Microsoft + standards

[worker201]

According to an AP News story today, Microsoft has begun the process of standardizing the Office XML format.

read all about it

My analysis: too little too late.  Microsoft has shown everyone what they tend to do with standards.  This is a symbolic move, no more, designed to undermine the Open Document format.  Presumably, if Microsoft will have a corner on the market in some unforeseen future, then it must be extremely popular now.

Now, of course, they have a right to do this.  And actually, they should have done it a long time ago, the day after they bought out WordPerfect.  But who the fuck do they think they are kidding?  Releasing the format doesn't open up the object linking of Word itself, so other programs can be optimized for compatibility.  And they will never open any source.  All they're doing is sharing some XML.  Which is just markup, anyone who would try to hide XML is a dick.  So don't start thinking that Microsoft is all about standards.  They were not, are not, and never will be.

[worker201]

And what's even worse is that Apple Computer is backing the standardization.

Why is Apple such a bunch of pussies?  They could play and they could win, but they're too afraid to offend the guy who stole all their ideas.  It makes me sad.

[Jenda]

Agreed. I don't want to rewrite all I posted on Void's forum...

[H_TeXMeX_H]

I agree too, Apple should rename themselves ... Pussy !

[piratePenguin]

who the fuck do they think they are kidding?

Probably about half a billion people?
That's about the population of Windows users i.e. retards.

[H_TeXMeX_H]

Probably about half a billion people?
That's about the population of Windows users i.e. retards.

... that is a gross underestimate ...

[piratePenguin]

... that is a gross underestimate

So how many Windows users would there be? I read half a billion somewhere before, can't remember where.

IE has a 95.5 percent market share ...

But how many people browse the web then?

[H_TeXMeX_H]

IE has a 95.5 percent market share ... that's 1,237,830,102 people (1.2 billion) Worldwide assuming 0.02 computers per capita (200 per 1000 ppl ... a valid assumption) and assuming that IE proliforation is approximate to M$ proliferation ... not a bad estimate

ok another estimate based on internet usage 696,386,000 people worldwide ... but more people use a computer than the internet ... so maybe somewhere in-between the 2 values ... like around 0.8 - 1 billion people

Sources for statistical analysis: Global internet statistics, World POPClock , Computer Industry Almanac

[H_TeXMeX_H]

Ok, scrap that ... here is the best estimate 1,101,734,321 people Worldwide use M$ ... based on 85 % M$ market share and 0.2 computers per capita (200 computers per 1000 ppl) and 6,480,790,124 world population

[Orethrius]

Ok, scrap that ... here is the best estimate 1,101,734,321 people Worldwide use M$ ... based on 85 % M$ market share and 0.2 computers per capita (200 computers per 1000 ppl) and 6,480,790,124 world population

 You're assuming one person is one computer, though.  Until I got a laptop and parts to slap together an SSH box, my family's ratio was 4:1.  A better number would probably be about half a billion.

[dmcfarland]

That proves that most people are stupid.

[MarathoN]

That proves that most people are stupid.

Thanks, I must be stupid then. :rolleyes:

[H_TeXMeX_H]

You're assuming one person is one computer, though. Until I got a laptop and parts to slap together an SSH box, my family's ratio was 4:1. A better number would probably be about half a billion.

Well ... somewhere in between those 2 estimates ... and no you are not stupid if you use Window$ ... you are stupid if you like using Window$

[MarathoN]

Heh, okay well that doesn't apply to me, I only use it to play games, that does not mean I like Windows

[piratePenguin]

you are not stupid if you use Window$ ... you are stupid if you like using Window$

Well, the point of this post of mine was that hundreds of millions of people, likely all Windows users, are going to eat Microsoft's shit like this, like they do all the time. Not all Windows users will always eat their shit though, and they are not necessarily retards IMO.

Alot of Windows users, like MarathoN here, and Aloone_Jonez (AFAIK, but I could be wrong here. See the "OS(es) of choice" part of his profile.), don't use Windows because they prefer it as an operating system to all the other operating systems out there. They use it because all the games they play or the applications they use for work can't be designed for every single operating system in the world, which limits their choice, and usually limits it right the way down to Windows and maybe Mac OS X.

I'd usually say those guys are weak, but it's actually not them being weak, it's them not being strong. But it depends on the situation (sometimes they are weak).

I don't think you're stupid if you like using Windows. If you like using Windows, and, all things considered, you really believe it's the best operating system out there, and you don't mind supporting it and then it's developers, then that's a very rare really good reason to use Windows, and I salute you for it.

I only think you're retarded if you eat shit.