Ballmer gets fired up over the ‘Microsoft Monoculture’

Before leaving our recent talk about whether the Internet deserves a capital “I” or not, reader Luis Fernandez offers a reason why we (as users of Microsoft technology) shouldn’t even consider changing to a small “i.”

Before leaving our recent talk about whether the Internet deserves a capital “I” or not, reader Luis Fernandez offers a reason why we (as users of Microsoft technology) shouldn’t even consider changing to a small “i.”

As he says, “If for no other reason, the majority of the world will probably continue capitalizing Internet because anyone who writes with Microsoft’s Word will have it auto-corrected for them if they type it as ‘internet’.  Try it, Word will either change it, or, depending on your settings, at least underline in it green, meaning it’s a grammatical error!”

I do turn off grammar checking in Word, but when I turned it back on, it did indeed flag “internet” as needing capitalization! Ah well, “Wired” magazine (https://www.nwfusion.com/newsletters/nt/2004/0906nt2.html) would just see this as one more reason not to capitalize the word. It doesn’t believe Microsoft can do anything right.

Since becoming Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer has generally toned down his public performances. There was the infamous “monkey boy dance” (https://www.zolknetwork.com/downloads/files/monkeydance.mpeg) at the Windows XP introduction, but generally he’s become a suit-and-tie-wearing, statistics-quoting, TCVO-and-ROI-spouting CEO. But wave the word Linux in front of him (like waving a “Red Hat” in front of a bull) and his demeanor can change as he takes leave of his senses – especially his common sense.

In speaking to members of the Massachusetts Software Council a few weeks ago, (as reported in Network World, “‘Fired-up’ Ballmer zings Linux” https://www.nwfusion.com/news/2004/090604ballmer.html) he attempted to combat the argument favored by Linux advocates that there’s a danger in creating a Microsoft “monoculture.” The Microsoft monoculture is defined as buying more Microsoft products because you already use Microsoft software and thus increasing your vulnerability to Microsoft security lapses. But when Ballmer gets fired up, he does say and do things that – upon reasoned reflection – make you say “huh?”

As reported in the news story, Ballmer stood before the Bay State’s leading technology trade association and scoffed at arguments that his company’s operating system creates a computing “monoculture.”  Microsoft’s platforms offer better interoperability with the company’s other technology, such as .Net, reducing the total cost of ownership of Windows compared with Linux, he said.

So, in other words, you should choose Microsoft technologies because they interoperate better with other Microsoft technologies. But isn’t that the whole point of the “monoculture” argument? Take a look at my Wired Windows column (https://www.nwfusion.com/columnists/2003/1006kearns.html) on this topic if you want a more balanced view of the “monoculture” phenomenon. And Steve? We really liked you better as a cheerleader on stage, and a taskmaster behind the scene. Go, monkey boy!