Windows 8 Failure Could Set Off Tech Industry Chain Reaction

[Vortex]

Windows 8 Failure Could Set Off Tech Industry Chain Reaction

Article by Paul Thurrott :

http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows8/windows-8-failure-tech-industry-chain-reaction-141284

[vanjast]

So there's probably going to be a scramble at MSoft to get something out as they cannot have Jobs laughing in his grave, with a result that it might be like most other windows releases....

I think it's going to be a terrible time for them, having to try port all their C coded Intel windoze system to ARM processors. AFAIK even windoze cell phones are problematic - might be wrong here, but I never hear of anyone talking about it.

[shankle]

Surely this can't be true.
So I might as well stop programming and take up basket weaving for a hobby.
What are businesses going to do? They can't use iphones and the windows 8 junk for business.
IMHO iphones are toys for kids. They are way to small to use and hard to see.
Maybe businesses will have to return to mainframes to get their work done.

Or some enterprising guys can start up another OS type of business to compete with Microsoft.

[dedndave]

XP is still my fave   :P
although, win 7 doesn't look too bad
if they think every business in the world is going to jump on win 8 and buy all new software, they are dumber than i thought

[clive]

I think it's going to be a terrible time for them, having to try port all their C coded Intel windoze system to ARM processors.

Well Microsoft has been compiling code on MIPS, ARM, SH4, PPC, and ALPHA for decades, and has efficient C compilers for all of them. C is a lot easier to port than assembler, heck I've got tools from the 90's that mostly just need recompiling. That's not to say there aren't a bunch of "gottchas", because you can do a lot of sloppy things in x86, with a lot of silicon committed to allowing it. But many of these same issues impact the transitions from 16-32-64 bits, or Linux/OSX. Anyone who's been coding cross-platform will simply transition.

The people that will have problems are those who have lots of non-portable code, and have been stuck in the Windows/x86 box for too long.

Microsoft's much bigger problem is attracting talent to work for them, and the getting developer buy-in after screwing so many people over the years, so many times.

At this juncture a Windows Phone or Tablet is a bunch of "who cares". There are so many examples of good/workable implementations that Microsoft can't field a half-assed product and iterate improvement, the market is simply not interested.

[Bill Cravener]

There's a new sheriff in town and his name is HTML5. It seems very clear that the pretty boy of application development for the coming decades is going to be HTML5 combined with CSS3 and JavaScript. HTML5 provides mobile device users richer web applications and improved usability. With HTML5 it is possible to create sleek modern web applications that are accessible from any browser any desktop and any mobile device anywhere anytime.

What is HTML5? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PVwnMruoeI

Stating the above I'll always have a deep seated love for assembly language and the Windows API's. :bg

[clive]

Stating the above I'll always have a deep seated love for assembly language and the Windows API's.

To be honest assembler skills are pretty portable, the mnemonics change but the underlying logic and skillset of a good assembler programmer can be migrated to any other assembler language. Heck you've got a lot of kids out there who have no idea how the machine works.

And to Bill's HTML5 point, Adobe threw Flash under the bus last week. Took a while for the Apple/Jobs thing to sink in, I guess.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/11/adobe-releases-final-flash-player-version-for-android-blackberr/

[vanjast]

To be honest assembler skills are pretty portable, the mnemonics change but the underlying logic and skillset of a good assembler programmer can be migrated to any other assembler language.

A 'Cunning Plan' always works better than...

Heck you've got a lot of kids out there who have no idea how the machine works.

... HL-Muggles

:green2

[vanjast]

I really think that anybody with 'average' assembler skills, way supersedes any other type software developer.
This is purely because of the level of detail an Assembler developer has to study before even thinking about a project.
A person willing to go into this detail has an organised mind (or will develop so), and although it takes about 30% longer,
the long term benefits are greater.... most accountants are clueless about this basic fact

[TmX]

I really think that anybody with 'average' assembler skills, way supersedes any other type software developer.

This reminds me a quote from a book (couldn't really remember where it's from). Basically it says that even though you are not going to write apps in assembly, it's a good point to have some basic understanding of it.

[Tedd]

...even though you are not going to write apps in assembly...

Speak for yourself :bdg

[Farabi]

Damn it, if x86 failed the market and it replaced with ARM, I'll need to memorize another new instruction set. I guess I need to polish my C skills. Or maybe, creating a macro for the pseuode x86 MNEMONIC. When they asked me to created an ARM assembler a few years ago, I should just joint them, I never though the market would be this high. With speed only 433 MHz my friend Blackberry phone able to recognize people voice and their face.  So do my cell phone. Samsung good at porting Flash and java as their basis for their ARM processor. I never though there would be an ARM device able to do such a thing, Flash is ineficient at gaming if you saw lots of Flash game, but they got a good antialiasing code.

[Farabi]

Oh, I found the driver for my WLAN cellphone, youll surprised with the size. Only 112 kbytes. I need an ARM dissasembler and tried to pathed this thing. Somebody already gave me access to anyone phone through Infrared device and another one which I forget the name but famous,  if another users allowed me to access their phone by syncing the pulse of both phone, I can call using others phone and copy anything on their SD Card. And the great thing is, it worked on every cell phone. Somebody got to be autoupdated it without Im knowing it. And Im afraid they are wathcing me.

[sinsi]

Maybe Microsoft shot themselves in the foot when they released the beta of Windows 7.
Lots of people used it for free and MS got lots of feedback about it.
For me, the beta, then the RC, then the retail version are basically the same, so good move Microsoft.

Now they release a special developers version of Windows 8 but those people (let's say "noobs") that got the win7 beta from their nephew are screaming "yuk!".
Windows is Windows, we all eventually get the latest (dedndave excepted of course).

One thing I am thinking is that if MS do screw up Windows 8 it will be because it is too tablet/smartphone oriented and be too klunky on a PC.
Look at the xbox games that get ported to the PC, lowest common denominator rules, so we PC users will get crap programs "ported".