When are you upgrading to Windows Vista?

[Michael Chui]

Originally Posted by Daffy Duck

I think that's a bit harsh. One doesn't become the #1 software company in the world by striving for mediocrity. Microsoft hires some of the brightest minds on the planet.

Being first is helpful. Being an extremely effective practitioner of aggressive business tactics is also helpful. Both of these were major contributors to MSFT's current status as #1. Neither suggest they do anything more than make acceptable products.

An example of striving for excellence, on the other hand, is the ribbon that came with Office 2007. That immediately polarized people, and the designer eventually came out and explained her decision to do it.

[Trezker]

I heard Microsoft wasn't first with anything they've ever done.
Some other system created the solutions first.

Microsoft has copied those solutions and did a good job at marketing their product.

It's extremely rare that the original inventor gets the big fortune. All through history there are examples of inventors who got their ideas stolen and often they are also ridiculed by the very guy that stole the invention. Microsoft has followed this grand tradition.

When Microsoft claims to present something new that's never been seen before. The general rule is that those features were available on Mac or Linux several years ago.