gheto side...
By Pirks on 7/28/2006 8:38:41 PM , Rating: 3
Linux: livin without evil nazi 3D games :-)))


RE: baller justs needs to show his real gheto side...
By Pirks on 7/29/06, Rating: 0
RE: baller justs needs to show his real gheto side...
By Pirks on 7/29/06, Rating: 0
By Nekrik on 7/29/2006 2:13:29 PM , Rating: 2
hey now, they got 'whine' going for them :).


By Pirks on 7/29/2006 5:41:17 PM , Rating: 1
heheh, wine was going for them since 90s - and I can see how it helped them - all the cool PC gamez flying on that thing hahahahaaa


By L1NUXownz1fUR1337 on 7/29/2006 6:43:02 PM , Rating: 1
hey, don't get me started on crapple mucs...

Pirks:
"Admittance is the First Step Towards Recovery"

If next year your master(baller) decides to pay off studios to only make games for their controlled box then what will you do?

maybe you should overspend and buy a crapple muc and support another evil corporation that wants even less user freedoms than m$ then you can help keep PC gaming alive through opengl?

crapple : think stupid




ballmer's head
By johnsonx on 7/28/2006 5:18:35 PM , Rating: 4
Ballmer's head:

/
/
] [
\ /
\/




RE: ballmer's head
By johnsonx on 7/28/2006 5:19:56 PM , Rating: 2
oh damn, it didn't work. so much for my first forray into ASCII art.

What I was trying to show is that his head is rather like a hexagon - pointy top and bottom, flat on the sides.


General
By Midas360 on 7/28/2006 5:08:38 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
You know a company is in trouble when the current CEO was the top salesman for the company.

David G. Pope







RE: General
By caboosemoose on 7/29/2006 12:03:16 PM , Rating: 1
Agreed. the only thing Ballmer has a proven track record for is anti-competitive practices. Unfortunately for M$, the game (in terms of software and digital productivity) is moving on and exploiting a monopoly may not be good enough in future. There's a chance that Microsoft may actually have to deliver excellent product in a reasonable time frame if it is to succeed in the medium to long term. I see relatively little evidence (only the Xbox project) that the company is capable of achieving this.


Large shoes and kids.
By mindless1 on 7/30/2006 2:59:52 AM , Rating: 2
While many who are anti-MS point at Gates as a villain, he did have a large amount of natural talent and insight that Ballmer does not appear to have.

These next few years will be interesting, I don't think MS will be able to fill Bill's shoes and the idea about more frequent OS releases isn't so desirable, there is much to be said about a static platform and that IS essentially a large part of why MS became the monolith that it is on the desktop.

While I come to Anandtech and Dailytech for technical articles, every now and then I'm reminded a huge % of the readership are just immature kids that snicker at a bald head. I'm not bald BTW, and I don't make fun of other human imperfections either. Does it make you feel better about yourself? You must have some pretty bad problems if you need that to feel better.

The funny part is that statistically speaking, a large % of us will eventually be balding as much as Ballmer. We may not jump around like a chimp as he does, so at least there's something to be said for evolution.




RE: Large shoes and kids.
By Pirks on 7/30/06, Rating: 0
RE: Large shoes and kids.
By Pirks on 7/30/2006 3:14:50 PM , Rating: 1
hey mindless I'm not sure I interpreted your word "monolith" properly, and went on Apple being even more "monolithic" - I hope you'll see the difference, they seem to be not quite similar, you must've been talking MS size and I meant Apple integration (hw/sw in one nice box).


Balmer
By goku on 7/30/2006 9:56:50 PM , Rating: 1
The only shining balmer is going to be doing is shining his noggin when he realizes that he doesn't have a fscking clue on how to run a company.




RE: Balmer
By Runiteshark on 7/30/2006 10:41:14 PM , Rating: 2
Nice to see that there are so many talented individuals who have helped create multi-billion dollar companies such as yourself.


Subject
By Howard on 7/28/2006 4:40:21 PM , Rating: 2
"which feature a Wi-Fi" what?




Developers...........
By christyvarghese2004 on 7/28/2006 6:10:20 PM , Rating: 2
Developers developers developers developers developers developers developers developers developers.......... LOL :D




windows for only 99$
By alienplay on 7/28/2006 10:19:33 PM , Rating: 2
Shiny Ballmer
By techhappy on 7/30/2006 7:39:50 PM , Rating: 2
Wasn't Ballmer that crazy Microsoft manager who was one of Bill Gates' friends back at Harvard? From what I remember, Ballmer's antics are hilarious. This should be interesting to see what sillines will ensue.

And yeah, that's one shiny forehead, let's hope his forehead is not all that shines.




It's Ballmer's Time to Shine
By cornfedone on 7/29/2006 12:08:11 AM , Rating: 1
Lotsa luck.




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