Nick Rossi makes some valid points in this article, however there's a few things that he misses. I realize that it's nearly impossible to encapsulate every flaw that Microsoft has made over the years, so let's add to his thoughts.
He mentions UNIX several times in this article and I believe that he's using UNIX to encompass Linux and the various BSDs. Here's a few examples:
When I wrote the first gloomy article in 1999, Internet infrastructure was already moving to UNIX. Microsoft had become a non-player in the low-cost Web and database server market
The final irony is that both Apple and Google have based their operating systems on UNIX, which was literally a gift to the industry from Bell Labs and Novell.
With UNIX at the core, Apple makes money on hardware...
While I believe that this is a pretty big oversight, however for the purpose of the points he's trying to make, it really doesn't matter. There is, however, the matter of other server software that will run on top of various platforms such as Nginx which has further eaten into any potential sales of Microsoft server software.
He mentions the golden goose by which I'm assuming he means Windows and Office:
There is no room at the party for Microsoft. It now must try to reinvent itself without killing its tired golden goose.
Well, the killing of those geese has already began. By forcing things like Metro and Office's ribbon down users throats, taking control away, and having obvious amateurs design user interfaces, what else can be expected to happen? I realize that the whole world believes that cloud services are the future. While there's still much room to grow in that area, I don't believe that everyone is going to give in, especially now with the various NSA scandals.
I can't help but thinking of the Xbox too:
http://gadgets.ndtv.com/games/news/xbox ... ash-416145
The presentation was apparently the first stop of an apology tour for Microsoft, which originally said the successor to the Xbox 360 would be required to go online every 24 hours and limit how users could access previously purchased games. A month later, citing feedback from consumers, Microsoft Corp. announced it decided not to implement such restrictions.
Microsoft's atypical about-face continued last month when the Redmond, Wash., company declared that an updated version of its Kinect sensor, which detects motion and voice, would no longer be required to operate the Xbox One. That turnabout came after the company, at events like the Electronic Entertainment Expo, defended how integral Kinect was to the Xbox One.
What the fuck does it take to get it through some corporate suit's head that locking stuff down and forcing peripherals down users throats doesn't work, not in this day and age? Surely, someone must realize that competition exists, not only in the gaming stuff, but the software too. Wake up, Microsoft, before it's too late.
