CowboyTeal writes:
"Windows 8 is still being disputed as either the product of a genius or a nerdy sadist but that doesn't mean Windows 9 isn't in the works. That said, how would you guys improve Windows if you could change anything about it? Has windows 8 improved or degraded your overall experience of the Windows platform? If you're not a Windows user, what features would you like to see in Windows for possible assimilation?"
(Score: 0, Redundant) by east2idaho on Sunday March 02 2014, @03:39PM
They need to stop thinking like a monopolist.
When MS introduced Windows 3.x, MS knew how to compete on features. The versions of Word and Excel available for MSWin 3.x were swiss army knives - able to open any remotely compatible files from competitors. Once MS drove a stake through the heart of WordPerfect and Lotus, the later MSOffice releases could not even open files from previous versions of the same applications. The difference was that in MSWin 3.x, MS was trying to convince their users to adopt their software. Once MS got critical market share, their focus changed from being useful to driving their users to spend more money on upgrades.
As a monopolist, MS could depend on user lock in, and do horrible things to their users in order to make it harder to switch to alternatives - with the assumption that their users had no other effective choices. Once a monopolist mindset takes hold in the corporate culture, it is hard to break out.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 02 2014, @07:15PM
absolutely agree. monopolist mindsets are terrible for a company.
i'm starting to see that in my current employer. they once were #1 in their market and developed all their own proprietary internal protocols and technology. now, years later, competitors are eating their lunch using industry standards. i've had marketing people say in meetings 'if we use industry standards, why would people buy from us?'. obviously, our marketing people have been relying on proprietary lock-in to keep our customers around for years, and that's about to end, and they have no clue how to sell without it.
idiots.