- 2005.12.20
Microsoft
has announced that will officially drop support for Windows in
2009, a company spokesperson has said.
"Customers using Windows should move to a more modern operating
system, such as Linux or the Mac OS, as we are going to stop
shipping Windows in 2007 and stop all support for all versions of
Windows in 2009," said Steve Ballmer of Microsoft.
The reason for the move, long anticipated by industry analysts*
has to do with the mounting costs of supporting all of the myriad
patches and updates to keep Windows operating.
"It was getting to the point we were spending three times what
it cost to launch a version of Windows just to keep the OS running
for a couple of months," said Ballmer. "At some point you have to
stop the bleeding and return to your core business."
Microsoft's core business is, of course, centered on the sale of
the ubiquitous Office suite of products. Ironically, with the
discontinuation of Windows, Microsoft will need to retool its
flagship product for Linux and for the Mac OS.
The MacOS version, which has been in existence for some time but
never advertised in a non-Mac setting, will be a surprise to most
Microsoft customers.
"The average person doesn't know Mac Office 2004 exists because
we didn't use to provide discounts for it and didn't insist that it
be stocked in stores offering Windows software. We even had a guy
in the Windows shop that used to go around spreading the myth that
Mac Office didn't even exist," said one executive who wished to
remain nameless. "That guy drove the Mac business unit crazy."
Linux users have asked for a Linux version of Office for years.
Since those requests have traditionally fallen on deaf ears, they
have relied on open-source Office-compatible software such as
OpenOffice to get work done.
Now that Microsoft is planning to offer an Office "distro" which
will run on the eighty-three different incarnations of Linux, Linux
users are somewhat nonplused about it.
Linus Torvalds, the Godfather of Linux, even accused Microsoft
of attempting to pre-empt the nine-hundred and thirty-seven
different GUI schema currently under development for various
flavors of Unix (including Linux) and branded them "interface
Nazis" who will stifle innovation in the Linux workspace.
Torvalds advises all Linux users to avoid using any Microsoft
products whatsoever.
Since this is the ninth industry Torvalds has labeled "Nazis",
not many people are worried about the effect of his opinion in this
matter. Especially not Bill Gates, who sees the new direction
Windows is taking as fundamental to his vision for the 30-year old
company.
"We are really getting at the core of our business now," Gates
said to a packed audience of journalists enjoying the colorful
brochures he printed using a beta version of Linux Office, regaling
his largesse in redistributing wealth to those who would have
preferred to donate to directly instead of vicariously through his
profit-generating schemes.
"Soon, we'll refocus our attention on our core business of
launching Google-targeted competitive products and premature video
game consoles."
Since Google does not have an operating system, Gates sees no
need for Microsoft to have one, as that would make its
"Googleganger" strategy noncompetitive. "We can't beat Google at a
game they're not playing," he said.
The effect on the average user is expected to be minimal,
because the vast majority of users have no idea what an operating
system is. And that suits Gate's perennial nemesis, Steve Jobs,
just fine.
"We want to make products so good you don't even know you're
using them," said Jobs in a recent drive-by window. "So good, you
just expect everything to smoothly flow together with no
realization that every time you click on something, on a computer,
somewhere, it will always require you to authorize payment through
the iTunes music store.
"We just have a vision of making our profit-generating business
plan 'just work'. No bells or whistles or unnecessary middlemen in
the way. If we can get users to purchase Office through the Apple
iTMS, then we'll get a little cut of that. If you get your latest
distro update from iTMS, we'll take a small finder's fee. If you
want to order that sandwich with extra mayo, we're there for
you.
"Eventually we want you to access your eBay account and order
books from Amazon.com via the interface we've established for iTMS.
We call this idea a 'portal'. This is the greatest thing Apple has
ever invented, and once again shows our innovation and leadership
in the industry."
Where a Windows-less world will take us is anyone's guess.
Perhaps the new motto for Microsoft, paid for with free coupons
from End User License Agreements (no cash value) best sums up what
will happen: "Wherever you want to go, your competition can't see
you coming without Windows."
- * Well, just one analyst. That would be me. You have to have
full disclosure on these things or the press will rip you to shreds
these days.
