Developers! Developers! Developers!

[Tom]

paraphrasing: perfect is the enemy of right.

[Mr. Analog]

paraphrasing: perfect is the enemy of right.

I say, we must move forward, not backward; upward, not forward; and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom!

Hmm, you know the guy who caused the chair-throwing incident quit Google a few years ago, maybe him and Stevesie can get together and take their show on the road.

[Darren Dirt]

I say, we must move forward, not backward; upward, not forward; and always twirling, twirling, twirling towards freedom!

NICE esoteric reference! (even more esoteric -- the apparent source for this strange word salad)

[Mr. Analog]

Hahaha OMG

[Darren Dirt]

Hahaha OMG

confirmed legit: http://www.seattleweekly.com/dailyweekly/2011/07/why_is_dennis_kucinich_twirlin.php

I didn't keep up with Uhmerican political BS during that time, so didn't know that was an actual event being satirised (a la The Dean Scream I guess?) (sadly, the actual message "No Strings" was completely lost in MSM-delivered-sound-bite-addicted America )

[Darren Dirt]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/microsoft-ceo-ballmer-retire-within-131209911.html

True change to come to Microsoft or more stagnation and decline?

back on topic -- above link = wow didn't realize the timing so soon after this pretty-damn-significant public declaration of "we just can't keep doing it anymore"...

Ballmer's planned exit comes just weeks after the company announced a major reorganization and delivered an earnings report that showed across-the-board weakness in the business, including dismal sales of the company's new Surface tablet and a lukewarm reaction to the crucial Windows 8 operating system.

The recent reorganization was aimed at reshaping Microsoft - once primarily a purveyor of packaged software - into a company focused on devices and services, essentially mimicking Apple.

[Mr. Analog]

Well, as I stated earlier there has been a long string of failures under Ballmer, from what I understand people have wanted him out of the big boy chair since the Vista fiasco.

Microsoft can only take so much financial damage before something had to be done, I'm just surprised it wasn't done sooner actually.

[Lazybones]

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/08/microsoft-needs-a-new-ceo-who-probably-doesnt-exist/

Financially he didn't do to bad, I think those of us in IT just hate what is happening with windows and the licensing cost increases in all products.

[Mr. Analog]

I look at the billions pissed away on things like Windows RT, Zune, previous iterations of the Microsoft App Store, Vista, 8... there's not much he did there that went well under his stewardship.

As much as I can admire Bill Gates having him hand pick a replacement was probably the worst thing that could have happened to Microsoft.

[Darren Dirt]

Some of the pro-Ballmer comments pointed out that Microsoft is more than just consumer software, and that the profits and especially GROWTH of the enterprise/business segments were significant during his watch.

Many others pointed out that virtually any other CEO woulda had the same global culture to benefit from, and in fact would done better with all the chances to excel that Ballmer missed or failed at:

...Ballmer simply rode a train that was already going full-blast with what amounts to a monopoly. The company that owned Windows and Office pretty much had a license to print money.

Microsoft would have been successful with almost anybody as CEO, because most people were going to buy Windows and Office no matter what the company did.

But instead of making sure that the company could dominate the future Ballmer was obsessed with protecting what he already had ? the semi-monopoly franchises that continue to bring in money. As a result, the company has lost its chance to continue being the 800-lb. gorilla of the IT industry.

While Microsoft made a lot of money on Ballmer's watch, I see no evidence that he added value. He was handed the keys to the semi-monopoly of the IT industry and he's managed to blow all the chances that the market leader rightfully should have taken advantage of. He was a buffoon who has laid the foundation for the serious decline of the company ? simply because he did nothing with the resources and the giant lead he was given.

Remember, Dancing Monkey Boy was a MATH major in college, he was always a SALESMAN at heart, not an ideas guy, not a trail blazer or risk-taker by any means... Good luck Microsoft in finding any inspiring visionary leader who is actually willing to take over the helm at the Titanic, post-iceberg!


imo this nicely sums up what is hard to deny:

...he hasn't set up Microsoft for a great future, and that's why he's getting the boot.

Yes, he's done some things that have realised good revenue and profit in the past decade or so, but Microsoft's future isn't very bright, in fact some might consider it quite dismal. Where is their future growth coming from? That's the reason he's been and let's be honest and clear here, fired.
How many product failures can one person achieve at a company and still remain at the helm? Well, thank goodness Microsoft was cash and annuity rich that he had the opportunity to create so many massive failures.

[Darren Dirt]

Ballmer out, Nokia in
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/09/03/microsoft_nokia_rise_of_elop/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/09/03/microsoft_just_bowled_a_googly/


TheRegister forumers discuss possible Ballmer successors
http://forums.theregister.co.uk/forum/1/2013/08/29/microsofts_next_ceo/

[Mr. Analog]

Yeah, strange how former Microsoftie Stephen Elop went to Nokia not too long ago, now Nokia is bought Elop is coming back... and is also a potential heir to the throne...

[Thorin]

I'm more surprised by Microsoft offering a board seat to the president of an investment company (ValueAct Capital) that owns a mere 0.8% of the Microsoft stock.  Usually the board members hold a much larger percentage of the stock than that.

[Tom]

I'm more surprised by Microsoft offering a board seat to the president of an investment company (ValueAct Capital) that owns a mere 0.8% of the Microsoft stock.  Usually the board members hold a much larger percentage of the stock than that.

Makes me think its just a peace offering to the rest of MS's shareholders. Also you tend to want to shut up an activist shareholder pretty quickly. they tend to push really boring share holder centric policies that really only end up hurting the companies bottom line...

[Darren Dirt]

Ballmer gone; quotes Dirty Dancing. #hepcat
http://instagram.com/p/evs9oprJTu/



via http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24301733

Ballmer had tears streaming down his face as he made his last remarks, telling employees: "We have unbelievable potential in front of us, we have an unbelievable destiny. Only our company and a handful of others are poised to write the future.

"We're going to think big, we're going to bet big."

He took aim at some of the company's rivals, calling Apple "fashionable" and Amazon "cheap". He said Google was focused on "knowing more", while Microsoft was about "doing more".