8 ms·

I think what Nadella is doing at MSFT is truly remarkable, refocus on adding value and shifting from Ballmer's broken model ... interesting times.

by gdsdfe 7y ago

baybal2 7y ago
I'm hearing this sentiment more and more frequently. I, however, don't see him doing anything to that "broken model." Since Ballmer left, Microsoft actually got even more dependent on plumpy "corporate" clients. It just people who once self hosted AD now got upsold on running their AD and other corporate software on Azure.
- xakk 7y ago
  Can't criticize Nadella here. You will be able to do so in 5 years when something evil happens. Then HN will be trying to determine how this could possibly have happened.
- la_barba 7y ago
  Your claim about MS not focusing on their retail side might be accurate, but that in and of itself doesn't really mean anything. The stock market (i know .. i know.. ) seems to have accepted MS's "broken" model, and its stock price has tripled (or something like that) under Nadella. Certainly, its not a company that people seem to think is broken in any mainstream way of thinking about a business.
  - baybal2 7y ago
    > The stock market (i know .. i know.. ) seems to have accepted MS's "broken" model, and its stock price has tripled (or something like that) under Nadella Well, as it did under Ballmer, under same circumstances. He also did pretty much the same — doubling down on milking plumpy corporate clients while streamlining the business in overall + doing some disasterous acquisitions which were nevertheless welcomed by Wall street analysts
    - la_barba 7y ago
      Well, I don't know what you are referring to as "it", but the stock price movement wasn't the same under Ballmer...which might be a bit unfair to him since he came in after the .com boom. https://imgur.com/a/46fnc4P https://imgur.com/a/46fnc4P >He also did pretty much the same — doubling down on milking plumpy corporate clients while streamlining the business in overall I take it you think that this is a bad thing?
baldfat 7y ago
Also while embracing Open Source they are also making record profits. MS thank you for VS Code - I never thought I would replace my Vim.
- amolo 7y ago
  Tbh...VS Code was/is a game changer for software development. I also love how Azure products work so seamlessly with it. Almost magical.
  - gdsdfe 7y ago
    This is what I am talking about ... Developers, developers, developers : Ballmer was right about that but he though he should only care about .Net and MSFT products and fight everything else. The Nadella model is we don't care what you use, where or how : if you're making software we want to help you ... with this buying services from MSFT is not the goal per se but a consequence
    - meddlepal 7y ago
      I think Balmer lost vision of what a "platform" truly is. Microsoft understood this in the 90's with Windows, forgot it in the 00's under Balmer and seems to be recapturing it heading into the 2020's. They could be a huge force again by the end of next decade.
  - kermitismyhero 7y ago
    When I discovered VS Code a few months ago (I'm a hobbyist just getting into coding, not a professional) after many recommendations from friends who code and are die-hard open source true-believers, I did a legitimate doubletake after reading the name of the company that developed it. I then spent an hour researching it, trying to find out what the catch was. Was the wikipedia page entry a prank? Was I getting some kind of malware masquerading as a pro development tool? Was is a temporary trial before big licensing fees were demanded of me? Does it need some sort expensive companion server that only runs on Windows Server? What's the catch? But no, no catch. It's free, and it's open, and it works great. But every time I launch it I feel like I've walked into some weird alternate dimension. I have to remind myself that yes, this is reality: I'm using a native-Linux, fast, reliable, extensible, MIT-licensed editor made by freakin' Microsoft. So strange, man. So strange.
jjordan 7y ago
If you would have told me 10 years ago that by 2019 Microsoft would have first-party support in Visual Studio for cross-platform development on Mac and Linux, created a Linux subsystem so users could run Linux natively on Windows, and their CEO would be in attendance at a Red Hat conference, I would have said you are crazy. Interesting times, indeed.
- gdsdfe 7y ago
  and in the near future you'll have the full linux kernel in that subsystem
Jorge1o1 7y ago
And it works. I find myself pitching Azure to my web dev clients, partly because I can deploy my C# project directly to an Azure Web App with a single button inside Visual Studio.
loudtieblahblah 7y ago
He's loving linux to death.
- metildaa 7y ago
  Didn't some documents leak showing a Microsoft Evangelist killing Apple centric conferences? I know Microsoft tried to kill Linuxfest Northwest a few years back, sponsoring it and taking control of 1/3 of the floor space, both approved afterpartys, etc. This year they had a small booth that was staffed for one of the two days...
  - WalterGR 7y ago
    Citation?
    - metildaa 7y ago
      http://techrights.org/2009/07/15/ms-technical-evangelists-list/ http://techrights.org/2009/07/15/ms-technical-evangelists-li...
  - bureado 7y ago
    Where is this coming from? I was the one organizing this sponsorship.
    - metildaa 7y ago
      Just what I observed that year, it reminded me of this: http://techrights.org/2009/07/15/ms-technical-evangelists-list/ http://techrights.org/2009/07/15/ms-technical-evangelists-li... Most of the people I know stopped going to LFNW after the shitshow that was that year, they still attend SeaGL and other conventions. The exploding can of WD-40 that MS handed out that year was the cherry on top of the hijacking of the main space, fake Azure credits, and poorly run afterparty that MS put on. Frankly, MS should not have been allowed to hijack LFNW that year. This year MS was the only booth to not staff on Sunday, I'd hope LFNW doesn't waste table space next year.
- deleted 7y ago
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

I think what Nadella is doing at MSFT is truly remarkable, refocus on adding value and shifting from Ballmer's broken model ... interesting times.

by gdsdfe 7y ago

I think what Nadella is doing at MSFT is truly remarkable, refocus on adding value and shifting from Ballmer's broken model ... interesting times.

baybal2 7y ago

I'm hearing this sentiment more and more frequently. I, however, don't see him doing anything to that "broken model." Since Ballmer left, Microsoft actually got even more dependent on plumpy "corporate" clients. It just people who once self hosted AD now got upsold on running their AD and other corporate software on Azure.

xakk 7y ago
Can't criticize Nadella here. You will be able to do so in 5 years when something evil happens. Then HN will be trying to determine how this could possibly have happened.
la_barba 7y ago
Your claim about MS not focusing on their retail side might be accurate, but that in and of itself doesn't really mean anything. The stock market (i know .. i know.. ) seems to have accepted MS's "broken" model, and its stock price has tripled (or something like that) under Nadella. Certainly, its not a company that people seem to think is broken in any mainstream way of thinking about a business.
- baybal2 7y ago
  > The stock market (i know .. i know.. ) seems to have accepted MS's "broken" model, and its stock price has tripled (or something like that) under Nadella Well, as it did under Ballmer, under same circumstances. He also did pretty much the same — doubling down on milking plumpy corporate clients while streamlining the business in overall + doing some disasterous acquisitions which were nevertheless welcomed by Wall street analysts
  - la_barba 7y ago
    Well, I don't know what you are referring to as "it", but the stock price movement wasn't the same under Ballmer...which might be a bit unfair to him since he came in after the .com boom. https://imgur.com/a/46fnc4P https://imgur.com/a/46fnc4P >He also did pretty much the same — doubling down on milking plumpy corporate clients while streamlining the business in overall I take it you think that this is a bad thing?

baldfat 7y ago

Also while embracing Open Source they are also making record profits. MS thank you for VS Code - I never thought I would replace my Vim.

amolo 7y ago
Tbh...VS Code was/is a game changer for software development. I also love how Azure products work so seamlessly with it. Almost magical.
- gdsdfe 7y ago
  This is what I am talking about ... Developers, developers, developers : Ballmer was right about that but he though he should only care about .Net and MSFT products and fight everything else. The Nadella model is we don't care what you use, where or how : if you're making software we want to help you ... with this buying services from MSFT is not the goal per se but a consequence
  - meddlepal 7y ago
    I think Balmer lost vision of what a "platform" truly is. Microsoft understood this in the 90's with Windows, forgot it in the 00's under Balmer and seems to be recapturing it heading into the 2020's. They could be a huge force again by the end of next decade.
- kermitismyhero 7y ago
  When I discovered VS Code a few months ago (I'm a hobbyist just getting into coding, not a professional) after many recommendations from friends who code and are die-hard open source true-believers, I did a legitimate doubletake after reading the name of the company that developed it. I then spent an hour researching it, trying to find out what the catch was. Was the wikipedia page entry a prank? Was I getting some kind of malware masquerading as a pro development tool? Was is a temporary trial before big licensing fees were demanded of me? Does it need some sort expensive companion server that only runs on Windows Server? What's the catch? But no, no catch. It's free, and it's open, and it works great. But every time I launch it I feel like I've walked into some weird alternate dimension. I have to remind myself that yes, this is reality: I'm using a native-Linux, fast, reliable, extensible, MIT-licensed editor made by freakin' Microsoft. So strange, man. So strange.

jjordan 7y ago

If you would have told me 10 years ago that by 2019 Microsoft would have first-party support in Visual Studio for cross-platform development on Mac and Linux, created a Linux subsystem so users could run Linux natively on Windows, and their CEO would be in attendance at a Red Hat conference, I would have said you are crazy. Interesting times, indeed.

gdsdfe 7y ago
and in the near future you'll have the full linux kernel in that subsystem

Jorge1o1 7y ago

And it works. I find myself pitching Azure to my web dev clients, partly because I can deploy my C# project directly to an Azure Web App with a single button inside Visual Studio.

loudtieblahblah 7y ago

He's loving linux to death.

metildaa 7y ago
Didn't some documents leak showing a Microsoft Evangelist killing Apple centric conferences? I know Microsoft tried to kill Linuxfest Northwest a few years back, sponsoring it and taking control of 1/3 of the floor space, both approved afterpartys, etc. This year they had a small booth that was staffed for one of the two days...
- WalterGR 7y ago
  Citation?
  - metildaa 7y ago
    http://techrights.org/2009/07/15/ms-technical-evangelists-list/ http://techrights.org/2009/07/15/ms-technical-evangelists-li...
- bureado 7y ago
  Where is this coming from? I was the one organizing this sponsorship.
  - metildaa 7y ago
    Just what I observed that year, it reminded me of this: http://techrights.org/2009/07/15/ms-technical-evangelists-list/ http://techrights.org/2009/07/15/ms-technical-evangelists-li... Most of the people I know stopped going to LFNW after the shitshow that was that year, they still attend SeaGL and other conventions. The exploding can of WD-40 that MS handed out that year was the cherry on top of the hijacking of the main space, fake Azure credits, and poorly run afterparty that MS put on. Frankly, MS should not have been allowed to hijack LFNW that year. This year MS was the only booth to not staff on Sunday, I'd hope LFNW doesn't waste table space next year.
deleted 7y ago

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]