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Comment by mtinkerhess | Hacker News Reader

Visual Studio is probably the best way to write C++. Windows is probably the best operating system for the enterprise and is ahead of OS X and Linux in bringing a desktop OS to tablets and touch laptops. C# is arguably the best language for writing enterprise applications. Xbox arguably won the console war of the current generation. Kinect is the only consumer product like it. Surface Pro is probably the best desktop replacement tablet. (disclosure: microsoftie)

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You don't seem to notice that many of the categories you mentioned are irrelevant. Maybe being microsoftie clouds your view?

Windows may be best _desktop_ operating system for enterprise, not _best_ operating system. Subtle difference. OSX and Linux are not bringing desktop OS to tablets and touch laptops, because nobody wants desktop OS there, everybody wants tablet optimized OS. C# may be syntactically best language for enterprise, but it's ecosystem is lacking compared to other languages (for too long, it was use-MS-only-frameworks-and-products-land, so nobody bothers now). It is disputable whether Xbox won the game console war, but even if it did, this is a niche market. Kinect may be very unique, but we are talking niche in the niche. Surface Pro may be the best desktop replacement tablet, but nobody wants to replace desktop with tablets, just like nobody wants to replace truck with sport car.

I find it hard to take a comment seriously that says the console video game market is a niche market. I mean, it's only a what, >$70 billion dollar a year industry (bigger than the entire film industry) and the fastest growing segment of the entire media market globally?

Compared to rest of computing? Yes, it is, we are comparing their relative, not absolute sizes.

By your definition then, "niche" is either meaningless, or can apply to any segment of any size in anything so long as it's not the largest arbitrarily defined segment of something.

Actually C++ Builder is way much better, thanks to its RAD extensions, that have only now seen similar functionally appear in Visual C++ with their C++/CX extensions.

But Borland/Imprise/Codegear/Embarcadero lost track long time ago and is currently only relevant to a few enterprise customers.

Yes, I think it's arguable that MS won the console war.

Could you tell me what you are measuring to reach that conclusion? Last I looked, the only category where the Xbox was ahead is US sales, and even there, they were only marginally ahead of the PS3.

Xbox 360 total sales: 78.2 million units

PS3 total sales: 75 million units

Wii total sales: 100.04 million units

nintendo ds: 153.93 million units

nintendo 3ds: 32.48 million units

sony psp: 76.3 million units

sony playstation vita: 2.2 million units

sony psp go: not many

I question why anyone would think winning a generation (or two) would mean the war is over?

There's pretty much always been multiple competing consoles, and I don't think Sony and Nintendo are ready to throw in the towel.

I would not be surprised at all if we see other competitors enter the market in the next 2 or 3 generations. For example, Samsung or even an unknown. As the hardware is now basically topping out, it will eventually commoditize to the point that even smaller companies can have a go at the market.

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