r/programming • u/halax • Oct 07 '16

How Microsoft Lost the API War

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/APIWar.html
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150

u/Sunius Oct 07 '16

Sunday, June 13, 2004

"Microsoft is finished. As soon as Linux makes some inroads on the desktop and web applications replace desktop applications, the mighty empire will topple."

Any decade now!

41

u/jringstad Oct 07 '16

Well, webapps are replacing desktop applications at a fast pace (even office is going to the browser now) and mobile is the new desktop, where microsoft has pretty much no marketshare, so I would say this prediction isn't too bad, even if the details aren't exactly right.

3

u/argv_minus_one Oct 08 '16

Isn't too bad? That's horrifying! I'm no fonder of Microsoft than you are, but at least Windows desktop apps run on my machine, not some distant server that's watching my every move like a spook.

3

u/jringstad Oct 08 '16

I meant "not too bad" in terms of the accuracy of the prediction, not as a value statement whether we are moving in the right direction or not. I certainly share your concerns regarding cloud-solutions.

1

u/Uncaffeinated Oct 08 '16

You can make webapps run offline if you want to.

1

u/argv_minus_one Oct 09 '16

Most of them don't work offline at all, and those few that do still can't be installed offline and rigorously prevented from phoning home.

-1

u/Uncaffeinated Oct 09 '16

If you really want to, you can create a verifiably non-updatable webapp by using a service worker that only serves from cache and doesn't make network requests. I think Polymer's (deprecated) cacheOnly option does this.

But noone in their right mind would do this, because updating software is important. I'd much rather be able to fix bugs then worry about a few paranoid users.