Courtesy of OSWeekly.com

(Column) - Microsoft may be involved in an obscene amount of business ventures, but to me, the one thing that will always represent Microsoft as a company is Windows. They can keep pumping out Zunes and XBOX 360 video game consoles all they want, but their operating system is still their flagship product for better or for worse.

It’s true that a lot of our computing is moving to the Web, but despite what some may say, this doesn’t completely eliminate the need for a real desktop operating system. In fact, it’s hard to even imagine a world where Windows doesn’t exist. Like it or not, Windows is to computing what air is to humans. It’s so much a part of the market that it’s almost impossible to picture computing without it.

With so many companies now focusing on the Internet, it’s nice to have companies like Microsoft and Apple that are staying honed in on the desktop. In Microsoft’s case, Vista isn’t a final act by any means. The company has continued to make it known that there will be more major operating system releases coming from Redmond, so stay prepared to keep those anti-virus programs up to date, people.

After all of this time, money, and headaches that were and still are associated with Vista, it can be easy to understand why tackling more of these operating system reinventions is something that Microsoft might want to take a break from for a while, but it should come as no surprise that Windows is here to stay on the desktop.

Microsoft Surface: Say Goodbye to Keyboards and Mice

It’s true that Microsoft has developed some interesting tools in many different areas of technology other than Windows, but have you seen their online efforts lately? Pathetic is a word that comes to mind. OK, some of what they’re doing may be decent, but when was the last time that you used Windows Live Search or Windows Live Local over Google, Google Maps, or any other competing service? Furthermore, how many serious bloggers do you come across that use Windows Live Spaces? I know there are a bunch of people that use the service, but as closely as I watch the blogosphere, I don’t even remember the last time that I was linked to a Spaces blog.

There’s a lot of Web service competition in the market, and Microsoft just can’t keep up. Independent developers are even developing apps that put Microsoft to shame, and a lot of this has to do with the fact that as much as they try to be a hip Web service provider, they just can’t pull it off. The generic and wordy Windows Live branding is enough to make their efforts sink before they’re even able to take swimming lessons.

To be honest, Microsoft would be better off by axing their Windows Live initiatives, partnering with companies that are actually getting it right, and focusing those retired resources back on Windows, thereby letting the Web service providers do what they do best. Whether you like Microsoft or not, you have to admit that they know how to create an operating system for the masses, and since we know that they have more OS versions coming down the pipeline, it’s time for them to get back to their roots and get us excited about Windows again.