Bonum Certa Men Certa

Microsoft Drives Developers Away from Windows Mobile

Busy woman



Summary: Windows Mobile loses mind share not just inside Microsoft but also outside Microsoft, which leaves it in somewhat of a downward spiral

IN last week's complaints about Windows Mobile it was made rather clear that Windows Mobile should expect no rebound. It is going down quite consistently and with its declining market share it also loses developers who were once willing to code for it.



Zack Urlocker says that Windows Mobile is losing developers indeed:

Microsoft is at risk of falling into last place in mobile phones if it doesn't do something about it. So what's the one strength Microsoft can bring to the table? Developers, developers, developers. They're one of the factors that has made Microsoft a success on desktops, and it might well play in the mobile space.


It's easy to see why they flee.

Ban the beer: Microsoft gets an attack of the 'app morals'



[...]

Microsoft mobile developer marketing director for the Asia Pacific region, Chris Chin, says his company's policy whilst not necessarily family friendly, it is at least “acceptable to the public”.


Microsoft does not value developers' freedom and Apple is the same. We recently wrote about this in:



The Microsoft blog at Information Week writes about "The Sad Decline of Windows Mobile"

Microsoft has been plugging away at the mobile computing market for almost as long as Windows has been around. I'm thinking of products like Windows for Pen Computing, or the original Windows CE for handheld devices. At best, you could say that the consumers were willing but the platforms were weak.


Over at eWEEK, Windows Mobile is listed as a top Microsoft failure in 2009:

News Analysis: Microsoft has had an up and down kind of year. The company released Windows 7, but it also was forced to lay off 5,000 employees. While it introduced new security products, it's still fighting an uphill battle against security vulnerabilities. It jump-started its online efforts, but failed to improve Windows Mobile. We take a look at those things the company did wrong in 2009.


There is more to be said about the above. Vista 7 failed to reignite the Windows franchise (Windows revenue down 40% in the last quarter), introduction of security products is more indicative of misery or defeat (stomping on security partners), and Microsoft has achieved nothing substantial online, despite colossal investments.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Writing and Coding Isn't Always Enough
Last year we had to assume a role we didn't have before: litigants
 
Why We Publish Information About the SLAPPs (But Not About the Legal Process), an Abuse of Process by Americans Trying to Silence Critics of Their Employer, Microsoft
It doesn't take thousands of pages to explain something simple
Internet Relay Chat Didn't Fall Off a Cliff
IRC will turn 40 in less than 3 years from now
The UEFI 9/11 - Part V - This is Not a Drill (Disable "SecureBoot" Now)
A "9/11" Coming
There's No Obligation to Speak to Anybody
The very fact that "bkuhn" is till spending time in social control media says a lot about his poor judgment
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, September 01, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, September 01, 2025
The Register MS Says "AI Web Crawlers Are Destroying Websites", So Why Does The Register MS Help 'AI' Companies? (Spoiler: Money)
People need to call out The Register MS on its hypocrisy
Microsoft Trying to Force People to Resign (Amid Mass Layoffs) a Strategy That Takes Its Toll
Microsoft seems to be circling down the drain and the "final flush" will be the moment the "hey hi" (AI) bubble implodes completely
Google Simply Cannot Be Trusted
Only fools would trust GAFAM
Admission That a Third Party (or Parties) Funds the SLAPPs Against Techrights
This can end up costing them over a million dollars
Modifying and Writing One's Own Computer Programs is Not a Crime (or: Google Proves That Stallman Was Right)
We're generally gratified to see so many positive mentions of him
Why We Stopped Publishing Videos (for Now)
We'll probably get back to videos one day, but it's hard to say when or to what extent
What Animal Rights Activism Teaches Us About Sympathy and Focus
It's possible to believe that the planet is warming, that we must do something about it, and still eat eggs and butter
When You Turn Web Sites About Tech Into Political Sites
A lot of people fall into the trap of catering only for particular groups
Gemini Links 02/09/2025: ROOPHLOCH 2025 and Lagrange 1.19 Released
Links for the day
Gemini Links 01/09/2025: News Corp. WSJ and A Month With NixOS
Links for the day
Slopfarms Already Peaked, They Will Die When Slop Companies Run Out of Money to Borrow
slopfarms will lack an actual "engine"
“Sideloading” Never Killed Anybody
There are many online discussions this week about the misnomer "sideloading"
Slopwatch: Google News as FUD Vector Against Linux and Plagiarism Enhancer, Serial Slopper (SS) Uses LLMs to Googlebomb "Linux"
Slop destroys the Web not just by screwing with search engines and helping plagiarists. It's also responsible for de facto DDoS attacks...
Links 01/09/2025: "Attacks on Science" and China's "Soft Power" Grows
Links for the day
Links 01/09/2025: Fresh Backlash Against Slop and "Norway’s Electricity Crisis is About to Hit Britain"
Links for the day
Links 01/09/2025: Catching Up (Mostly via Deutsche Welle), "Windows TCO" Effect in UK
Links for the day
Gemini Links 01/09/2025: Linguistic Barriers and "Web 1.0 Hosting"
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, August 31, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, August 31, 2025
Autumn Has Come
Autumn should be exciting in all sorts of ways; it'll also mark our anniversary
The UEFI 9/11 - Part IV - External Interference
They all seem to be playing a role in crushing Software Freedom and self-determination for users
Links 31/08/2025: Baggage Claim Scams, an Insurrectionist’s War on Culture, and a Sudden Robotics Hype
Links for the day
Gemini Links 31/08/2025: Reviewing Netsurf and Slightly Less Historic Ada Design
Links for the day
IBM Has Taken Control of GNOME
Don't expect a successor to be found any time soon
Links 31/08/2025: Google Gmail Data Breach and LF Puff Pieces for Pay
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, August 30, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, August 30, 2025
This is What Google News Has Become
Moments ago