3 ms·

"If they survive long enough" seems like hyperbole to me. They might stagnate, sure, but that's a very different thing.

• rbanffy 15y ago
  They have to maintain a viable product lineup to create a smooth transition from their current PC software licensing model (and that includes their w8 app store) to a subscription or service-based model. If they cease to have attractive products for too long, their customers, who are getting more mobile as we speak, will easily move to their competition. And their competition doesn't have the burden of maintaining a lineup transition. Throughout its history, Microsoft almost always won by persistence, by being there to exploit their competitors' mistakes (and, sometimes, inducing them). I don't see Microsoft having this luxury now.
  • runjake 15y ago
    Of course not, because according to your strong "Microsoft anything sucks" comment history, I don't see how you'd deem anything they could do as right in your eyes...
    • rbanffy 15y ago
      Actually I am always ready to say how much I love their keyboards (I am on my 4th natural keyboard now), mice (lost count) and I also have a healthy dose of respect towards SQL Server (it IS a very decent database server). The fact I dislike Windows, Exchange, Sharepoint and other miscellaneous infrastructure technologies they build has nothing to do with my opinion that they have bad HR problems, a spotty product lineup and questionable business methods.
      • dredmorbius 15y ago
        NB: MS SQL server is based on / is Sybase SQL Server.