Microsoft does not Need Windows Anymore? Interesting idea...

Eric Knorr of Infoworld published an article in which he claims that Microsoft, moving its focus to the cloud, does not need Windows any longer.  Apart of trying to portray Microsoft as an open company (which it clearly is not), that idea makes me think of several interesting questions:

1.  If Microsoft does not need Windows anymore, why is it pushing Windows 10 so aggressively and in many cases using deceitful means?

2.  If Microsoft does not need Windows anymore, then users don't, either.  That's some happy news!  :D  Users should ditch that platform that its producer does not need nowadays. 

3.  If Windows is about 10 percent of Microsoft's revenue, there must be something hidden behind the aggressive Windows 10 push.  Microsoft wants something worth much more than that 10 percent.  What could that be?  :P

4.  Why would someone want to paint Microsoft as an open company that does not need its flagship product?

5.  If Microsoft does not need Windows any longer, does that mean that this time it will actually produce something innovative instead of simply buying popular software?

I guess the problem with Surface Pro 3 and the market share decrease of Windows 10 last month might be related to this idea of painting Microsoft as a problem-free company.

Advances and Paradoxes of Computers

I'm having too much work lately. Thus, for the sake of fun and my own sanity (or whatever is left of it,) I'll post two cartoons about some paradoxical advances we have seen in the world of computers. I've got a feeling that we are experiencing the Nietzschean Eternal Return. :P

IN THE PAST



IN THE PRESENT



Have you witnessed any other radical advances like these? :)

So Long, Skype!

Well, with the news about Microsoft buying Skype, I've started to hear reactions from Linux users who are also Skype users.

I never used Skype myself, but certainly don't see this new MSkype as a good deal for GNU/Linux users. I mean, the good thing of Skype was that it was, to some extent, multi-platform, even if it was closed source. Will that be the same once Microsoft turns it into "Windows VoIP Professional" or as Harry McCracken said, "Microsoft Internet Phone Professional Premium 2012"?

I don't think so. Nor I believe Ballmer's statement that MS will continue developing Skype for non-MS platforms. If that actually happens, I don't think Skype will keep the same features on Windows and on non-Windows systems.

This article on Digitizor.com analyzes the potential situation for Skype Linux users...it doesn't look good.

Now, GNU/Linux users who were fond of Skype are looking for alternatives. The migration has started. After all, when there is no Linux support, Linux users should make their voice heard.

Microsoft LOVES Open Source!!!

Jean Paoli, the general manager of Microsoft's interoperability strategy team, recently said "we love open source." You can read about it here.
Isn't it great? The company that once called Linux "a cancer" now loves open source! This is the happiest news you'll ever hear! Of course, we all can assume that from this new love relationship between Microsoft and open source, the closed, privative soon-to-be-born Windows 8 will be replaced by a free (both as in freedom and as in free-beer) open-source Windows called PENGUINDOWS.

Penguindows will come in four great editions:

1. Lovey Dovey Edition
2. Rosy Edition
3. Happy-Ever-After Edition
4. Fairytale Edition

You will be able to download it, or you can ask Microsoft for a free copy. They'll send it to you promptly if you accept the license agreement:

"Do you accept to love all human beings and use your Penguindows for the benefit of humanity without asking for anything in reward? YES NO"

Surely, Penguindows will make a new, happy world for everyone!
THANKS, MICROSOFT, FOR TAKING SUCH A HUGE STEP TOWARDS A BETTER WORLD!!! WE LOVE YOU, TOO!!! Let us all dance together with Brother Ballmer!!!



Please...don't let the shadow of doubt and critical thinking cloud such a happy moment for humanity...

Please, don't think that the same Paoli who uttered those words of love is the same Paoli who helped design the XML specification. Yes, the same that gave (and still gives) so many headaches to users of Office 2003 and older. Surely, he was thinking about interoperability when that "open" closed format was adopted and left those users clueless. After all, the new format is for the benefit of humanity! It compresses files! It makes your PowerPoint presentations substantially smaller so you can send them more easily by e-mail! That shows how much he does care for poor users without fast Internet connections...What does it matter if you have to spend hours from your slow connection to download the 27.5 Mb patch for your Office 2003 to be able to use the new format? You will be able to make smaller files after all!!!!

Please, don't think that this new love affair responds to a hidden agenda, either. Let not the crazy thought of cloud computing stain the purity of this affection. It does not matter that Microsoft leaders made the mistake of underestimating the Web when they concentrated all their efforts on desktop computers, pretty much as IBM concentrated only on mainframes during its prime years.

Don't ever think that by releasing Office 2010 and its cloud-computing features, Microsoft is trying to take hold of the market it left aside in the past. No. Forget those impure thoughts. Don't ever link that to Microsoft's new interest in Open Source. No. After all, cloud computing is deeply related to open source technologies, which enable their interoperability, but that's not the reason for Microsoft love.

Why is it that whenever pure love appears, there is always a horrible crow spreading its black wings and piercing the sky with its horrible squawking? Let's believe in LOVE!!!

Cloud Computing: The New Wave!

Currently, it seems Cloud Computing is becoming a hot issue.

What is cloud computing? Basically, it is storing your information in remote servers (the cloud.) Using such servers could be free or users may also have to pay a fee for the service. That depends on "the cloud" users choose.

Cloud computing gives you the advantage that you don't have to store your information yourself (no more piles of CD or DVD back-ups in your house or your office). Also, it lets you access your data from anyhwere in the world (at least in theory. In reality you need a fast web connection first).

Storing information or even using online document-creating tools (like Google Docs) may be very convenient. In fact, Microsoft also wanted to jump into the train with Office 2010.

However, a fellow Mepis user recently mentioned on the Mepis Forum the article "Office 2010's Web tools raise security questions," by Yardena Arar. The author stated that "security experts say Office 2010's Web-connectedness could present new opportunities for snoops and hackers."

In short, Arar said that the potential problems with Office 2010 refer to two of its new features: SkyDrive and PowerPoint Broadcast. She described both features as follows:

"The former lets you easily share documents with colleagues, either via Office desktop apps or the new Office Web Apps. And with a simple Web link, anyone with a free Windows Live account can now run a PowerPoint 2010 slideshow, viewable by any remote user with a desktop browser."

According to her, problems arise when a a user, probably clueless about security, makes a mistaken use of such features, which along with their relatively low security (only passwords or web links), could result in unintentionally disclosing private information.

Can you imagine? A PowerPoint presentation about a company's new market strategies being disclosed to all SkyDrive accounts because a clueless person did not know how to use or disable Office 2010's web features?

The former is true not just for Microsoft Office 2010. Any form of cloud computing involves a degree of risk and a possible violation of privacy. If the servers are kept in the USA, for example, thanks to the Patriot Act, the government may ask the server keepers to show them all the information stored without notifying the actual owners of the documents.

Experts say Cloud Computing is the future of computers. I agree with them. In fact, many people have been using some sort of cloud computing already, be it online e-mail or photo album publishing. However, storing your information in servers that do not belong to you will always pose a risk in terms of privacy and security. Remember, you will be letting total strangers keep your valuable data. Is that what you really want?