Gartner: Windows collapsing under its own weight; Radical change needed

[beyboo]

Came across this article on Zdnet about a Gartner report. Interesting reading

http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=8428&tag=nl.e550

[Midwest-Linux]

"So what does Microsoft need to do?

For starters, Windows should create versions for specific uses. These modules would be able to swapped out depending on the customer."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good article


I'm just kind of surprised on all the interest in Vaporware-7 , must mean Vista wasn't successful, open source/Linux and Apple is making MSFT nervous...thus needing the Vaporware talk to keep users interested in MSFT.

So does that mean Windows should follow Linux' lead by having many different distros? Funny, since the Linux critics always mention that Linux is too fragmented to be successful...now Windows should copy Linux' in that respect? Well maybe that could be a good thing, since critics will have one less thing to complain about Linux.

If MSFT wants to follow Linux, they can start by releasing a Xubuntu type with its low requirements and fast speed and yet compatible with existing applications.

Chances are, I'll probably see Linux Mint 7.0 before I see Windows 7 released, .... by then ... who would really need Vaporware 7 ...er I mean Windows 7 ?

[MountainX]

Here is a related article on CNet
http://www.news.com/8301-13860_3-9916717-56.html?tag=newsmap

SAO PAOLO, Brazil--At a Las Vegas conference on Thursday, Gartner analysts warned that Windows is in danger of collapsing, according to a report in ComputerWorld (http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9076698).


April 10, 2008 (Computerworld) Calling the situation "untenable" and describing Windows as "collapsing," a pair of Gartner analysts yesterday said Microsoft Corp. must make radical changes to its operating system or risk becoming a has-been.

[Zlatan]

http://www.news.com/8301-13860_3-9916717-56.html?tag=nefd.pop

have a good read

[LaRoza]

Yes, it is interesting.

Moving to the Windows discussion where this is already posted ;)

[karellen]

not in the next 10-15 years, MS are increasing year by year

[Zlatan]

not in the next 10-15 years, MS are increasing year by year

windows and ms are not the same, sorry

[Zlatan]

Yes, it is interesting.

Moving to the Windows discussion where this is already posted ;)

i gave a short look there, but there was another link, i guess

[Chiko2008]

Yeah. It's indeed interesting.

Ubuntu (http://www.linux-archive.org/ubuntu/)

[Chiko2008]

I read a similar post on this forum some minutes ago.

Ubuntu (http://www.linux-archive.org/ubuntu/)

[LaRoza]

I read a similar post on this forum some minutes ago.

There are two others.

[karellen]

windows and ms are not the same, sorry

MS makes money from Windows and Office. that's all...

[K.Mandla]

An oblique analysis of the report:

http://www.fool.com/investing/value/2008/04/11/i-spit-on-vistas-grave.aspx

Complete with an alarmist and overdone title that the article fails to live up to. Gee how very ... American media.

And of course, the Motley Fool is nothing short of the bellwether cow for all of technology, business and Western culture. :roll:

[Dr. C]

Microsoft has been an iffy investment since its peak of $50 a share back in December 1999. It is now trading under $30 a share, so the Motley Fool may have a point.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=MSFT&t=my

[madjr]

yay some good news to start the week :popcorn:

http://www.techcrunch.com/wp-content/windowsvista.jpg

For most early adopters (and all Mac users), the browser is increasingly the only operating system that matters anyway. Windows isn’t really that relevant any more just because of the increasing utility of online applications like Google Docs, which competes with Microsoft Office. Vista could be perfect and it still wouldn’t matter. The fact that it is flawed only makes the situation worse.


http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/04/11/gartner-says-vista-will-collapse-and-thats-why-the-yahoo-deal-must-happen/

[unknown03]

Windows Vista is the Windows ME of 2006.. How they can get away with charging customers, like they did with ME, and abandon it without support, i have no idea

[LaRoza]

Posted several times already, moved to Windows with all the others.

[MountainX]

MS makes money from Windows and Office. that's all...

Windows (all versions) make up only about 30% of Microsoft's revenues. Office is about 15% roughly. Therefore, most (> 50%) of Microsoft's revenue seems to come from things other than Office and Windows according to what I have read (briefly).

[madjr]

Windows (all versions) make up only about 30% of Microsoft's revenues. Office is about 15% roughly. Therefore, most (> 50%) of Microsoft's revenue seems to come from things other than Office and Windows according to what I have read (briefly).

yea Xbox and stuff like that.

but windows is collapsing and no new version of windows will save it.

but they gotta make money somehow, i guess it will not be from desktop windows in a few years.

[YetAnotherNoob]

Gartner has been pushing this wagon for ages. The reality is Gartner is far more likely to go belly up than Windows.

These IT outsourcing folk (Gartner and the rest) are a useless mob. I should know, I used to be one.

They rant and rave about their strategic visions, their customer wins, and their ground breaking research.

The reality is they are little more than multi-national recruiters.

Down with Gartner and their ilk!
:lolflag:

[karellen]

Windows (all versions) make up only about 30% of Microsoft's revenues. Office is about 15% roughly. Therefore, most (> 50%) of Microsoft's revenue seems to come from things other than Office and Windows according to what I have read (briefly).

what other things? tech support?
can you offer some reliabe sources?...

[Jiraya]

Yeah. It's indeed interesting.

Ubuntu (http://www.linux-archive.org/ubuntu/)

Agreed!

Linux Archive (http://www.linux-archive.org)

[dca]

Hmmm, the way I see it future articles from websites not affiliated (at all) w/ MS are going to have a cloud computing slant. Posturing the future of computing won't be relative to desktop OS, yada yada yada. Whatever. MS' only mistake was vanity. Vista was supposed to be (as originally thought) a complete re-write of the desktop OS. Start from scratch per se'. The end result would justify the lack of backward compatibility. It appears to me that half-way through the project they scrapped the idea and built on top of existing technology. The smarter thing to do would've been to strip the crap out of XP that never worked to begin with. Well, we see what happened with that scenario. Vista is now HUGE, bloated, & buggy, and the better idea (what Vista should've been) now runs on the Asus EEEEEE....

[Jiraya]

Came across this article on Zdnet about a Gartner report. Interesting reading

http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=8428&tag=nl.e550

Very good article!

Linux Archive (http://www.linux-archive.org)

[CrazyArcher]

Not a bad article.

IMO the sheer size of MS is the problem. Yep, 'vanity' is among the terms that fit here. MS has become just too big and corrupt inside, eventually not beeing able to run efficiently. I'm sure that there are guys working there that could design a damn ncie system, but their input isn't implemented because of internal politics or something.

[Jiraya]

Not a bad article.

IMO the sheer size of MS is the problem. Yep, 'vanity' is among the terms that fit here. MS has become just too big and corrupt inside, eventually not beeing able to run efficiently. I'm sure that there are guys working there that could design a damn ncie system, but their input isn't implemented because of internal politics or something.

Yeah. That's true. But it can happen in any company. Software-like or not.

[Cheezy744]

what other things? tech support?
can you offer some reliabe sources?...

I'm suprised no one has mentioned revenue from Xbox 360.

[LaRoza]

I'm suprised no one has mentioned revenue from Xbox 360.

That is because it hasn't started making money ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360#Sales

[Cheezy744]

Heh, basically everyone I know has a 360, while I have my Wii. :KS

[LaRoza]

Heh, basically everyone I know has a 360, while I have my Wii. :KS

Their gaming division has MS down by $4 billion I think (last time I heard, it may be less now)

[MaxIBoy]

There's no way around it.

WINDOWS NEEDS A PACKAGE MANAGER!



They use their "add/remove programs" and "add/remove Windows components" menus as a starting point.

[Musky Melon]

There are several things Windows could to its benefit.

Implement a Package Manager that includes free / purchase software.
Improve administrative functions and logical grouping of the registry (the most underused yet most powerful tool in Windows).
Rip off sudo/gksudo
Create an intuitive interface editor and profiling component (allowing an admin to easily declutter interfaces and functionality for various types of user -- ie having a basic user interface that only presents the user with a list of approved applications to run and nothing more).
Replace CMD with powershell
Do not install legacy applications by default
Restructure the filesystem