FiveAcres

Love the Dr Seuss homage: Windows 8 Hatred Explained

You know, in my last job, I used to run ad-hoc reports for my manager. They generally required a few sql queries (careful with the joins!) dumped out to flat files and then I got to work with Perl (originally awk) and produced accurate though not necessarily pretty reports. Of course, I understood my databases, which had been designed by some fairly clever people.

There is some speculation as to what Microsoft plans to do with the iPads that are sold for the $200 voucher. In their NEXT promotion, they will give away a gently used iPad with every purchase of a Surface. This will allow people to make a fair comparison between the two products. (Full disclosure: I love my iPad 2 with an almost unnatural passion.)

Meanwhile, over at Minimsft, comments are being moderated and the last comment (by anonymous) says: I think Who da'Punk (aka Mini) has given up hope.

My favorite quote today on Nokia acquisition by Microsoft: The Deal the Makes No Sense from stratechery

When they first announced the devices and services focus, I thought that it was mainly a ploy to mix business units up enough so that year-over-year results in 2014 didn't show up the deficiencies of the crater that is Windows 8.1 adoption. But I agree, devices versus services are two very different strategies, and it is very risky to do both especially when you have been having trouble with focus on what should be your core competency: not screwing up Windows, your cash cow.

Reminds me of how, in high school, I would tell my mother a paper that was due next day was finished, when what I meant is that I would be getting up at four am to finish writing and then typing it on my little portable electric. (I did much better managing my work load at college. Mostly. After a lot of pain and lost sleep.)

Well it looks like Windows 8.1 isn't really ready for RTM, since they are still busy debugging it, so this will give them a chance to meet their October deadline. As a former developer, who had to try to work within the arbitrary deadlines imposed from on high, I feel really sorry for the W8.1 developers. I also feel very sorry for the three W8.1 app developers and see no reason why anyone would want to join them.

More grist for my "Microsoft is in more trouble than they are letting on" tinfoil hat theory: Microsoft Bars Reporters from September 19 Financial Analysts Meeting I agree with this guy: The Anatomy of an Iconic CEO Firing "After personally watching many CEOs come and go, I thought it would be valuable to share some insights from my nearly 25 years of Fortune 500 company experience so you can arrive at your own conclusion." I can still remember the nervous laughs while listening to my director explain to her group that so-and-so MCI executive was "leaving to pursue other opportunities" or "spend more time with his family."

You're free to tell company and product names here. MCI. Pretty well known, at one point, before the Worldcom follies and Verizon bought up the remnants at the fire sale. Once upon a time, MCI was known as a Law Office with a Radio on top, but at one point was a real telecommunications company with a real business model. Worldcom, who unfortunately bought it, had a business model closely resembling a Ponzi scheme. (edited to fix block quoting error.)

Over on the Minismft thread, someone mentioned DEC. In the 90s, I worked at a (no longer existing) telecommunications company (M__) and helped support an application originally running on VMS. With much pain, we ported that application to a unix based system. Even as we did the port, we would never have guessed that DEC would crater so quickly. It was particularly painful because DEC had facilities here in Colorado Springs, and I knew people who worked for them. I also worked for a while at IBM, before the first voluntary RIFs (followed by involuntary RIFs), which is probably why I am fascinated by the current Microsoft story. I have personal experience of how fast large technological companies can go down the tubes. Microsoft has a lot of cash on hand. My own guess is that Ballmer's departure is the board's response to financial underpinnings that are even worse than the most recent earnings report indicates. Cash on hand can be used to cover a lot of financial shortcomings. For a while, anyway, as Enron taught us.