Comments on: Ballmer: No on WebKit, yes on app store

In Australia, Microsoft's CEO says Facebook and Apple have "made it easier for developers to distribute their applications." He also elaborates on his browser-rendering views.

[MacHeads]

You have to love ballmer ... another me too attempt you really have to admire the guy for his ability to "innovate" . You can feel that he has difficulties mastering himself ... Monkeyboy scene take 20 is not too far. The Appstore idea is yet another mee too thingie.. Lovely.

[coryschulz]

Steve Jobs says the App store is one of the most amazing things he's ever seen in software history, and Ballmer says "ehh... not much money being made... ehh.. I guess it's interesting... ehh... I have a stick up my butt that I can't seem to get out... ehh... I guess I'm happy with it there..." One word for Ballmer: FAIL!

[contentcreator--2008]

Ballmer's likely half right --- I'm not sure the app writers are making much money....but likely Job's Apple is making money on it ;-)

[Me--]

what else dose $teve job$ say that you want to quote? you must be very proud of yourself that you've cited such reliable and unbiased source of info, huh? or maybe (in your own words) steve's promised to help you take out the stick in your butt if you quote him!!

[Thomas, David]

Microsoft has something with Windows Azure. However, their all embracing approach will find resistance, but provides the perfect environment for truly creating the next generation of applications because of this:

- Global Scalability for Services

This does NOT require .NET to be the platform of choice for local devices to take full advantage of whatever sets of devices there are. I resist the idea, that some homogenous approach is best for individual devices. I completely embrace the idea of a homogeneous approach for internet services.

Those, who have seen my comments in the past, no I am not a fan of Microsoft. But in my opinion, even if they bungle this, they have done enough right to deliver something that will help lead for once. They did/are doing good with this. Competition is always good, so even though Google wants to dismiss this, I hope for their sakes, AND ours, that they don't.

- Easy development, easy management, easy scalability, at prices developers can afford. This empowers the developers beyond anything they have had before. This is great for everyone.

[Alex Alexzander]

I have to agree. I'm a SalesForce.com user and CRM in the cloud is a no-brainer. You have access to it on any PC, from anywhere. I can work at home, my office, or even on a train. Once you get used to the concept you want to see it in more varying kinds of software. I use GoogleDocs to a small degree, but I would love to have a more complete office suite in the cloud combined with my documents saved in the cloud. It just makes it simple to own multiple computers and yet keep a constant set of data. Look how many people use web-based email without a client. I do. I use GMail and Google Calendar. Again the benefit is I can access my email from anywhere. What's not to like about that.

So when I see Azure my first thought is, "YES!" this is exactly what I want. And I would love to see more and more of this. Adobe is doing it. Microsoft is doing it. And I hope to now see software from developers rather than big corporations. And Azure allows exactly that to happen. I expect we will see a lot more software as a service because of Azure the same way we see lots of software from all over for Windows in general.

People can say what they want about Microsoft. But I think they just created the next big thing.

Alex Alexzander

[Jimmygotajobatgoogle]

Haha, reading that article made my bad mood up again. Important to have a browser that embraces the internet standard and innovative extensions. Pretty smart Ballmer, how long since IE "embraces internet standard" and how many of MSoft "innovative extensions" end up being use in all browsers?

This is what MSoft does best, innovate something - stop maintaining it - end up making it into a piece of crap - competitors come in - they got surprised - they finally realize their "innovation" needs fixing.

Oh yea, and Silverlight is a failed product, I don't see any reason for people to start using it since you can only develop it on Windows while most people develop websites on the OS X, its not any faster then Flash, its animation is nothing special also. So why Silverlight again? And I'm quite sure those website that requires Silverlight plugin is cause MSoft paid them to use Silverlight in order to promote a very unpopular Flash rip off.

[goodspeed8701]

I can realy tell that you know nothing from your post. Flash has been around for decades and silverlight is new. But i tell you that it has more potentials than flash. The past olympic proves it. Netflix choose it for a good reason.

When you talk about more people develope sites on mac I simply disagree. you dont watch a film and make statement you make statements from facts. More people develope on pc than mac. if you watch behind the scene on movies mostly animated you will see windows at work they hardly use mac. mac has 3% market share you cant say worldwide more developers use mac.

the iphone sdk is a mac only software and more programmes programme on windows so what can you say about this.

silverlight is not a fail product its not even a year old but its in more than 30% of the worlds computer exxept for mac. i see it reach the flash position and they can be used together so you can realy outdo one. they will work together.

Stop being biased.

[ruc]

I totally agree with your statement about Silverlight. I watch movies on Hulu and Netflix online. I prefer by far the quality and usability of Hulu which uses Flash. Also the Silverlight is not available in Ubuntu and I have to reboot my computer in Windows in order to watch the streaming on Netflix.

[rapier1]

"how many MSoft "innovative extensions" end up being use in all browsers?"

You mean like AJAX? You do know that was something MS developed right?

[Jimmygotajobatgoogle]

yeah, I know that AJAX is developed my MS, but what about its other features that is IE only. . .

[Thomas, David]

GEESUS People!

AJAX Developed by Microsoft? Get an education and stop posting.

I understand many of you just like to post comments, but if you are that ... that ignorant, do you really want the whole world to know about it?

[Thomas, David]

To further clarify my rather flammable post on Microsoft and AJAX. That belief that AJAX, a methodology which encompasses HTML, Java, Javascript, CSS, and asynchronous communications between a browser and a server ... is a term. It isn't one thing. Somewhere down the line, Microsoft seems to be getting all the credit for the asynchronous communications part, even though that was being done before.

[Cube Over]

We'll be able to judge a FAIL or not, when IE8 takes market share back from FireFox. If ever.

[watch2dog]

--with its Trident rendering engine for Internet Explorer.
The above link takes you back a light year ago in the realm of Web tech to an article on October 21, 1996 2:30 PM PDT, good reference!

[NickH]

Oddly, Microsoft will very soon have a kind of App Store - not for mobile, but for Community Games on Xbox 360. They were smart to open up XBox development several years ago with the XNA stuff, but bizarrely made distribution difficult. XNA should have had a decent distribution model 4 years ago.

With its new lower price and a wealth of low cost community games that will inevitably focus more of "fun" that "high production value", XBox might have faired better against Wii. Whether or not this will rejuvenate its fortunes at this stage of the game is a completely different story.

Microsoft have always understood that a legion of developers is essential to a successful platform. Other than distribution, they have a good story to tell on the development side. Kudos to Apple for imlementing this so successfully on iPhone, and stealing the show here.

As an independant software developer, this is starting to look like an interesting place to work. As few well implemented apps deployed to these "app stores" could potentially generate a very nice revenue stream.

[inachu]

Just as long as Microsoft does not get all communist like Apple does and prevent certain apps from being sold because they have similar colors or does something similar that is not being sold yet.

[ppratik96]

Is it just me or is Steve drunk?

[Penguinisto]

I'm thinking Steve is confused... and his ego won't let him look into things that actually work.

Sucks to be him - and Microsoft if they're having to deal with the results of his faulty 'vision'...

/P

[pcgeek79]

You are all **********. Ballmer is a jackass and Steve Jobs will be dead soon along with Apple co. Peace out and shut up. There can never be a thread without some ****** who needs to feel his opinion is so much more inportand. See!!! I am doing it too. Dammit!!! I hate you all and all threads should die.

[Jimmygotajobatgoogle]

erm...anyone see a crazy person whining here? (see above)

[Thomas, David]

lol ... someone needs a hug, or a therapist

[jtjt145]

M$'s ambiguity with open source is funny to watch. One day they (pretend) to love it, just to show the outside world that they love it too: "Can't you see people: Microsoft loves open source - that's why you should buy more products from us ..."
At then again, at some crucial point during the discussions they try to pin needles into open source by dropping innocuous remarks about 'proprietary innovations and extensions'. Kind of like to show these open source boys, like a real company deals with a thing like this...
A good example is Silverlight, something where they could have really created something where independent developers could have ground their teeth on. And then you read their EULA and you know two-way co-operation is the last thing they want. That's why I think Silverlight is a still-born baby. Sorry to the die-hard believers...

[ms_vs_google]

pcgeek79 is right - Ballmer is a jackass and clearly has nfi. The fact that he dismisses the likes of linux and google as competitors because they can offer services at a much lower cost/for free in the face of continuing loss of market share to them demonstrates ms are too stupid, arrogant, and out of touch to truly learn from thier mistakes.

Apple is a complete wank as well - why pay a premium for something with an apple logo on it when u can buy something generic with linux and be ahead in terms of both cost and performance.

Face it guys, MS and Apple are basket cases on thier way out, it's onl a matter of time.

[Jimmygotajobatgoogle]

erm no, eventhough what you say is true, MS and Apple are not on their way out. Linux eventhough its very powerful will never be use as a OS to normal people who don't really know about computers and enterprise won't use linux as their primary OS.

[DKrudop]

I love these thirteen-year-olds who already know it all.........go do some homework and get off the computer.

[t8]

13 year olds are the future.
Listen to the youth, they will be mainstream in 7 years.

[Thomas, David]

The ignorance of youth is a blessing and a curse.

Everyone, every year, always will, know it all at 13.

[jypeterson]

1) IE does not pass the Acid 3 tests
2) Safari, Opera, and Firefox do
3) App stores from Microsoft? This will fail as they cannot make a coherant application for developers to use, which has allowed mom and pop developers to enter the iPhone app market. $100 / year + you keep 70% of the profits. Apple does not make money on iTunes. It makes its money on the hardware. If you can provide content for your hardware then people will buy/develop for it. Look at the Zune for historical context. You have not been able to purchase movies for it, and it uses the strange "point" purchase system where one song = $.99 = 79 points. This is where Microsoft again tries to confuse consumers to make a profit.

Also, the XBox has yet to make a profit. All of the money that Microsoft has poured into the division has helped it to establish a market share, but if you sell all of your units at a loss, where do make money? Selling more only gets you a larger loss...

Ballmer continues to speak out of the side of his mouth. As with any technology company, once the head technologist is no longer making the shots and has been replaced by a salesman, innovation slows, bureaucracy increases, and the business plateaus. This happened to Apple in the 90's and Jobs resurrected the stagnant company. Microsoft will go through the same business cycle until Ballmer retires or is forced to leave by the Microsoft board.

Other than Office, Windows XP, and the Mac Business Unit, no other Microsoft division has made a sizable impact on the net profit of Microsoft. Face it, the business is stagnant with no real money maker -- even in development. The perception of Vista by the general and business consumer is that it is garbage. Apple continues to blatantly trash the OS on TV, and Microsoft has yet to produce a meaningful campaign against Apple.

Unless there is a radical change in the leadership at Microsoft, the company will continue to loose market share on all of its platforms/product lines. Even if this occured tomorrow, it would take years to get to an upward inflection point. It took 10 years for Apple to become where it is today. How long will it take for Microsoft which has far more employees and business lines?

[lokanadam]

why isn't google search logic open source ???

[Thomas, David]

Are you daft?