>An interesting event for Microsoft folks.
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>http://www.cnbc.com/id/100844998?__source=xfinity|mod&par=xfinity
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>Ballmer said the one thing he was most excited about was the "rapid pace of innovation" and that the company was going through a transformation from a traditional software company to a "rapid release" company that builds software-powered devices and services.
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>What is a traditional software company? I remember when Microsoft had ambitions to introduce new Operating Systems and new applications on a 12 month cycle. That bombed and they went back to, "The next release will be the best ever"! Followed by many updates to try to get the products to work - sort of - kind of.
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>It is all about money. If anyone created the best OS or application - one that never had to be updated or replaced there would be no software industry. However, if you are a software developer you are at the mercy of the industry.
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>Microsoft has an advantage - money and power! They have a habit of convincing larger customers what to buy and what is acceptable. I am only speaking of my experience within the San Francisco Bay Area. If I have offended any of the Microsoft gods out there, well the truth hurts. Microsoft has hurt many companies and developers.

I think they've also helped many companies and developers too. How many of use here have made over a million bucks over the past 10 or 15 years developing apps with Microsoft tools to run on Microsoft operating systems? Many of the folks here have written books about MS development and lots of us are in business for ourselves thanks to Microsoft. Now that being said - it's possible for Microsoft, just as Paublo Escobar, to simply get to big for their own good. Perhaps Android/Google/Linux is Microsoft's Los Pepes, hahahahaha



>Perhaps I should comment on my dealings with Apple. Well that had better be in a seperate area. :)
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>It is all about marketing. The customer knows little about all of this. The developer knows a little more than the customer but cannot count on support from anyone. It is all about you! You, the developer make things work and you find work arounds for the short comings of what we have to work with. The UT helps many developers by allowing us to discuss problems and solutions.
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>It is not a perfect world for developers but you have to have an understanding of business, what you have to work with and the customers needs. My thirty one years of software development have been interesting to say the least. I still have my copies of CPM and MPM in case they are needed! :)