molly.com

Friday 16 September 2005

No Mr. Ballmer, Microsoft Will Not Win the Web

Reading through an article about Microsoft in Business Week, I was not shocked but oh so enraged by this bit from an interview with CEO Steve Ballmer:

“We won the desktop. We won the server. We will win the Web. We will move fast, we will get there. We will win the Web.”

In the past months, WaSP and Microsoft have been working together in the trenches to improve standards support in Microsoft products. While this is certainly a very positive move on Microsoft’s part, critics of both Microsoft and WaSP have pointed out Microsoft’s long history of aggressive business practices and ideologies. As a member of the WaSP / Microsoft Task Force, I’m extremely confident that the developers we’re working with get it and it’s been my take to separate Microsoft business practices and ideologies from the day-to-day software development work. And I stand by that perspective.

What I cannot stay silent about when reading these words is how blatantly uncaring a statement this is. How ignorant and arrogant and just plain wrong.

The Web is not a prize to be won, and Mr. Ballmer’s attitude is deplorable in the light of what the Web means to the world, to users, to designers and developers and to put it into Microsoft parlance, customers.

The Web belongs to everyone. The Web’s core vision and value is to be platform independent. Microsoft has no right to think it can win a tool that is for the people, of the people, and ultimately – by the people.

No Mr. Ballmer, you will never win the Web for one very good reason: We the people will make sure you never do.

Filed under:   general
Posted by:   Molly | 14:47 | Comments (135)

Comments (135)

  1. Pingback: Better Living through Software » Blog Archive » No Mr. Ballmer, You Cannot Have the Web

  2. Pingback: Boîte noire » Archive du blog » Ballmer, MSFT: “Web will be own3d by us”

  3. Pingback: molly.com » Who Questions Bill Gates’ Commitment to Web Standards?

  4. Pingback: cubicgarden.com...

  5. hostel says Monday 9 April 2007 at 06:19

    i hope google will win the web. no microsoft please

  6. The Muse says Monday 22 October 2007 at 21:50

    Well Hostel, I’m afraid that the final decision is not ours to make. It is all in the green my friend. Who rules online will be decided by the almighty dollar.
    J-

  7. dantel says Monday 21 January 2008 at 13:40

    Thanx for your works.I hope you well be best

    bye………..s

  8. Z says Tuesday 12 February 2008 at 06:48

    Fk Ballmer, such idts make this planet a really annoying place

  9. dantel says Wednesday 13 February 2008 at 08:12

    “We won the desktop. We won the server. We will win the Web. We will move fast, we will get there. We will win the Web.”

    Hah! It’s not so easy man!

  10. antivirüs indir says Saturday 23 February 2008 at 16:53

    Thanks for this good article..

  12. mirc says Friday 14 March 2008 at 12:50

    Successful website

  13. John says Monday 17 March 2008 at 04:06

    Thanks for such an exclusive contribution. i am a big fan of this useful site due to its quality content.
    thanks!

  14. el salvador says Wednesday 26 March 2008 at 12:39

    So many microsoft’s shareholders are web professionals!

  15. örgü says Saturday 5 April 2008 at 15:53

    very nice
    thanks…

  16. Friendzhug says Sunday 6 April 2008 at 06:15

    Nice thinking, I really like it……

  17. Pingback: A Wonderful Life in a Magical Tux » Blog Archive » Microsoft: WIN T3H WEB!

  18. unix.gen.tr says Wednesday 28 May 2008 at 12:40

    thanks for your sharing

  20. quote says Sunday 24 August 2008 at 13:35

    Besides other things, they are good in propaganda.

  21. Red says Tuesday 23 September 2008 at 13:46

    Web belongs to everyone!

  23. SneakyWho_am_i says Sunday 12 October 2008 at 18:55

    I moved to serving all internet and intranet documents from Linux boxes because I felt that critical applications like PHP, Apache and MySQL server were better supported there.

    Working with IIS is really roughing it out on your own, you need a degree in neuroscience to control the thing. Seriously… It’s slower, harder to configure, and runs less content (at least in the PHP world).. Apart from being preinstalled in the OS, what’s to like about ISS?

    I don’t even know anybody who uses it – except this one particular place where I work, where it’s used on the intranet. But then, that was set up in what, 1899. IIS is not a mistake we would make again.

    Worse, development is so much easier (I don’t have a 10 million dollar budget here) with tools native to *nix, I have been unable to stay with the relative desert that is Windows.

    I could concede that they have won the desktop for now, but they have not and never will win Servers, Mobile or the Web.

    Still, I guess I can understand Ballmer saying what he said. Everything he sees sounds ridiculous to all webmasters all over the world, but I’m sure it sounds good to someone – am I right?

  24. SneakyWho_am_i says Sunday 12 October 2008 at 18:59

    http://www.alexa.com/data/details/main/microsoft.com

    78% of websites are faster than Microsoft.com – this demonstrating just how exactly Microsoft has won the server – by imagination alone.

  25. irc says Thursday 16 October 2008 at 10:20

    Thank you very much

  26. val says Saturday 29 November 2008 at 06:54

    Se você esta procurando marketing digital visite http://www.btoweb.com.br

  28. Pingback: Microsoft’s Deep Throat - Frankwatching

  29. örgü says Saturday 21 February 2009 at 20:38

    Thank you very much. Really useful.

  31. ghd hair straighteners says Wednesday 4 March 2009 at 14:47

    Working with IIS is really roughing it out on your own

  32. tn chaussures says Wednesday 4 March 2009 at 14:48

    Seriously… It’s slower, harder to configure, and runs less content (at least in the PHP world)

  34. 今日黃金價格 says Tuesday 17 March 2009 at 10:56

    I support author’s viewpoint, hoped that will have later also more better articles, I will read the first time, thank!

← Older Comments

Upcoming Travels