Archive for December, 2006

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Book recommendation: Partir

A story about emigration and the fortress Europe.

« La petite Malika, ouvrière dans une usine du port de Tanger, demanda à son voisin Azel, sans travail, de lui montrer ses diplômes.
– Et toi, lui dit-il, que veux-tu faire plus tard ?
– Partir.
– Partir… ce n’est pas un métier !
– Une fois partie, j’aurai un métier.
– Partir où ?– Partir n’importe où, là-bas par exemple.
– L’Espagne ?
– Oui, l’Espagne, França, j’y habite déjà en rêve.
– Et tu t’y sens bien ?
– Cela dépend des nuits. »

Amazon.fr : Partir: Livres: Tahar Ben Jelloun

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Monopolies and Innovation Part II

That’s what Jim Allchin, senior executive at Microsoft wrote in an email to Gates and Ballmer:

I think our teams lost sight of what bug-free means, what resilience means, what full scenarios mean, what security means, what performance means, how important current applications are, and really understanding what the most important problems our customers face are. I see lots of random features and some great vision, but that does not translate into great products. He goes on to say, I would buy a Mac today if I was not working at Microsoft.

Groklaw – Iowa Update – Allchin 2004 email: I’d buy a Mac if I didn’t work for MS

Lovely, isn’t it?

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Windows Vista – The Beginning of the end

One of the world’s most powerful monopolies puts 10,000 people to work for five years to create one new product. And nobody is really sure if anyone wants it.

I found this brilliant article by Dean Takahashi in the Seattle Times. It really confirms Joseph Schumpeter theory of “creative destruction”. Monopolists can’t innovate.
    Basically he says that the age of big operating systems that lie on the hard disk and get updated evey 3 (or 5 years in this case) is over. Apple and Linux get updated every year or half year. Google is providing ad-supported office programs for free. MIcrosoft is facing more and more competition. Their business model no longer works.

“Suddenly, the market changed and competitors started delivering technology at the speed of the Internet,” said James McQuivey, professor of market research at Boston University. “In some cases, they do it for free, and that’s painful for Microsoft.”

The Seattle Times: Business & Technology: Why Vista might be the last of its kind

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Life is only a game.

It’s only a game. Don’t take it to serious. You won’t get out of it alive anyways…

The game of human life may eventually end when you die, but in the meantime enjoy yourself while you’re here. Life is supposed to be fun. Get out there and go play!

Life – The Ultimate Game