Re:Microsoft Losing Against iPod, iPhone, iOS, iMessage, Sla...
by WorldMaker on Monday April 15, 2019 @05:32PM
(#19669120)
Microsoft was founded on cross-platform. Their goal was clearly to have their software on every "home computer" regardless of manufacturer. Owning the OS just makes that goal easier.
Even the early GUI era you could see Microsoft hedging bets and trying to be the best Macintosh software company while working on Windows. Even as late as the XP/Vista timeframe you could see that Microsoft was often proud of being the largest third-party software vendor for the Macintosh. (That statistic got shaken up soon after, IIRC, but Microsoft held that position for a long time.)
Cross-platform certainly isn't a new attitude for Microsoft. In some ways it seems a return "home" to when they were the BASIC provider for every computer. (Though the argument of whether or not BASIC then was an OS platform is a fascinating one, which is why both perspectives are "correct".)
Even the early GUI era you could see Microsoft hedging bets and trying to be the best Macintosh software company while working on Windows. Even as late as the XP/Vista timeframe you could see that Microsoft was often proud of being the largest third-party software vendor for the Macintosh. (That statistic got shaken up soon after, IIRC, but Microsoft held that position for a long time.)
Cross-platform certainly isn't a new attitude for Microsoft. In some ways it seems a return "home" to when they were the BASIC provider for every computer. (Though the argument of whether or not BASIC then was an OS platform is a fascinating one, which is why both perspectives are "correct".)