Mea Culpa: Latin for 'Sorry That Vista Ain't Perfect' -- Redmondmag.com

Barney's Blog

Mea Culpa: Latin for 'Sorry That Vista Ain't Perfect'

Last week, Steve Ballmer jetted down to sunny Las Vegas for the MIX08 show, where some 2,500 people went to learn what Microsoft is doing in Web development tools.

At first, I was going to write this entire item based on what Redmond Developer News writer Jeff Schwartz put in his terrific 1,252-word article. Then I ran into Kate Richards, another Redmond Developer News writer who just got back from MIX08, at the coffee machine.

I'm not sure if it was the Las Vegas memories or the stirring keynotes and sessions, but Kate was pretty impressed. Topping her list was Silverlight, the semi-new Web dev tool that has more downloads than a .JPEG of the Kardashian sisters (these are the girls famous for having a father that [allegedly] got rid of O.J.'s bloody evidence, for being Bruce Jenner's stepchildren and for having a videotape I'd rather not describe). Microsoft also previewed some rather stunning work it's doing for NBC's Beijing Olympics Web site.

But the real excitement came during Steve Ballmer's keynote, a real baring-of-the-soul affair. Ballmer admitted that Vista didn't come out quite as well as he had hoped, and that he wished Internet Explorer had been updated more frequently. Ever optimistic, Ballmer believes that the Vista service pack will fix many of the compatibility issues.

I have no clue why Microsoft agreed to this, but Ballmer then sat down for a Q&A with Apple bigot and self-centered venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki. Kawasaki rudely sported a new MacAir (only VCs can afford this creation) and asked a rash of Apple-focused questions. (Kawasaki worked for Apple over 20 years ago when the Mac was black and white, single-tasking and -- just like today -- horribly expensive.) Ballmer kept his composure and answered Kawasaki's random questions as best as he could.

Here's a crazy idea I'm pitching in my next print editorial: Microsoft should buy the Mac OS. Am I nuts or on to something? Let me know at [email protected]!

Posted by Doug Barney on 03/10/2008 at 1:15 PM

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