Microsoft fate draws strong open source reaction

An August piece speculating on Microsoft's future was the third most-read piece on this blog for the year.

I compared the company's lifecycle to that of a stellar athlete, noting that the greatest athletes are often most-loved at the end of their careers, as Brett Favre (right) is today.

At the height of their powers, however, great athletes may be feared, even booed. I suspect a lot of today's antipathy toward Tiger Woods is due to his being in his prime. He makes it look easy, and it makes the sport look boring.

Microsoft, I argued, is closer to being Favre than Woods. And the young guns challenging its dominance are all associated with open source.

This observation may make it a bit harder to boo Microsoft in the future. But there it is.