2008: Definitive, Unsolicited Advice for Microsoft
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Once again, rather than make predictions, I will offer Microsoft some advice for the year ahead. Not that anyone listened to my recommendations for 2007. The best advice is unexpected, and I have plenty of it to give. |
Next year, I've got to remember to do this in June, because Microsoft's 2008 fiscal year is about half over already. But it's never too late to change (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).
The list is in reverse order from least to most important:
10. Your partners can't serve two masters. The concept has literary and biblical origins, such as not being able to serve God and the devil. Microsoft customers, developers and OEMs can't serve Windows XP and Vista. They should be choosing among Vista versions and not between Windows XP or its successor. Microsoft, you must get Windows XP out of the marketplace. Now! Yes, there will be bad press and accusations that you're forcing customers to Vista. Those stories will explode like a nova and disappear. But the stories about people downgrading to Windows XP will keep on burning.
Windows XP competition is hurting Windows Vista, in part because the older operating system stayed in the market for too long. The XP ecosystem is developed and holds back Vista adoption. Show some Vista commitment, Microsoft, and pull XP out of the OEM market.
9. That cloak of invisibility has got to go. Is Ray Ozzie, your chief software architect, going to roll out a new services platform or not? There had been high expectations about Ozzie being a changing force, but the guy is nearly invisible. He does still work there, right? Sure, Ozzie is no great shakes at public speaking, but that's no reason to bury him in the ground.
C'mon, don't you get tired of reading about Google and Web 2.0? For a company that can't stop talking about products or technologies that won't ship for years, if ever, the Ozzie silence raises all kinds of questions about whether or not you really have a services strategy. Software plus services is what? If your chief architect isn't talking about the strategy, how is anyone ever going to believe in it?
8. Good products are not designed by committee. Microsoft, you collect way too much feedback from analysts, channel partners, customers and developers, among others, about your products. As the saying goes, you can't please everybody. If you try to please everybody, you will satisfy nobody. Products will be mediocre. Windows Vista is a example of too many chefs in the kitchen.
Feedback is good before the development process starts. But the input tree should rapidly narrow, once real development starts. Ultimately, there must be narrow accountability, with a small group of people making final feature decisions. Do you think Apple CEO Steve Jobs listens to a committee?
7. Windows Me Two is bad product strategy. Microsoft, you sure seem determined to turn Vista into Windows Me Too Two. Vista marketing has disappeared, and you have made no real attempt to defend your flagship operating system from critics or Apple "Get a Mac" ads. This week, Microsoft Watch commenter Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote: "The most telling point is that Microsoft itself has given up trying to counter Vista's bad press, and is already talking up Dimdows 7."
C'mon, Microsoft, people should want Vista. You haven't given them any reasons, and you let OEMs keep on selling Windows XP. Try this: Enable developers to use Windows Vista activation as a means of selling and updating their software. If developers can sell directly through Vista, they will support it. You only need a couple killer Vista apps to pull along the install base.
I'm wagging my finger at you, Microsoft. Are you committed to Vista or not? If you are committed, then you better tell someone soon—and loudly. Your silence isn't deafening; the noise of Vista detractors is cacophony.
6. Enthusiasts are your lifeblood. Love them. Microsoft, I remember when you would send free products to Windows user groups, easily. It's long past time for you to encourage and reward customer loyalty. The effort must be proactive. Your enthusiasts are your best marketing evangelists. You've got some great contests for young innovators, MVP awards and some other programs. But you need to reward enthusiasts simply for loving your products on forums, blogs and elsewhere.
5. Partners are not created equal. Microsoft, Microsoft, Microsoft, you've got to understand that you can't please everyone and that you shouldn't try. Some of your partners get it, but many don't. You have to play favorites or you're going to sink. Samsung and HTC produce trendy smart phones, Motorola doesn't. HP has a Media Center strategy, Gateway doesn't. Some partners are more loyal than others. Gateway sells only Vista, but not Dell. You should better promote good partners' products, at the least.
Microsoft, your services strategy is flawed. Software plus services is incomplete. Your strategy should be software and hardware plus services. You'll need loads of good cooperation to make software plus hardware plus services work.
You're rich and famous, Microsoft. You're the aged wealthy uncle no one really wants to offend. Everyone really wants to be your friend. If you start showing favoritism, lovelorn partners will get with it. They won't get out. C'mon, where are they going to go? Linux? They won't find much more love there.
4. Good organization matters. Microsoft, your fiscal reporting and organizational hierarchy no longer match your real-world structure. It's time to massively reorganize and even do away with the three marketing presidents. Your real organizational structure is: Platforms (Dynamics, Office, Server System and Windows), Advertising and Search, and Consumer Electronics (Embedded, Mediaroom, Zune and Xbox). Supporting these three vertical silos are two larger groups: Services (Live and the forthcoming new platform) and sales and marketing. Microsoft Research would be a smaller horizontal organization.
Such reorganization would be fiscally painful, because the biggest profit makers would be consolidated into the Platforms group. No chief executive or chief financial officer would want to have two potentially big money-losing organizations out of three. Over time, Advertising and Search revenues would grow. Consumer Electronics would take much longer.
My organization makes no distinction between business and consumer products because there should be none. Microsoft's product and broader software plus services strategies are on trajectory for delivering a single digital lifestyle that changes depending on context, whether personal or professional.
3. Channel conflict is inevitable. Accept it. You were right to take end-to-end approaches with Surface, Xbox and Zune. Some products work best when you control the software plus hardware plus service (What did I say about software plus services not being enough?)
You also have started selling direct, or seemingly direct, with Office Trial, Windows Anytime upgrade and Zune Originals. There are circumstances where direct or end-to-end is more sensible than partnering. But you need to take more control, even if some partners complain. The good ones will be glad of your losing the dead weight.
2. Sometimes people need a map. Well, Microsoft, No. 3 was really meant to prepare you for a tough recommendation: Go into the retail business. Microsoft, Microsoft? What are you doing on the floor? Did you faint?
You have to open flagship stores in 10 cities this year. I would recommend Berlin, Boston, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, New York, Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco, Sydney and Tokyo (or Seoul). The stores should showcase Microsoft products the way they're meant to be used: together. Windows is good, but Windows and Zune are better together. Some products, like Media Extender or Windows Home Server, really need to be seen and used to appreciate their benefits.
Microsoft, be smart. Don't make the experience the same in every store. Flagship stores should reflect local language and culture. Don't bring America everywhere. Localize the stores the way you would Office or Windows. For some locations, like Moscow, show people the benefits of buying software; educate them about problems associated with piracy.
You shouldn't open hundreds of stores like Apple; that would create too much channel conflict. But you should create ministores within retail operations like Best Buy. Either you train the staff or put Microsoft employees in the ministores. Most retailers fail to really show off the "better together" experience. You must do it. Now. Some retailers may complain at first, but not for long if your map leads customers to buying more digital devices and software.
1. Join your own social network. It's a good group. Microsoft, your Zune team has set the standard for Windows experience development, at least. The Windows team is looking to Office 2007 for user interface design concepts. It's the wrong place, Microsoft. Zune digital media and store software sets the standard for elegant, simple UI design.
More importantly, Zune sets the standard for software plus services; the integration delights. The Zune experience strips away all but the most important tasks. Zune is to Office or Windows what Costco and Price Club are to supermarkets. Supermarkets make about 80 percent of their profit on 20 percent of the stock. Costco stocks the 20 percent.
Zune's social networking approach is stellar; it should be the baseline for all your social networking projects, starting with Windows Live.
I've got a 2007 motto for you, Microsoft: Think simple, simple, simple. Be social, social, social. Oh, and repeating think and simple three times is example of unnecessary complexity. Should be: Think simple. Be social. And do right, by taking my advice.
Comments (30)
Some good advice for MS
also good for...the competitors
But nothing is good for the (stupid?) customers (which is really the problem.)
Posted by Marco | December 28, 2007 5:13 PM
a microsoft store!! hahaha... oh man, reminds me of this
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/thousands_wait_overnight_at
Joe, i'm sorry but either your kidding in which case - very funny, well done. Or you don't quite realize the extent of Microsoft's image problem...
Either way, god i hope they follow your advice - classic stuff. Lay bare the 2 money losing business arms, open microsoft stores, piss off partners (preferably followed up by literally telling them "where you gonna go, linux?? hahahaha *slam-helicopter-door-closed-and-fly-off*"), piss off customers (no xp for you), take design cues for your software from the Zun (the e was cut off because the f**king font is unusably large)
Posted by justaguy | December 28, 2007 5:51 PM
Here's a prediction that is a guarentee, if Microsoft doesn't settle with and sign licensing agreements with VCSY, you can forget about seeing Silverlight 2.0 on time!
Posted by I-Man | December 28, 2007 6:51 PM
It's encouraging to see a columnist give straight from the shoulder advice to a software company,a nd it is good advice. My experience is that even when they pay for advice, software firms really don't listen, but do whatever their internal bureaucratic politics drive them to do, which often is dysfunctional. Someone will get very rich when they discover how to get software firms to really be market driven.
Posted by djysrv | December 28, 2007 8:03 PM
I wanted to love Vista, but I spent 6 months doing formal beta-testing and it appealed to me less and less as time went on. Microsoft's own beta-administrators clumsily removed every enthusiast bone in my body. There are still appalling problems with Vista that don't even bring it up to parity with XP for day-to-day usage.
#8: This is absolutely spot-on with the extra hook, that the committee mentality turns into internal group-think. It's very hard to bubble up an unpopular bit of news within MS' dev organisation.
Posted by Mike | December 28, 2007 8:12 PM
Actually like your advice to M$ to get rid of XP and make OEM's just sell Vi$ta, but for different reasons than you Joe.
I think if this were to happen, you would see a sizeable shift away from Microsoft, to Mac and Linux. Face it, the general public and businesses, are not going to accept Vista in its present form.
Also, if M$ did this, they might as well write off the bottom third of computers, the slower, sub $500 laptop market would belong to Linux.
Posted by chips | December 28, 2007 11:14 PM
Joe, you forgot # 1 & #2 & #3 & 4:
1: ditch DRM Now. Remove it forever from Vista. Apologize to the world for trying this horrid idea in the first place.
2: dump the Windows Genuine Advantage immediately.
Apologize to the world for trying this horrid idea in the first place.
3: pull Vista Ultimate from the marketplace and offer to replace it with any other version of Vista to people who were suckered into buying this frauduent version of Vista. Apologize profusely for cheating your customers who bought Ultimate in good faith.
4: reduce the price of all Vista versions by $100.00. Apologize profusely for over pricing this unfinished product and pushing it into the hands of trusting customers.
Posted by mgo | December 29, 2007 3:05 AM
Joe,
5, What you suggest is what got Microsoft in (partly at least) trouble with justice. Very risky.
8, Good products are not designed by a commitee or the DOJ.
mgo,
Apple has file for a pattern for a technolog that is quite similar to Microsoft's WGA. It's comming...
Posted by evan | December 29, 2007 4:40 AM
Simplify.
Make things simple on many fronts. Licencing is very very complicated. Windows Vista versions too. Not to mention the Microsoft titles (MCSE and such) that are changing.
And most important: stick to your promises.
There was going to be an IE8 within a year, remember ?
Posted by Ad Weterings | December 29, 2007 6:45 AM
Boy do 10 please do 10. Loss of produtive killing of hardware. So great. More force to linux.
Basically vista is a lemon. You missed the big one reduce license red tape.
Dell responded to market pressure. Turning on dell will be the worst out come for MS.
Many Things will go wrong in 2008.
Posted by oiaohm | December 29, 2007 8:24 AM
i really don't understand how multiple SKU Vista versions can be such a problem for the average consumer. Joe has also repeatedly wrote that this is confusing. I really don't understand it. People are faced with different "versions" and models when they buy virtually anything these days... From a car (hundrends of models even from single vendor) to a refrigurator or a TV set and I don't think that choosing the specific model of car is anymore difficult that choosing a Vista version. Give the average consumer some credit...
Posted by evan | December 29, 2007 10:10 AM
mgo points were right on. get rid of the DRM and the excessive WGA.
Also, I seldom ever agree with Evan, and while I still don't, I think Evan was close with this comment;
"Apple has file for a pattern for a technolog that is quite similar to Microsoft's WGA. It's comming..."
Although, I think it not WGA, but rather DRM, for Sony blueray and Toshiba HD-DVD. Mac already has a form of WGA in its trusted computer chip, although, a lot easier for its users to tolerate than what M$ has done.
The number one thing beyond removing DRM, that M$ needs to do is;
Make an stable OS that is as secure as Linux. Joe has stated that MS should make an secure OS in the past with an emulator layer in it for legacy apps, to his credit. This can be like Mac OSX with parallels, or Linux with Wine, although the two work completely different. Another option for Microsoft would be to include an older OS (such as XP) and have the OEM's setup a dual boot function on new computer with the MS secure OS and the older legacy MS OS. Since MS would be including this older legacy OS, they could make sure it does not connect to the internet, so as to be secure.
Posted by chips | December 29, 2007 1:56 PM
Joe,
Have you noticed the war going on between Sony and MS? MS has at times dumped their product at a lost (dumping) to compete with the Sony PS3, and try to get Sony to abandon it.
They are at war on the home console front, Xbox vx PS2/3. They are also at war on the High Defination DVD front. M$ has been pouring money into the format wars on the loser Toshiba side to prop them up.
Posted by chips | December 29, 2007 2:01 PM
Oh, yeah. Do a lot or reorganizing. That'll be good. It will cripple already crippled people with lots of uncertainty: now, where am I going to go after the big reorg is completed in 9 (no, 12; no, 18; no, 24) months...
The problem is that the Bloatfarm has put most of its efforts into defending the monopoly fortresses, OS + Office. There is no more there, there.
Apple is skimming off the top end customers who are fed up with the fact that nothing MSFT sells actually works right or competitively; google skims off the low end (mostly everyone does not need Word, Excel, etc.)
What's left? It is an empty shell of increasingly less useful "tools" like Vista.
Why screw around for days or weeks with a morosely inept OS like Vista when you can open up Leopard and run quickly from the start for years?
The problem with the Bloatfarm is the same with all Bloatmonopolies: They get lazy, fat and stupid. That fairly much describes Vista and Office 2008: lazy, fat and stupid.
Who needs it?
What MSFT needs to do is replace the Ballmers and Ozzies et al. Recall the disaster that Ballmer has wrought; recall that Ozzie was the Notes-meister at Lotus. Did you ever use such crap? Lotus notes is an utterly useless product without a google to help you find things which Ozzie never provided.
Get rid of the deadheads at the top!
Posted by jer | December 29, 2007 2:04 PM
@chip
Sorry - but you're dreaming. Most people don't switch OSes - they complain bitterly about the one they have - even after they've mostly gotten it working the way they want it to.
Vista, when delivered on a platform with all the drivers matched up for the hardware works more than well enough for the majority of people. You're being led astray because of how businesses work.
Businesses always defer new OSes and there's a lot new in Vista. The fact that for the first time every, all accounts are essentially in User mode (with UAC to handle special cases) means that a lot of badly written software breaks or works oddly in Vista. But if Microsoft *hadn't* done this, the exact same crowd would be there yelling about the lack of security.
So businesses requesting backgrades to XP really shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. In this respect, the author is dead on - pulling XP and forcing everyone to just get on with it is the right solution, and already talking about Windows 7 is suicidal.
The problem with your view is that you *want* people to get away from Microsoft and you're looking for any reason for it to happen, except that the vast majority of people really just don't care, as long as they get their work done.
And the cost of switching to a whole new OS is always more expensive and disruptive than just getting the new system to work, or just staying where you are.
Posted by Jeff Lewis | December 29, 2007 7:33 PM
eff Lewis : (quote)
@chip
"Sorry - but you're dreaming. Most people don't switch OSes - they complain bitterly about the one they have - even after they've mostly gotten it working the way they want it to."
----------------------------------------------------
You might be right of course. As the consumer public might be the lemmings that MS has thought they are, and might accept Vista, as they are forced feed it on new OEM machines. However, the techies, geeks, or power users, (whatever name u perfer) will not accept it, and many of those will move to a new OS. Its happening now.
----------------------------------------------------
and; (quote)
"And the cost of switching to a whole new OS is always more expensive and disruptive than just getting the new system to work, or just staying where you are."
---------------------------------------------------
Nothing could be further from the truth here. Linux is free software, most apps are free as well. Businesses are planning a move (44% according to a recent survey widely linked in previous posts here on MS Watch) to Linux and some to Mac OSX. 44% is a large minority, and will spur more in the future.
Also consider, that Vista is just one expensive upgrade cycle in the Windows/Office and hardware cycles. As Vista breaks so many apps and games, so will Windows Seven cause another expensive upgrade cycle for businesses and consumer when it comes out.
The only way to get away from the money grubbing clutches of MS constant upgrade cycles, is to move to FREE GNU/Linux, mainly a community version.
Posted by chips | December 29, 2007 8:06 PM
Oh - A microsoft shop. I'd *love* to see one of them.
If the richest man in the word appears on a highly popular TV show in the US - was it Conan? - and cannot get Microsoft software to work - then why on earth could the MS fanboys drafted in to do the shop?
And how would they defend the 'less' maintained products ? "Oh yeah, Exchange still has the same database structure as Access version 2, but its far more reliable. So relable you can now load 72gb of data onto it"...
*snort*
People would flee from that place as fast as their legs could carry them. Imagine all of the MS Bloatware in one place..
"Secure, fail-safe eMail and collaborative applications? Why that'll be 14 separate servers, and a total cost of $1,200 per end-user.. For the first 500 users, excluding server and hardware licenses..."
This is why partners - ironically IBM is the largest one - are in place. People who can make this stuff work for the customers, and actually not laugh when presenting the bill. "Reliable? Yes of course! We'll bet your business on that!"
Accept it. The current software resale infrastructure is a mess, because the software is a mess. Why else is Linux gaining traction, Google gaining traction, and so forth?
"Jack of all trades, master of none?"
---* Bill
Posted by Bill Buchan | December 29, 2007 8:07 PM
I don't think anything of this sort is gonna happen...
They are busy with Windows 7. After release of Windows Vista SP 1, may be in the first quarter 2008, they'll be concentrating on the release of Windows 7 which could be during 2009 second half. People will not migrate to Vista unless it's fast and reliable. M$ ditched their promise... the five pillars of Vista. They've got to pay for it... Pay a price for selling that half-baked cake...
Posted by Mugunth Kumar | December 29, 2007 10:49 PM
These paid Microsoft shills can't answer this because they're instructed to mislead the public just as they have done their own partners!
http://messages.finance.yahoo.com/Stocks_%28A_to_Z%29/Stocks_M/threadview?m=tm&bn=12004&tid=1326022&mid=1326428&tof=4&rt=1&frt=1&off=1
Your blogger can't argue the case either, can he Al? He's just as clueless as you are.
This is the sum total of his argument against the technical constraints of the patent:
(1) "And of course, while the going was good they made sure to make the patent as broad as possible so they included a claim on text file pointers, binary file pointers, compiled executables, shell commands, remote procedure calls, global variables, local variables, local objects, global parent objects, cached objects, database queries, etc."
(2) "Huh? Doesn't this describe any modern OO application in existence? In 2004 when the patent was granted, there were certainly applications that separated content, form and functionality - we were building java based search engine in 1996 and they would have have separated content, form and functionality. The .NET framework has been around since 2000 and also provides similar functionality."
Regarding (1) the claims to the basic constructs describe the parts and pieces of a virtual computer. What sets these claims apart is the assertion that all these factors function in relation to an integrated ecology in which all content, all form and all function is embodied within the computing claims. So the claims based on that concept are novel.
Novel? How can that be since in (2) the blogger states "..."they would have have separated content, form and functionality. The .NET framework has been around since 2000 and also provides similar functionality.""
If .Net had offered this sort of functionality, Microsoft would not have had to offer Expression as the separate design environment of .Net in Microsoft's effort to make .Net a more relevant web authoring platform for web-based applications.
And .Net + Expression has still not reached the level of sophistication described by the Siteflash patent or the Siteflash derivatives.
VCSY is presenting Siteflash as a "Service as a Software" offering. Where is Microsoft's similar offering? Where is .Net in that arena? Not.
So it's very convenient to ignore the core languages in the patent because it seems to assure the many out there who are horrified to find Microsoft does not own the technology necessary to effectively build on the internet.
The technology described by the 6826744 patent established the claims needed to build robust web-platforms where any and all arbitrary content, any and any arbitrary form and any and all arbitrary code may be handled in a single package for extension to any framework or platform.
Keep laughing Al. We're all watching and waiting for somebody to show how broad the patent is.
Posted by I-Man | December 30, 2007 12:52 PM
Some prediction:
blogs.zdnet.com/storage/?p=260
2008: Linux’s year on the desktop
Desktop Linux hurts Microsoft
Linux has kept a big chunk of the server business out of Microsoft’s hands. But in 2008, Linux will hurt Microsoft on the desktop. Here’s how.
A new computing platform
Thanks to Moore’s Law and evolving application needs, a new computing platform arrives every 10 years. Mainframes in the ’50s, minicomputers in the ’60s, PCs in the ’70s, microcontrollers in the ’80s, PDAs and cell phones in the ’90s and now sub-$400 - soon to be sub-$300 notebooks.
Small and light enough to be carried everywhere, these sub-notes provide Internet access, PDA functionality and basic mail and document creation functionality at a rock-bottom price. Asustek is expected to build 1,000,000 Eee sub-notes in Q1 ‘08 alone. Asustek’s competitors are just getting warmed up.
What can Microsoft do?
Microsoft has gotten fat on the $50 Windows tax it charges PC manufacturers. But on a razor-thin margin vendors can’t afford Windows.
So they’re going with Linux. If Asustek sells 5 million Eee’s, and their competitors sell another 5 million, several million consumers will be introduced to desktop Linux for the first time.
And millions of copies of Windows and Office won’t be sold.
Microsoft will skate in ‘08
For all the attention Apple gets for its growing market share, the Linux-based sub-$400 notebook/sub-$200 desktop unit sales will be several times as large in 2008. Even combined this won’t hurt Microsoft in 2008, thanks to the growing migration to Vista.
2009 is a different story. 25 million Linux desktops will take a bite out of Microsoft sales - one that Wall Street will certainly notice.
The Storage Bits take
Microsoft’s days as a de facto monopoly are coming to an end - and not a moment too soon. Increasingly desperate attacks on Linux will intensify, but how does Microsoft go after Wal-Mart?
Posted by Marco | December 30, 2007 1:17 PM
Will you see Silverlight 2.0 ontime?
Microsoft will never be able to use VCSY's XML Enabler patent(521), in which they need to do to put out Silverlight 2.0, unless they settle with VCSY on infringement charges of VCSY's Siteflash patent(744-below)and sign licensing agreements. Microsoft has INDUCED many of their partners to also infringe on VCSY's Siteflash patent.
VCSY's Patent 6826744 infringed claims by MSFT:
7. Microsoft manufacturers, has made, uses, sells and/or offers for sale software such as the Microsoft.Net development platform that, when used, is covered by at least claims 1-5, 9, 11, 17-19, 21, 23, 25-29, 33, 39-41, 43, 45, 47, and 48 of the 744 (6826744) patent. Microsoft has also induced others to infringe and/or has contributorily infringed those claims of the 744 (6826744) patent.
From http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=6,826,744.PN.&OS=PN/6,826,744&RS=PN/6,826,744
1. A method for generating a computer application on a host system in an arbitrary object framework that separates a content of said computer application, a form of said computer application and a functionality of said computer application, said method comprising: creating arbitrary objects with corresponding arbitrary names of various object types for generating said content of said computer application, said form of said computer application, and said functionality of said computer application; managing said arbitrary objects in an object library; and deploying said arbitrary objects from said object library into a design framework to create said computer application.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said computer application is a web site.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said various object types comprise text file pointers.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein said various object types comprise binary file pointers.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein said various object types comprise compiled executables.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein said various object types comprise cached executables.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein said various object types comprise local variables.
17. The method of claim 1, further comprising deploying arbitrary objects locally.
18. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of managing said arbitrary objects further comprises using revision tracking.
19. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of managing said arbitrary objects further comprises using rollback.
21. The method of claim 1, wherein said arbitrary objects can be accessed and deployed into said design framework using said corresponding arbitrary names.
23. The method of claim 1, further comprising caching objects.
25. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating arbitrary objects in a programming language that is compatible or supported by said host system.
26. A method for generating a web site on a host system in an arbitrary object framework that separates a content of said web site, a form of said web site, and a functionality of said web site, said method comprising: creating arbitrary objects with corresponding arbitrary names of various object types for generating said content of said web site, said form of said web site, and said functionality of said web site; managing said arbitrary objects in an object library; and deploying said arbitrary objects from said object library to a container page to create said web site.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein said various object types comprise text file pointers.
28. The method of claim 26, wherein said various object types comprise binary file pointers.
29. The method of claim 26, wherein said various object types comprise compiled executables.
33. The method of claim 26, wherein said various object types comprise local variables.
39. The method of claim 26, further comprising deploying arbitrary objects locally.
40. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of managing said arbitrary objects further comprises using revision tracking.
41. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of managing said arbitrary objects further comprises using rollback.
43. The method of claim 26, wherein said arbitrary objects can be accessed and deployed into said container page using said corresponding arbitrary names.
45. The method of claim 26, further comprising caching objects.
47. The method of claim 26, further comprising generating arbitrary objects in a programming language that is compatible or supported by said host system.
48. The method of claim 26, wherein said various object types comprise cached executable.
Posted by I-Man | December 31, 2007 7:10 AM
I agree with JW about serving two masters. I disagree with him on which master to serve. I would skip Vista and pay homage to XP until Windows 7 (or a substantial improvement to XP) comes along.
Vista, to my mind, is merely a bridge between XP and the improvement to XP that Vista was supposed to be.
Bob Hastings
Posted by Bob Hastings | December 31, 2007 6:19 PM
Stop allowing XP in the OEM market?
Sorry, Joe, but I think that the customers value the differences between 2K, XP, and Vista more than they do the distinctions between the various Vista SKU's. Not so long ago, most people were learning their first OS's. Now, at least in the industrialized world, almost everyone over five is already familiar with an OS, and most of them do not need or want to learn a new one. Some of the most successful OEM's have shown that they are smart enough to recognize this, and MS should "get it," too.
Oh, and by-the-way, the name "Vista" was already in use for an electronic health record system software.
MS needs to provide a robust and secure OS without legacy code, then make simple virtualization STANDARD. Not only would this allow people to use whatever Windows software applications and hardware they WANT to use, but it could even CO-OPT the Unix/BSD/Linux flavors: "Why limit yourself with ____ (fill in the operating system), when you can have the best of the 'free and open source' world AND the entire Windows-world, hassle-free?" MS could even hype how "green" its policies were, unlike those of (choke!) Apple. True, this would not appeal to those OEM's who want MS to force every existing piece of hardware into early obsolescence, but those are the same manufacturers that are about to learn the hard way that there is a huge market for economy over luxury (Very few makers of fabulous hand-built automobiles survived long, after Henry Ford introduced his stripped-down, but eminently affordable, versions. The computer world is about to be transformed in the same way.).
Let me offer some free advice of my own to MS. There is nothing about "XP" or "Vista" that tells the average customer which OS generation is which. Those same people could have clearly understood that a "Windows 2007" was a later model than a "Windows 2001" or Windows 2000, and they would readily infer that the "2001" and 2000 models were getting "old." By implication, the "old" models need to be "updated." (I write this as one who is unlikely to ever use Vista in his own business and who believes that XP is a consumer-oriented sideline that is generally inferior to 2000 Professional. Of course, I am also the guy who sees no reason to "upgrade" his reliable, work-horse, 1986 station wagon that gets 29-ACTUAL-miles per gallon, in favor of 29-ESTIMATED-miles per gallon in some stylish, but functionally impaired, new model sedan designed for someone a foot shorter. For me, function trumps fashion. Nonetheless, I have to actively DEFEND my choices to keep what most people perceive to be "outdated," because they understand dates and automatically assume that it is much better to have a current model than an old one.)
Get it, MS?
Posted by pinball | January 1, 2008 6:32 PM
"Microsoft, you collect way too much feedback from analysts, channel partners, customers and developers, among others, about your products."
I'm sorry but that is just bogus. It's impossible to collect TOO MUCH feedback from customers! Without customer feedback, you have nothing. It's valid to say that they have too many chefs in the kitchen but discounting customer feedback is ridiculous. This is an OS, you've got to please everyone!
Posted by blaster | January 2, 2008 5:23 AM
Oh, and I completely agree that MS's problems are problems of leadership. Ballmer and Ozzie need to go. Just like Gates needed to go 10 years ago. Just like Alchin needed to go before he made awful architectural mistakes with Vista that set the project back. They need new blood. Ballmer, to me, is an icon for how out of touch the company is. The man writes notes on paper because he can't figure out "the machines!" Get him out.
Posted by blaster | January 2, 2008 5:27 AM
I think that Microsoft will push the Vista business versions pretty hard after SP1 is released.
However a big home user push may be on hold until after the release of the upcoming (?) Fiji rollup which should include many of the Media Center components and possibly more features as well. I expect some announcement about a "Media Center Update" at CES.
Posted by JanJ | January 2, 2008 2:18 PM
I have used Vista home Prem on my mom's Laptop. Its OK at best. I am still using Windows XP Pro, and have played with 64-bit Ubuntu Linux for my tower. It was great, I should put it back on. I want to upgrade to Vista, Home Prem, but at the same time I don't because I dont want to help the cause. We need company's to compete against MS. But the biggest problems with Linux are of course.
1. Driver/hardware support from system builders and OEM's.
2. Application support for SOME apps. You can get any office product (Open Office.org), free photo editing software via the Gimp. But what about Flash/Acrobat Reader for Linux?? You can get AOL AIM for linux, but it is like what 5 versions earlier? Dell and other OEM's are helping a huge amount by offering Linux for the Laptops/Desktops they sell, but is NOT Enough!!!
3. Linux, needs to come together as much as possible and make some sort of marketing campaign. To promote Linux in general, not a specific distro such as Fedora/ Ubunto for desktop/laptop an Red Hat for enterprise/ servers. "Get a MAC??" ....Get a linux box! I meen I would take a Mac with OSX ANY Day to Vista, but still the point is the same!
Posted by Tenchidbz | January 3, 2008 5:45 PM
To Tenchidbz; (quoting you)
"But the biggest problems with Linux are of course.
1. Driver/hardware support from system builders and OEM's. "
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There is more Driver/hardware support for Linux, than Vista. OEM support will come it time, when the market for OEM Linux improves, the chicken and the Egg.
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"But what about Flash/Acrobat Reader for Linux??"
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That's already been done a long time ago. If you want some Linux distros where that comes already done out of the box, setup, check out the links for Mepis and Mint GNU/Linux at distrowatch.com. The thing about the distros, is not everyone wants those apps, but most will let you install them later.
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"3. Linux, needs to come together as much as possible and make some sort of marketing campaign. To promote Linux in general"
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It is coming together, although slowly, and the marketing campaign is called by way of word of mouth. Slowly Linux has been growing on the desktop, and will continue to do so. GNU/Linux does not need to become the new "Windows" and even dominate the desktop. There is room for more choice in the market. The power of the monopoly holding on to 91% of the desktop market share, cannot last forever, especially if Vista is the best they could do in 6 years time.
Posted by chips | January 3, 2008 6:58 PM
@Tenchidbz:
Unless you're doing 64-bit development, it may be better to stay with the 32-bit Ubuntu. Just my 2 cents. So assuming a 32-bit Ubuntu, here's my recent experience correlated with your numbered list:
1. Driver support is pretty good, but you still need to be careful. For example, certain Toshiba laptops are sound-less on Ubuntu with no known solution. And I am told that best results for some video problems (especially ATI and nVidia) can be solved by installing the formal Linux drivers from the manufacturers. Ubuntu makes this pretty easy and seamless to do, but they aren't installed by default because they're non-GPL'd... of course.
2. Adobe offers a download Flash plug-in for Firefox that works great. The (admittedly techie) ffmeg2theora converts downloaded .flv (flash) files into .ogg that can be played nicely using the standard installed movie player. Pidgin is a really nice IM client; I have a mix of MSN, Jabber, and AIM accounts all active at the same time. For PDFs, the standard viewer works well, and KPDF works even better, even allowing you to print a subset of a PDF file to another PDF file. And K3B is much cleaner and easier to use than Nero for CD and DVD burning... ell, at least I find it so.
3. But there is a marketing campaign for Linux. It's called Vista, and it's being very capably and effectively run by Steve Ballmer! :-)
All in all, Linux-based operating systems still have enough rough edges to.... keep them great enough for folks like me but keep them rare enough to be under the radar of most hackers. Being a famous high-value target isn't as wonderful as many people think it is!
Posted by Brian | January 3, 2008 7:05 PM
Wow. Joe, you need to do a sanity check! Vista is not working for customers...yet you want M$ to force the issue? Who exactly are you looking out for, anyway? And yeah...#s 7 & 10 point to the same thing - there is/was nothing compelling about Vista. Don't feed me the "more secure" line. Yes, they added some things like UAC...but noone finds security compelling - it's something that ought to *just be there* anyway! And we've learned from continual past occurrences that M$ is not able to do security. So we've given up on it as a "selling point". Features? No. Not those either. We have enough functionality in XP. That's what M$ is up against - inability to do well what it really needs to do: overhaul the internals and make things *really* secure, faster, etc.; rather than a little tack-on security and some eye candy. Hell, they can't even figure out how to deal with Office file formats...what are they doing peddling operating systems? No, you shouldn't be pushing them to obsolete XP - they finally got it right with XP, people like it, it works.
Posted by Andrew | January 7, 2008 2:51 PM