So much cool stuff is coming out of Microsoft so fast that it kind of feels like they are single handedly powering another small Internet revolution. May people, especially those blinded by anti-MS sentiment, really don’t have a feeling for how fundamentally Microsoft has shifted it’s own direction int he past… and how this has helped many of us do the things we do.
The last time this happened was when Microsoft missed the Internet revolution. Once this became clear Bill Gates and his company made a course correction that many felt a large company would have found impossible. The declaration went out to incorporate the Internet deeply into every part of the Microsoft product line. They did, and it changed everything.
It’s happening again. A fire has definitely been lit under the collective asses in Redmond and the results have been awe inspiring.
Why do I have so much stuff on my blog these days about technical topics? Because technology is one of my passions. I had been thinking about switching away from it for years. I was thinking about animation, film, photography or pornography. There wasn’t much opportunity it seemed and the technical landscape had been long stagnant. Bam!!! That all changed in the last 12 months really when new technologies and new mindsets swept the technical world.
It’s been a long time since I was excited about the technology I use every day. It’s been years since I woke up in the morning full of ideas for software I can write, the fun I can have and the money I can make doing it. This couldn’t have come at a better time. As you may know from previous writings (before the archive split) it became clear to me this year that I needed to focus more on my immediate issues and use my immediate skills. I have a road map to achieve my goals now that uses the skills I already have and doesn’t depend on getting “discovered”. This roadmap brings ever increasing rewards and comfort to my house, not a long delayed payoff in the far future.
I don’t begrudge the time I spent gathering the skills I now possess. I don’t consider a moment of my previous attempts and failures wasted though I can lament that they caused stress to those around me. That’s OK though, I am sure they understand.
Anyway, if anyone ever wonders why I am so staunchly supportive of what Microsoft does even when I may disagree with a specific technical detail here is the answer. They have provided me with the things I need to do what I do. They have provided me with the opportunities I have seized. I certainly would have found my way without these things – but the ride is and has been much nicer with them.
- By standardizing the majority of computer users platforms Microsoft provided a large market
- By embracing the Internet (combined with the above) the significantly hastened the spread of the web
- By offering the tools and resources to work on this now abundant market they allowed many of us to take advantage of it
- Their standardization created an economy of scale for hardware and peripherals that has been truley astounding
And best of all? They are doing it again. Rock on baby!