主题：从曾经的Android组成员的角度来说说Android吧 -- zllwy

It might be cloud computing where Microsoft, under Muglia’s leadership, has been the most impressive. Looking even past the technical features of Windows Azure, the decision to sell Windows Azure Appliances to partners could turn the cloud business into the PC business, as might the tight alignment between PaaS and SaaS on the platform. Microsoft’s cloud efforts aren’t perfect, of course – its seeming unwillingness to develop true hybrid capabilities between Hyper-V/System Center and Windows Azure is questionable – but, all in all, Microsoft is among the best and most-complete cloud vendors around.

Muglia’s departure comes on the heels of Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie’s resignation in October, and that combination doesn’t bode well for Microsoft’s cloud future. With two of its most-respected cloud leaders leaving in such short order, one has to ask what’s going on at Microsoft and what Steve Ballmer has in mind. Under the guidance of Ozzie and Muglia, Microsoft’s cloud computing efforts were defying expectations by creating a truly unique cloud platform and showing that Microsoft was willing to sacrifice high on-premise software margins in the name of innovation. If Ballmer’s decision to replace Muglia has anything to do with remedying that margin issue, the result might be that Microsoft’s cloud strategy will ultimately fulfill its critics’ prophesies.

Ozzie’s departure gives CEO Steve Ballmer an excuse to grab more power for himself: The role of chief software architect will not be backfilled when Ozzie leaves. Bill Gates is still chairman of Microsoft’s board but seems content to let Ballmer cut and deal the executive deck as he pleases. I’m not sure that’s a good idea, given Ballmer’s insistence on running Microsoft as an e-business that he doesn’t appear to understand — for evidence of this, look at the failed takeover of Yahoo!, the just-adequate Bing search project, the fall of his pet Internet browser, repeated failures to make a dent in the digital music market, and more.