Today I criticize Microsoft, becuase of the news about the end of Windows XP support, with all that implies (also Microsoft Office 2003, but in this case, the implications are not so critics).
If you are a Microsoft developer, maybe you already suffer this kind of decisions, and you were injured if you worked with Classic ASP, Visual Basic 6, or VBA (my complaints are here).
I’m not going to write about the decission, that I respect, but the future lack of confidence on Microsoft (previously, those confidence clientes were developers, but now, the public is even wider!).
I read a tweet “microsoft has failed” and I read this link:
This article confirms my theory: Microsoft has no direction, and, not only in programming languages but also in other important areas of their business.
I am PRO Windows, I must admit, but after the jump from Windows 7 to Windows 8, I have the impression that everything is very abrupt for the user (Where is the Start button?). If this can be painfull for the user, developers should “tremble“.
Microsoft has left being innovative
That’s real, becuase of their actions leaving important computer markets. There are other companies that are doing their job better than Microsoft. Microsoft knows it, but trying to “copy” (also introducing its particular style) is not convincing anyone! At least, not me anymore!
During years, Microsoft was the company that established rules (everything was well designed, and the public accepted it: to use Office you need Windows, but … you need even more: all under Windows: They were the leaders, everybody knows it! But now, things have changed and …. Microsoft has failed to adapt to this change.
Now, there are very good alternatives to Office, specially after the popularity of tablets and smartphones, and now you don’t need Office neither Windows. Also, Google offers everything on a single place: Google Docs, Google Drive, Gmail, ….
Some ballast condemnig Microsoft
Some Microsoft decisions are not well accepted in today’s market, and of course, that has consecuences. I’m talking about Windows Phone, the attempt to fight (they arrive late) against iOS and Android, with the incompatibility between Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 8.: you’d buy a cool smathphone with WP7 and now it’s obsolote because Microsoft decision to break compatibility …. that decisions make frustrated cliends!! And of course, ..
frustrated clients means lost clients!
Other smartphone companies, due to this politics also take decisions: abandon Microsoft. El B plan was to buy NOKIA, another important phone company now in low hours, not being able to fight agains Apple and Samsung: a new adventure between a “second place” company, bought by a “second place” company!
Back to operating systems, Windows 7 push hard, increasing the requirements for running the OS, neglecting against old hardware. That’s one of the main reasons why clients decided to keep on working with Windows XP, or even try “the enemy” Linux, with distros like Ubuntu, or elementaryOS.
To end with, Microsoft tries for imposing only Microsoft products is a bad decission. Innovation must be an advantage that Microsoft is loosing, confirming that Microsoft is finishing all races in “second position”.
Have a nice day!