Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Microsoft Officially Kills Virtual PC

Is there anyone left at MSFT who knows how to write software?

Wow... Microsoft really is a shell of its former self. And not that its former self was all that great. But Microsoft used to be an amazing software factory in terms of productivity (quality was a different story). They used to brag about their ability to "turn the crank" and produce software products well before rivals could. Many were envious of this ability.

Now, they can't seem to get anything done. Everything is canceled, delayed, reworked. The company seems to be completely incompetent.

I have been a Mac fan since the original 128K Mac. But I'm also a realist and live in the Windows world as well. And years ago, before OS X came into its own, it really looked like the world had passed the Mac by. But not anymore! Now, Apple is the one firing on all cylinders and getting great products out the door.

I've used the early betas of Vista and let me tell you, it is bad... REALLY, REALLY BAD. And this is coming from someone who doesn't mind using WinXP when he has to.

The new reality is that the Apple OS X platform has moved into the forefront of this industry. OS X just works. Period. It's a joy to use. And things are still getting better! At Microsoft, things are getting worse... a lot worse.

I believe that it's finally time for the world to start a transition off of the Windows platform and onto OS X. I'm not sure if this means that Apple has to supply all of the hardware (although I'm sure they want to!). But the stuff coming out of Microsoft now is utter crap (I mean, it was crap before, but it was at least usable if you figured out all the quirks). Now, everything they produce is a disaster. The company cannot code its way out of a paper bag.
 
ImAlwaysRight said:
On another note, the AI article adds this:

Sometime later this year, Microsoft said it will release its first Universal application, Messenger for Mac 6.0.
Click to expand...
Will they still go on with Messenger 6.0? Seeing as how they are crying about WWDC?
 
open it up!

i think microsoft should open source virtual pc, and give it to the community to port. :) what will become of it?
 
I guess I'm not particularly surprised, and I wish we could hear all the reasoning that went into the decision (which, of course, we won't). But given that VMware just about owns the x86 virtualization market and has announced its foray into the Mac universe, I imagine Microsoft figured it'd be a lot of work for what figures to be very little profit.

It's not like we don't have options - I can't imagine Virtual PC will be missed. Those of us still using PowerPC processors can still buy VPC 7.
 
Disappointed to say the least.

Parallels is good no doubt about that. However, I figured that Microsoft could have done better now that we are on the Intel platform. Bummer.
 
Westside guy said:
I guess I'm not particularly surprised, and I wish we could hear all the reasoning that went into the decision (which, of course, we won't). But given that VMware just about owns the x86 virtualization market and has announced its foray into the Mac universe, I imagine Microsoft figured it'd be a lot of work for what figures to be very little profit.
Click to expand...

If it's PROFIT Microsoft wants, then why don't they DUMP IE7?
They can build ASPX to generate code to industry standard xHTML and CSS,
and save a FORTUNE. Plus, IE has been expensive to develop and keeps MS in the headlines with Exploit after Exploit, cementing their reputation for Low Quality Incompetent Software. So, if PROFIT was your motivation, why not dump IE and save some Real Money?
 
DJMastaWes said:
Will they still go on with Messenger 6.0? Seeing as how they are crying about WWDC?
Click to expand...

I think they will, as AFAI can tell, they announced this at WWDC.
 
Meh. I doubt it was ever very high on the MS priority list...

Maybe just slightly more important than a new version of Minesweeper.
 
AI Article said:
The Mac BU also will provide free, downloadable converters to allow users of current versions of Office for Mac to read the new Microsoft Office Open XML formats following the availability of Office for Windows
Click to expand...
So to paraphrase, they're saying, "We can code for the Mac faster than we can for windows, and the XML extension for the Mac is ready...but you won't see it until the people who can't even write code for their own operating system are done."

:p
 
hmm

I submitted this post, but no credit... My submission came up on Macbytes...but no credit there either... :(
 
Probably they can't take all the
Mac OS X Leopard - Introducing Vista 2.0
Hasta La Vista, Vista!
Click to expand...
and had to give Apple a punch back? :D

Good riddance anyway... one less M$ software on my Mac... well, I don't install Virtual PeeCee anyway... :p
 
Wha....??!

How come I'm really not surprised...maybe it's because I figured this would happen eventually several years ago when Microsoft bought VirtualPC. Too bad that they don't have a version of VirtualPC that runs on x86 hardware...oh, except for the version of VirtualPC for Windows...you can ignore that.

But considering how Microsoft has been dropping its limited Mac line left and right, it's really not too much of a surprise. With the stiff competition from those people who are actually doing some work and coming out with products.

How does Microsoft keep in business? When was the last time they released a major new product that made money? Office 2004? And that was for the Mac!

I certainly could be wrong about some things, but when you consider that Microsoft's two major money makers (Office and Windows) have been in hibernation for several years. Practically any other technology company that sat around that long would have been smeared off of the map!
 
Meh. What with Parallels and now VMWare. Who gives a crap. VPC was only a so so solution. Guys just wait until VMWare gets going. :D Parallels is good. VM WILL be better.
 
Abercrombieboy said:
Yeah, Office will stay. They said they are committed for at least 5 more years. Office is probably the only Mac software they develop and actually make a decent profit on.
Click to expand...

The MBU is one of the more profitable parts of Microsoft, and they want to keep it for the money, for the leverage on Apple, and to avoid the immediate anti-trust lawsuit they'd face if they refused to support OSX.
There's lots of benefits to keeping the MBU alive and lots of downsides to killing it out of spite.

VPC was never really part of the MBU.
 
I don't see this as having anything directly to do with Microsoft's support of Mac products overall. The writing was on the wall for VPC the moment Apple announced the move to Intel; the only question is why it took so long. (But since when does anything at Microsoft happen quickly?) The interesting part of Microsoft's announcement was the timing. Apple and Microsoft seem to have taken to poking each other in the eye. More than a little spite in the timing, to be sure.
 
Good, now give us a Mac-only Windows

Good news! Virtual PC for Intel Macs never made much sense anyway. Why go to great pains to emulate an OS that can run native?

Even better good news would be for the Mac Business Unit to develop a Mac-only version of Vista. Since it would target a very narrow set of hardware, it could be leaner, faster, more stable, and contain all the proper hardware drivers. Spared many of the woes of other Windows users, we'd be happy, and Microsoft would make more money as Mac users buy copies to use with Boot Camp or Parallel. They'd make far more with Vista for Macs than they'd ever make with Virtual PC.

All in all, I'd say things are going quite well in the Mac world.

--Michael W. Perry, Untangling Tolkien (the only book-length chronology of The Lord of the Rings.
 
balamw said:
You do realize that Microsoft bought Connectix out entirely. They're part of the Borg now. It's all Microsoft's decisions now...

B
Click to expand...

Actually, according to that article it looks like MS bought their last viable product and they then de-established the company. A technicality, but different than being bought by MS.

Virtual PC and Virtual server emulation software of x86-based personal computers for the Macintosh and Windows (sold to Microsoft).

With the sale of Virtual PC development and support, staff were transferred to Microsoft, including Chief Technical Officer Eric Traut, but not including any of the Connectix board members or Technical Support. Its Macintosh products, including DoubleTalk, CopyAgent and RAM Doubler, were discontinued.
Click to expand...
 
No surprise since their intentions became obvious when they backpeddled over earlier comments made by a spokesperson during MWSF '06 after the keynote and also the subsequent length of time "spent evaluating" the feasibility while Parallels came in with an actual product. VMWare's confirmation they were entering the Mac market probably killed any remaining consideration.

mcarnes said:
"I just don't know what the hell I'm doing. Help! I need Help!"
Click to expand...
Something was missing in that attachment....:D
 

Attachments

  • ballmer-big-mac.jpg
    ballmer-big-mac.jpg
    12.9 KB · Views: 1,074
maxp1 said:
Actually, according to that article it looks like MS bought their last viable product and they then de-established the company. A technicality, but different than being bought by MS.
Click to expand...
FWIW I corrected my earlier statement in Post #29.

Something about these pics of Ballmer make me want to get up and shout "Developers! Developers! Developers!"

B
 
longofest said:
No... that was a lot of people getting confused. MS was giving away VirtualPC 2004, which is a Windows product. They never were giving away any Mac products, nor were they intending to as far as we know.




Yes, but we don't exactly know when that will come out. Look for it AFTER Vista (if that can happen) ;)
Click to expand...


NO!

Universal Office will arrive in Approx. Late Sept-Nov.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back