I guess I am not the only who thinks that lists are the absolute best way to celebrate national holidays. Not only are they easier to put together while trying to see the daylight for the first time in more months than you care to think about, but they are also a great way to take a really complicated concept and make it palatable.

This next one starts off over at Ask Rea Moar, where he makes the provocative claim that Microsoft is doomed. Lets take a look at some of his reasons, presented in — you guessed it — list form.

Microsoft Is Doomed

• Their Business Model Is A Dead End
• They Flunk At Web 2.0
• They’re Running Out Of Friends
• They Only Have A Couple Of Cash Cows To Work With
• People Are Hating On Vista
• Their Stock Isn’t Rising Anymore
• PC Makers Are Starting To Turn Their Back On Microsoft

These are some really compelling reasons (which you should check out in detail) why Mr. Gates might want to start re-evaluating his industry position, but since I just have to play the devil’s advocate, lets see if we can come up with some counter-points.

Microsoft Might Be OK

Yes. I dare say that even with everything “stacked against them” Microsoft is still no worse off today than it has always been. Here’s why,

Entrenchment. We have come to the point that Microsoft has become as ubiquitous to the better part of the world as the utility companies. The author points out that Microsoft’s stock hasn’t grown in 7 years, but you could say the same thing about GE. Both, I feel, are seen as commodities in the eyes of consumers. I wouldn’t call GE the most exciting company on the block, but I also wouldn’t go as far as too say it was “doomed”.

Installed Base. Government agencies, schools, business’ and yes even some consumers don’t care how good OS-X or Linux gets — all they want to do is to fire up their Windows XP and maybe six years from now upgrade to Vista. For them, this debate is a non-starter. Windows is the operating system.

Cloud Computing. Despite being late to the show, Microsoft isn’t that far behind in the Web 2.0 game. Microsoft Live is undergoing some pretty major changes.

Speaking Of Cash. If you want one reason that Microsoft still has a few good years left in it, then just look at their cash position. They have billions of dollars in cash sitting around in their war chest. With that kind of money they are allowed to make a few mistakes.

Web 2.0 Roundup

There are dozens of reasons to believe that Microsoft might be on its last days, but lets face it — most of us read about them on a Windows box. Until that changes I am sure they are the ones having the last laugh.

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