Rating: 
Summary: Exonerating the "It Pays To Be Smart" Philosophy
Review:
This is a `must-read' book for several different categories of people- businessmen, scholars, students and even philosophers- simply because it has a relevant message for just about everyone. However, it is scarcely what one would call a `conventional commentary', which may help explain why its central conclusion is so much at odds with conventional wisdom- that Microsoft (the software behemoth whose meteoric success in the brave new world of software technology is comparable only to the equally meteoric rise in the numbers of its detractors, who have accused the company of every conceivable unfair trade practice) did not acquire its dominant position through any illegal subterfuge or monopolistic bulldozing; rather, its success can be attributed to certain well-defined fundamentals, which, if understood and implemented properly (as Microsoft has obviously done), could well serve as the business model for other software companies, and perhaps for other companies that are likely to bloom in the uncertain economic future being shaped by rapidly emerging technologies.
As a social commentary, the biggest contribution of this book is that it offers a window to our lop-sided value system when we deal with fuzzy notions like `intelligence' and `smart'. As Mr. Stross, the author, points out, society's unfavorable perception of Microsoft is inextricably linked with the rampant anti-intellectualism pervasive in American society. This is not so far-fetched! After all, we accept without question that Michael Jordan should make hundreds of millions of dollars because he has the extraordinary athleticism to jump and shoot a basket ball better than anyone else, yet the American public has never quite come to grips with the notion that a group of `eggheads' and `nerds' (a description oft used for Microsoft employees) can rake in billions of dollars simply because they can think better than others. Perhaps the most telling conclusion of this book is also one we would do well to remember -that ``Microsoft's principal assets, in fact, are the collective craniums of (Bill) Gates and his employees".
However intelligence and smarts are by themselves no guarantee of success. And this is where the book becomes an invaluable resource as a business guide on ``How to manage smart people" and "How to look ahead and plan for tomorrow". The detailed account of how Microsoft dealt with the CD-ROM technology- investing millions of dollars into research and development for the production of its multimedia encyclopedia, MS Encarta and pushing for standards at a time when the fledgling technology was so new that there was no certainty it would even survive, - is a valuable case-study for the business student and historian on the challenges and risks (and subsequently the huge payoffs, if successful) involved in bringing new technology into the consumer marketplace.
In addition to these valuable insights into how and why Microsoft is successful, the book is a fascinating historical document, with riveting case studies. The battle for financial software market that Microsoft fought (and mostly lost) to a smaller, but nimble and quick-thinking Intuit, reads like a story. There are equally interesting accounts of how Microsoft tries to deal with the PC-TV merger and how it prepares itself for the uncertain future awaiting all in ``The Era of the Internet". We may, of course, choose to agree or disagree with Mr. Stross on whether to `convict' or `acquit' Microsoft of the charges often leveled against it- but we cannot help but accept his advice on what we should learn from Microsoft:
".....(we must) overcome our instinctive antipathy toward smarts.....We can see in their (Microsoft's) experience the attention they devote to thinking.....They act with provisional answers, knowing that experience will feed back to provide new input into an unending process of reevaluation and revision."
A simple lesson that could serve not only as a recipe for running a successful business but could well form the cornerstone of a personal philosophy in our daily life
Rating:
Summary: Exonerating the "It Pays To Be Smart" Philosophy
Review: This is a `must-read' book for several different categories of people- businessmen, scholars, students and even philosophers- simply because it has a relevant message for just about everyone. However, it is scarcely what one would call a `conventional commentary', which may help explain why its central conclusion is so much at odds with conventional wisdom- that Microsoft (the software behemoth whose meteoric success in the brave new world of software technology is comparable only to the equally meteoric rise in the numbers of its detractors, who have accused the company of every conceivable unfair trade practice) did not acquire its dominant position through any illegal subterfuge or monopolistic bulldozing; rather, its success can be attributed to certain well-defined fundamentals, which, if understood and implemented properly (as Microsoft has obviously done), could well serve as the business model for other software companies, and perhaps for other companies that are likely to bloom in the uncertain economic future being shaped by rapidly emerging technologies. As a social commentary, the biggest contribution of this book is that it offers a window to our lop-sided value system when we deal with fuzzy notions like `intelligence' and `smart'. As Mr. Stross, the author, points out, society's unfavorable perception of Microsoft is inextricably linked with the rampant anti-intellectualism pervasive in American society. This is not so far-fetched! After all, we accept without question that Michael Jordan should make hundreds of millions of dollars because he has the extraordinary athleticism to jump and shoot a basket ball better than anyone else, yet the American public has never quite come to grips with the notion that a group of `eggheads' and `nerds' (a description oft used for Microsoft employees) can rake in billions of dollars simply because they can think better than others. Perhaps the most telling conclusion of this book is also one we would do well to remember -that ``Microsoft's principal assets, in fact, are the collective craniums of (Bill) Gates and his employees". However intelligence and smarts are by themselves no guarantee of success. And this is where the book becomes an invaluable resource as a business guide on ``How to manage smart people" and "How to look ahead and plan for tomorrow". The detailed account of how Microsoft dealt with the CD-ROM technology- investing millions of dollars into research and development for the production of its multimedia encyclopedia, MS Encarta and pushing for standards at a time when the fledgling technology was so new that there was no certainty it would even survive, - is a valuable case-study for the business student and historian on the challenges and risks (and subsequently the huge payoffs, if successful) involved in bringing new technology into the consumer marketplace. In addition to these valuable insights into how and why Microsoft is successful, the book is a fascinating historical document, with riveting case studies. The battle for financial software market that Microsoft fought (and mostly lost) to a smaller, but nimble and quick-thinking Intuit, reads like a story. There are equally interesting accounts of how Microsoft tries to deal with the PC-TV merger and how it prepares itself for the uncertain future awaiting all in ``The Era of the Internet". We may, of course, choose to agree or disagree with Mr. Stross on whether to `convict' or `acquit' Microsoft of the charges often leveled against it- but we cannot help but accept his advice on what we should learn from Microsoft: ".....(we must) overcome our instinctive antipathy toward smarts.....We can see in their (Microsoft's) experience the attention they devote to thinking.....They act with provisional answers, knowing that experience will feed back to provide new input into an unending process of reevaluation and revision." A simple lesson that could serve not only as a recipe for running a successful business but could well form the cornerstone of a personal philosophy in our daily life
Rating:
Summary: A little one sided, but very good
Review: A breath of fresh air was delivered into the Microsoft Wars with this book. While some may say that it was a little one sided in favor of MS, it simply offsets the anti-MS books that are all too easy to find on here.
Rating: 
Summary: Microsoft puff piece
Review: A major apologist for Microsoft writes about how wonderful they are. Yawn. I was hoping the "real story" would include things like the real story behind how MS-DOS and not the vastly superior CP/M ended up as the operating system for the IBM PC. (Hint: It's easy to give away a watered down version of a product someone else developed.) Take away their operating system monopoly and Microsoft is a bunch of clueless thugs without an original idea in their heads. The "real story" is how they do so little with so much and the relentlessly negative impact they've had on personal computing. While Bill-ionaire Gates was building a monument to his overblown ego, Jim Clark - for 10% of what Gates spent on his house! - turned the Internet into the hottest thing in computing. Gates and company slept through that one and the notion that they are particularly smart or plugged in is patently absurd. Aggressive? Yes. Ruthless? Absolutely. Cash rich? Uh huh. So what? This doesn't constitute "outsmarting." Lucky, grasping, and untroubled by ethical concerns is more like it. This book is dishonest and without merit.@The best "journalism" money - or extreme gullibility - can buy
Rating:
Summary: Excellent but with some points missing
Review: After having read this book I must say that Stross gives a trueaccount on how Microsoft beats its competitors in the marketplace andbecame the market leader in several product categories, contrary to what Microsoft critics want us to believe. However, a few important points are missing from the text: 1) Windows NT and the BackOffice suite are not mentioned. This server suite will allow Microsoft to conquer the enterprise market - a new domain for Microsoft; 2) Open Financial Connectivity (OFC) standards are not mentioned. These standards (or more recently OFX) allow a consumer using a personal finance package to connect to a bank bypassing a third-party processor. If Microsoft establishes OFC as a de facto industry standard it will be in a strong position to secure a dominant position in electronic banking; 3) Three key people at Microsoft are not mentioned. These were instrumental in convincing Gates to embrace the Internet. These are: Steven Sinofsky dashed e-mail messages to Gates while he was on a recruiting trip to Cornell University, informing him that the Net is no longer a tool for technical people - but a tool used by students and faculty to communicate with colleagues on campus and around the world; J. Allard recommended that Windows 95 should include a web browser and TCP/IP to promote Win 95 as the user interface to the World Wide Web Benjamin Slivka insisted that Microsoft develops a web browser
Rating: 
Summary: Shows the intellectual nature of Microsoft
Review: After the distorted and hateful stories we have seen, this book is a relief. It seems that at the present time Microsoft stands for all that is evil. The unholy alliance surrounding the Axis Powers of Sun Micro and Netscape paints a picture of world domination by Microsoft which is utterly absurd and totally false. It is unfortunate that
Joel Klein of the DOJ is being educated by
such an obscure economist as Arthur, formerly of Stanford and a Palo Alto law firm, whose members are writing briefs for the DOJ.. As a taxpayer I regret that we have to pay for these pointless investigations which are sponsored by competitors who would do better improving their products so that they could compete with Microsoft. Unable to compete however, they run to the DOJ.
It is good to have a book that points out some of
the mischief emanating from Silicon Valley
and Redwood City. The book is recommneded readingfor all who do not despise Microsoft
for its intellectual excellence.
Rating:
Summary: As promised, the reason Microsoft is successful.
Review: Although the book has certain flaws, I heartily recommend it because the author defends Microsoft on the basis of its
virtues: that Mr. Gates hires intelligent individuals and
employs them for their rational capacity to create. Part
one, titled "Microsoft Basics," is in three sections:
"Sitting and Thinking," "Smarts," and "The Model in Their
Head," where Mr. Stross argues that Microsoft is founded on
"old logic skills," which is the reason he names for
Microsoft's dominance in the marketplace. The author ties
the attacks against Microsoft to an anti-intellectual
mentality in America and he demonstrates that the attacks
are ridiculous because they are baseless. Mr. Stross
indicates that Mr. Gates and Microsoft are hugely successful
because they reject this disdain for rationality and use their smarts as the key to their success. For these reasons the book is worth reading.
The flaws in the book bare their ugly head whenever the
author strays from his own field, which is history, into
economic analysis--Mr. Stross' economics are thoroughly
socialist. Fortunately, he mostly stays on topic in the
main part of the book, but the afterword "Legacies"
contains nearly every major fallacy of economics spouted by
the collectivists.
The author believes that good products, if they are too
good, are bad products: "For example, the technological
success of radial tires had become a business disaster
because radials lasted so long that customers purchased
replacements much less frequently" and that what Henry Ford
did "was establish the principle that workers should be paid
high wages because mass production requires mass consumption--the two cannot be separated. ... For all to prosper, other employers also had to let go of the notion of paying their own workers the bare minimum."
In the end, he concludes that "even a fair-playing winner
may need to be restrained [by anti-trust legislation]--and
ultimately Microsoft may indeed turn out to be precisely
such a winner" and so, he calls on Mr. Gates to "help
persuade others to adopt a course that would improve the
lives of others in ways that could never be achieved by even
the wisest disposal of his own personal wealth."
If it was not for his principled defense of Microsoft on
rational grounds, I would ignore this book. But as it
stands, if you will pass by his economic comments and skip
the afterwards completely, then you will be treated to a
clear picture of Microsoft and why it should be admired for
its success.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating and valuable contribution on business culture
Review: As a business owner, and neighbor of Microsoft and manyinvolved with the company, I am fascinated by the company and itscontributions. I picked up the book in an airport en route to vacation and read it with ease and interest. This book does not set out with an ax to grind, nor is it a puff piece. It just seems to use a number of vignettes to tell it somewhat like it is. I always look for take home points in business books, many of which are worthless. Microsoft has many lessons to teach: hire brains above all else, stay scared, be willing to reorganize, invest in R & D, try to be the standard setter, consider the impact of pricing - and more. More about best business practices of great companies will change how others conduct their businesses as well. In the long-term Microsoft will have significant impact on the organizational practices of others as well.
Rating:
Summary: Inciteful, provactive critique of a corporate colossus
Review: Breathtakingly explicit. Personal anyalysis based on his research and first-hand experience, Mr. Stross has weaved yet another amazingly unbiased research story!
Rating: 
Summary: Good on the Past of Microsoft, Nothing about the Future
Review: Discusses Microsoft policies on hiring the very best people andtracks the evolution of two completely secondary products: Money andEncarta. Not a word is said about the server strategy and key technologies like multiteradata databases, clusters and transaction processing which everyone agrees are the pilars for the future of the company. As a matter of fact Windows NT does not even show anywhere in the book despite being the largest project undertaken by Microsoft. It describes well the corporate culture that pervades Microsoft's campus.
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