A lot of stuff has happened here and a lot of people are talking about it. Recap:

  1. Gates leaves Microsoft (or rather, he splits up his role and gives it to Ray Ozzie and Craig Mundie) and will work full-time at the Gates Foundation.
  2. WinFX is renamed to .NET 3.0.
  3. WinFS is cancelled. Why? No one quite really knows. I have some ideas…
  4. Martin Taylor, a key advisor to Steve Ballmer and head of the marketing for Windows Live "leaves Microsoft". 
  5. Warren Buffet, the world's 2nd richest man, has decided to give up his fortune to charity, giving 85% of it to the Gates Foundation.

Good news and bad news I guess. I'm not really sure where Microsoft is headed, but one thing's for sure. There is a lot of potential for success between now and the middle of next year. The question is whether the right steps will be taken to ensure that success.