McMahonWeb

I really love the internet. The number of times people have written articles about the demise of a tech company, based on no real information, is incredible. Some of these people consider themselves tech journalists. If so, it is another sign of a decline in journalistic value. This year, those informed individuals have predicted Microsoft’s death and irrelevance. Yes, that really big software company that dominates desktops around the world. That company whose products others compare themselves to – they are dead.

Microsoft is obviously far from perfect. They have made some bad products (think Windows ME). They also make some good products (Server 2003, Exchange, SMS). They are big in the software game, they have an invisible target painted on them, and it seems everyone is on the attack. Every mistake made becomes so overblown, you never know what good they do. Telling bad stories about Microsoft is the cool thing to do. Linux and Mac fanboys, or other anti-Microsoft types, can not wait for the day Microsoft takes second place. Sounds a bit like envy.

By the way, I am a Mac user. I am writing this on my iMac write now. I really like OS X, and I really like the many pieces of software (many written by Apple) that I use. However, I also support a Microsoft product 5 days a week in a Fortune 50 company. Tens of thousands of Windows 2003 servers, and more than one hundred thousand XP workstations get a lot of work done every single day. We do not get hacked, we do not have viruses, and we do not spend our days battling spyware. Overall, it works pretty well. That is not to say that we do not have our share of issues. However, I see a similar number of issues happening on the Unix and Linux sides of our shop. Every platform, every piece of software, and every product has something wrong. Nothing is excluded.

Microsoft recently released their latest iteration of the Windows desktop, named Vista. After about five years of development from XP, it has had a rough start. High-end hardware demands, performance issues, an annoying security implementation, and more. Is it Windows ME bad? No. If you give it good hardware, it runs fine. Unfortunately, software compatibility issues, combined with the annoying security design, have users (both at home and at work) very tentative about the idea of converting over from XP. After all, at this point, XP runs pretty darn well. SP3 is on its way, and expected to make it even better. The truth is, Microsoft has two systems competing internally. Not a good situation when they are trying to sell their latest and greatest.

Lately, when it comes to Microsoft tech news, Vista issues are the only thing out and about. News about Server 2008, Exchange 2007, and the many other great products they have coming online are merely whispers in a sea of negative publicity.

The best part is, while so many are anxious to see Microsoft get knocked a few steps down, all their negativity sure hasn’t hit the bottom line. Microsoft is experiencing extremely good profitability. That is usually not a sign of a dead company, but maybe there is a secret in there that I am missing.

There is definitely a surge of competition for Microsoft, and it is great. The more these companies compete, the better off we are. We get better software, better prices, and better service.

It just seems that the current trend of over-the-top predictions and assumptions based in ignorance are on the rise, and it is getting old. Want to criticize Microsoft? Go for it. These companies could to well to feel a bit under the microscope. Just try to insert some reality, and not be so ridiculous with claims that make no sense. Do not bury a valid article in a sea of personal technology bias. It only makes the article less valuable. Take a step back, and look at the big picture. These are big companies, with their hands in many different things. A difficult product release is not directly related to the end of company or their relevance in an industry. That seems like a pretty short-sighted assumption.