What would life be like without microsoft?

I have been pondering lately what life would be like without the ubiquitous glimmer of the microsoft corporation and everyone ran, god forbid, linux/unix OS.

Sure, on a side note, you'd still have apple and its cute, snuggalicious hardware designs, but still everything would be unix/linux based.

Would you commit suicide? Would the life as you know it, cease to exist? Would the world economy "go gault?"

I think everything would be basically the same and maybe people would generally have a slightly higher computer IQ.

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Expect

no blue screens.....and killing processes was with kill <PID>

linux > windows, except when you need to install drivers.

Snow.bros

Yeah that would really suck hey, it's like a house with no windows... imagine that....? nah i cant imagine life without windows.

Asif Dasl

Either IBM or Apple would have taken over the desktop OS market. But in saying that, it never happened. Microsoft does exist and this is not a dream!! You could also ponder the question what if Apple never invented the iPhone would we have tablets? The answer is yes we probably would but maybe Android would have been the leader that everyone wanted to topple.

NetworkVeteran

Asif Dasl wrote: »

Either IBM or Apple would have taken over the desktop OS market. But in saying that, it never happened. Microsoft does exist and this is not a dream!!

That's how I view it. There was a profitable market that was not being served.

If Microsoft hadn't served it, another player would've stepped in!

My primary PC is not Apple and not Linux. Why? Apple charges $4k for what I was able to build for $2k. And Linux wouldn't allow me to run all the software that I would wish to run. Thus, I stick to Windows for now!

blueberries

Microsoft, google, facebook exist to do what the Stasi wish they could have done 25 years ago. They wer marketed top down by the MIC. Not because they provided anything original or "better."

DevilWAH

For all the issues with Microsoft, they have not done a bad job. yes it could be better (we all know we could have programmed the 50+ million lines of code in windows 7 better than them) but it could also be a whole lot worse. The fact it does work he majority of the time is a success story in its self.

If Microsoft had not done it, some one else would have.. or who knows maybe we would have a completely different interface, image if rather than windows on a screen. If had started with a flip chart approach and gone down that route. what would our desk top look like today.

I am sure many of the things we see now would be around in some form or another as microsoft and others all strive to wards simple an intuitive interfaces for the less technical members of the population.

May be if Apple had got there first, we would be 20 years ahead of where we are now... then again maybe we would be 20 years behind!!

But Microsoft is here and like hem or loathe them, they have had a massive role in driving the industry, sometimes in questionable ways, but in the most part for the better.

Snow.bros

But if you look at it from another angle, don't you think if there was no M.S maybe apple would be the most popular OS developing better apps than facebooks, google, i thinks it's all about the odds and don't forget technology dynamic or maybe there would be another opposing OS that would be competing with apple or linux/unix, so don't really think we can predict where technology might take us because it's just full of surprises, or maybe if there wasn't no microsoft maybe there wouldn't have invented apple at all.

There could be a better program either than microsoft that could be better than microsoft it just wasn't invented so we may never know, what are the odds? in this topic lets us not defend microsoft because it's one of the vendors we know, it depends on the discovery. What was the greatest inventory of all times, who could tell me?

DevilWAH

Technology is always going to take us to the same place. A computer has one purpose, o move information from one place to another, and to present it to the endpoint in a useful way.

the computer I am using right now is taking my thoughts and presenting them to others reading the thread.
a fire alarm system is taking the inputs from its sensors and setting of sprinkler systems and alerting the correct people.
a game is taking the users inputs and presenting them on a screen in a graphical way, based on how he designers have chosen to do it.

IT is simple the Information of Technology, or how to move information around, sore and interact with it.

Its a bit like any story / film can be described based on one of 6 plots. IT is he same, so no matter what the company is called or who had run the race, the common driving force behind It innovation is the end user, who for the most part historically have been non IT users (Mums and Dads), and they ask for a intuitive useful product. This is he mass market and is the steering force behind it all. If Microsoft had not come along, we would be in the same position (As we are in all industries) with one or two companies at any one time leading the field, lots playing catch up. And one or two taking forks in the road with new ideas, some times succeeding and becoming one of the new leaders, but in the most part getting swallowed up again.

Its foolish to think Microsoft have driven the market, they have just have been in the passage. We have seen many times what happens when a company however big does not listen to its users and move with the times. The very quickly become one of he little players and an some one new takes over at the top.

tpatt100

If Microsoft didn't exist somebody else would be king, probably Red Hat if anything. Licensing Mac OS was done too late to benefit Apple once Microsoft got bigger. The industry would have picked a standard, it usually does one way or another. Developers go where the money is and if Linux was the first to get a hold on the consumer marker,the developers would have focused their attention to that operating system.

Now a days mobile operating systems like iOS and Android are showing that for most consumers once we embraced the browser for most of our uses like email, banking, taxes, etc the operating system becomes less important and being compliant with open standards is become more important.

ally_uk

It would be a shame to see them go over the years I have used XP and 7 extensively both were great products and served the purpose well I never really had any complaints, Vista, 8, 8.1, ME were and are a pile of junk I have no interest in the crappy Metro UI or touch interface if it isn't broke don't fix it is my approach and the old skool desktop with start menu served me well for years. Surface pro didn't impress me, Xbox one didn't either PS4 for the win.

I wouldn't Mind Linux / UNIX based products coming more into play I am a Open Source Geek and can't get enough

I wouldn't lose any sleep over it, That's why I keep my skills open i.e both Microsoft and Linux never limit yourself to one technology so if the s**t does hit the fan you can adjust.

Windows 8 and 8.1 I am sorry my thoughts have been echoed wtf were they thinking? seriously yuck!

Snow.bros

DevilWAH wrote:

Technology is always going to take us to the same place. A computer has one purpose, o move information from one place to another, and to present it to the endpoint in a useful way. ....snip.

I agree with the points you bringing into the conversation but not entirely though, but lets not forget a computer does not only consist of only a monitor, keyboard, mouse and a tower a computer comes in many different forms for instants a micro-wave is also a computer and there is more, maybe in networking we are heading to the same direction, but i still believe IT is dynamic there could be many invention to come in future we know its going to happen we cannot run away from that fact, it's the same reason we keep on upgrading our certs, whether its based on information, networking, or processing there will always be change so why should we ignore the features come with it which people more are interested on.

According to some knowledge i have i could be wrong this is only my view and not saying you are wrong.

DevilWAH

@Snow.bros;

Bu the computer part of a microwave still follows the same rules. it takes an input (in this case the human but does not have to be a human in other cases). and it transmites that information / translates it in to control code that drives the microwave.

Its the same thing, User wants a simple interface; turn dial to a time shown on a screen and press start. And the computer translates this in to an actions and delivers the information in to the magnetron control circuits.

The roles is always the same, take simple inputs (although some seem very complicated) and move the information contained in these to where it is needed or wanted. no matter what computer system you look at there is an input and an output, and for the home market its all about making the input and out put parts as user-friendly and simple as possible.

So yes there will be lots of inventions and new ideas in the future down the road. But every company has this goal, IPAD was a new device that worked in a different way. but it needed a touch screen, back in the 80/90 when Windows was first coming along ouch screens where not around, the CRT/Keyboard/Mouse were and every one like apple and the likes where focused on this as the current model for computers. So at that time if Microsoft had not taken of the "PC" was already invented in its separate parts. And would have continued along the same lines as that was where technology was. Screen with Keyboard. Yes is apple had got ahead we might have had tablets before we did. Then again may be people would have been so deep in the standard PC they would never have looked in to tablets and we would be talking about Microsoft as the IPAD kings.

but we would still have screens with keyboards as despite many start up and established companies over the year trying all different forms of input and out put devices. it is only since the middle of the last decade that any thing has come close to matching the ease of Keyboard and mouse! And keyboard/mouse/screen = a tiled based interface. nothing else will work for multitasking.

Now electronics are small enough, touch screen and motion senses are accurate enough and screens can be shrunk down to fit in glasses, then we might see this changing. But while another company back in the 80's and 90's did not have this tec, so there only way was to support Keyboard/mouse it was the most advanced of its time and established, it was always going to win out no matter what company was behind it. yes we might have seen IPADs a few years before, or leap moation devices in 2002. but the 80's 90's and early 0's would have been simular to what we had.

Snow.bros

@=DevilWAH;

I get your point the technical part about it how information is exchanged but my point is IT is dynamic think about it we started a from a well-known work-station and slowly the features of computer moved in automotive machine, from a screen and a tower to a micro-wave isn't that change i get that the micro-wave has some qualities of a computer but its another different innovation.

eansdad

Things to remember, if MS wasn't around AT&T wouldn't have allowed Unix to become what it has today. They would have become the most dominant OS simple for the same reason that MS did. Jobs didn't want to license the Apple OS which cost him and Apple dearly in the fight against MS. Apple bet on the RISC processor while MS went with CISC. Cheaper PCs meant more people could buy which is what allowed Windows to dominate which is why Unix would have also.

Would my world crumble...No, just means I know 1 less OS...

it_consultant

I would like to point out that most of us do run a UNIX/LINUX based computer - I base this off the fact that Android has been the dominant smartphone OS for a while now. Please raise your hand if your Android has been completely problem free. My friends and I often compare Android to early Microsoft OS'. They were fine but for the crap that came preloaded and the driver support for multiple different platforms.

So what would life be like without MS, maybe we would be a completely peaceful and harmonious culture, maybe we would have nuclear war, maybe a ton of developers/programmer would be out of good jobs, maybe oracle would have taken over 100% of the line of business applications, maybe outlook would never have been invented and we all still used lotus notes. Good bad or ugly, Microsoft is one of the few companies that created a stable kernel and that is to be applauded.

DevilWAH

Snow.bros wrote: »

I get your point the technical part about it how information is exchanged but my point is IT is dynamic think about it we started a from a well-known work-station and slowly the features of computer moved in automotive machine, from a screen and a tower to a micro-wave isn't that change i get that the micro-wave has some qualities of a computer but its another different innovation.

But my point was back in the 80's no company was going to come out with a touch pad interface and run away with the market it would have been a nasty annoying to use device with the technology at the time. Pretty much the only way forward was to go with what we all know as a PC. Keyboard and mouse, there was no other option or path to go down. In the same way I can predict that a microwave will always try to have the most simple interface based on the technology of the time as this will sell best. We dont have many voce controlled microwaves, not because people don't want them, but as yet the technology does not exist to support them. And microwaves alone do not have the market power to drive the development of voice reconciliation.

So yes IT is dynamic, but its still constrained by the limits of available tec.

Zartanasaurus

There would have been another closed source, for-profit desktop/server OS vendor that stepped in. And the internet would still be full of OMG I HATE MICRO$SOFT BECAUSE THEY SUCK threads like this one.

binarysoul

Bittersweet.

ajs1976

Novell wouldn't have lost the server market to MS, so we would be running Novell managed linux servers and e-directory. Novell would have gotten WordPerfect to work properly on linux and added features so more people would have adopted it as their desktop OS. Instead of a three way battle for email (Exchange, Lotus Notes, and GroupWise), it would have been a two way battle and Novell GroupWise would crash IBM Lotus Notes. Instead of saying "people still use Novell?" we would have Novell hater threads instead of MS hater threads.

lsud00d

ally_uk wrote: »

Windows 8 and 8.1 I am sorry my thoughts have been echoed wtf were they thinking? seriously yuck!

Here's a tip: Windows key + D

YW

About7Narwhal

I have a 20-something button mouse that I programmed to combat the Windows 8 changes. Saves the buttons locally so I can move the mouse to any computer and it will act the same.

On topic, No Microsoft would mean BASH I imagine..

Also... What?

Asif Dasl wrote: »

You could also ponder the question what if Apple never invented the iPhone would we have tablets? The answer is yes we probably would but maybe Android would have been the leader that everyone wanted to topple.

sleepingturtle

To be honest we probably wouldn't have the pervasiveness of computers that MS help create. Apple limited their OS to their own hardware, and the other players didn't have much on the desktop side. Microsoft, love them or hate them helped bring computers to the masses by making operating systems that would run on a huge range of hardware. Apple probably wouldn't have moved to the OSX that we know and even though I totally dig Linux, it doesn't have a very cohesive front. Too many distro choices for the average joe.

Asif Dasl

About7Narwhal wrote: »

Also... What?

What I was getting at was the technology exists so even if Apple didn't invent the iPhone we probably would still have tablets because the technology was already there and waiting to be used. It's just Apple got there first and everybody followed them, if they weren't there someone else would have taken their place like android. Similar to Microsoft not being there, IBM or Apple would have taken their place cause there was a market need and technology waiting to be used.

tpatt100

Asif Dasl wrote: »

What I was getting at was the technology exists so even if Apple didn't invent the iPhone we probably would still have tablets because the technology was already there and waiting to be used. It's just Apple got there first and everybody followed them, if they weren't there someone else would have taken their place like android. Similar to Microsoft not being there, IBM or Apple would have taken their place cause there was a market need and technology waiting to be used.

Apple just made a tablet the average consumer wanted which like home computers is the most important thing to help drive production and sales. Now we are approaching a point where smartphones and tablets are simple commodities companies need to make software and services their priority, except what Apple and Samsung are seeing is shareholders got used to the huge profit margins from selling hardware.

About7Narwhal

Asif Dasl wrote: »

What I was getting at was the technology exists so even if Apple didn't invent the iPhone we probably would still have tablets because the technology was already there and waiting to be used. It's just Apple got there first and everybody followed them, if they weren't there someone else would have taken their place like android. Similar to Microsoft not being there, IBM or Apple would have taken their place cause there was a market need and technology waiting to be used.

I agree that if one company didn't make something someone else would have. But I think you will find that tablet computers were around about 6 years prior to the iPhone. Apple was one of the last to come to the market. Where Apple shines, and I hate to say it but it is true, is that they boost markets. They didn't release the first MP3 player, tablet, or Smartphone, but they created a lot of the demand which brought competition.

Asif Dasl

Apple previously had the Newton in 1993 which had a good fan base. That's where the iPad originally came from - minus the stylus cause Steve Jobs hated that.

About7Narwhal

I see your Netwon (which is a PDA) and raise you an EO Personal Communicator.

Asif Dasl

They were first to market with a modern tablet let's put it like that cause I think the first might have been Moses... seen here in a reconstruction!

504x_moses_tablet-1.jpg

MickQ

Lovely pic there Asif

So no MS, where would we be? OS/2, Amigas, Ataris, IBM still plugging away with mainframes and Apple would possibly be more concerned with the desktop than their current range of consumer devices.

That's just my opinion based on going back to the 80s and seeing where the market vacuum would be. Now where did I leave my DeLorean?

paul78

Hmm suppose no one hear is old enough to remember MS's competitors in the old days. Desktop computing probably would have evolved from CP/M from Digital Research.