Annus Horribilis, Annus Mirabilis

A few years back Queen Elizabeth referred to a difficult year as “annus horribilis,” a pun on “annus terribilis.” See List of Latin phrases (A–E).

Annus Horribilis

There is also the opposite, “Annus Mirabilis,” or “wonderful year.”

Annus Mrabilis

It’s now mid-November, so within a few weeks we’ll all be reading those end-of-year summaries and roundup’s. I’m going to do my summary now, so I can include these timely pictures I made as I packed up our Halloween decorations.

I think it is fair to say that 2007 was an “Annus Horribilis” for Microsoft. For example,

• Vista has been met with a yawn, a very unprofitable yawn;
• The OOXML standard went down to defeat.Though the ghost lingers on, it won’t be easy to get folks to swallow this standard.
• Ever-declining hardware costs make the “Microsoft Tax” an ever-increasing fraction of the cost of buying a new computer. Indeed with the cost of entry-level machines approaching $200, the cost of software is now close to that of hardware;

I also think it fair to say that 2007 was “Annus Mirabilis,” a happy, marvelous year. For example,

• Hardware costs now nearing $200, making Ubuntu even more competitive with Windows;
• Windows Vista has been a definite flop;
• The OOXML standard went down to defeat;
• The first XO Laptops, costing $200 each, are about to be shipped;
• A new, enterprise-ready release of the Linux kernel comes out ever few months. It took almost a decade to get Vista out the door.
• ASUS will soon be marketing a micro-laptop for under $300.
• The first international gathering of experts on education and open-source, the K12 Open Minds Conference, was held in Indianapolis, Indiana, in early October. Over 300 people attended, most of them educators;
• The Ubuntu community just keeps on growing. A new major release, 7.10, came out on schedule. Moreover, you can update existing 7.04 versions without a hitch. Does Vista offer such smooth upgrades, comparable to moving from XP to Vista, at no cost? I don’t think so.

I could think of others, but I suggest the few examples should provide some comfort to the open-source folks.

There is another way to say “wonderful year,” or “Annus Mirabilis.”

It is “Annus Beatitas,” for fortunate, or blessd.

With the change of just a single character, you get “Annus BeatitMS,” or “Annus Beat-it-MS.” Or at least that’s how I read it.

Which photo do you associate with Ubuntu and open-source? Which with Microsoft?