Ballmer: High-end Windows, Office coming

CNET ^ | Story last modified Thu Jul 28 11:55:00 PDT 2005 | By Ina Fried

[upchuck]

Ballmer said that the company will add both high-end desktop editions and new server options in the next versions of Windows and Office.

When asked how he defines high-end Ballmer replied, "Double the bloat at quadruple the cost."

[Uncle Fud]

Microsoft is planning a higher-end Office Premium version with Office 12

In our firm we insist on the use of the Office 97 file format because we know it's readable almost anywhere. Think we see any reason to buy "Office 12"?

Earlier this week, Microsoft made mandatory a program that requires users to verify their Windows copy is genuine before downloading patches and add-ons.

Already cracked

[Xenophobic Alien]

Truley ROFL.

[Wonder Warthog]

"When asked how he defines high-end Ballmer replied, "Double the bloat at quadruple the cost.""

You forgot "half the speed" on equivalent hardware.

[skip_intro]

It's really unfortunate that Apple machines are so outrageously overpriced.

The temptation to switch is getting stronger every week, but with the built in obsolescence and high prices of the current line, there's just no economic justification for it.

Hint to Jobs: You want to increase your market share in the computer business? Cut your prices!

[ARCADIA]

"You forgot "half the speed" on equivalent hardware."

...and, twice the bugs.

[HitmanLV]

Zzzzzzzzzzzz...

[Gefreiter]

Gosh, I hope it has another 70 or 80 features or programs embedded in it that I don't want.

Cuz I love that. Ooh, and I hope they all try to run at once every time I turn the thing on.

[dayglored]

> When asked how he defines high-end Ballmer replied, "Double the bloat at quadruple the cost."

They'll silently cripple the "normal" version, and then charge you to upgrade (= remove the crippling). "NT4 Workstation" was "NT4 Server" with the word "server" crossed out and "workstation" written in crayon. And the only difference between XP Pro and XP Home is that in Home they disable the Administrator user and MS domain support. When you "upgrade" Home to Pro, all it really does is change a few settings in the Registry.

Even funnier is how MS is trying to deprecate Win2K (NT-5.0) in favor of WinXP (NT-5.1), when they are essentially identical other than the rounded blue corners and stupid-looking icons in XP. First thing I do when I have to work on an XP machine is set the interface to "2K" look-and-feel so it becomes useful again.

And the more I read about Longhorn Hasta la Vista, the more it sounds like NT-5.2 (different icons again) instead of something interesting.

[sigh]

Screw MS Office. I use OpenOffice. It's not perfect either, but it runs on my Linux boxes as well as the Win boxes.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Office 97 rules.

I remember back in the Texas Air National Guard, back in 1972 or so, some of the unit commanders got beta versions of Office 2002, iirc. Needed a card deck, job control card and about 200 Hollerith cards to create a 10 line memo.

[GaltMeister]

Gosh, I hope it has another 70 or 80 features or programs embedded in it that I don't want.

Cuz I love that. Ooh, and I hope they all try to run at once every time I turn the thing on.

Me too! I want more balloons, pop-ups, and stoopid Hanna-Barbera-ish cartoons! I can't get enough of Microsoft's comic book approach to their GUI. And I want more opportunities and reminders to sign up for MSN Internet access. More holes and exploits for scumbag advertising companies and one time offers I can't refuse would be tons-o-fun as well. /sarc

[Banjoguy]

My advice to anyone contemplating an upgrade to Windows Office or a new purchase of an office suite is to move to Corel Office. MS Office would be a downgrade if you already have a Corel Office suite installed. It is a vastly superior product to MS Office in many ways. There is no way, in my estimation, they could ever do anyhing with MS Office, without a complete rewrite.

Corel Office Suite is:
1. more intuitive than MS Office and more user friendly
2. operates faster.
3. functionally superior especially in regards to merges and macros.
Etc.

[dayglored]

> Ballmer didn't specify what features will go into Office Premium...

We can only pray that it won't include "that f**king paper-clip" (hilarious short MPEG movie, 500KB, profanity warning: not for young or sensitive ears, includes scenes of paperclip dismemberment).

It would be like Microsoft to force us to pay a premium to avoid hearing, "It looks like you're writing a letter!"

[Gefreiter]

G,
Yeah, man all that- load me up! And don't forget the least helpful operation in the whole shebang, the "Help" function. That's important.

[mysterio]

Gosh, I hope it has another 70 or 80 features or programs embedded in it that I don't want.

Cuz I love that. Ooh, and I hope they all try to run at once every time I turn the thing on.

Exactly. Won't it be neat when they have a computer that just turns on and boots up in 5 seconds?

Of course, Microsoft will then invent Windows Bohemoth Edition to slow it back down.

[Gefreiter]

m,
Heh, that's a good one.

Look, Microsoft, here's what I need:
-An operating system that, well, operates the machine. It turns it on, makes it work, and everything lights up or goes "boop" and "beep" that needs to.

Here's what I don't need from an "operating system":
-everything else

Less is more with this stuff, fellas. Please.

[RATkiller]

Ballmer didn't specify what features will go into Office Premium or Windows Vista Enterprise Edition.

We might put features in that a good OS should have, but you have to pay extra when we copy good ideas

Ballmer said the Web will be the No. 1 place to advertise, noting that there will eventually only be a handful of major places to advertise on the Internet. "You can rest assured this company will be one of them."

We are going to turn the internet into broadcast TV with only a few channels for content and advertising. Every byte of data will come through us and be checked for legality by every chip and piece of software - Your papers plizz ! Sieg Heil !

[PAR35]

Exactly. Won't it be neat when they have a computer that just turns on and boots up in 5 seconds?

Run Win 3.1 or Win 95 with no virus protection, no crap loading on boot, no software firewall on an old Pentium 75. It should compare favorably to what they are selling today. Of course, with that setup, you probably don't want to hook it up to the internet unless you are downstream from suitable protection. It would make an adequate desktop machine if you have suitable protection at the server level.

[eggman]

Let's see... Microsoft currently has

• Microsoft Office Standard Edition
• Microsoft Office Small Business Edition
• Microsoft Office Professional Edition
• Microsoft Office Professional Enterprise Edition

Now they want to add a Premium Edition and a Server Edition. The ultimate goal is to find new ways to make people pay more for what they already had plus a shovel full of new features (bloat) and the usual bugs and security holes.