Where do you see Microsoft going in the next few years

[SHAWN]

With all this spyware aimed toward microsoft products, and with longhorn coming out, where do you guys see them going? Do you guys think that Microsoft will thrive or someone else will come out with a better more reliable o/s?

Discuss.

 

[Noodles]

I just don't see it happening, microsoft holds a majority of the OS field and almost everything we use is Windows Based. They control too much for it to just change. Although I hate Windows I'm practically forced to use it wherever I go, home, work, and on the road. Software is designed solely for Windows and until an OS comes out that has the capability of running 100% of Window's software then maybe something will change.

 

[beedubaya]

I think if Microsoft keeps on its present course, they will lose the business market, because all businesses care about is productivity, reliability, and just a simple OS to use and get tasks done. They don't care about all the media integration that mostly only home users care about.

 

[macdude425]

I think that the home market may not suffer for a while if Microsoft continues this way, but a number of big businesses will switch to Unix or Linux. Look at Lowe's; they have recently switched from MS-DOS and Windows to Linux.

 

[RicoDirenzo]

Yep...no real competition and you get lazy and arrogant and become a living example of why the anit-trust lawsuit brought by Netscape could have changed the landscape of efficient competition in operating systems if the courts weren't "owned" by Bill Gates!!!! Until there is real competition isn the OS world........it will continue to be SP2 hell and Blue Screen physical memory dump purgatory!!

 

[Osiris]

same place they are now, on top of the world.

 

[Quintox]

They will take over the world.

 

[furtivefelon]

one of the hardest thing to change is programming language and preferred OS.. Linux/Unix is just too different from MS windows to be considered by many people, people will continue to live with the insecurity also the convenience of not hunting down most drivers..

When we will change if microsoft doesn't change it's way? well, i see two generations before everyone realizes how crappy Windows is at it's current state.. first, we need old ppl who are die hard MS fans to die (no offence there).. as younger generation is about 40% heard of Linux and heard it's hype, about 10% of those will switch (i'm just pulling these numbers out of no where.. so don't quote me on those.. but they seem reasonable ).. i'm sure by the second generation, Microsoft will start to loose it's footing, and linux will gain a critical mass to rave driver support (slowly gaming support..).. my guess at a critical mass is 25% market share (still a long way..)

wow that was alot of ranting.. my point is, MS will continue to dominate like it did for the last ten years.. but it will loose it's footing slowly and surely so prob in two generations, you will see all of us running linux

 

[RicoDirenzo]

It's about two things: Money and politcal power...without competition, there is no incentive to do anything other than S.O.S. I'm an "older" person and have disliked microsolft ever since Mr. Gates ripped off the Atari OS which was clean and substituted it with "windows"..................ME was an example of just how rediculous this arrogant company is! Heck...we all still running on base memory of 640. All the rest is extended! LOL!!! Microsoft will not change until someone big comes along with a better product. And that would be?????? Sure as heck isn't Linux. It doesn't matter who is aware of what. It's about power and money.

 

[SHAWN]

Great thread so far!! Great opinions!