If you were Microsoft's new CEO, what would you do?

[Showan]

First thing I would do as CEO, assess the tech world and it's rapid change, and then try and start 3steps ahead of what's is happening.

Windows 7/8 would be the norm for 4 more years or so. Have a team that tends to W7 & W8 (p?tche's, updates, etc).

Move the world to a 64/128bit world. This would include Smartphones and tablets.

Have another secret team that is making sure that the next version of Windows is VERY future proof.

Have a team, that their sole purpose is creating an application that converts any file that is dependent on a legacy version of software, to a more modern version.

There would no difference in smartphone and tablet. I would make sure that both are literally the same (making the smart phone truly smart). Link your smartphone and tablet, so if the phone rings and you have tablet in hand, well just answer the phone from the tablet.

I would also implement a backup tab feature built into Windows. What I mean by this is, say you setup ur backup plan, there will be 2 check boxes next to all selections. One check represents local backup device (external HDD, flash drive, tape drive, etc). The other check represents SkyDrive, set up ur plan and go. Want pics backed up locally and SkyDrive, set up a plan and don't worry about it. I would also work very hard with Seagate and WD, in creating home based network storage units that have some kind of Microsoft tech in it, to make this easier. And it could also be detected and backed to wirelessly as well as wired

I would give phones and tablets options as far as aesthetics go, 5 or so themes, but they all would be considered 'native' and none would use more resources than the other. It would be a better version of the crappy skins, that OEMs have on android.

And most important, find a very happy middle ground when it comes to price point and quality. Also would find a very happy middle ground as far as price point of the Windows License w/ OEMs.

[+LogicalApex MVC]

As an armchair pilot none of this will probably make sense as I don't fully know the internal culture of MS... But that is the fun in this I guess...

 

If I were to end up as CEO of Microsoft as this point in time I would push to limit the involvement of both Gates and Ballmer as they are a reflection of why Microsoft is in dire straights now. This is important because IMHO if MS is to come back as strong in the future as it is today (or in the XP days) the company needs a culture of collaboration both internally an externally. Microsoft needs to win back the hearts of the development and hardware manufacturing sectors and the only way to do that is to listen to their actual needs.

 

In more immediate measures I would start adding real value to Windows in its classic fronts while making developers happy. I would open the Windows Store up to being very modular in its approach. In a "repository" like fashion I would allow third party developers to integrate their applications into the UI benefits of a central store. By keeping this open I think MS can move to a model that allows all Windows applications to be as up to date as their own applications are. By also allowing developers to list a wider variety of apps via "repositories" (and support third party payment and licensing schemes) they can bring developer interest back to their platform.

 

I would also offer a fair bit of customization options for Metro. With a full "classic" desktop mode that would put Metro apps into the Start Menu and run them in a Windowed mode to a full on Metro experience in a "Modern" mode (with the ability to tweak a variety of options for a customized middle ground as well).

 

At the end of the day Microsoft needs to win back Developers and Hardware Makers. I think these things would get them started on that path. Windows needs to be more open without giving away the kingdom.

[theyarecomingforyou]

• Spin off the Xbox and Bing divisions (neither of which has produced a ROI)

Prioritise Office for Android, iOS and cloud

Create an open-platform gaming system based on Windows (a l? Steam Machines)

Unify the desktop and Metro in Windows, combining the best elements of both (i.e. allow Metro apps to run in windows and share the taskbar)

Allow Metro apps to be installable sources other than the Windows Store (like traditional Windows apps and Android)

Redefine the PC brand with first-party hardware, including Kinect, Xbox One controller, mice, keyboards, etc

Prioritise biometrics, with fingerprint scanners / iris scanners at the forefront (to position Windows as the most secure platform)

Make voice recognition a core feature (most mobiles support this yet Windows is hopeless lacking in this department)

Reinvest in PC gaming, restoring brands like Age Of Empires, Combat Flight Simulator and MechWarrior (with none of this free-2-play / pay-2-win nonsense)

Invest in AI to allow Windows to predict what you want to do and automate monotonous tasks

[Brian Miller]

Fire all the idiots.

[Gerowen]

Now is a very interesting time for Microsoft. Some may say the empire may be crumbling, but I certainly have confidence that they will continue to succeed. But, with Ballmer leaving it should be very interesting to see what the future holds for the company. 

 

What would you do if you were the new CEO? 

Having never been a CEO, it's hard for me to say that I would be the greatest thing since sliced bread, and I realize that not all of these things can just be automagically done because you're CEO, there's a board of directors and investors and people that have to review these things, but here's some thoughts.

 

Improve relations between Microsoft and Sony gaming studios (XB1 and PS4), and maybe even collaborate on a game or two.  I wouldn't go so far as to attempt to merge them because they each have their own culture and hardcore fans, but maybe work out a deal for a game or two and put both their names on it for both consoles, ya know, really throw people for a loop.  Could you imagine having a Halo title on the PS3/PS4, in exchange for a God of War title on XBox 360/XBone?  Even if they were remakes of older titles, it'd make a lot of fans of the opposing systems happy, and maybe less argumentative about which one RUL3ZZZZ!

 

Open source Windows, even if it is slowly and a little bit at a time.  Open source is way better than closed in my opinion.  It's easier to garner new developers if everybody can look at the code and submit fixes for review by Microsoft.  Open source doesn't necessarily mean everybody can edit the actual source code that gets released, but everybody has access to read it, and they can submit code patches to Microsoft for review.

 

Lower the price of Windows.  $200 is pretty prohibitive for a lot of people who just want an operating system to make their computer useful, and don't particularly care whether it's Windows, Linux, or OSX.  It also makes these more rapid release cycles very costly to corporations, which is part of the reason they're basically having to try and scare people away from Windows XP.  In just 7 years or so they've jumped from XP, to Vista, to 7, to 8, and they're already talking about Windows 9 being released next year.  That's a lot of cash, even purchasing volume OEM licenses, for companies to shell out when the operating system they've been using for years works just fine for their purposes.  If companies upgraded every time Microsoft wanted them to they'd spend all their profits on Microsoft licensing fees.  That's one reason that many of the "critical" (non office work) systems I used in the Army ran some form of Linux.  It was open source and we could upgrade them whenever we wanted without having to pay for it.

 

Release some cheaper, specific purpose versions of Windows for things like gaming (SteamOS alternative from Microsoft maybe?  Maybe an XB1 OS for your PC to run XB1 games on compatible hardware?).  Maybe a "Microsoft Windows Virtual Edition", a virtual machine copy of Windows that comes pre-packaged in various VM formats (VDI, VMDK, VHD, HDD, QED, QCOW, etc.) and checks for VM hardware such as VirtualBox drivers to make sure you're actually running it in a virtual machine.  That way guys like me who run Linux, but like to make sure our programs work properly across multiple environments, (In the case of Python, Java, or other situations where it's a cross platform interpreted language where the same executable is used on both systems), or want to run one windows application once and a while, have some option without paying full price for an OEM copy of Windows and re-partitioning our drives.

 

In reference to my earlier point, secure deals with hardware manufacturers to pre-install purpose specific editions of Windows on their devices.  Linksys has a new router?  Put Microsoft's router firmware on it.  Alienware PC shipping out?  Put Windows Gamer Edition on it.  So on and so on.

 

Bring back one of the greatest Windows games ever created, that was no longer present starting in Windows Vista, space cadet Pinball, :-)

 

Alter the TOS/EULA to stop OEMs like HP from pre-installing gigabytes of crapware on every PC they sell.  I realize that some OEM specific software might be useful like some way to contact the OEM, a thing to check the HP website for driver updates, and maybe even some pre-installed drivers for HP printers (Not the full software but the driver only), but I've seen little OSX/Ubuntu Unity style taskbars with built-in security center style thingies and links to Amazon and links to buy ink and stuff that starts with the computer to tell you that your 30 day trial of Norton Antivirus has expired and all sorts of unnecessary garbage that makes the computer a lot slower than it needs to be.

 

Develop more 1st party software, including games, that works on Windows, OSX, and Linux, instead of just Windows.

[DConnell Member]

 

• Spin off the Xbox and Bing divisions (neither of which has produced a ROI)
•  
• Create an open-platform gaming system based on Windows (a l? Steam Machines)

 

 

Wait . .  why would you spin off the Xbox division and then start all over again in gaming? Why not simply make the already-established and well-known Xbox platform more open? All this would do is create yet another competitor in the gaming market.

[theyarecomingforyou]

Wait . .  why would you spin off the Xbox division and then start all over again in gaming? Why not simply make the already-established and well-known Xbox platform more open? All this would do is create yet another competitor in the gaming market.

Spinning off the Xbox division would eliminate a financial liability and provide a substantial cash sum, especially now that the brand is at its peak. Don't forget that Windows is already a capable gaming platform, so investment then provides a much higher return with less risk.

[LambdaLambdaLambdaFn]

I'd keep going with improving Metro, but educate people on its benefits -- instead of always advertising a keyboard that clips on really easily.

 

Not trolling, either.  Lucky for me, there's no "thumbs down" on Neowin.

[x-scratch]

fire larry hryb

[Studio384]

I would...

- develop Zune 5.0, rebrand it to Xbox 5.0 and include it in Windows as replacement for Windows Media Player and get it back as media manager for Windows Phone

- make the Surface Pro lighter and thinner

- find more OEMs to work with Windows Phone

- 6 month-based update cycle for IE, 1 major (12.0), 1 minor (12.5)

- improve Windows with an Improved startscreen

  - ability to open in snapview without leaving the app that is opened in snapview

  - drop the Control Panel in favor of the PC Settings app, that should contain ALL settings in Windows

  - update all icons in Windows

  - revamp the taskbar: no background, just a 100% transparant bar with lines as indication for open and active apps

  - more flexible grid for startscreen like on Windows Phone, tiles that can flip like on Windows Phone

  - vertical tiles

- start developing creative programs again (alla Photoshop, Dreamweaver, etc)

- drop weird version numbers (just Windows 8.1.1 instead of Windows 8.1 (v6.3.9600) or Xbox OS 1.50 instead of 6.2.10127, or Windows Phone 8.0.3 instead of WP 8.0.10521)

- fire PR team and get new ones, continue the "Windows Everywhere" ads, they are great

- Surface Phone, Surface Laptop, Surface PC. However, no concurrence with OEMs, just powerfull (or just great quality/price) and great hardware to show how to do it.

- roll out US version of Bing all over the world

- work closer with Apple for browser for example (back IE as default browser on Mac OS and iOS and drop Safari, joined force against Chrome)

- Office for Metro, however, that is coming anyway

[Gerowen]

- work closer with Apple for browser for example (back IE as default browser on Mac OS and iOS and drop Safari, joined force against Chrome)

IE was incredibly slow the last time I used it.  It seems like after version 6, all the later versions have just been slower and slower.  I think one thing the new CEO should focus on in regards to IE, in addition to spreading its use across multiple platforms, is improving its response time and how much space it takes up on the screen (Metro version is pretty good about saving screen space), as well as improve addon management.  I recently fixed a computer that had an unresponsive browser.  Every time you tried to watch a YouTube video on IE it would freeze the whole machine.  I traced it back to a funky addon that the user had no idea about, because the menu to edit addons was kind of buried.  The metro version of IE has no Addons menu at all that I could find, you have to launch it in the "Desktop" mode, for it to be available, which isn't apparent to most average users.

IE is so slow, it's given birth to memes like this.

[badb0y]

Make Windows Open Source Thats It!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rickkins]

First thing I would do, is fire everyone who was connected to tifkam.

[+theblazingangel MVC]

The following comes to mind...

 

Security & trust related:

• Start providing complete source code to customers for software products, particularly Windows, thus helping provide a more solid foundation of trust.
  • Microsoft standing up as one of several large tech companies calling for an end to surveillance is good, but means very little in terms of truly gaining my trust. With Windows being closed source, Microsoft have never truly fully held my trust, I have simply gone ahead and blindly used Windows regardless of the lack of trust I have in them, as many others do, due mostly to familiarity from early experience with computers and it's overwhelming popularity on the desktop. Lately I've been seriously considering moving myself and family over to Linux, and encouraging everyone I know to do so also.
• Initiate a general campaign to thoroughly assess all products for aspects where security can be improved and implement such improvements, partly to further improve customer trust, but also just for the sake of enhancing security.
• Scrap or at least change the 'Microsoft account' integration included within Windows 8.x.
  • Allowing the operating system to store Microsoft account credentials within its 'Credential Manager (Control Panel/User Accounts  and Family Safety/Credential Manager) for the use of things like Skydrive is one thing, an acceptable thing, but allowing such a credential, a credential for which Microsoft has a copy, to be used for authentication to a physical device of mine is not on. I will only ever use a local login and I'm disgusted by the promotion of Microsoft account logins in the Windows 8.x OS.
  • I can understand if some people may be a little confused on this topic, for example Android users (such as myself) have to enter a Google account credential when setting up their device. To clarify, in this case, the Google credential is actually being stored in the Android OS's credential manager and is used by apps such as Gmail and Play store. It is not used for device authentication, that's the pin/password you setup and is (hopefully) only known by yourself. Similarly a password used for device encryption is entirely separate to the Google account credential, and is only known by yourself. This is the way it should be.
• Open up Windows update to allow all third-party applications and drivers to be updated with a single seamless update mechanism, similar to Linux. This can significantly simplify things for end users, providing a major enhancement to the overall security of the computers on the web. Why the **** haven't Microsoft done this already?!
• Improve key management / password store facilities within Windows. It would be kind of nice I think to have a clean, secure, central, modern, easy-to-use and centralized common store for credentials such as passwords and pgp keys. Of course I would only ever use it if the full Windows source code was provided. In my vision it would provide an api through which desktop applications could request a credential, either specific (known username or other ID) or general, and a secure OS dialog would be displayed to allow the user to accept / reject the request and or select the credential to return if the application did not explicitly specify one. This could significantly simplify the use of pgp encrypted email for instance.
• Scrap the useless Microsoft Security Essentials.

Other:

• Try my best to break down barriers between departments to create a more harmonised development environment within the company. Disputes between development teams within the company is something I've heard talk of being a problem in the past, I'm making a presumption that it still is today.
• Get as much of the legacy crap ripped out of products such as Windows. Its 2014 and current versions of Windows still contain legacy DOS related code for example. Not only does it irritate the hell out of me how long stuff providing legacy compatibility hangs around, it also can provide security risks, for example this one -> http://www.zdnet.com/blog/hardware/17-year-old-windows-vulnerability-shows-that-its-time-to-drop-legacy-support/6821
• Improve Skype. For example:
  • Clean up the interface, getting rid of the ads.
  • Replace reliance on UPNP type router features, which create a security risk on a LAN, use alternate automated techniques such as udp hole punching to prevent use from needing to manually port forward, which is a pain in the ass when each computer, and perhaps each user on a computer needs a unique port-forward rule.
• Reduce prices. Office for example was expensive enough as it is, then with the 2013 edition they reduced the license to cover one PC instead of three, and threw in an expensive subscription model to the web-based version. These new prices are ridiculous.

Small things:

• Make it easier to choose GPT partitioning on the OS drive during OS setup. Currently you have to open and use a command line during setup to do so, and if you forget, it's impossible to do so later without re-installing.
• Bring the Windows setup experience in-line with the general GUI - The Windows 8.x setup has a Windows 7 style, which is silly.
• Modernise all icons. Small inconsistencies, such as the old regedit application icon irritate me.

[Faber Mago]

Most comments are from OSX and Linux users and basically they're saying to dismiss Windows 8. I'm a Windows 8 user and i like it. Don't comment on something you don't know...

[Faber Mago]

IE was incredibly slow the last time I used it.  It seems like after version 6, all the later versions have just been slower and slower.

 

You never used IE. You're just trolling...

[Gerowen]

You never used IE. You're just trolling...

And just how would you know?  At work I've ran Windows Vista and Windows 7 for years, and I've worked on tons of personal computers running Windows 8, and there is no comparison between IE and Firefox/Google Chrome when it comes to startup speed and how fast pages are rendered.

[fusi0n]

So...

1: Abandon tablet interface, which is a good idea till you look at the number of Android and iOS tablet sales and realize you have to do *something* to stay in that market, hence the reason for metro on the desktop right now and not a totally seperate OS

 

2: Force OEMs to do something? And attract the attention of th US government for unfair trade practices and bullying them into doing stuff to continue to get their business, thus costing your company hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees

 

3: Instead of creating your own services, which are slightly proprietary, integrate services better into iOS and Android, leaving no reason for users to use your services/hardware.

 

4: Lets throw tons of cash at making AD OSX friendly for the what, 1% of OSX users in the corporate world who are actually near an AD setup, I'd rather fire 50 developers now and go burn a couple semi's of cash, it would be over a lot quicker and same results..

 

Good thing you aren't in charge, Stock would drop 50% on the announcement of those items.

1. No. But remove the tablet interface from the desktop because it isn't a tablet. 

2. Yes, set standards were they don't install tons of crap. There are standards they set to be an OEM. Microsoft could tighten up with they wanted.

3. People will still buy Microsoft hardware and devices. Office 365 is a great start for what I was talking about.

4. It wouldn't take a lot of cash. OSX can already take some AD policies. Macs are in more demand in businesses. 

[PGHammer]

1. No. But remove the tablet interface from the desktop because it isn't a tablet. 

2. Yes, set standards were they don't install tons of crap. There are standards they set to be an OEM. Microsoft could tighten up with they wanted.

3. People will still buy Microsoft hardware and devices. Office 365 is a great start for what I was talking about.

4. It wouldn't take a lot of cash. OSX can already take some AD policies. Macs are in more demand in businesses. 

 

In other words, NO mixed/multi-format devices (and hork off Lenovo, HP, etc.).  No - traditional PC hardware is selling slowly - however, as much as folks want to blame it,Windows 8/8.1 isn't why.  Traditional PC hardware (not alone desktops) is selling slowly for two reasons - first, it's the equivalent of nuking a fly (for typical usage, an Intel or AMD multi-core CPU, of the Vista or 7 era, is plenty); second, the demand is more for battery life as opposed to industrial-strength computing power, or increased functionality that traditional PC formfactors still largely lack (AIOs - both touch-screen and non - are not merely coming back, but are back with a vengeance; the AIO design, however, harkens more to the iMac, as opposed to the older Gateway Destination AIO of yore - the most obvious examples are HP's TouchSmart and Pavilion AIOs).

 

Also, do you know what is driving the BYOD craze (and the Apple craze is part of that) in businesses?  Shedding those back-end costs/reducing expenses - if the business doesn't own the device, they (think) are expecting the employee that actually owns the device to maintain it and keep it up.  However, BYOD is a major security problem (for a variety of reasons, both nefarious and non) - how much RECENT major IT-related crookery can be traced back DIRECTLY to BYOD?  (I'm talking merely since Edward Snowden - not merely since Bradley Manning.)

 

So far, I'm seeing the same fear and short-term disparagement of ModernUI (as a UI/UX, not just as an API) that has indeed plagued Windows 8 since it went RTM - mostly due to it breaking the mold in what Windows has been like from that UI/UX standpoint.  Desktop applications still work - in fact, they mostly work better than Windows 7.  You need fewer (far fewer) utilities to maintain the OS (even on traditional hardware) compared merely to Windows 7, and the keyboard doesn't get stomped on by a pointing-device-centric UI/UX.  (That is, in fact, my biggest peeve with the Start menu - it is a massive distraction when a menu item or menu-related popup gets in the way when entering something via the keyboard.)

[LaP]

I would fire Steve Ballmer ... oh wait ...

[DConnell Member]

1. No. But remove the tablet interface from the desktop because it isn't a tablet. 

2. Yes, set standards were they don't install tons of crap. There are standards they set to be an OEM. Microsoft could tighten up with they wanted.

3. People will still buy Microsoft hardware and devices. Office 365 is a great start for what I was talking about.

4. It wouldn't take a lot of cash. OSX can already take some AD policies. Macs are in more demand in businesses. 

 

1 - I use Modern quite happily on my laptop and tower systems, and do not want it removed. I really don't see it as a "tablet interface".  I have no objection, however, to others having the option to hide that UI. How is what you want any different from the removal of the Start Menu? It's still forcing a choice on people. If you want the option of the old UI that's fine, but why should I have to be stuck with it?

 

2 - Now that I can get behind, though I'm not sure how it could be enforced.

[TrickyDickie]

Sort out the marketing department.

 

They really messed up with Windows 8 / Windows Phone 8. 

[Dot Matrix]

Fire the managers responsible for making all the atrocious changes in Windows 8.1 Update 1. (y)

[strotee]

fire larry hryb

But have you seen TitanFall?

[DConnell Member]

The first Friday of every month, Microsoft's central office would shut down in the afternoon for gaming. XBox Live games, chess, Monopoly, Magic the Gathering, poker, whatever. As long as there's some friendly competition between the employees, it's good. I'd have a basketball court installed, and occasionally rent a local mini golf place for the afternoon.

 

The game days would help improve employee satisfaction and team dynamics.