Comments on: Ballmer the undaunted

Never at a loss for words and always passionate about his company, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer describes his attitude as "super optimistic."

[rodnarms]

Microsoft really is crap

Microsoft is in deep trouble. I speak from experience. Our office
just purchased a Dell Latitude 600 with Windows XP. This system
is woefully behind in technology, performance, and functionality
in comparisen to my PowerBook G4 with Panther. It cost the
same money.

Windows is woefully behind in operating system technology.
The first time I used the Dell, I merely attempted to add a
mailbox from an exchange server. Office crashed. This should
not happen. Here is Dell, the top PC manufacturer that enjoys a
very close relationship with Microsoft, Windows XP the most
recent release, and Office XP. Things should work together
smoothly. Windows XP itself took a bit of time to load programs
and respond to such simple things as loading the help center or
control panel.

My PowerBook G4 beats this thing hands down. Microsoft Office
for the Mac hasn't crashed on me yet. The actual OS has had one
system level crash since I switched in early 2002. The system
runs just as snappy as when it was first booted up in November.
With each system update (usually bi-monthly) Apple keeps
refining the system making it work even better and smoother.
Quartz, a 3D graphics system for OS X, has Windows XP looking
like a pasty version of a Fishers Price software.

I use all the applications on my Mac that are on Windows
systems. My PowerBook is a way better value.

Unless Longhorn catches up, Microsoft will progressively fall
behind.

[bjbrock]

XP is bloated to control!

XP is a big step backwards in OS's. It is poorly written, as uncountable patches indicates, and poorly designed. Ballmer's comment about what can be added to an OS is a major reason for the problems. MS has integrated applications into the OS making it not an OS. This one fact leads to both the instability and enormous amount of holes used by most hacks. SP2 is a joke and won't be able to fix XP. MS keeps talking security tools and updates. Hacks aren't attacking the security. It's the flawed code that allows for successful hacks. No security tool can secure flawed code. But since MS can't fix XP, they are adding more code on top of the original flawed code in hopes to ward off attacks. This is just another layer on top of already unstable code and the outcome will be more unstability. This whole mess is a result of MS's desire for control of the IT environment. Greed. An OS needs to be ONLY an OS. By putting apps into the OS code, MS is trying to dominate the app's market without having to compete. The "it's an integral part of the kernel" speech that MS uses in all anti-trust suits is proof of this attempt to corner the market on apps without having to compete. All of these "integral parts" has made XP an uncontrollable monster and not an OS. I assure you, they will attempt to make Office part of the OS as well. MS has lost touch with reality and XP will only be viable in Bill Gates' dreams. He is no longer a visionary but just another dreamer. And Dell, they'll reap what they sew. Not just for XP but all of the trashy spyware they have begun installing on their systems. Like Backweb and Netropa's MM keyboard drivers. GREED will take down all who subscribe!

I will have to temper the above however and state that Windows 2000, some 4 SP's down the road, is as rock solid as any OS I have dealt with in the last 13 years. With the exception of hardware changes(the ACPI HAL doesn't do well with resource changes), I have never had 2000 blue screen, in my network or my customers' networks. NEVER. Even an errant app won't bring down this OS. The networking architecture is another issue but is manageable, albeit clumsy.

The road from 2000 to XP took a detour and a good (manageable and productive) OS never arrived at the final destination point. MS would up themseleves a notch in my book if they simply kept 2000 alive and allowed its sales to continue. However, that doesn't fit into MS's greedy plan so we can all ride the XP rollercoaster right into the trash dump.

[don_campbell]

I have the same machine and it works great

I have the same system - Dell Latitude D600 with Windows XP Pro. It works like a dream. Very fast.
My father has a Windows PC and a newer Mac with OS X Jaguar. If you do things side-by-side like surfing the web, playing Quicktime movies, etc, his 3-year old PC is much faster and more responsive than the 1-year old Mac.
The Mac UI is cool, but remember it is practically a brand new OS from the user interface on up. Mac OS X is nice but so is Windows XP.

[Earl Benser]

What Else???

Steve has no choice but to continue to blow MS smoke into
everyone's eyes. He can hardly admit that MS has massively
screwed up in any number of hardware and software areas. His
job is to make every one think that MS is at least half as good as
MS claims. And who knows? He may actually believe it. I assume
there are a few who do.

[wrwjpn]

sovereign authority

Ballmer Quote
"Well, I think it is a bit of an unusual principle because the
sovereign authority, the country in which we reside, has spoken.
I mean, it is finished. The regime is clear. We have got
pronouncements from the courts. We have got a consent decree.
We have a framework in which we have to live. And the EU is
another sovereign authority.

We would like sovereign authorities to kind of agree on what
those rules are. We are hopeful for that. We tried to help provoke
compromises that would allow the framework to live together,
and we did not get there. We hope that through the appellate
process in Europe, we can come to a regime that is common, at
least on both sides of the Atlantic. I wish the EU had had more
deference for the U.S. regime, as set forth not only in the
consent decree, but also in the pronouncements of the court."

Should the EU also except that the US laws are better or more
right then their own? I think not, and that is the reasons they
make their own. Yes Microsoft is a US company but they are
doing business in another countery and they have to obey the
laws of that country or countries. In the US I can own a gun but
in other countries I can't. But wait I am a US citizen and the law
of my country says I can own one so why can't I own one in
another country? Exactly, Sovereign Authority!
Ballmer don't you get it! You have to play by the rules of each
and every indivual sovereign authority. But MS thinks they are
above the law or they think they are the law. (Think dictatorship)

[t8]

Above the Law

True

Why would they think they were above the law? I mean the American Justice System stands for justice and enforces justice right? Heck no.

If a company is always willing to use the law after infringing law, then they are not being taught a lesson. It is obvious that they know that they can always win in court, so they will continue to infringe and win in court. The American Law system is weak and perhaps under the influence of MS billions.

Europe is giving them what they deserve. At least there is a Sovereign out there that knows injustice when it sees it. Europe is not seeing through the eyes of MS billions, they are simply seeing things as they are.