Future of Microsoft?

[devils casper]

i worked in Micorsoft for around 3 years. left the job and came back to India. ( dont ask me why? ) i have a little bit idea about the future of Microsoft.

Where do you think Microsoft will be in two to three years?

I guess I would prefer you to be as sincere as possible.




casper

[Thrillhouse]

Honestly? Probably right about where they are now, 90% share of the market. In 2-3 years I think they'll still be at the point where they're still trying to help corporations migrate their systems to Vista/Longhorn. I have hope for open source but I think a lot of companies are a little xenophobic about their systems because of the dire consequences that result in any downtime/updating and the learning curve associated with a new infrastructure.

[daacosta]

I believe that there are not going to be many changes in MS. Regarding their market share I'd say it will be marginally affected. My friends are still reluctant to use Linux...

[easuter]

my friends area also reluctant about trying a different operating sytem, but they also have no intention of buying a new computer or getting more ram or a more powerful video card.

not sure, but it could go either way. its most likely that MS will use their ususal propoganda and incessant publicity a month or two before release and get users "psyched-up" about vista.

its all about who shouts the loudest, eh?

[fingal]

Hi - it's tempting to have fun making things up about about where they'll be, and speculate that Windows will go open source. This won't happen! They'll still be around, though I feel a shift in their fortunes. They are being openly criticised by security firms for not allowing access to certain segments of code which might help to make Vista more secure. At the same time they think that trying to establish themselves as the 'one and only' OS provider is a good move.

Ordinary users will put up with the flaws which are bound to emerge in Vista ... Maybe a few more people than expected will switch to Macs. Linux will gain a bit more of a share of the market perhaps, but Joe user will plod along, putting up with spyware, blue screens and the rest of it.

This is of course just a lot of wind. I have no idea what will really happen; the unexpected always crops up sooner or later, and that's what makes things interesting.

[Zelmo]

I agree 100% with Thrillhouse (and pretty much what the others have said, too). Even if Microsoft doesn't have total control on how the software world goes forward, they have the business savvy to stay at the top of the heap.

Hey Casper, if it's not too off-topic, do you mind telling me what you did at Microsoft, and how you liked working there?

[gtmtnbiker98]

Actually, in corporate and government settings they will maintain the current market share on the desktop. As for servers, I believe that Linux (SuSE, RHEL, and Ubuntu) will gain market share at UNIX' expense; however, Linux will be more competitive with MS in this area.

Now for home use, I foresee Apple gaining a lot here. Since Mac went to Intel, consumers will feel more comfortable switching to Mac due to the success of the Ipod.

[a12ctic]

In all honestly, I think that mac is really going to start hurting their market. Look at all the people that love their ipods, a person that buys a ipod and enjoys it will at least consider a mac. Id say in 2-3 years theyll be @ around 70%.

[Cabhan]

I believe that Microsoft will most likely be where it is now.

Apple is an interesting case: as today's college students (a great number of whom seem to use Macs) enter into the workworld and start buying their own computers, it will be interesting to see if Apple grows on the desktop. Apple has done a fantastic job of capitalizing on the iPod's success and marketing their computers as an excellent alternative, so we may see some growth here.

But as has been said, 90% of users just don't care, and will very likely just stick with Windows.

[d38dm8nw81k1ng]

some of the anti-piracy measures in vista (basically shutting your computer of with WGA) could force some of the more tech-savvy to switch (the ones that are most likely to trigger it). if technically adept people switch they may be able to talk some of the less able people into switching instead of putting up with their computer problems (usually their family). MS will still have the biggest piece of the pie, but it could signal the beginning of the end. although this is partially dependant on apple and shuttleworth pushing for macs and linux on the desktop.