6 ms·

I lived through the nineties as well, that doesn't mean I think everything that was amazing back then still is amazing today nor that everything that sucked bac

by amag 8y ago

I lived through the nineties as well, that doesn't mean I think everything that was amazing back then still is amazing today nor that everything that sucked back then still sucks today... I think the Microsoft of today is very different from the Microsoft of the nineties. Personally I'm not so much worried about Microsoft going back to Microsoft'95 but more about the fact that they, like most (all?) other big tech companies, collect more and more data and integrate more and more tightly into our lives. Still I feel that currently Facebook, Google and Amazon are all scarier in that respect.

severino 8y ago
> I think the Microsoft of today is very different from the Microsoft of the nineties. If they've managed to change that much, then nothing prevents them to make the opposite turn and return to the monopolistic Microsoft as soon as a new CEO steps in. That's why I prefer Microsoft to stay away from the products and projects everybody loves. Furthermore, I don't think Microsoft has anything to contribute to GitHub.
- lev99 8y ago
  > I don't think Microsoft has anything to contribute to GitHub. Microsoft has experience handling online code repositories and team services. Azure integration has the potential to improve deployment pipelines for many users. Microsoft has lots of experience doing things at scale, and can potentially find cost reduction maneuvers for Github. Visual Studio integration can bring more users to Github. Cooperate users are more likely to upgrade their existing agreement with Microsoft than they are to enter a finical relationship with a new company. Microsoft has just as much or more to offer Github as any other top 5 tech company.
  - amag 8y ago
    Let's not forget that they developed GVFS to support large monorepos.
    - severino 8y ago
      Let's also not forget this only runs on Windows.
      - Rychard 8y ago
        They've stated that they want to bring this to other platforms as well. https://github.com/Microsoft/GVFS/issues/4 https://github.com/Microsoft/GVFS/issues/4
        severino 8y ago
        Yes they want... yet it has been Windows only for a year and a half, so far. That's the problem with Microsoft buying big things like Github. It turns people not using their flagship OS into second class citizens.
        rovr138 8y ago
        Re: Skype
        arcticfox 8y ago
        Their MacOS implementation that they linked to is pretty cool and understandable even for a filesystem lay-person. https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/devops/2018/03/15/gvfs-for-mac/ https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/devops/2018/03/15/gvfs-for-...
    - lev99 8y ago
      GVFS is a contribution Microsoft has given git, not a contribution Microsoft can bring to Github. That is why I left it out.
  - severino 8y ago
    Azure, VS... Yes, I know Microsoft has tons of things to offer to their customers. But not everybody in Github is into Microsoft tech. In fact, most are not. So that's what worries me: trying to tie Github to their products and strategies.
    - lev99 8y ago
      It might happen, but I suspect they will continue to play nice with other tech stacks. Their recent strategy is to provide good tech that can integrate with other tech, to compete on superior products instead of locking in users. They haven't recently extended or extinguished, just embraced, and embracing has done great things for their stock price.
- amag 8y ago
  > then nothing prevents them to make the opposite turn and return to the monopolistic Microsoft Well, the world has changed and there is no longer any opportunity for a 90s Microsoft. So I'm pretty sure that unless the world changes back to the 90s, Microsoft wouldn't survive such a turn.
- nailer 8y ago
  That's like saying IBM could come back as a monopoly. It won't happen even if they want it to.
bad_user 8y ago
How is Microsoft different exactly? Do they not engage in patents racketeering? Do they not spy on users of Windows 10? > like most (all?) other big tech companies "The other children are doing it" and then you're mother would say "that doesn't make it right". It's a child's defense no doubt. But anyway, it's also factually not true.
- yani 8y ago
  I reviewed the data that Microsoft has on me and there is nothing in there that makes me feel uncomfortable. Facebook on the other hand.. not only is the data wrong but if it gets public I can see it damaging me
  - pritambaral 8y ago
    I just want to point out, aside from the discussion, that Microsoft owns a significant stake in Facebook.
- gurkendoktor 8y ago
  I'd say that Microsoft is worse than most other companies because it caters to governments, not consumers. Skype and MSN mysteriously worked in China at a time when no other service did. What's their incentive to push back against LE backdoors when they're not an edgy consumer brand anyway?
  - youdontknowtho 8y ago
    "caters to governments" Corporations only exist as legal constructs. I'm not trying to be pedantic. I'm just saying that it is always going to be the case that a business, any business, will work within the law and with lawful government because they ultimately depend on contract and property law.
    - gurkendoktor 8y ago
      All companies have to comply with the law, but Microsoft sells lots of software to governments. They aren't going to put up a fight over end-user privacy if they make more money from gov't contracts than from privacy-conscious consumers. The financial incentives are completely different than for e.g. Apple, and I don't see how that is ever going to change.
xkr47 8y ago
Maybe they should rebrand themselves then.. A new name perhaps? :)

by amag 8y ago

severino 8y ago

> I think the Microsoft of today is very different from the Microsoft of the nineties. If they've managed to change that much, then nothing prevents them to make the opposite turn and return to the monopolistic Microsoft as soon as a new CEO steps in. That's why I prefer Microsoft to stay away from the products and projects everybody loves. Furthermore, I don't think Microsoft has anything to contribute to GitHub.

lev99 8y ago
> I don't think Microsoft has anything to contribute to GitHub. Microsoft has experience handling online code repositories and team services. Azure integration has the potential to improve deployment pipelines for many users. Microsoft has lots of experience doing things at scale, and can potentially find cost reduction maneuvers for Github. Visual Studio integration can bring more users to Github. Cooperate users are more likely to upgrade their existing agreement with Microsoft than they are to enter a finical relationship with a new company. Microsoft has just as much or more to offer Github as any other top 5 tech company.
- amag 8y ago
  Let's not forget that they developed GVFS to support large monorepos.
  - severino 8y ago
    Let's also not forget this only runs on Windows.
    - Rychard 8y ago
      They've stated that they want to bring this to other platforms as well. https://github.com/Microsoft/GVFS/issues/4 https://github.com/Microsoft/GVFS/issues/4
      - severino 8y ago
        Yes they want... yet it has been Windows only for a year and a half, so far. That's the problem with Microsoft buying big things like Github. It turns people not using their flagship OS into second class citizens.
        rovr138 8y ago
        Re: Skype
      - arcticfox 8y ago
        Their MacOS implementation that they linked to is pretty cool and understandable even for a filesystem lay-person. https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/devops/2018/03/15/gvfs-for-mac/ https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/devops/2018/03/15/gvfs-for-...
  - lev99 8y ago
    GVFS is a contribution Microsoft has given git, not a contribution Microsoft can bring to Github. That is why I left it out.
- severino 8y ago
  Azure, VS... Yes, I know Microsoft has tons of things to offer to their customers. But not everybody in Github is into Microsoft tech. In fact, most are not. So that's what worries me: trying to tie Github to their products and strategies.
  - lev99 8y ago
    It might happen, but I suspect they will continue to play nice with other tech stacks. Their recent strategy is to provide good tech that can integrate with other tech, to compete on superior products instead of locking in users. They haven't recently extended or extinguished, just embraced, and embracing has done great things for their stock price.
amag 8y ago
> then nothing prevents them to make the opposite turn and return to the monopolistic Microsoft Well, the world has changed and there is no longer any opportunity for a 90s Microsoft. So I'm pretty sure that unless the world changes back to the 90s, Microsoft wouldn't survive such a turn.
nailer 8y ago
That's like saying IBM could come back as a monopoly. It won't happen even if they want it to.

bad_user 8y ago

How is Microsoft different exactly? Do they not engage in patents racketeering? Do they not spy on users of Windows 10? > like most (all?) other big tech companies "The other children are doing it" and then you're mother would say "that doesn't make it right". It's a child's defense no doubt. But anyway, it's also factually not true.

yani 8y ago
I reviewed the data that Microsoft has on me and there is nothing in there that makes me feel uncomfortable. Facebook on the other hand.. not only is the data wrong but if it gets public I can see it damaging me
- pritambaral 8y ago
  I just want to point out, aside from the discussion, that Microsoft owns a significant stake in Facebook.
gurkendoktor 8y ago
I'd say that Microsoft is worse than most other companies because it caters to governments, not consumers. Skype and MSN mysteriously worked in China at a time when no other service did. What's their incentive to push back against LE backdoors when they're not an edgy consumer brand anyway?
- youdontknowtho 8y ago
  "caters to governments" Corporations only exist as legal constructs. I'm not trying to be pedantic. I'm just saying that it is always going to be the case that a business, any business, will work within the law and with lawful government because they ultimately depend on contract and property law.
  - gurkendoktor 8y ago
    All companies have to comply with the law, but Microsoft sells lots of software to governments. They aren't going to put up a fight over end-user privacy if they make more money from gov't contracts than from privacy-conscious consumers. The financial incentives are completely different than for e.g. Apple, and I don't see how that is ever going to change.

xkr47 8y ago

Maybe they should rebrand themselves then.. A new name perhaps? :)