Then there is the Sears business model: they buy more and more of a
smaller companies output, then suddenly cancel. This forces the company into
financial distress, ripe for aquisition. The mistake here is for the company
to become dependant upon one buyer, but when someone wants to buy from you
this rarely looks to be the mistake that it is.
In the audio industry contracts are set up that a dealer must take
several items in a manufacturer's line, and that they cannot have anything
from certain other manufacturers. If you want to have things to sell in your
store that's the game you have to play.
If things like the above are commonplace, which they are, then when
dealing with a company as industry-dominant as Microsoft who knows just what
rules apply. On the other hand, many companies are founded with the intent
that once successful they will be sold (for a bunch of money). Some people's
skill is in founding and building to success. That is what they do, and that
is all they are interested in. And I wouldn't want to compete against
Microsoft either...let alone what they are capable of doing to competitors.
Linux, on the other hand, isn't really playing any of these games. But
it's going to remain a "niche" product until people can put a disc in and it
will work. You may not like Microsoft, and their products don't work the way
anybody likes, let alone all of the problems these products do have, but they
DO work (at least for the most part). That's what Linux needs to achieve --
with Linux's other inherent advantages THEN it will be able to challenge
Microsoft, dispite Microsoft's dominance. IBM's alliance is a good thing,
but they have little real influence that will help Linux. "Nobody ever got
fired for recommending IBM" doesn't mean that they are liked.
-Gary-
In a message dated 8/5/2000 11:00:58 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< Nobody "froces" anyone to sell their company. That is a business
decision,
most often for the best of the business-owner. Microsoft has the clout to
"buy" its expertise. None of these exchanges can happened with consent.
>>
