Comments on: The looming battle between old economy (Microsoft) and new economy (Google)

Google and Microsoft are duking it out for developers' hearts and minds. But is Amazon the wild card?

[simplelifer]

I'm starting my own project on Amazon AWS, and let me tell ya, it's great!
Amazon should be the role model for Microsoft---from selling books online to selling virtual on-demand computing and database solutions for people with great ideas. This is what I called "progress".
I remember Bill Gates once said something like "you've to kill your own products before others do". Well, what happened to that motto?
Microsoft is still the giant today, but for how long?

[markrob35]

Asay's anti-Microsoft stand on everything is hardly surprising, but in my view, this has way less to do with Microsoft vs. Google (or other petty battles like closed source vs. open source), and way more to do how much I trust my personal information, business secrets, bank account numbers, and other stuff being stored inside mysterious, faraway servers owned by some business with little real motivation to protect my interests. Do I trust Google to do that? (No.) Do I trust Microsoft to do that? (No.) Do I trust some upstart 23 year old dot-commer with some novel new idea (e.g., Facebook and their privacy fiasco) to do that? (No.)

And lest anyone suggest it, I don't trust them with my data ephemerally, either. Some random remote application in a faraway place accessed over the Internet reading and writing locally-stored data is no more trustworthy than storing it remotely with the same applications.

Whether your desktop is Windows or Mac OS or Linux or some other platform, there's nothing like direct oversight and control over one's own computing domain, with at least some ability to monitor what's happening, and to control (via software or hardware firewalls) what connections are permitted, to whom, and when (or to at least worst case cut the Ethernet cord to prevent anything from leaving).

Pardon me for being a curmudgeon, but the entire notion of outsourced "cloud computing" is about as enticing as the notion of media convergence, device convergence, and all the other "convergences" zealots have been touting for years. It happens to some degree, sure, but with questionable success, and it's never some revolutionary change in mindset and behavior it's made out to be.

[jspencer09]

Amen! I fully Agree with your comments -- I don't trust my data on some remote company's servers -- just too easy for them to abuse, regardless of whatever "privacy policy" they may have.
I could potentially see this happening in a closed environment, like say a corporate network running thin clients -- which is really just a throwback to the mainframe days -- there are benefits and drawbacks to this approach. But for an individual user this will never happen, for all the excellent reasons outlined above. And another thing Asay doesn't seem to understand is if cloud computing were to somehow take off, it wouldn't only kill Microsoft, but also Linux and the MacOS. Remember they are both desktop OSs as well.

[plee9]

wow. how can you call Microsoft an old economy and Google a new economy? does this make IBM a dinasaur? the writer's wording is so biased and favorable to Google that it summarizes the typical stereotype that general public has. look. you can't call companies names based on public opinions. this article simply lacks taste or new ideas. why would you call desktop software an old economy? do you think apple is an old economy too? why would you call web software a new economy? because google does it? please fix the title and rewrite the article.

[DoughboyNJ]

here here well written

[Matt Asay]

Apple's future is New Economy. Look at the applications the company is building. Everything is tied into the cloud, though still somewhat weakly.

As for me being pro-Google, I guess you've never read this blog before? :-)

[mjhillman]

I have been developing software for 20+ years and have bounced back and forth between Web Clients and Windows Clients. I favor Windows Clients for speed of development, security, and robust interface. The interface quality and speed can not be matched by a Web Client (even using AJAX). While the ASP model has it benefits, most professional organizations will prefer professional Windows Client tools.

[lst2001]

Does anyone remember "Network Computers (NC)?" seem a rose by any other name is a rose.

[ethana2]

Software can't really be a product anymore, you must sell services.

I don't use a single piece of proprietary software in my day to day life, but I'm on the hook for ISP bills as far into the future as I can see.
Ubuntu Linux + Blender + the GIMP + inkscape + Qcad...

[unixbiz]

I am not a supporter of any parties. The reality is the web is the future. The desktop PC applications days are numbered. All around the world, people can get info on the web via non-PC devices. More new applications are written to replace old desktop computers apps. It makes sense. The world is in the internet age. This is when MS Windows product will be on its way to be the old economy. Apple is not old economy because it keeps coming up with new & cool gadgets besides laptop & desktop computers. Microsoft cannot compete with Apple in the gadget market. Why do we need the new Windows Vista OS when Windows XP is doing a fine job ? Beside, the new Linux desktop OS are as easy to use as Windows & they are available for free ! Microsoft has to spend billion of dollars to produce the new Windows Vista because they do not have other ways to lock the users in their Windows product family. Hello Microsoft ! spend the money to build web apps not the old economy desktop Windows products. Let me clarify. Windows Desktop apps are old economy, open architecture web apps are new economy.

[oyunlarr]

oyun
Software can't really be a product anymore, you must sell services. I don't use a single piece of proprietary software in my day to day life, but I'm on the hook for ISP bills as far into the future as I can see. Ubuntu Linux + Blender + the GIMP + inkscape + Qcad...
kiz oyunlari