5 ms·

Here's what will happen: After acquisition, MS will put out a lot of PR saying that cross-platform is "very important" in this new acquisition, they will even

by LarryA 15y ago

Here's what will happen: After acquisition, MS will put out a lot of PR saying that cross-platform is "very important" in this new acquisition, they will even release an updated version on cross-platform. ...of course that update will be screwed up as it has been "fixed" to make all versions more "windows friendly" at the expense of features that may be better on other platforms (i.e. scrap the Mac interface, kill open protocols, replace working code with .net tech, etc.). Then after a few months of user complaints there will be MS's product performance review, since after alienating the Linux and Mac folk, they will declare there is no viable market for those platforms any more and close those divisions and thus drag it into the Windows only division. Yep, I've been around for several of those (FoxBase/FoxPro, Bungie Games, Flight Simulator, etc. to just name a few) - if they were selling a shirt about it I'd have already worn it out.

gabbo 15y ago
Open protocols? Does Skype use any? I'm genuinely curious, I thought it was completely proprietary.
- wladimir 15y ago
  Their protocol is indeed entirely proprietary. The grandparent was talking about how Microsoft works in general. So the protocol is already OK, the client however they'll convert it to using as many Windows specific technologies as possible.
  - vl 15y ago
    Ironically, because of the European rulings we might see protocol specification for Skype - MS had to publish bunch of it's protocols after some European anti-monopoly deal.
Luyt 15y ago
I agree, but you forgot one thing they'll undoubtely do: they'll change the underlying protocol, so that existing Mac and Linux clients will not work with the Skype network anymore. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend_and_extinguish http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend_and_extinguish
- dasil003 15y ago
  I don't think MS has the market clout to pull that anymore. Maybe if they want to turn it into corporate IP telephone to compete with Cisco, but if they shut Mac users out they're just asking for immediate irrelevance among the home/hipster/startup crowd which will quickly anoint a successor.

by LarryA 15y ago

gabbo 15y ago

Open protocols? Does Skype use any? I'm genuinely curious, I thought it was completely proprietary.

wladimir 15y ago
Their protocol is indeed entirely proprietary. The grandparent was talking about how Microsoft works in general. So the protocol is already OK, the client however they'll convert it to using as many Windows specific technologies as possible.
- vl 15y ago
  Ironically, because of the European rulings we might see protocol specification for Skype - MS had to publish bunch of it's protocols after some European anti-monopoly deal.

Luyt 15y ago

I agree, but you forgot one thing they'll undoubtely do: they'll change the underlying protocol, so that existing Mac and Linux clients will not work with the Skype network anymore. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend_and_extinguish http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend_and_extinguish

dasil003 15y ago
I don't think MS has the market clout to pull that anymore. Maybe if they want to turn it into corporate IP telephone to compete with Cisco, but if they shut Mac users out they're just asking for immediate irrelevance among the home/hipster/startup crowd which will quickly anoint a successor.