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Its the Service Stupid, Because its the Economy Stupid
Microsoft has for a long time angered corporate america by refusing to do what IBM does with products. That is guarantee service for at least a decade.

What Ballmer fails to realize is that IBM's LARGEST COMPETITOR IS ITS CUSTOMERS themselves.

This is the fundamental law of good consulting. The customer hires you to do a task. In the doing, they learn to do it themselves, and once learned the consultants have worked themselves out of jobs at that client company. They then move to another client company with a similar proplem or retool for the next great thing.

It is for this reason that IBM manages projects rather than people and it is honest and correct because IT is a basic function of any ongoing business.

IBM, however, didn't learn this on its own. It had its own antitrust issues in the 1970s that were not unlike Microsofts and involved bundling. But thats another topic.

Think how the USA would have faired if Microsoft had gotten the banking industry to implement NT in the cash machines instead of IBM's OS/2 which exists there owing to IBM's willingess to guarantee service for a decade or more. The virus issues Microsoft has with its windows os products likely would have wreaked havoc on the US economy if the virus attacks could have applied to banking.

The industry Ballmer and Bill Gates really are suited for is the drug industry. Here you make your pill after getting a patent, then market that pill and the product is highly leveraged - meaning that there is no upper limit on what can be made as profit. With a service there is a limit. Even the best lawyer has folks balk at $500 an hour billing rates. Hence that industry needs something like class action suits and companies like Microsoft to bring action against.

Ballmer got his economics undergraduate degree from Harvard. He does his school harm with this interview. No wonder he prefers the press to mention that he got a year of training at Stanford in its MBA program.

Ballmer probably was ill suited from the start for a ligitimate Microsoft. This certainly was recognized by Judge Jackson who called the company a criminal company after Ballmer went on record with his "I can put a Ham Sandwich in Windows".

But if not Ballmer Who? I nominate the original founder Paul Allen. Any seconds? Any alternatives. Bill Gates would be better would he not?

Frank L. Mighetto CDP
Posted by: mighetto   Posted on: 03/17/06 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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Its the Service Stupid, Because its the Economy Stupid  mighetto | 03/17/06
IBM in crosshairs  donpar | 03/17/06
IBM is better at it, BUT  djc1309@... | 03/18/06
I like your points  IceTheNet@... | 03/19/06
Responsibility  st1_z | 03/17/06
More he talks the more it is a monopoly  drichards1953 | 03/17/06
If they can't do a stable OS, why would I buy their applications?  critic-at-arms | 03/17/06
And, that is the problem faced by the applications teams, they are forced  DonnieBoy | 03/18/06
Are you saying you lack the skill to set up a box?  No_Ax_to_Grind | 03/19/06
However,,,  zkiwi | 03/19/06
It's not that they are not believed  April May | 03/20/06
That's different from other vendors?  fsid | 03/19/06
Microsoft continues to Struggle with the Web  wildranger | 03/17/06
MS is too busy trying to kill open standards to just embrace the open web  DonnieBoy | 03/18/06
You obviously haven't tried IE 7.  No_Ax_to_Grind | 03/19/06
What's wrong with ASP.NET?  bmonster | 03/22/06
Hey Balmer...  Linux User 147560 | 03/18/06
Hey Linux Useless 147560  SouthernPride | 04/04/06
ballmer please  toxicfreak | 03/18/06
In reality, the biggest competitor to MS is Google, they just don't want to  DonnieBoy | 03/18/06
that is kind of true but  IceTheNet@... | 03/19/06
i see your point  toxicfreak | 03/19/06
MS vs the Internet  dtfinch | 03/20/06
Ballmer: IBM in the crosshairs  Update victim | 03/18/06
Air cover.  Anton Philidor | 03/18/06
True. But Microsoft doesnt sell to Enterpise Level Products  wildranger | 03/18/06
words  IceTheNet@... | 03/19/06
IT is not just cheap servers.  Anton Philidor | 03/19/06
Where Microsoft chooses to compete.  Anton Philidor | 03/19/06
Microsoft does sell enterprise products  dtfinch | 03/20/06
Choices  Scottman_z | 03/18/06
In a big company, the IT manager is your customer.  spinits | 03/19/06
The big IBM / MS circle???  No_Ax_to_Grind | 03/19/06
M$ cheap shot IBM once  toxicfreak | 03/19/06
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And I remember when IBM and MS were good buddies.  HypnoToad | 03/19/06
MS goes for non-techies because they are losing the techies  bpick_z | 03/20/06
According to Microsoft...  Anton Philidor | 03/20/06
You don't use em in the first place  Boot_Agnostic | 03/20/06
Key Word  Sheeva | 03/29/06

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