Microsoft News Summaries - Yeahs and Nays

Microsoft recently announced that they are moving towards a 64-bit-only shop (may require free subscription). Considering how weak their stock (NYSE: MSFT) has been for the past 5 years, this is a huge mistake. It’s not going to endear them to a lot of companies.

Part of the problem is that their newest operating system, Vista, which has been held back, requires a lot of hardware upgrades, according to some early reports. What SMB (Small to Medium Business) can afford to be doing this? Even large businesses are probably going to scoff at this stupid move on Microsoft’s part.

They’re claiming, however, that Vista is going to save companies as much as US$248 per seat. So I’m hoping my assessment is wrong. But if you have to spend $1000 or more per person buying new computers just to save $248, then you’re obviously not saving money.

Of course, most of you probably know by know that Microsoft’s Chairman Bill Gates announced that starting in 2008, he’s going to start decreasing his role in the company. What you may not know is that he and his wife are donating money and time to their own charity, which involves studying cervical cancer in Third World developing countries. In fact, he intends to give away a lot of his money.

Maybe not as much as billionaire trader George Soros, who has given away something close to $25bln over the years, but still… Bravo to you Bill. I take back every mean thing I’ve ever said about you. And I really mean that. You may have been born into a wealthy family, but you’re sharing your fruits.