I have gone from 8 computers running Windows back in the Windows 2000 days, to two computers running Windows and four computers running FreeBSD and two computer running OpenBSD. The Windows computers are all notebook clients, while the BSD boxes are the servers. I've stayed with Windows for clients because I have not seen any real desktop alternative available. Ubuntu was a fore-runner, but that distribution has since gone bad. I am using BSD's for the servers because, well, they just work.

As I mentioned, those profit levels are new to EDD. The Xbox had been a loss-leader for Microsoft, only recently becoming profitable.

It always amazes me how many people actually think that the Xbox is a highly profitable endeavor for Microsoft. While it has turned profitable recently, the Entertainment & Devices Division (where XBox is accounted for) is only mildly profitable. Nowhere near the profit rate of Microsoft's enterprise and desktop cash-cows. It is a stretch to call the Xbox a fiscal "success", at best one could now say it is not "money-losing". It is highly unlikely that Microsoft could expand the revenues and margins of EDD into a company-sustaining business.

Enterprise computing is very profitable for Microsoft, not so much their gaming division.

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That said...

Microsoft has everything to worry about,.

Unless and until Mr. Ballmer is removed from CEO, Microsoft will never know how to compete in a profitable manner without having the benefit of a dominant, monopolistic marketshare to leverage.

If you are trying to justify your assertion by quoting Wikipedia entries, you've lost the debate before you even started.

But all games are not a sport, no matter how you try to justify it.

Yup. We also want to know that Microsoft won't continue to act stupidly and once again remove the Start Menu in the future.

You misunderstood what I said. When a company is at its peak, most think it will continue to perform at the same level. In Apple's case, that means very significant growth per year, a growth rate that is very unlikely for Apple to maintain. Apple's "market-changing" products seem to be fewer and farther in-between of late.

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In May 2003, Apple's stock was around 8, it recently peaked at nearly 100 times that price.

Do you really think that Apple's stock price will increase another 100-fold over the next ten years? Do you really think that Apple can maintain the same growth rate over the next ten years?

Hence my comment that Apple's best days are behind it.

Apple used to be a lot more reticent regarding future products. The fact that Mr. Cook is talking/hinting about future products is confirmation that Apple knows its best days are behind it. Mr. Cook is trying, unsuccessfully it appears, to regenerate the buzz around Apple.

It it is not working yet, it has not been built.

Why in the world is everyone so fascinated about this little tiny person?

Maybe that phrase needs to be updated a bit. In more ways than one.

Entertaining? Yes, in a watching a train wreck type of manner.

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Frank? Unknown. It is difficult to ascertain the truthiness of his answers.

But my original question still stands, why is everyone wasting so much time on this person?

... the collection of data helps after the fact, i.e., once someone is caught. The additional data allows a more solid case to be built, and makes it easier to find co-conspirators.

What benefit does this give to me now, at this moment? Probably little if any.

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On the other hand, it would be really nice if the Firefox developers fixed their proxy issues, and fixed the javascript engine choking on sites.

The problem with the testerone-induced rapid development cycle is that it apparently leads to a lot of bravado (we're better than Chrome") and little ongoing maintenance of browsing issues.