Dan says....

As time goes by, I found myself relying less and less on Microsoft technology. I only use Windows Vista (have Win7 upgrade but dare not install it) on my desktop because of a few apps that I quite like - there's equivalents available for Mac or Linux but I'm too lazy to change at the moment. When I replace my PC, it will likely be Ubuntu or.... dare I say it..... Mac.

I have dropped Outlook completely as it just didn't do what I needed it to do. The search was awful, it crashed a lot and just didn't suit my more mobile work life. I replaced it with Google Apps and it was one of the best personal technology decisions I've made for a while.

Google Apps has proven to be extremely feature rich, reliable and inexpensive. I can add an appointment or reminder in my diary from my PC, iPhone, iPad or laptop and it propagates across all my devices in seconds. I read an email on any one of my machines and it's marked as read, I reply and it's in sent items. It all sounds simple but it's amazing how many people don't have this "luxury".

Don't get me wrong - if Microsoft released a group of products that did the things I need better than I what I have now then I'd switch right back over. This isn't an "Anything But Microsoft" type post - I admit that I have no misplaced loyalty to any technology provider - I just use what I feel is best.

So apart from the fact that other products are cheaper, more reliable, fixable (Microsoft support - those two words should not be in the same sentence) and easier to use, what does Microsoft do for us now?

It's true that most people can get by with Windows and Office but aren't these products the one-eyed king in the valley of the blind? What other applications have we used to compare.... not many is the likely answer.

One of our developers has used Ubuntu (a form of Linux) as his operating system for many years - he says he's never used Vista or Windows 7. I'm delighted because it means we won't need to by £2k worth of licenses for Microsoft products but he's found Ubuntu to do everything, and then some, that he requires. It's free and looks stunning... it's never crashed despite him running 40+ resource-hungry applications including a full web development environment.

Let's face it, a web developer knows his way around these things but they need an operating system that is flexible, reliable and functional - Microsoft is clearly losing ground to the early adopters - how long until everyone else catches on?

So what relevance does this have to this shiny company blog - some companies, especially IT departments, feel that Microsoft gives them security and support - if we look at it objectively then the exact polar opposite is true.

Microsoft's record in security is abysmal - much better of late but still, they have a terrible record.

With regard to support - when was the last time you talked to Microsoft because Outlook crashed for the fifth time? You've never talked to Microsoft have you? I haven't and I've worked in technology for over 20 years.

If you have an issue with an Open Source application or similar then there are literally thousands of websites out there with the answer. If you need an update, the code will be there. With Microsoft you will either have to wait for version X ("Solves all problems!".... not) or just put up with it (which is what most of us do).

Cloud computing will also have a dramatic effect. So much of our work-life is now based around a browser that it won't be long (in my case I'm almost there) where all we need is the browser - no need for power-hungry monster PCs that need regular re-boots and memory upgrades.

Just like IBM before it, Microsoft isn't adapting as quickly as it needs to. It relies on the revenue from licenses and upgrades - it's too big to change. Their days are numbered....