4 ms·

In terms of dominant OS, I think Microsoft is no longer the dominant OS, even though it is the most used OS for laptops and desktops. Back in the 1990's, Windo

In terms of dominant OS, I think Microsoft is no longer the dominant OS, even though it is the most used OS for laptops and desktops. Back in the 1990's, Windows was the center of the developer universe. Think how mobile developers eagerly wait to see what Apple will do. It was even more so for developers in the 1990's. There were huge Windows dev conferences. There was a ton of excitement for a new release of Windows or a new version of Visual C++/Visual Basic/Visual Studio. Now, although there are a lot of computers that run Windows, Windows is not the center of gravity for developers. A new iOS release or a new AWS service has far more impact on developers than any new Microsoft Windows feature. Joel has a great writeup on this from some time back: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2004/06/13/how-microsoft-lost-the-api-war/ https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2004/06/13/how-microsoft-lost...

scarface74 5y ago
I work at AWS and even I admit that a new AWS feature doesn’t have as big of an impact as a Windows feature or an Office feature. Andy Jassy, the CEO of AWS (and soon Amazon), has said repeatedly in public statements that only 4% of all enterprise IT spend is on any cloud provider. Office is far more ubiquitous in the enterprise than AWS. Not to mention all of the home users who have Office 365 running on their computers and mobile devices.
- Macha 5y ago
  I don't think that's what he's saying. Of course, Joe Small Business Owner is going to care more about new features in Outlook or Excel than about new features in AWS. But I don't think _developers, specifically_ are looking out for the new office extension APIs in the same way they're looking for e.g. improvements to EKS.
  - tester756 5y ago
    but it's the moment when Visual Studio Code steps in :P
  - scarface74 5y ago
    If only 4% of all enterprise spend is on any cloud provider and AWS has I believe 36% of the market, and on top of that AWS has 260 services (at least that’s the number of distinct IAM resource types), I would think there was a larger third party market for Office extensions and dark matter developers doing Office/Sharepoint automation than who cared about a new AWS feature. There are a lot more people working at AWS dependent on MS office than MS people depending on an Amazon service…..
Ansil849 5y ago
Ah, I see what you mean. That was a really helpful contextualization, thank you!

scarface74 5y ago

I work at AWS and even I admit that a new AWS feature doesn’t have as big of an impact as a Windows feature or an Office feature. Andy Jassy, the CEO of AWS (and soon Amazon), has said repeatedly in public statements that only 4% of all enterprise IT spend is on any cloud provider. Office is far more ubiquitous in the enterprise than AWS. Not to mention all of the home users who have Office 365 running on their computers and mobile devices.

Macha 5y ago
I don't think that's what he's saying. Of course, Joe Small Business Owner is going to care more about new features in Outlook or Excel than about new features in AWS. But I don't think _developers, specifically_ are looking out for the new office extension APIs in the same way they're looking for e.g. improvements to EKS.
- tester756 5y ago
  but it's the moment when Visual Studio Code steps in :P
- scarface74 5y ago
  If only 4% of all enterprise spend is on any cloud provider and AWS has I believe 36% of the market, and on top of that AWS has 260 services (at least that’s the number of distinct IAM resource types), I would think there was a larger third party market for Office extensions and dark matter developers doing Office/Sharepoint automation than who cared about a new AWS feature. There are a lot more people working at AWS dependent on MS office than MS people depending on an Amazon service…..

Ansil849 5y ago

Ah, I see what you mean. That was a really helpful contextualization, thank you!