[svlug] Re: WC:>: Open Source Philosophy Model?

[Rich Kulawiec]

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
rsk at gsp.org


--
echo "unsubscribe svlug" | mail majordomo at svlug.org
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ to unsubscribe