Možda znate, možda ne, ali Microsoft se odlučio da zadrži Word kao sistem za prikaz HTML mailova u Outlooku 2013 (matora vest) umesto da vrati Internet Explorerov:
Microsoft switched to Word (from Internet Explorer) as its rendering engine with the introduction of Outlook 2007 and hasn’t looked back (errr, forward?) since. Despite the email community’s efforts and a well-intentioned response from Microsoft, this means that HTML and CSS support in Outlook has remain virtually unchanged between versions 2007, 2010 and now 2013.
Razlika je bitna: Word renda HTML kao neki bajati browser sa kraja devedesetih, dok IE, koliko god da ga kritikovali, sasvim lepo radi taj posao, posebno u verzijama 9 i 10.
Razlog zašto me ova odluka toliko nervira je zato što je doneta iz pogrešnih razloga. Iz Microsoftove perspektive, sve je super - sjajna "interoperabilnost" između aplikacija koje oni proizvode. Njihov univerzum je u balansu i oni misle da je to jedini što je bitno.
Ono što je problem, a što Microsoft nikako ne kapira zadnjih 10 godina, je da ovo nisu više devedesete i da oni lagano tonu u nebitnost. Njihov market share, a samim tim i njihov univerzum, lagano opada:
Last year, we concluded by saying, “Fortunately for Microsoft, none of this is going to happen. Windows 8 will reassert the dominance of the Windows PC. Office and other business products will remain corporate necessities, and developers will never be able to ignore Microsoft. Windows Phone will become a viable third mobile platform, the Xbox will continue to dominate the living room, and new products will surprise the pundits who thought Microsoft couldn’t innovate. Even Bing will finally make a profit someday.”
This year, it’s a lot harder to say much of that. Windows 8 doesn’t seem to be reasserting the dominance of the PC. Windows Phone is not a viable third platform. Bing is still burning money. The Microsoft nightmare scenario is actually becoming a reality.
Ovakvo ponašanje (zanemarivanje otvorenog standarda u korist sebičnog interesa i internog rešenja) ne pije vodu u situaciji kada firma više nije alfa i omega na tržištu. No, to je njima nebitno i oni guraju po svome. Mislim da će im se takvo ponašanje brzo obiti o glavu, na sličan način kao što im se zanemarivanje Internet Explorera u verziji 6 lepo vratilo. Samo treba da budemo strpljivi dok se većina Outlook korisnika polako prebaci na web mail sisteme ili na konkurentske proizvode, pa onda lagano možemo da ga zanemarujemo.