On Sat, Nov 14, 1998 at 01:01:20AM -0800, Javilk wrote:
> It also implies that if MS is to destroy Linux, as was implied by the
> Halloween memo, MS must act against the RNA -- and we must watch our RNA,
> our standards, to see that it does not extend them in ways incompatible
> with our self assembly. That is exactly what they are trying to do in
> their extend and encompass methodology with respect to perverting
> standards to their own ends.
I've no doubt that's what they will *try*.
But I also have no doubt that they will fail. I said years ago
that Microsoft was about to run into a buzz saw when they plugged
themselves into the 'net; that now seems to be coming true, and I
couldn't be more happy about it.
And I think it's already started. Ask yourself: just what is
Microsoft going to sell? Their have two products: software and support.
Software:
- Linux is already vastly superior to Windows NT. Microsoft
has no hope of catching up because (a) they don't have the
resources and (b) NT's design is fundamentally unsound.
- Apache is way ahead of IIS; sendmail is way ahead of Exchange;
and IE faces upcoming competition from the combination of
Mozilla, Opera, and other freeware browsers. It will lose.
FrontPage has been responsible for a number of web site
break-ins; it's a reasonable bet that a piece of freeware
will come along that handles the useful parts of its functionality
without being so broken. And so on for each of their products
in the Internet market.
- Word/Excel/etc. not only face the competition they always have,
but we're just starting to see freeware products that could
compete. (Not to mention commercial giveaway like Staroffice.)
Given how really, *really* pissed the freeware community is
over Microsoft's unethical behavior (Re: Halloween memos), look
for workalikes for all of their office products sooner, not later.
- Don't forget Apple, which is quietly starting to look like
the Apple of 1984 again.
Support?
- Microsoft support is a joke, as anyone who has ever attempted
to get it to answer a question beyond the level of "How do
I boot my computer?" knows. The web enables users to support
each other; the freeware/open source model makes it work.
Conclusion: it's going to be really interesting to see just what
Microsoft has left to sell when every one of their software products
faces competition from something better -- and with a $0 price tag.
Oh, no doubt the PHB of the world will still buy from them; but anybody
with even half a clue will abandon Microsoft as soon as they can.
---Rsk
Rich Kulawiec
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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