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Pastimes : Computer Learning -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: mr.mark who wrote (17744)	3/17/2001 11:26:25 PM
From: SIer formerly known as Joe B.	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 110631

The end of an era with Microsoft news.yahoo.com Saturday March 17 10:15 PM EST By Mary Jo Foley, ZDNet News It's the end of an era. After three years of dogging Microsoft (and a few other software companies) in my weekly column for ZDNet News, I am moving on. I will be continuing to write about Microsoft and other companies, but in a new venue that has yet to be publicly announced. Stay tuned. It's been a wild ride covering Microsoft as a beat reporter, pretty much full-time for the past eight years. I've had a chance to see the company grow, hunker down in full siege-mentality mode, and jump through hoops to reposition itself from a shrinkwrap software company to an Internet company, and then, to a hybrid software-as-a-service vendor. My best revenge: I've outlasted a number of the Microsofties I've covered during my tenure (including at least one executive who tried to have me removed from my job). My worst disappointment: That despite what I consider fairly strong proof offered by the U.S. DOJ and 19 state attorneys general that Microsoft abused its monopoly power, the company is likely to walk away with little more than a light slap on the wrist. And largely because a judge couldn't keep his mouth shut. The markets in which Microsoft matters--and is trying to matter--have changed substantially in the past decade. Sure, desktop operating systems and applications are still Microsoft's bread and butter, but the company has nearly saturated the market for these products. As Microsoft diversifies into ventures as far-flung as gaming consoles, small-business software for rent and e-mail-by-phone technology, the Microsoft we know today will look little like the Microsoft of tomorrow. But don't expect Microsoft to completely change its spots. If there's one thing at which Microsoft excels, it's changing the rules of the game before most of its competitors know what hit them. Watch Microsoft's Hailstorm Web-services building-block unveiling next Monday for proof of that. If you thought instant messenging was just a chat-platform dominated by AOL, think again. And if you thought Microsoft was devious in embedding its Internet Explorer browser in its operating systems and other products, you ain't seen nothing yet... I want to take this opportunity to thank those, inside and outside Microsoft, who have helped me do my job over the past several years. Taking a page out of the book of those wild and crazy gals who throw the Microsoft Geek Fest bashes and pen those witty invites, I offer this little ditty: A sweet goodbye to the Evil Empire From this one-time Unix reporter who was for hire You may not believe you will miss me when I'm gone But you might change your tune before not too long. Just wait until you find yourselves trying to explain To new reporters things like WSDL, Hailstorm or rain (RAIN?) And without me, who will inspire Code name chases, raging like wild fire? Best of luck in your transition to services vendor But don't forget: better to have cash in hand than be a software lender; Keep your contracts clean and resist temptation to act like thugs Even when a flagship product ships with 63,000 bugs. Thanks for reading. If you have any parting thoughts (or pot shots), TalkBack below.