Ballmer bets on R&D amidst Meltdown

Microsoft boss Steve Ballmer wants to spend research and development dollars like it was the 1930s-era Great Depression. The volume control-impaired CEO told investors at its annual mid-year chat that Microsoft intends to stuff the company's R&D larders in anticipation for when economic conditions aren't quite so dire. But he …

[Robert Moore]

M$Linux

"Microsoft also intends to offer a low-cost, bare-bones version of Windows server."

Linux with Samba. I knew MS would get it eventually.

[this]

Amusing

I enjoyed the almost Mozartian variations on the basic theme of being bloody loud - especially the baroque flourish of 'trumpeted' at the end of the piece.

[David Kairns]

Just how?

Just how does one R&D deeply internally busted toys for use in professional zones of life?

Hint: It's impossible. Get over it.

MS's only real innovation, other than it's -- AHEM -- "legal acquisitions," was it's truly revolutionary use of multi-layered shiny IT paint.

[Tom]

First step

"invest more in improving Microsoft's online search and advertising market share."

First step is to get your search to actually work. If you can't find anything no one is going to use it.

[Shane Menshik]

Wow ...

Soooo $500 for the server, then $500 for a windows OS that I have to boot once, twice, three times a week... or Vmware ESXi w/ many many many copies of linux on it running 24/7 for a year w/o a reboot.. Which I pay $0 extra for... hmmm.. thats a tough one, and really tough when everyone has sooo much extra cash sittin around to spend on software ;) and less performing software at that..

[Anonymous Coward]

Bellowed, hollered, shouted, yelled, etc

I was getting quite fed-up with all these adjectives (and I am no SB or MS fan at all), but after listening to (part of) his speech, I have to concur with the author's use of same.

Listening to the speech was a mission in itself: FireFox wanted to install a plug-in, but could not find anything suitable. I then fired up Opera, which just did nothing and sat there, staring at me. Then it dawned on me that maybe, since this is a Microsoft site, it would use MS-only technology.

Lo and behold! After firing up the missus' Vista machine, FireFox wanted to install a WMP 11 plug-in, so eventually I was forced to open up IE and only then could I manage to listen to all er... most of the bellowing, hollering, shouting and yelling (until I gave up).

Maybe a warning to non-Windows users is in order?

Lastly - the irony of advertising a link to the ten best noise-isolating earphones was priceless! (But would it cut out the noise coming from within??).

[Robert Ramsay]

Ballmer in "wheelbarrow required for balls" rumpus

"We're going to have a lot more opportunities in order to think through how we get the customers to want to trade up from a lower-priced offering to a higher-priced offering, and we're certainly experimenting with that," he yelled.

[Thomas]

He's probably right

You know, about not being too worried about losing money while they have so much of it and everyone is losing money, but to focus on positioning for when the market next goes up.

However, I can't help thinking that the Windows 7 for netbooks line explains why they've gone to so much effort to push Windows XP onto netbook producers now. Consumers already associate having Windows with having a 'proper computer', now let's see what netbook manufacturers will do in a couple of years when they can either add an extra £50 to the current Windows license cost or try to switch back to Linux. Why can't they see they're busy digging their own graves?

[Henry Wertz]

He's right

I'm not a Microsoft fan, but he's right! In general, if everyone else in a market cuts down to no R&D, then the company or two who DO still do R&D will be ahead of everyone else, taking advantage of new research to produce new products, and more advanced versions of old products, ahead of everyone else.

In general, he's right. In specific, I don't know if the recession will cut R&D on free and open source software. But they'll have to keep it up to have a chance.

[James Gibbons]

RCA and TV

Yes, RCA tried to rip off the TV inventor, Philo Farnsworth. They brought in their own inventor and tried to work aroundFarnsworth's patents. After a long battle, Farnsworth won, but never made much. Wonder if Balmer was knew about this?