“Developers, Developers, Developers” is the famous chant by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer telling in no uncertain terms what the CEO thinks is the key success factor for Microsoft – all the third party developer building apps for Windows and making its suite of applications so large that it could easily defeat IBM OS/2 and any chance for a reliable, available, and secure desktop OS til well past 2007 and Longhorn. In fact, a variation on that theme – “Your Potential, Our Passion” has become the lead for TV commercials expounding Microsoft softwares role in the world.
However, Chairman Steve might want to amend that statement to “Some developers, some developers, some developers … but definitely not all… and certainly not BI/Decision Support developers….. Ohhh, and maybe not OS utilities ISVs either…. AndWindows Accounting, ERP, SCM, CRM, HR developers – you potentially should develop your passion in some other field.”
As a point of order, back in September of last year, in our article entitled BI Blitzkrieg, we argued that Microsoft was going for a monopoly position in the BI market on Windows. A few readers scoffed and most simply were quiescent. But now CRNs Barbara Darrow has seen the final straw – a major move into the BI realtime workspace by Microsoft at very low prices leaving major BI vendors with a lot less room to maneuver. Is this exaggerated ? Given Microsofts stagnant stock price even after huge dividend payouts – probably not. The company needs to grow bigtime – and with biggest markets in Southeast Asia cutoff by rampant piracy and the rise of Linux and Open Source – Redmond will have to be more rapacious at home. And despite that rapacity Microsoft is out recruiting more ISVs. Hence the new Ballmer Battlecry – “Developers, …well some Developers, ….really …. only a chosen few Developers … and you gals and guys should not get too comfortable“.
(c)JBSurveyer 2005