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When I first saw the cheaper version of MS Office I wondered if it was MS’ way of trying to compete with OpenOffice and maybe WordPerfect Office a bit without officially combating them. Microsoft’s always tried to make their poor-quality applications seem like they’re on a higher level than they ought to be.

I mean, look at this product list:

Is there anything there that’s actually any good? I don’t mean, “Does it do what it sets out to do?” good, I mean, “Does it have the kind of features it should have in 2002, let alone 2008 good?” These programs haven’t changed in 10 years, but Microsoft keeps adding checkbox features (collaboration, export-to-web, better macro support) but these apps are still dodgy. Microsoft’s new features almost never work the way they’re advertised, and people would have to become certified in an application to use basic features. My version of Outlook at work chokes on a large mailbox (well, I actually have about 5 IMAP’ed into it).

And the answer is a definite no. No, no, no.

It’s an excellent marketing company, but rather poor on product quality, if you ask me.

Which actually brings up an interesting point.

Microsoft’s professional applications are its server line, development tools and that’s about it. Office isn’t professional, it’s a good application for your 12-year old to use to do his presentation on Napoleon in history class but it looks like garbage for a business presentation. Word is horrid. Excel is terrible as well.

Everything Microsoft makes is pretty much garbage.

Stop marketing with checkboxes.

This post: (link) and the article he links to are pretty good reads, the author, Matthew Yglesias makes some really interesting points.

Still, can’t help but wonder if all this, ‘Where’s tech going next?’ bloggery is just a way for people to escape their real lives.

I know it is for me.

I’m not doing this blog for traffic….actually, I don’t know why I’m doing this blog.

So, hot rumor has Apple updating the Mac Pro line on the 13th, or January. Hopefully it’ll be the 13th, as the Mac Pro line as it currently stands is underpowered for the price.

Intel’s newest chips though, the Penryn’s don’t sound all that amazing, so I don’t know what Apple could do to make the new line worth it, unless going 8-core throughout the entire range is feasible.

Unfortunately, I think we’re going to see quad, octo, octo, 2GB RAM standard and some minor enhancements. I also think these Mac Pros will last a year on the market, which is probably about six months longer than they should considering Intel’s successor to the Penryn’s will be out early next year.

So I’m looking for a Logic/Cubase box. I’m not sure this will be it.

Microsoft said on Tuesday that it will spend $500 million on building a new European data-processing center in Ireland.

Microsoft said in a statement that the planned Dublin center will house tens of thousands of servers providing information and Web-based applications to Internet users.

Construction will begin later this month, with the center expected to be completed by 2009.”

And:

Industry sources said the highly automated facility would create about 20 jobs. Microsoft employs 1,200 staff in Ireland at another site in Dublin.”