Ozzie: Open source is greatest threat to Microsoft
Microsoft is clearly worried about Google as a competitive threat. But the bigger worry continues to be open source, according to Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie.
Ozzie, speaking at Sanford C. Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference in New York on Wednesday, said that while Google is a "tremendously strong competitor...open source was much more potentially disruptive" to Microsoft's business model.
Ozzie said that since many open-source programmers aren't beholden to shareholders they potentially represent a more formidable force in the market.
Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's chief software architect
(Credit: Dan Farber/CNET News.com)ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley has posted a detailed report on Ozzie's talk. Some of the highlights:
Open source has "made Microsoft a much stronger company" by driving changes to Microsoft's products to make them interoperable with open-source products.
Ozzie said that a new operating system designed today wouldn't be a single piece of software on a single computer. Instead, it might be something that gives users access to data running across multiple devices, like PCs, TVs, cars, etc. "Instead of the computer being at the center, you (the user) are at the center," he said.
Microsoft's pursuit of Yahoo "was not a strategy unto itself," Ozzie said. "It was an accelerator to the ad platform."
Ozzie might elaborate on that operating-system-of-the-future idea at Microsoft's Professional Developers Conference, slated to take place in October in Los Angeles. Ozzie is giving the keynote speech at the event, and the company is expected to have a broader beta of Live Mesh--part of its Live platform strategy--and offer a clearer picture of its overall services push.
Mike Ricciuti joined CNET in 1996. He is now CNET News' Boston-based executive editor and east coast bureau chief, serving as department editor for business technology and software covered by CNET News, Reviews, and Download.com. E-mail Mike. 
Either open or DIE.
Ozzie saying that instead of "the computer being at the center, you (the user) are at the center", is spitting into the face of Micro$oft's own software reality.
Using their latest, priceless software wreck 'Vista', has clearly shown that they DO NOT mean what they say. There are too many samples, to list them all on this comment, that in Micro$oft's understanding of how things should happen in this computer world, is that third party corporates paying tribute to M$, should be at the center of your computer, deciding what you can listen to, which software you have to use to listen, which broadcasts you are allowed to view, and when and how many times you are allowed to view, and yet another one: which files you can copy on your own hard disk to remain at M$'s discretion.
The user at the center of Microsoft's interest ... my a-s-s
Ozzie saying that instead of "the computer being at the center, you (the user) are at the center", is spitting into the face of Micro$oft's own software reality.
Using their latest, priceless software wreck 'Vista', has clearly shown that they DO NOT mean what they say. There are too many samples, to list them all on this comment, that in Micro$oft's understanding of how things should happen in this computer world, is that third party corporates paying tribute to M$, should be at the center of your computer, deciding what you can listen to, which software you have to use to listen, which broadcasts you are allowed to view, and when and how many times you are allowed to view, and yet another one: which files you can copy on your own hard disk to remain at M$'s discretion.
The user at the center of Microsoft's interest ... ********!
And, Its a "GROOVY" SITUATION (WORLD)!
.
Duh. Have you thought of tweaking your business model? Change is change. It's not directed at Microsoft. Change just is.
Get over it instead of trying to stand in the wind.
By the way, your latest line of buggy whips isn't selling all too well.
Both Open Source and the Web is the perfect storm and already the Microsoft boat is rocking uncontrollably.
- by yoramn June 9, 2008 6:35 AM PDT
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