I, for one, have nothing but respect for what you're doing (business degree). True, my b-school friends all spent their time talking about how to indebt people with credit cards, but I'm sure you're different. :-)

As for Microsoft doing well, of course they are! They're a great company. The real barometer isn't whether IBM, Oracle, SAP, and Microsoft are doing well. As they consolidate the riffraff of the industry, I expect them each to do well for the foreseeable future.

It's everyone else in the proprietary world that is in trouble and, eventually, even these will have to adopt open source (as IBM shows - but then, IBM is a bit forward-thinking in this area). Just look at what Microsoft, Oracle, and others are doing vis-a-vis open source. None are standing still, waiting for the train to hit. All are trying to either tame it (IBM) or kill it (Microsoft, Oracle).

You have time left. No question. But look at the trajectory. It's all consolidation and then...open.

Thanks Savio (I think).

I'll disagree with Matt here, you should drop out of school and join an OSS startup. You'll learn much more walking-the-walk than from reading little books at school and looking at little pie charts all day at IBM.

Then again, what do I know? ;-)

I can vouch for the fact that Roy doesn't read books.
;-)
Sorry Roy...I couldn't help myself.

Not to sound too motherhood and apple pie....but the fact that Roy and Tom can chase their dreams and start something from nothing...even while M$ and the like make huge revenues...is what this country's all about.

Oh yeah, and +1 on Roy's suggestion for you to join an OSS startup. Not saying a biz degree's not valuable...but there's nothing like the David vs. Goliath rush that comes from eyepoking folks like BEA and IBM.

>than from reading little books at school and looking at little pie charts all day at IBM.

Two things Roy...First, I only read books on tape. Second, pie charts went out with 'foils' at IBM. It's all about bar graphs now! (3D for real important decision) ;-)

>Oh yeah, and +1 on Roy's suggestion for you to join an OSS startup.

Shaun, I could...but then I'd be working at IBM, Oracle, Microsoft or Sun in a few years after the eventual acquisition. This way I don't have to find a new desk ;-)