There must be tens of thousands of people who own Microsoft stock. When will they get a clue that this company isn't being run very well?
Even if Ballmer is the blame for the way the company is managed, getting rid of him won't get rid of the software problems. Engineers made that stuff and for whatever reason they can't find a way to make their OS easy to use and coherent. A friend of mine is regularly frustrated that her old XP machine and her Windows 7 machine regularly freeze.
How is it that Microsoft Office is so well liked yet Windows is universally derided? OK, maybe the last changes to Office weren't as well received, but I don't hear people complaining about many bugs in it.
Will Microsoft be divided into segments and operated as different companies? There could be the gaming company; the enterprise company, and the OS company. Each could optimize their products for specific audiences. The gaming and enterprise companies could make their software work on numerous platforms instead of just Windows machines or Xboxes. By doing that they wouldn't be tied down to one platform and suffer the consequences. The OS people could try to make something better that hardware manufacturers actually want instead of them being forced to use Windows. If Office software worked on Apple and GNU/Linux machines that part of Microsoft could earn more money. Hardware manufacturers wouldn't be forced into only buying Windows for their machines. Maybe Microsoft's hardware division could coax the OS guys into actually making something worthy of a unique hardware device people would want to buy.
This sort of alignment would be aimed at bringing Windows and Windows Phone closer together in capabilities and interoperability.
Riiiiight, because clearly that is how Apple has been successful with the iOS platform - by cramming every desktop feature into there creating a full desktop experience smooshed into a 4" screen - NOT!
The single most genius thing that Apple did with the original iPhone was NOT dragging every bit of legacy baggage along for the ride. While I think it is great that the underlying kernel has a similar base - and that many parts of the user interface and user experience are converging - if Apple had tried to deliver a Mac OS X Phone back in 2007 it may not have done nearly as well.
On the other hand - from the limited screen shots I have seen of iOS7 - not sure if my sweet tooth is strong enough for the cotton candy UI - and I have one heck of a sweet tooth. Seriously though, a number of pics I have seen of the developer release show very thin light elements with little contrast between the elements and the background - could be a serious issue if there isn't a way to change it. I do understand to a degree Steve Jobs' obsession with keeping the user experience from getting fragmented - I do not understand the pathological aversion to allowing the end user to customize the appears of their own device. Simple things like audio feedback from UI elements can make a huge difference - or not having monotone gray icons in iTunes can actually be helpful to the user.
Riiiiight, because clearly that is how Apple has been successful with the iOS platform - by cramming every desktop feature into there creating a full desktop experience smooshed into a 4" screen - NOT!
The single most genius thing that Apple did with the original iPhone was NOT dragging every bit of legacy baggage along for the ride. While I think it is great that the underlying kernel has a similar base - and that many parts of the user interface and user experience are converging - if Apple had tried to deliver a Mac OS X Phone back in 2007 it may not have done nearly as well.
On the other hand - from the limited screen shots I have seen of iOS7 - not sure if my sweet tooth is strong enough for the cotton candy UI - and I have one heck of a sweet tooth. Seriously though, a number of pics I have seen of the developer release show very thin light elements with little contrast between the elements and the background - could be a serious issue if there isn't a way to change it. I do understand to a degree Steve Jobs' obsession with keeping the user experience from getting fragmented - I do not understand the pathological aversion to allowing the end user to customize the appears of their own device. Simple things like audio feedback from UI elements can make a huge difference - or not having monotone gray icons in iTunes can actually be helpful to the user.
The first few things I have done with both releases of iOS 7 thus far has been use Larger Type, use "Bold Text" and use "Increase Contrast."
Battery life seems much better now due either to the new release or deactivating "Background App Refresh."
"Cotton Candy" UI is a great description. I was thinking "Bubblegum" (as in "Bubblegum Dance" music). In my opinion the color palette is overbearing and the overall design too simplistic lacking the former overall effective, efficient and elegant design.
"Bubblegum dance" is a music genre is characterized by cute lyrics and happy sounds contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, that may be produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers and often using unknown singers. Bubblegum dance usually has a more pop sound than other Eurodance. The lyrics and style are often light-hearted and are not intended to be taken seriously. They are often amusing and cheerful. Bubblegum dance is similar to bubblegum pop music in that they both tend to have fun, childish subjects.
A friend of mine is regularly frustrated that her old XP machine and her Windows 7 machine regularly freeze.
She's either trying to run an unstable program or she has a hardware problem. I've been on the same Windows 7 install for three years and the only time I had freezing problems was when my graphics card would overheat. A little bit of added ventilation and no more issues. Windows 7 is ridiculously stable. XP freezes happen, but they're fairly uncommon. The same suggestions apply to her for that 'puter as well.
Not to belittle the big yellow box across town, but there seem to be parallels here. Lets hope that they don't start selling off profitable businesses.
Microsoft has become the 200 lb gorilla in the room that still thinks and behaves like it is the 600 lb gorilla, ignoring that Google and Apple have grown into 600lb and 1000 lb gorillas.
That's enough of monkeys.
Would like to see Microsoft adding more to the innovation game as well- they did take a huge risk with Win 8 and while they had the right idea with the flat functionality the implementation is atrocious. The UI looks like someone just threw random magnets on a refrigerator door. It will be interesting to see what Apple comes up with with the flat functionality combined with their always minimalistic elegance.
Unfortunately I agree with everyone else that what's really needed isn't going to happen. Ballmer might skate to where the puck is and get just about everything else wrong, but he's made quite a brilliant textbook career of lopping off the body to preserve the head.
There must be tens of thousands of people who own Microsoft stock. When will they get a clue that this company isn't being run very well?
Usually after a crisis. It comes to a point though that you can only punt and hope for the best with the CEO you have. I'm looking at this from the point of view of watching Kodak implode across town. If you hire a series of CEOs they only have what was left by the previous CEOs to work with. All those errors add up to the point that your last CEO hired is basically working with two hands tied behind his back.
Even if Ballmer is the blame for the way the company is managed, getting rid of him won't get rid of the software problems. Engineers made that stuff and for whatever reason they can't find a way to make their OS easy to use and coherent. A friend of mine is regularly frustrated that her old XP machine and her Windows 7 machine regularly freeze.
This is what most people don't get, Ballmer was left with a lot of crap that built up over the years. This is why the effort to write a new OS for the Surface products was the right move even if not well executed.
How is it that Microsoft Office is so well liked yet Windows is universally derided? OK, maybe the last changes to Office weren't as well received, but I don't hear people complaining about many bugs in it.
MS isn't well liked, it has always been the cheap solution.
Will Microsoft be divided into segments and operated as different companies? There could be the gaming company; the enterprise company, and the OS company. Each could optimize their products for specific audiences. The gaming and enterprise companies could make their software work on numerous platforms instead of just Windows machines or Xboxes. By doing that they wouldn't be tied down to one platform and suffer the consequences. The OS people could try to make something better that hardware manufacturers actually want instead of them being forced to use Windows. If Office software worked on Apple and GNU/Linux machines that part of Microsoft could earn more money. Hardware manufacturers wouldn't be forced into only buying Windows for their machines. Maybe Microsoft's hardware division could coax the OS guys into actually making something worthy of a unique hardware device people would want to buy.
One big issue MS needs to address is the very high prices it charges for things like Office. Until they deal with that I can't see a significant increase in adoption on other platforms. People are well aware of the high profits associated with some MS apps and as such make rational decisions to avoid supporting MS greed.
Look at what Apple has done with iWorks which I consider to be smart moves on both IOS and Mac OS. Lowering the price and unbundling is good for both consumers and Apple. Further I'm expecting that Apple is still making a lot of money with iWorks. Maybe not the billions MS makes with Office but enough to keep the software viable and self supporting.
It is actually kinda strange that some people actually associated Apples lowering of software prices as targeting less than professional markets. We have heard such from the Aperture crowd, the Mac OS crowd and others which makes no sense. The professional appeal of a piece of software ought to be tied to its features and usability not its price tag. This especially the case when you have millions of users.
In the end Wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find that Apples success lately is at least a little bit tied to the more rational software costs associated with their products.
Ballmer is the one that needs to go in the first place. They are too far gone. At this point they are Blackberry or Palm, just with a lot more money to throw at the problem. By this time next year all they will have to rely on is XBOX, internet services such as Bing and what's left of Office.
[snip] Windows 7 is probably the best OS on the market right now. [snip]
You must be meaning to say "out of all the Windows OS".
I use both Mountain Lion and Win7 at the moment, and I can’t really come to the same conclusion as you... But maybe you are sensitive to things that I am not (and vice-versa).
Ballmer is the one that needs to go in the first place. They are too far gone. At this point they are Blackberry or Palm, just with a lot more money to throw at the problem. By this time next year all they will have to rely on is XBOX, internet services such as Bing and what's left of Office.
Btw: Not defending MS, just that for MS to fold financially, every corporate would have to stop supporting windows operating system and more importantly MS Office and I think I could become billionaire before that happens.
The first few things I have done with both releases of iOS 7 thus far has been use Larger Type, use "Bold Text" and use "Increase Contrast."
Battery life seems much better now due either to the new release or deactivating "Background App Refresh."
"Cotton Candy" UI is a great description. I was thinking "Bubblegum" (as in "Bubblegum Dance" music). In my opinion the color palette is overbearing and the overall design too simplistic lacking the former overall effective, efficient and elegant design.
"Bubblegum dance" is a music genre is characterized by cute lyrics and happy sounds contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, that may be produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers and often using unknown singers. Bubblegum dance usually has a more pop sound than other Eurodance. The lyrics and style are often light-hearted and are not intended to be taken seriously. They are often amusing and cheerful. Bubblegum dance is similar to bubblegum pop music in that they both tend to have fun, childish subjects.
One big issue MS needs to address is the very high prices it charges for things like Office. Until they deal with that I can't see a significant increase in adoption on other platforms. People are well aware of the high profits associated with some MS apps and as such make rational decisions to avoid supporting MS greed.
There won't be a significant increase in MS Office adoption on other platforms because MS doesn't want that to happen. They won't make a fully functioning version of Office for other platforms. They may create some viewers and even give minor editing capabilities, but nothing close to the features that Office on a Windows machine will be able to do. This has been part of their business strategy for decades now.
The day that Microsoft makes a fully functioning version of Office for an OS they don't own is the day they "admit" that their OS division is in real trouble.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by drblank
Windows 8 AND Surface RT AND Surface Pro have been failures and everyone doesn't want to admit it publicly.
Agreed!
Pretty much. Should have stuck with win 7. Hopefully they drop back to separate PC and phone OSs.
There must be tens of thousands of people who own Microsoft stock. When will they get a clue that this company isn't being run very well?
Even if Ballmer is the blame for the way the company is managed, getting rid of him won't get rid of the software problems. Engineers made that stuff and for whatever reason they can't find a way to make their OS easy to use and coherent. A friend of mine is regularly frustrated that her old XP machine and her Windows 7 machine regularly freeze.
How is it that Microsoft Office is so well liked yet Windows is universally derided? OK, maybe the last changes to Office weren't as well received, but I don't hear people complaining about many bugs in it.
Will Microsoft be divided into segments and operated as different companies? There could be the gaming company; the enterprise company, and the OS company. Each could optimize their products for specific audiences. The gaming and enterprise companies could make their software work on numerous platforms instead of just Windows machines or Xboxes. By doing that they wouldn't be tied down to one platform and suffer the consequences. The OS people could try to make something better that hardware manufacturers actually want instead of them being forced to use Windows. If Office software worked on Apple and GNU/Linux machines that part of Microsoft could earn more money. Hardware manufacturers wouldn't be forced into only buying Windows for their machines. Maybe Microsoft's hardware division could coax the OS guys into actually making something worthy of a unique hardware device people would want to buy.
Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers Developers
Ballmer.
Quote:
This sort of alignment would be aimed at bringing Windows and Windows Phone closer together in capabilities and interoperability.
Riiiiight, because clearly that is how Apple has been successful with the iOS platform - by cramming every desktop feature into there creating a full desktop experience smooshed into a 4" screen - NOT!
The single most genius thing that Apple did with the original iPhone was NOT dragging every bit of legacy baggage along for the ride. While I think it is great that the underlying kernel has a similar base - and that many parts of the user interface and user experience are converging - if Apple had tried to deliver a Mac OS X Phone back in 2007 it may not have done nearly as well.
On the other hand - from the limited screen shots I have seen of iOS7 - not sure if my sweet tooth is strong enough for the cotton candy UI - and I have one heck of a sweet tooth. Seriously though, a number of pics I have seen of the developer release show very thin light elements with little contrast between the elements and the background - could be a serious issue if there isn't a way to change it. I do understand to a degree Steve Jobs' obsession with keeping the user experience from getting fragmented - I do not understand the pathological aversion to allowing the end user to customize the appears of their own device. Simple things like audio feedback from UI elements can make a huge difference - or not having monotone gray icons in iTunes can actually be helpful to the user.
The first few things I have done with both releases of iOS 7 thus far has been use Larger Type, use "Bold Text" and use "Increase Contrast."
Battery life seems much better now due either to the new release or deactivating "Background App Refresh."
"Cotton Candy" UI is a great description. I was thinking "Bubblegum" (as in "Bubblegum Dance" music). In my opinion the color palette is overbearing and the overall design too simplistic lacking the former overall effective, efficient and elegant design.
"Bubblegum dance" is a music genre is characterized by cute lyrics and happy sounds contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, that may be produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers and often using unknown singers. Bubblegum dance usually has a more pop sound than other Eurodance. The lyrics and style are often light-hearted and are not intended to be taken seriously. They are often amusing and cheerful. Bubblegum dance is similar to bubblegum pop music in that they both tend to have fun, childish subjects.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Smallwheels
A friend of mine is regularly frustrated that her old XP machine and her Windows 7 machine regularly freeze.
She's either trying to run an unstable program or she has a hardware problem. I've been on the same Windows 7 install for three years and the only time I had freezing problems was when my graphics card would overheat. A little bit of added ventilation and no more issues. Windows 7 is ridiculously stable. XP freezes happen, but they're fairly uncommon. The same suggestions apply to her for that 'puter as well.
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Not to belittle the big yellow box across town, but there seem to be parallels here. Lets hope that they don't start selling off profitable businesses.
One big issue MS needs to address is the very high prices it charges for things like Office. Until they deal with that I can't see a significant increase in adoption on other platforms. People are well aware of the high profits associated with some MS apps and as such make rational decisions to avoid supporting MS greed.
Look at what Apple has done with iWorks which I consider to be smart moves on both IOS and Mac OS. Lowering the price and unbundling is good for both consumers and Apple. Further I'm expecting that Apple is still making a lot of money with iWorks. Maybe not the billions MS makes with Office but enough to keep the software viable and self supporting.
It is actually kinda strange that some people actually associated Apples lowering of software prices as targeting less than professional markets. We have heard such from the Aperture crowd, the Mac OS crowd and others which makes no sense. The professional appeal of a piece of software ought to be tied to its features and usability not its price tag. This especially the case when you have millions of users.
In the end Wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find that Apples success lately is at least a little bit tied to the more rational software costs associated with their products.
Microsoft spun their little console flip flop by saying they "listened to their customers." Their stubbornness on Windows 8 seems to say otherwise.
The comments I read are true, you really are crazy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
HA HA HA HA HA HA THEY'RE GOING TO STOP MAKING OS SOFTWARE HA HA HA HA HA HA!
Just as long as they keep Ballmer. Whatever they do, Ballmer MUST stay.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DroidFTW
[snip] Windows 7 is probably the best OS on the market right now. [snip]
You must be meaning to say "out of all the Windows OS".
I use both Mountain Lion and Win7 at the moment, and I can’t really come to the same conclusion as you... But maybe you are sensitive to things that I am not (and vice-versa).
Quote:
Originally Posted by bdkennedy1
Ballmer is the one that needs to go in the first place. They are too far gone. At this point they are Blackberry or Palm, just with a lot more money to throw at the problem. By this time next year all they will have to rely on is XBOX, internet services such as Bing and what's left of Office.
You have not been observing the financial returns of Microsoft. They are far from gone try these links for their financial situation http://in.advfn.com/p.php?pid=financials&symbol=N^MSFT and http://www.wpcentral.com/microsoft’s-financial-health-simply-unquestionable and if your talking their innovation, then I agree.
Btw: Not defending MS, just that for MS to fold financially, every corporate would have to stop supporting windows operating system and more importantly MS Office and I think I could become billionaire before that happens.
And how can a colour palette be overbearing?
Yeah, remember that post of mine you didn't comprehend and I wasn't sure whether you were just pretending you didn't comprehend it?
I know the answer to that now.
FaceBallm!
Since their bankruptcy, this phrase has taken on a whole new meaning. A new generation will grow up with both meanings in their pocket...
Ooh, I'll find you one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wizard69
One big issue MS needs to address is the very high prices it charges for things like Office. Until they deal with that I can't see a significant increase in adoption on other platforms. People are well aware of the high profits associated with some MS apps and as such make rational decisions to avoid supporting MS greed.
There won't be a significant increase in MS Office adoption on other platforms because MS doesn't want that to happen. They won't make a fully functioning version of Office for other platforms. They may create some viewers and even give minor editing capabilities, but nothing close to the features that Office on a Windows machine will be able to do. This has been part of their business strategy for decades now.
The day that Microsoft makes a fully functioning version of Office for an OS they don't own is the day they "admit" that their OS division is in real trouble.