Microsoft wants to 'build Windows,' but how about bridges?

Microsoft is about to embark on a new advertising campaign designed to make people love it again, and not merely endure it. With Apple showing that people will pay for beautiful, functional, and fun technology, Microsoft is playing catch-up with comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

There is rich irony in Microsoft opting for a comedian to help pitch its products, but I won't go there.

No, I'm more interested by its marketing theme: "Windows, Not Walls." Mary Jo Foley has taken a stab at deciphering the intent of the message.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal, people close to Microsoft's campaign suggest that "the point is to stress breaking down barriers that prevent people and ideas from connecting." If this is correct, let me suggest an alternative tagline for a similar message:

Build bridges, not toll roads.

Through closed standards, aggressive patent FUD, and proprietary Office file formats and SharePoint repository, Microsoft has effectively declared war on the very idea of "breaking down barriers that prevent people and ideas from connecting"...unless you happen to be using 100 percent of Microsoft's software to do the job.

One of the biggest trends to knock down barriers to true interoperability has been open source and the open standards it espouses, yet Microsoft has sought to impose a patent toll on open source. For those interested in connecting with Microsoft's technology, Microsoft is glad to oblige, but only on its terms, with Microsoft firmly in control. Open source, however, believes in a very different kind of interoperability.

Microsoft needs to tear down its Berlin Wall between open source and its own proprietary technology if it truly wants to "break down barriers." Microsoft can't talk out of both sides of its mouth. On the one hand it seeks to control and maintain its monopoly power through closed tolls, yet on the other it talks about breaking down barriers. It can't have it both ways.

This isn't about open source versus proprietary software. IBM and others have shown that one can embrace open source without giving up proprietary software. No, it's about a closed, destructive agenda that refuses to acknowledge open source on equal terms, and hence engages in the most constricted of ways.

Microsoft can do better. Whether it wants to, however, is a very different matter.

[dk12rk]

Microsoft idea of perfect communication is based on 100% use of their software. If you use their software only everything runs smoothly. The author is suggesting they should be breaking down this barrier which apple has done very well.
Hmmm......Apple OS X EULA - run OS X only on Apple hardware. The application that will run on iphone have to be approved (by lord almighty) Apple. Maybe apple isn't as open as the many people think.
I want to see openness not only in software but also hardware. I like OS X and I want to install it on a computer that I have built with top quality components I buy.
For my opinion, Microsoft needs to work with open software and OS X should also be open to other hardware.

[technewsjunkie]

apple isn't a Monopoly.
If apple was to let it's OS X operating system run on plain vanilla hardware it would have similar but less problems Windows users have. It's not because Apple won't, it's because it would wreck Macs reliability. Theirs is a better quality approach.

[Penguinisto]

Actually, your first sentence defines Microsoft's entire definition for survival. They simply could not survive in an environment where only open standards rule.

[rapier1]

Are you arguing that Microsoft is still acting as a monopolist?

[thinkresutls]

OK - this is beyond the only two OS's consumers seem to be aware of - but instead, the entire framework and likely long-term direction of computing, business and consumer, today. The point of the article is that the OpenSource model is the antithesis to MS's approach. Ballmer completely does not get it - never will. From a business perspective, MS has flatlined their stock into old-word ATT monopoly mode with their 1980's-era over-reliance on controlling an OS marketshare until they do like "IBM and others" have done and start opening their product into the open source realm.

[bigpicture]

I made a similar comment earlier on another format. About Microsoft loosing search ground to Google. Basically the Google motto is "Don't be evil" which at least engenders some amount of trust.

The points that you so eloquently encapsulate in your article, and the anti-trust charges past and future (US, Europe, past losses, and Poland and China upcoming) is very suggestive of "Evil intent". It is all about perception, irrespective of spin and hype, and contrary to the MS perspective, the marketplace is not stupid, it wants to escape to freedom. That is why it is called the "free market", and not the "monopoly imprisoned" market.

[Norseman]

boyoboyoboyoboyoboy. I would LOVE to be a fly on the wall in some of the "strategy" sessions involving those artsy, creative ad types and Microsoft. Talk about your "i'm a Mac, I'm a PC" scenarios! I'll bet those real-life sessions would be more of a hoot than most of the Mac vs. PC ads!

[jim81501]

The larger an organization the larger the bureaucracy. A bureaucracy provides a strong environment for safety in numbers and stifles the risk takers. It's the risk takers that move business forward and those who are afraid of risk, opting for safety, drag down the whole establishment. Unfortunately large business can't seem to promote the risk takers and stop embelishing the saftey. I think management falls into the safety catagory most often and those that don't are moved out by those that are afraid of the risk. Think about it, Microsoft was born in a garage not in a fortune 500 R&D lab.

If a risk taker tries and fails is he applauded for the good 'ol college try or chastised to the point he no longer accepts the risk of failure?

[john55440]

Windows can be run on HP, Dell, Toshiba,... custom built, or self-built computers.

Apple Wall OSX can only be run on an Apple brand computer.

Windows Applications can be run on HP, Dell, Toshiba,...custom built, or self-built computers.

Apple Wall Applications can only be run on an Apple brand computer.

[skillingssucks]

Windows itself can be run on an Apple machine.

[elgarak]

So what? The industry is called INFORMATION technology. The information should matter, not the application.

At the end of the day, a photographer for instance needs just to give a jpg or a tif, or an author just needs to send in a pdf or something the other end can read. It should not effing matter what application or OS each of the people use. But Microsh*t want us to force to use just their apps and OSs. BS.

[technewsjunkie]

Only Techies care about "building their own of".
Get over that.

[Penguinisto]

Actually, OSX can run on any x86 CPU that understands SSE3 instructions, or any PPC CPU (including IBM's).

Windows can _only_ run on x86 and ARM chips nowadays.

Linux OTOH can run on anything from ARM to x86 to MIPS to Alpha to PPC to Sparc to zSeries Mainframes.

[wbw357]

Microsoft Windows of 2008 is the IBM MVS of 1988; proprietary, closed, monopolistic and trying desperately to prevent its customers from taking advantage of the tide of new technologies. Take heart Open Source Community - soon Microsoft will bring itself to its knees with its current strategy in just the way IBM almost destroyed itself by the early 1990s.

[notanothermacfanboy]

Ah another apple fanboy.

I'll stick with building QUALITY pc's as opposed to ever giving Steve Jobs one red cent of my money.

Quote "There is rich irony in Microsoft opting for a comedian to help pitch its products, but I won't go there." please do.

Would like to see the dribble you spew out. Probably just more MS bashing.

Better send your iphone in for a battery replacement and while your at it, ship off that apple laptop for a 500 dollar 1gb memory upgrade.

Gday

[nater384]

I'm both and Apple and PC user. You don't have to pay apple to upgrade most of the normal hardware you'd want to upgrade. Stop being melodramatic.

[compudoc318]

He does have a point, where can you buy apple parts??? I can buy pc parts anywhere, which creates competition which drives price down, hence the high price of apples.....way more options with pc's, have you shopped for apple software lately, lucky to find 10 titles...lol

[The_Decider]

There are no such thing as apple parts.

Apple parts are made by Intel, ATI, etc, etc

[Dalkorian]

Don't use logic and common sense around winblows fanbois Decider, they can't stand that. Slaves hate being reminded that they control nothing and instead are controlled by their masters.

[johnwest72]

Thanks, Mr. Microsoft. You don't fail to disappoint in your anti-Microsoft rhetoric. It's really funny... I can scan my news.com rss feed and immediately know if you are the author, just by reading the title.

News.com, do you realize just how biased your "open roader" is? This should be called "Close Microsoft", not "Open Road"! Let him go create a personal blog; don't support his obsession with bashing Microsoft by continuing to give him credibility by way of your site.

[D_L_K]

Windows 95: n. 32 bit extensions and a graphical shell for a 16 bit patch to an 8 bit operating system originally coded for a 4 bit microprocessor, written by a 2 bit company, that can't stand 1 bit of competition.

Windows is what is commonly known as spaghettiware. It started with Bil Gates patching code he bought to create the IBM's PC DOS and went downhill from there. Rather than hire a bunch of competent programmers and start from scratch, windows has been a constant patch job by a bunch of mid to low level programmers. Gates got where he is , not by having a robust product, but rather through the art of near criminal intimidation and litigation. Does anyone remember when Microsoft attempted to take over the mouse market by using a bogus patent (later found invalid) and sending out cease and desist orders to all pointing device manufacturers? Regardless of the mammoth size of Microsoft, Gates thinks he is still in that motel room typing code and fending off the world from taking his precious program.

[Lerianis]

Notice that term: a bogus patent LATER FOUND INVALID. It could have gone either way with that patent that Microsoft had on mice, and some people still say that it went the wrong way and that Microsoft had a good patent.

As to Microsoft not making a 'robust' product....... what farking world are you living in? If it wasn't 'robust', it wouldn't be the most used, most pirated, etc. operating system ON THE ENTIRE PLANET.

Windows is a robust operating system, especially Windows Vista, which improved security by magnitudes with UAC, a better Windows Firewall, and Windows Defender.

[odubtaig]

some people still say that it went the wrong way and that Microsoft had a good patent

So? Some people still say that the CIA created HIV. That's not an argument in a world where some people will argue the most lunatic things.

Oh, and by 'some people', you mean you, don't you. Yes, clearly your judgement is sound. It could have gone either way? Is that a rational judgement or plain old wishful thinking?

[rcrusoe]

Microsoft is trying to change people's attitude about Windows. Well, IMO, hiring Jerry Seinfield, who, by the way, was featured in an Apple commercial on the last episode of his show, isn't going to change anyone's mind. People aren't switching to Macs as much as they are switching to something other than Windows.

Windows has to change, not people's attitudes about it. Microsoft's problem isn't that people don't understand Windows. MS's problem is that they do.

Today it's Apple, tomorrow it will be Apple and Linux. Before too long no one will know or care what operating system they run any more than they care how their TV or telephone operates.

[Lerianis]

Wrong. Frankly, 99% of the people 'in the know' who I have talked with still want Microsoft XP or Vista (most of them picking Vista now that the driver issues have mostly been ironed out) on their computers.

They don't want Macs, because for technical support staff, they would have to learn to do the same things they used to in a whole new operating system, which takes a s**tload of time that most companies don't want to spend.

With the differences between XP and Vista.... mainly minor cosmetic changes, everything is still basically in the same places it was with XP, with a few things being accessable from NUMEROUS places in the operating system so that even a total 'noob' should be able to find them.

[superaznman]

apple products are like jewelry, they are all extremely overpriced. massive marketing brainwashes people into thinking these products are valuable. is a mac really worth a thousand dollars? no. is an iphone worth two hundred dollars and the expensive 2 year contract from att? no. what really frightens me is how effective this marketing strategy is. apple will continue ripping off the consumer until the consumer stops falling for this scam.

[protagonistic]

You should do your homework before spouting off. At least on the high end Apple is competitive with the competition. And if you factor in $129 for the high end OS for Apple vs $430 for the high end Vista and then add the additional software cost to bring Vista up to the level that is standard in OS X you will find the high end MacPro is actually cheaper than than the high end Vista PC with similar specs.

But then that does not square with your preconceived notions so I figure you will ignore it. BTW, I do have both a Mac and a PC here and I use both regularly so I do not have the bias you appear to have. I will say, however that the PC does not have Windows on it so I am a bit biased against Windows. But that is a bias I feel I am entitled to have since I ran Windows/DOS for about 20 years.

Oh yes, do you even own any Apple products to at least give us an indication that you might know what you are talking about?

[technewsjunkie]

It's not merely Marketing, it's a better quality experience and value.

You still think the iPhone is now overpriced despite it being in line (now) with every other smart phone contract you have to sign? Now that's biased. It's a great product with LOTS of GREAT apps.

The iPhone was just released in 20 more COUNTRIES, today: < http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9113278&source=NLT_PM&nlid=8 >

You obviously have no real experience on a Mac, and your mind is closed. I use PCs and Macs everyday and have for well over ten years.

[ffischer77]

MS and the hoax bigfoot. Looks good on the outside, a mess of guts inside, and someone trying to pull the "shag' over your eyes.

Done

[EricWadsworth]

I'm often amazed that the normal person doesn't realize how evil MicroSoft is. Their anti-competitive business practices have set our industry back at least five years.

I must say I do love Vista; it's the best thing that's happened to Linux in a while. Totally opened up the bottom end of the market. Remember when MicroSoft lived at the bottom end? I see Linux spreading, and soon.

[compudoc318]

linux is spreading like daewoo cars...lol

[Penguinisto]

More like Hyundai, really...

If microsoft wants to break down walls, they can help by releasing DirectX and other APIs for linux, so we can run more games.

[Pishkado]

Of course MIcrosoft's PR strategy is out of synch with its products. However, out of 100 people who see the ad campaign, how many will know enough about the products to figure this out? Hint: you won't have to take off both mittens to count them. Microsoft, not being entirely clueless when it comes to conning the public, knows this and therefore knows it can get away with this scam. Microsoft is about making money, not about setting an example of corporate honesty.

BTW, I think it's ironic that they hired Jerry Seinfeld as their pitchman. Didn't he use an Apple PowerBook on the show?

[Belkode]

While I agree with the general sentiment and the fact that Microsoft needs to change... I find that I am uncomfortable by the VERY biased tone of the article. You can rightly accuse Microsoft of being closed, but by mentioning Apple and limiting comments to how "beautiful, functional and fun" Apple products are I feel the author writes a very unbalanced article.

If you mention the competition in an article, you are indirectly inviting comparison. We have to remember that Office is the standard, and it is so for a reason -its not that bad. 95% of the people who use it do not have real issues - so it is functional (Yes, I know you can nitpick at it). Apple products are fun? Ok. But that is a perception derived from the fact that its products are aimed at entertainment. Writing letters in Word is not exactly fun. I could go on... but do you get my point?

My perception is that Apple is also a closed company. Right now it is the leader in handheld entertainment devices (iPod, iPhone), yet I feel that these are closed platforms. You have to jump through hoops to get an application on it, and Apple can decide to pull it after the fact - no questions asked. Apple keeps a very tight leash on its key product (Yes, the iPhone is its key product right now). So, exactly how open is it?

For a company to be "open" means many things. I don't see Jobs really treating his customers appropriatelly after their recent stumbles (mobileme, poor reception). Any acknowledgement had to be pretty much pried out of him.

Mr. Asay - your post smacks of favouritism. I feel you could have done a better job. While you may have a point - it is pretty much lost in negative sentiment... all that remains is a sad lamentation of how bad Microsoft is, when it could be argued that there are others who could be just as bad.

[The_Decider]

Why do idiots keep bringing up bias in an editorial?

An opinion is biased, by definition.

[technewsjunkie]

Hypocrite!!
Your as biased as they come.

[kojacked]

"An opinion is biased, by definition"

I finally agree with you The_ Decider. This blog is extremely biased! It sounds like something Peng would write.

[Michichael]

I agree an opinion is biased by definition, however this is a news site and this was supposed to be "The business and politics of the open road" not an opinion section of the newspaper. It's just depressing that real journalists are so hard to find. =\

Linux can look like whatever you want. it can look exactly like OS-X, Leopard, Vista, or hundreds (maybe thousands?) of other custom skins. You can even build your own.

There is more graphical features too in linux over either apple or windows. wibbly windows, live taskbar & alt+tab previews, four rotating desktops, clear transparent windows and window frames, hardware acceleration, etc.

if you still think linux looks like a command line or like the skin of some crappy JAR file running in windows, then youtube or wiki "beryl", which is just one of a dozen possible windowing managers for linux.

[Seaspray0]

Yes, it can. But that introduces problems because programs that run well on one distibution do not run well on another. Can you see this as a problem? If we united linux under one distribution, I would bet that it's percent of market share jumps a factor of 400% or more in a matter of a month or less. People WANT an operating system that is consistent between people, not dozens of distributions. I don't want linux to die, I want to see it united under common code.

[Penguinisto]

@Seaspray: not true. if the app is coded to the Linux Standards Base, or compiled with its own static library set, it can run on any competent distribution.

(and if you really want to get pedantic, true open-source applications can also come to you as source code, where it can be compiled on-the-spot (takes like three simple commands) to run specifically for your machine specs.)

[verishare]

The Microsoft Windows and Office platforms are de-facto in business. Looking at the want ads several positions require knowledge of Microsoft something, rarely has there been any requirements for the MAC OSX literate (Maybe in graphics design and video production jobs). As a software developer the Microsoft.Net framework relies heavily on SOAP/WSDL XML services. Often I am required to integrate a microsoft client with a linux server. Linux does a good job of acting like a server even though Linux desktops and Darwin have clever GIUs, it just isn't Microsoft.

[StrategyCore]

Mac or PC - it doesn't matter. I hate to espouse marketing rhetoric of other companies, but I tend to agree with Sun Microsystems singular vision -- "The Network Is The Computer". I think Google has proved this. Proprietary giants Microsoft and Apple will be long gone from the game, as they fight over table scraps left by Google consumers. Now, let's just pray Google continues to use "the Force" in positive ways and doesn't join "the Dark Side".

[SpeedyDemon]

rcrusoe said:
"Before too long no one will know or care what operating system they run any more"

Don't bet your hard earned money on this.

[Penguinisto]

So tell me - do you have a TiVO or other DVR? Because nearly all of them run Linux. If you hate Linux, I suggest you don't use one. Same goes with your SOHO/home router. Hate Microsoft? Don't buy a mid-to-high-end Ford. Or a BMW.

Fact is, folks really don't care what OS runs the stuff they want/need to carry on with their daily lives.