[OT] Windows dying

[jmh530]

On Monday, 30 October 2017 at 16:50:42 UTC, Joakim wrote:
> [snip]
>
> No, it happens when they streamline and automate their entire 
> workflow much more, to the point where they aren't using 
> antiquated document systems anymore:
>
> http://ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2015/5/21/office-messaging-and-verbs
>
> I've never written a single document in the entire time I've 
> contributed to the D open source project.  That's because we 
> replace that ancient document workflow with forums, email, 
> gitter, bugzilla, git, and github, some of which is also fairly 
> old tech, but not nearly so as typing up a bunch of documents 
> or spreadsheets.
>
> Of course, the D OSS project isn't a business, but the point is 
> made in that linked post: most businesses are also about to 
> transition away from that doc workflow altogether, where they 
> simply replaced a bunch of printed documents and balance sheets 
> with digital versions of the _same_ documents over the last 
> couple decades.  It's time for them to make the true digital 
> transition, or they will lose out to those who did and became 
> more efficient for it.
>
> Lyft and Uber are merely two public examples of the leading 
> edge of this wave.
>

You're making a broader point about Lyft and Uber that I agree 
with. Automating certain things and providing a digital platform 
has been very successful for them. But taxicab companies 
switching from Excel to Google docs wouldn't have solved anything 
for them. Taxicab companies in London and other places have found 
better ways to adapt (excepting through increased regulations) by 
offering their own apps to compete.

Similarly, the investment management industry (my industry) has 
seen a large increase in the share of passive management over the 
past 10 years (and a corresponding decline in the share of active 
management). Switching from Excel to Google docs is irrelevant. 
There are broader competitive forces at work.

Now, these competitive forces have been shaped by computer-driven 
investing and a reduction in costs. So in this sense, your 
broader point has validity, but perhaps the way you were 
expressing it with regard to Office vs. Google Docs was not 
convincing.

>
> Do those Python/Numpy users have the level of VS or other 
> Windows IDE support that D currently doesn't?

You don't need VS with Python/Numpy, but python has a large 
number of IDEs available. I haven't used them, but they are 
there. The only thing I ever used was Ipython notebooks, which 
became Jupyter.