Microsoft?

digipeep · 22 Feb 2010 at 01:40

Old and tired now or coming out with the next Windows version that works?

Bill Gates was spot on with DOS, he got lucky for 15 years hence he became a Billionaire. He did well to get out of the company.

Would you buy shares in Microsoft at the moment?

Cyanide · 22 Feb 2010 at 01:55

I wouldn't say he was "lucky", he knew what he was doing and worked damned hard at it

digipeep · 22 Feb 2010 at 01:59

I got nothing but admiration for Bill, would you buy Microsoft shares if you had the money to invest Cyanide?

Cyanide · 22 Feb 2010 at 02:01

in Microsoft? No, probably not. Buy low, sell high. They're already at the top of their game so I can't see them getting low enough to make it worth it.

digipeep · 22 Feb 2010 at 02:09

Cyanide said:
in Microsoft? No, probably not. Buy low, sell high. They're already at the top of their game so I can't see them getting low enough to make it worth it.

Microsoft were top of the game in the 80s and 90s. The 00s has seen new guys on the block like Google. Apple are wiping the floor on mobile devices. Linux is breaking out of geekdom.

And what do Microsoft come up with, Bing.

mr.sly · 22 Feb 2010 at 02:15

digipeep said:
Microsoft were top of the game in the 80s and 90s. The 00s has seen new guys on the block like Google. Apple are wiping the floor on mobile devices. Linux is breaking out of geekdom.

And what do Microsoft come up with, Bing.

But they're still commanding the OS market and Office applications market, so their stock price isn't going to drop enough to make it worthwhile for most people.

Tefal · 22 Feb 2010 at 02:18

digipeep said:
Microsoft were top of the game in the 80s and 90s. The 00s has seen new guys on the block like Google. Apple are wiping the floor on mobile devices. Linux is breaking out of geekdom.

And what do Microsoft come up with, Bing.

Not really Microsoft's main markets though are they?

They still dominate the desktop market/office software.

linux really isn't breaking out for anything other than servers where it has always done well.

Microsft shares are like any other corporations of that sort of size nice stable ones not something to make a quick buck on but something you can depend on.

philip2009 · 22 Feb 2010 at 02:19

Cyanide said:
I wouldn't say he was "lucky", he knew what he was doing and worked damned hard at it

I disagree TBH, nobody would have guessed that inking a deal with IBM for their PC would have led to such explosive success (with MS really riding on IBM's and clone makers coat tails). Microsoft's software never used to be that impressive either. Early versions of Windows were dire, and other versions of their software required many generations of releases before they began to dominate the market.

You can't really claim that Microsoft attained its market leading position largely because its brilliance. It was 1995 before they made a serious move to an integrated GUI environment with preemptive multitasking. The Amiga had that in 1985.

Frankly MS deserved to go bust, but they have enormous resources and nowadays are a competent/boring (perhaps somewhat malevolent) company who have such a massive user base that they aren't going anywhere for a very long time.

digipeep · 22 Feb 2010 at 02:19

mr.sly said:
But they're still commanding the OS market and Office applications market, so their stock price isn't going to drop enough to make it worthwhile for most people.

I think that is where Microsoft's strength lies in office applications, they are **** at Operating Systems. MS Word, MS Excel. I just wonder if they will go the way of WordPerfect and WordStar in a few years time.

Amp34 · 22 Feb 2010 at 02:22

Ok Philip and digi, if MS are so rubbish then who should replace them?

I can't think of any other operating system/company that could.

Tefal · 22 Feb 2010 at 02:24

digipeep said:
they are **** at Operating Systems.

They really aren't.

digipeep · 22 Feb 2010 at 02:26

Unix was started in th 60s and still going. Linux is not so bad. Apple is making some nice OS too.

digipeep · 22 Feb 2010 at 02:27

Tefal said:
They really aren't.

Oh yes they are. Cue pantomime comments.

Amp34 · 22 Feb 2010 at 02:29

Unix is only used, well where is it used?

Linux is growing in popularity but verrrry slowly and tbh isn't a mature OS for anything other than basic functions (or server side applications).

Apple does a good OS, however it pretty much only works on their own hardware so will never take off. They also have the benefit of having an easier OS to code as it only has to support a small bit of hardware.

So try again. What other options are there?

And yes,of course I am...

trent · 22 Feb 2010 at 02:32

Windows 7 is very good.
Bing is gaining market share and is merging with yahoo to go against google.
There new mobile OS looks awesome.
Apple only have a few more % mobile market share then Windows Mobile.
The xbox 360.

Spyhop · 22 Feb 2010 at 02:35

digipeep said:
they are **** at Operating Systems.

They've obviously constrained themselves by deciding a long time ago that keeping compatibility with every piece of legacy software under the sun was the right priority for Windows.

I'm sure they'd knock your socks off if they had reason enough to start a new desktop OS from scratch. They have thousands of very smart people.

Berserker · 22 Feb 2010 at 02:38

philip2009 said:
You can't really claim that Microsoft attained its market leading position largely because its brilliance. It was 1995 before they made a serious move to an integrated GUI environment with preemptive multitasking. The Amiga had that in 1985.

So you think Microsoft's move with IBM wasn't brilliance then? I beg to differ. Small Silicon Valley upstart gets a stonking deal with IBM. IBM's 'vision' for the PC was that it would be solely an office machine. Bill Gates on the other hand was involved with the enthusiast market at the time and thought better - and the rest, as they say, is history.

Yes, Microsoft's early software was nothing special. Apple well and truly beat them to the punch when it came to user interface design. Microsoft's genius was in the marketing department.

Microsoft is clearly going to have to evolve. The computing marketplace is changing, and they must, too. Any tech company who rests on their laurels is doomed to eventual failure - just ask IBM why they sold their PC business to Lenovo.

philip2009 · 22 Feb 2010 at 02:38

Amp34 said:
Ok Philip and digi, if MS are so rubbish then who should replace them?

I can't think of any other operating system/company that could.

MS don't have any magic sauce technically as far as operating systems or other apps go, so at that level replacing them is quite possible. If Microsoft had not existed some other company would have taken their place e.g. IBM.

Berserker · 22 Feb 2010 at 02:41

philip2009 said:
e.g. IBM.

IBM wouldn't have (see above). Others might though.

Besides, there's more to Microsoft than just Windows and Office (granted they are their biggest ticket items - at least as far as the public is concerned).

trent · 22 Feb 2010 at 02:42

philip2009 said:
MS don't have any magic sauce technically as far as operating systems or other apps go, so at that level replacing them is quite possible. If Microsoft had not existed some other company would have taken their place e.g. IBM.

I don't think it works like that.. you cant just take microsoft out and replace it with another company.. There are millions of variables i bet people don't even know or realise which led to the success of microsoft.