The Turning Point of Microsoft

I love technology. I don’t pick sides because of “what’s in” or the latest trend. I tend to stick with what works for me. Being a fan of Microsoft products is not the hip thing to do. From the anti trust trials to the mishaps of previous operating systems Microsoft with the inclusion of Windows and Office are names that leave a foul taste in the mouth. Maybe it’s the business practices of Bill Gates that has caused the unpopular notion of speaking the name Microsoft, but one cannot deny that for as long as I can remember the name Microsoft is not a popular one.

Within the last month Microsoft has release Office for the iPad, opensourced parts of .Net, openly has spoken about upcoming features of Windows, released a more “traditional” PC user update to Windows 8.1, a fantastic Windows Phone 8.1 update along with a barrage of new .Net features at their Build conference of 2014. While these events may not seem like much it is. It’s paving the way for a new type of Microsoft. A Microsoft that is turning the ship into the future instead of hanging onto the past.

While it’s confirmed these changes were completed under Balmer’s reign the simple fact that it was announced under the new CEO Nadella gives me hope for Microsoft. Hope that I haven’t felt for the company in a very long time. Outsiders may consider Microsoft (Windows) to be that thing they do at work. Or that thing that runs like crap at home. Microsoft has made a lot of mistakes in it’s day but I think IMHO that they were driven solely (in the past) by revenue, but the people at Microsoft are generally passionate about what they do. Look at sites like Channel 9 and Asp.net. You do not have that for the Mac or Linux. There isn’t a programming language in existence that has the same caliber of tutorials, videos and documentation that Asp.net has.

When Nadella was announced CEO I had wrote a post ranting about the current state of affairs. It’s not like he’s going to read my blog but the problems are being addressed. Windows Phone has a notification system and things are happening. My only fear is that nothing will happen after build for several months and the hype will fade away.

While the new Microsoft is coming to fruition no one knows what the future will hold. They still have plenty of room to mess up, but at least the effort is there. I’m excited to see what the future holds for Microsoft.

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