On Sun, 6 Mar 2005, p cooper wrote: [...]
The first TP will be when the opposition cant ignore you.
I would posit that this occurred in 1998 as evidenced by the "Halloween Papers" and by the anti-OSS/anit-Linux FUD-storm that has followed.
With MS this will be when they significantly drop their business prices.
That would be a second tipping point which seems to have started in the last two years.
IMO they aren't bothered about piracy for home use - keeps the workers tied to MS products
That has had the effect of many IT crews functioning as sales teams: they get their employer to purchase and deploy MS products so they can have them at home. That has allowed MS to focus on its core competencies which which, having moved beyond marketing, is now lobbying.
and keeps the TCO argument in their favour.
TCO is usually against MS is one compares similar functionality.
the main TP will be when business users don't give the money to MS. Thats a much harder battle, particularly when the business price has come down and the TCO/training issues is tilted towards MS because business users take software home 'for free' . Also Where I work MS have a home software initiative and I could buy a licensed copy of MS office for �18 ( but it doenst run on gentoo linux ;-)
People would be more hesitant to participate in that if they were more cognisant of how bad a Faustian bargain that is. With the threat of sw patents rearing its ugly head in Europe, vendor lock-in via file formats and protocols move to a whole new level. The same goes for DRM. However, both DRM and MS' EULAs seem to violate basic privacy laws even in slack places like the U.S.
Influence over the press is probably partially to blame.
Greater influence over the press is probably on the way if nothing else is done. Greater influence over governments seems to be in the plans as well via National Technology Officers (NTO), which I'm starting to consider as ambassadors / consuls from MS.
-Lars
Lars Nooden ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
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