Formfiller

I sure did! --JorgeA It gets really funny now, you should read this in full: http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/Coffeehouse/Windows-desktop-as-SaaS?page=2 An employee there is claiming that WPF is alive and well, and that the regular Small Business Server wasn't killed in fact..

BUT you got a completely wrong comparison. JFYI a traditional maker of small, economical cars (Volkswagen) ALREADY SUCCESSFULLY out-Lamborghined Lamborghini (they simply bought it ). Sure, but they didn't achieve this by trying to be Lamborghini.

I guess you will like this post of mine on C9: http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/Coffeehouse/Windows-desktop-as-SaaS/c5ead7956ac04c3999f4a1b3008022c1

My long time banter-partner on Channel9, EvilDictaitor, explains what caused the "crack" at Microsoft that lead to their shameless Apple-envy. He's an insider, and here are some valuable insights: http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/Coffeehouse/Windows-desktop-as-SaaS?page=2

Yep. Don't listen to the propaganda saying "Don't worry". Microsoft has plans to monetize every single shred of their so-called Intellectual Property. Given half a chance going forward, most companies will piece out everything they have for sale. They want subscriptions, they don't want customers. Fear for the future. The wild world of x86 systems and indie software have been sentenced to death. Clouds and walled gardens are all that lies on their horizon. Don't contribute to this garbage by obsoleting your hardware and software. Don't play their game. I had just the very same argument on Channel9 with a MS employee. They are all busy claiming that all is well in desktop-country: http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/Coffeehouse/Windows-desktop-as-SaaS Make of that what you will. I have the feeling that the wild times of the 90s and 2000s scared the powers that be. So all the cloudification and storization is an effort to put the genie back into the bottle. Ironically, the Linux fanboys helped them along the way by grossly exaggerating the dangers of using classical Windows. The (overblown) security problems of Windows a few years ago helped to pave the way for all that forced store-stuff.

Oh my God, you have to read the comments here: http://www.neowin.net/news/net-applications-windows-8-up-slightly-in-april-to-384-percent They are partying like it's 95 and, and the Apple-envy is once again oozing from EVERY body orifice. Also this is comment is a beauty to behold: http://www.neowin.net/news/net-applications-windows-8-up-slightly-in-april-to-384-percent#comment-2185119 I am not going to quote it here, you have to read it. The dolts are complaining that the Netapplications data is flawed and biased against Microsoft, then a commenter posts a link where Microsoft themselves praise Netapplications over Statcounter. What follows is a long-winded refute that only a fanboy could write. Lesson of the story: When it comes to defending Windows 8, even Microsoft can be wrong for once.

That's a increase of 0.50% compared to last month: http://www.neowin.net/news/windows-8-market-share-up-slightly-in-march-to-331-percent Windows 8 market share up slightly in March to 3.31 percent Absolutely pathetic compared to the run Vista had in its time. And FAAAAAAAAR below Windows 7's run.

But what does the ad say actually? It seems the only reason the "normal folks" aren't fighting is because they are in the minority. There's no hint that they wouldn't fight if their numbers increased. Although one of the Lumia people says that there would be no fight if the others knew about Lumia, but why exactly? - "my Nokia has pureview! *punch*". There would be no fight if ALL people would only use Lumias in this scenario. Bit farfetched, huh? And what's the significance that the Nokia users are probably the poorest people there? The only actual message I can extract from it is that Lumia users are the minority, and they are poor.

Well, Windows XP had Macrovision drivers already baked-in: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/security/bulletin/ms07-067

You're making a mistake by hyping Gutmann too much. We all hate NuMicrosoft, but let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Gutmann's article has lots of inaccuracies and unreasonable doom and gloom. All the content paths etc. get activated on Vista (and 7) only when it plays Blu-rays and HD-DVDs, that's all basically. It doesn't get in the way otherwise and makes no appearance. It's completely optional - don't want it, don't use that media. All legal devices that play HD-DVDs and Blu-rays have the same protection mechanisms. Vista's performance problems had nothing to do with the DRM at all - something that Gutmann claimed. And as far as I know, protected path is also something that is requested by the application - i.e. the player software needs to request it itself. It can play blu-rays on Vista without it (but then it can't carry the official logo etc.)

"Cluster" ?!

Astonishingly, the MetroTards are rejoicing. No, I am not kidding. Here are the hard facts in the story, Q1 2013 tablets ... Apple ..... 19.5 million ... 48.2% Android ... 17.6 million ... 43.4% Windows .... 3.0 million .... 7.5% The Windows 8 fans on Channel9 are ecstatic about this too. http://channel9.msdn.com/Forums/Coffeehouse/Surface-market-share-healthy Surface-sales-soar link leads to the 7.5% statistic. After the constant 2% of Windows Phone it's kinda understandable though that they get excited even at this.

Interesting Neowin article for once: http://www.neowin.net/news/sorry-microsoft-but-consumers-just-dont-like-you Well, too bad the article degrades after this and instead of blaming Windows 8 or metro, the main problem, they go on about how it's mostly the fault of Microsoft's bad image because of 90s anti-trust. Ridonkulus. But at least they are making some progress. A few months ago even this article wouldn't appear on Neowin.

http://buzz.money.cnn.com/2013/04/22/microsoft-hedge-fund/ I see a HUGE conflict with Microsoft's Apple-envy mentality of the past few years here. Good that Sinofsky left in time..

Oh well, Microsoft's craze-run has paid off: http://www.neowin.net/news/valueact-takes-2-billion-stake-in-microsoft-is-it-targeting-steve-ballmer Great comment for once:

I wonder whether software companies could somehow sue Microsoft if they remove the desktop? I don't know how that could work, given that you don't sign a contract by developing software for a platform. But given the huge money involved here, I just don't see that Adobe et. al. would just call it quits and move on without a fight. Not to mention all the governments of the world who depend on the desktop for.. pretty much all their entire governing! How will they react when they find out that all their investments in MS infrastructure and desktop software is sharing the fate of the dodo? (There's a huge amount of custom Windows software there) If you think about it, that's a real insane plan. Abandoning the desktop would mean turning the most powerful people on the planet against Microsoft. I don't even think Microsoft themselves are fully aware what kind of madness their "strategy" is.

The future™: http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/maybe-they-should-just-call-it-windows-78?page=1

Hey guys, in case you haven't, you should read the comments here right now: http://www.techbroil.com/2013/04/windows-phone-strategy-is-not-working.html There is some awesome action in progress. Shills and W8 haters galore..

Well, Paul already said in the video I linked that they will bring only the button back, without the start menu. At least for now.

News from the shill-zoo: http://www.osnews.com/comments/26959 Read the comments there by "Nelson". If that guy isn't paid he needs to apply at MS marketing ASAP.

I am having a blast reading the comments there: http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/maybe-they-should-just-call-it-windows-78 Lots of whining by metrotards. "No, these desktop users should be dragged kicking and screaming into metro! It's the future" These people are f***ed up in the head. And I mean it. Totally demented. Why is metro the future if the majority of Windows customers hate it? Is there some natural law here? The whole DOS-Windows analogy doesn't work here. Windows was until W95 basically just a GUI on-top of DOS, and no one was forced to use it. People began to chose it freely, and top notch applications started to appear for it. By the time Windows became really a mandatory environment (95), great applications were already available for it and there was a sizable user base. And even on Windows 95 (and 98) you were able to boot straight into DOS if you wanted it. With metro we have a environment that is panned and hated, with applications way below the level of the previous paradigm in functionality and quantity (the interface itself is severely crippled compared to the "outdated crap") yet users need to be dragged into it.. why the heck? What's the reasoning besides "MS needs 30% of the store money"?

Oh, MS is screwing up yet again. View 18:40. Apparently only the start button comes back, not the start menu! Also at around 21:00 Thurrott mentions that only the "business versions" will get this. I've written about this.......:

So, all the Sinofsky bashing apparently had merit? Was W8 not so much a coordinated corporate "plan" but more of a hipster gone amok?

Yeah, some of the Start Button replacements simply take you to the Metro Start Screen (or something that looks a lot like it) when you click on them. But the ones that I used in the preview versions of Windows 8 don't take you to the Metro screen, they work pretty much like the "classic" Start Menu. The best ones even let you disable the hot corners so that they don't annoy and distract the user in the course of getting stuff done. That said, it doesn't seem possible to disable the Metro screen completely and for all purposes; the ability to do that would be the best improvement that Windows 8 could receive. --JorgeA Given the crazy-course Microsoft is on, it could be possible that they will bring back desktop-boot and the start button, but indeed "forget" about the start menu (start button without the start menu is like a car without engine). Of course, they will be totally confused why this thing will be still tanking. If this happens, recovery of Windows will be even more f***ed-up. After reading forums with MS employees on, I get the feeling that they seem to feel that the main problem people have is just the lack of start button. The start menu doesn't even enter into their equation. I am not entirely sure whether its genuine cluelessness or just playing-dumb. And AERO is not even on the radar. The metrotards could become even MORE obnoxious ("they have given you what you want, what are you still crying!?"), and this time the tech press could side with MS, using the same obnoxious tenor ("despite adding the start button back, Windows 8 sales are still tanking. It proves that low PC sales have nothing to do with Windows 8 but it's all because of [...]) So just adding the button back could make this whole W8 affair even more nauseous.

The start button and boot-to-desktop are pretty useless if the start screen stays. That's the biggest clusterf***. What's great about booting to desktop if the start screen appears anyway if you want to do anything? I have to agree with the metrotards here: Reaching the desktop from the start screen isn't that difficult. The start screen itself is the problem.