One thing I notice out of this: I think there’s a tangible favorable shift happening towards Microsoft and the technology we’re putting out. If Microsoft is going to be saved, it’s certainly going to happen from the bottom up.

I’m not really sure where this “tangible shift” is happening, nor where it’s supposed to be coming from. As an IT guy, I’d say I’m seeing more people inquiring about removing their Exchange server, or moving their networks away from MS technologies in smaller ways, moving their file servers to Linux or OS X / BSD machine. I’m not seeing a shift in Microsoft’s direction within the tech companies or the government agencies I work with.

I’m just not sure what Mini-Microsoft is referring to. Has Microsoft finally stopped running those awful commercials with the kids’ futures sketched out in chalk over the video footage? That alone could account for a positive image shift, but I would say that Microsoft is still a slowly sinking ship; if nothing changes, then in 800 years, they’ll have to start laying people off.