Microsoft buys Netscape Web patents from AOL to attack Google

[Digital Doctor]

and even diehard iOS and Android fanboys are interested in what Microsoft can do with Windows 8.

Not really.

 

[craigiri]

Honestly, in my universe I have not heard or read one word about Windows 8. I read Wired Magazine, have Google news set to a lot of tech prefs, etc.

Desktop OS's, even Apples, are just not news. When Mac OS 11 comes out, I will give a big yawn and probably not upgrade. 10.4 was good enough for the vast majority of apps.

But the iphone 5 may just be the first one I buy new (I have a hand-me-down 3G now!).

At some point a couple years ago, CPU's and OS's became "more than good enough" and the next killer app stopped being dependent on the next big thing. We already can do video, sound, internet, photoshop, etc. well with the 5 year old models.......

 

[Adam Howard]

I've not seen a home computer, home business, or even a large business use Microsoft Office in years (FACT). I think Microsoft Office 2010 was the last Microsoft Office I saw on someone's PC (keep in mind Office 2010 was released end of 2009 for the holiday sales).

Every computer I see now has either Open Office or Libre Office (arguably basically the same thing). I remember a friend of mine buying a new computer and the 1st thing they did was un-install Microsoft Office (full version, not demo that typically comes with PC). What did she do? Installed Libre Office.

Local bank uses Libre Office too and I've seen some larger banks (local Bank of America) use it too. Microsoft Office while I no doubt is still used.... I see on the way out. Their new Office Online (Office 365) kind of helped them sink that as well.

xBox will become Microsoft's bread and butter on the consumer end. For both hardware and gaming. A lot of people are moving away from PC gaming, but for those who will stick to it (and many will)....

Apple has a few well-known games in development (Blizzard, EA Games, Perfect World to name a few) are exploring (mostly private alpha / beta) into an Apple OS gaming division. Perfect World is also exploring Linux (don't ask me what distro... I don't have a clue, but if I had to guess Ubuntu is large in home desktop OS for Linux).

Windows 8 as is... I think will be their doom.... Assuming Window 9 doesn't correct everything they're doing wrong in Windows 8.... Hey, it happen with Windows Vista and they fixed it all in Windows 7. So it is possible for them to bounce back, but surely you can only disappoint so many times. Not saying they're down and out. Windows will be a factor for a good 5 years (I'd say 10, but in the tech world that is several life times), but if they don't listen to their customers and things continue to play out as I see them happening...... Who's to say?!

 

[Taylor J]

I've not seen a home computer, home business, or even a large business use Microsoft Office in years (FACT). I think Microsoft Office 2010 was the last Microsoft Office I saw on someone's PC (keep in mind Office 2010 was released end of 2009 for the holiday sales).

Ever go to Walmart? If so, they still use Windows .

 

[Adam Howard]

Ever go to Walmart? If so, they still use Windows .

Not Microsoft Office or at least mine does not (I know, I worked there as an assistant manager)

 

[Taylor J]

Not Microsoft Office or at least mine does not (I know, I worked there as an assistant manager)

Mine uses all different versions of Windows. For the ad system with the tv's etc by every cashier they use 98 iirc. They use Windows 7 in the back for their personal computers and use MS Office to show us announcements in the back.

 

[Adam Howard]

Mine uses all different versions of Windows. For the ad system with the tv's etc by every cashier they use 98 iirc. They use Windows 7 in the back for their personal computers and use MS Office to show us announcements in the back.

I believe the office uses Windows 2000 (yes, I hated it) and some of the other computers use Windows XP.

 

[Digital Doctor]

Every computer I see now has either Open Office or Libre Office (arguably basically the same thing).

This isn't typical.
Less businesses are using Microsoft Office.
The significant majority still use Microsoft Office.

For a $50,000 employee, adding a $500 PC with Office = $650. $150 is nothing.

 

[MagnusB]

This isn't typical.
Less businesses are using Microsoft Office.
The significant majority still use Microsoft Office.

For a $50,000 employee, adding a $500 PC with Office = $650. $150 is nothing.

Yes, it is. You are never looking at a cost isolated, you are looking for the total cost. Per employee it might seem small, but in any company with more than one employee this adds up. In addition, you need to administrate licenses, track which ones are in use, renew, add new ones etc etc. Just looking at the cost of the product it self is pointless.

 

[Digital Doctor]

Yes, it is. You are never looking at a cost isolated, you are looking for the total cost. Per employee it might seem small, but in any company with more than one employee this adds up. In addition, you need to administrate licenses, track which ones are in use, renew, add new ones etc etc. Just looking at the cost of the product it self is pointless.

Training people per Office Installation to use new software = $2000+
$150 vs $2000.
Do the math.

Endless IT questions ... my client can't open .odf files ? etc. etc. $150 = chump change.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/10/20/technology/microsoft_earnings/index.htm

Microsoft's strongest division right now is its business software group, which includes Microsoft Office. Revenue in that division rose 8% to $5.6 billion, driven predominantly by Office. But steady sales of business integration and messaging software, including SharePoint and Exchange, helped too.

That's illion with a B
BTW.

FWIW ... I use Word 2003 and Excel 2007 with a touch of Outlook 2007. Works fine for me. I don't change ... because changing software will cause me to have to train my employees on the new software. Time = expensive.

 

[MagnusB]

Sorry, but I don't buy the training costs. I am very confident that the business' that have upgraded to 2007 from 2003 have seen an increase in these. I know one large company bought every office employee a license to 2007 prior to implementing it. They gave it away as a Christmas present, but still a cost. My guess is that training costs between would be lower going from 2003 to Libre Office, than too 2007. BTW, the my client can't open ODF files is an invalid question, you don't share source documents, you share PDF's or similar. I rarely, if ever, get a word document per mail, unless it is an internal document for me to review.

I have also been an advanced user of Excell, and I have to say that 2007 is even a weaker mathematical tool than 2003. I am struggling to find certain functions, and some even require that you search the options quite heavily. They even managed to use their graphing tools weaker, which was quite an achievement, because they were pretty awful already in 2003.

 

[Adam Howard]

Training people per Office Installation to use new software = $2000+
$150 vs $2000.
Do the math.

Endless IT questions ... my client can't open .odf files ? etc. etc. $150 = chump change.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/10/20/technology/microsoft_earnings/index.htm



That's illion with a B
BTW.

FWIW ... I use Word 2003 and Excel 2007 with a touch of Outlook 2007. Works fine for me. I don't change ... because changing software will cause me to have to train my employees on the new software. Time = expensive.

What training?

Do you know how to use Microsoft Office? If yes, you know how to use Libre Office. The layout is the same and yes, it can indeed open every file format that Microsoft can (even a few MS Office can not).

 

[Forsaken]

What training?

Do you know how to use Microsoft Office? If yes, you know how to use Libre Office. The layout is the same and yes, it can indeed open every file format that Microsoft can (even a few MS Office can not).

There are incompatibilities between the software though, especially when things are saved from Libre Office. It might have been changed since they've switched to the Libre Office project, but when it was under Open Office I got grilled over using it back when I was in college.

 

[MagnusB]

They are not fully compatible with each other. You can open files from one in the other, but the styling etc will be different. That is why you use PDF to share documents, that way they are rendered the same no matter what platform or software you use. I have yet to see a PDF render differently between software or platforms.

 

[Digital Doctor]

What training?
Do you know how to use Microsoft Office? If yes, you know how to use Libre Office. The layout is the same and yes, it can indeed open every file format that Microsoft can (even a few MS Office can not).

I take it you don't have a 60 year old secretary.
Believe me, training.
And follow up questions for a year.