Month: September 2005

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Balmer on Google: If you can’t beat ’em, kill ’em

In a bizarre recent court case against a Kai-Fu Lee, a prior Microsoft executive who left Microsoft to join Google, Balmer is quoted to have vowed to ‘kill’ Google CEO Eric Schmidt.

In a transcript of a conversation between Balmer and Lucovsky, another previous Microsoft employee who recently left Microsoft to join Google, Balmer is quoted as saying:

“I’m going to f***ing bury that guy, I have done it before, and I will do it again. I’m going to f***ing kill Google.”

If you had any prior doubts about the business ethics of Microsoft them this surely will cast aside all doubts. Don’t mess with Mr Balmer; if he doesn’t like you he will kill you.

Recent press articles were discussing whether Google was becoming the new Microsoft. According to Balmers reaction, they are all to well aware that they in danger of being dethroned as the big dogs of IT.

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Windows 95 launched 10 years ago (and how I got into Java)

It seems amazing to me that Windows 95 was launched 10 years ago (on August 24th).

I can remember going to PC World store and looking at the box on the shelf and playing around with it on a demo machine. It was worlds apart from Windows 3.1, but since at that time I was working for IBM in OS/2 Software Support, it didn’t get me that excited, especially since at that time OS/2 was already years ahead of Windows 3.1.

That point was a definite career turning point for me though. Windows 95 was the nail in the coffin for OS/2. In the following year I worked as an in-house developer for an Insurance company, developing a new Claims Handling system using Intelligent Environment’s Application Manager on OS/2. During this time I could see that the world was changing and I needed to get away from OS/2, which was beginning to look like a sinking ship.

During 1996 Sun were making a lot of noise about their new programming language, Java, and the promises of ‘Write Once, Run Anywhere’. This to me was a ray of light and a way out from being tied to any particular OS and platform. I downloaded the JDK 1.0.3 and started learning the language at home.

In 1997 I took a job with a software development company who were interested at that time in expanding their product line, and Java was a hot buzzword at the time. I took a job with them to cross-train to Powerbuilder and Oracle, with the promise of being involved in Java development within the next year. Powerbuilder was a stepping stone for me to get away from OS/2 and towards Windows, plus the offer of getting involved in Java development was a good incentive for me.

It was another year after in 1998 that that I started work on prototyping web-based enhancements for the company’s client/server system using Java and Oracle Application Server, but I had finally made it to the land of Java, and I’m still happily here today 🙂

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Apple pull 30 free trial of Mac Mini within first hours of annoucement

Yesterday Apple announced a 30 day money back guarantee, basically a 30 day free trial of their entry level Mac Mini, but pulled the offer within hours of announcing it.

There has not been an official statement from Apple, but the speculation is that the offer was too successful and they had too many Mini’s going out the door. The drawback of the offer would have been that any that were returned during the 30 days would have to have been refurbished and could not have been sold as new.

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IBM say Microsoft is wrong about TCO of Linux

Microsoft have long been playing up the FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) of installing and running Linux based systems, claiming that the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of Windows based systems is lower than Linux.

IBM has just reported that from their own analysis and study with 20 companies with more that 250 employees using Linux based systems that the TCO is indeed lower.

The sad thing is that I know people who bought into the Microsoft propaganda, which as it turns out, is nothing but just that.

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