[GRLUG] Novell, having fun are we?

[Ron Lauzon]

Bob Kline wrote:
> Otherwise,  M$'s servers are presumably in competition with Linux.  Some feel that if M$ greases the skids for Linux in any way that threatens it's own server business.
>   

In a sense it does.  But if Microsoft plan for it, they can make the 
transition without too much hassle.

IHMO the next major version of Windows after Vista will be Linux-based 
(sort of how OS-X for the Mac is BSD-based).

> Time will tell.  It might be this is a miscalculation on M$'s part.  It might be that it's being forced in to the move by market realities.  Whether M$ plays nice remains to be seen. There's surely very little precedent for that.
>   

Well, we know from their SEC filings that MS makes money on only two 
products: Windows and Office.

MS has decided to not support the Open Document Format that many 
entities (governments and businesses) require, so these places are 
starting to move to something else (like Open Office).  The snowball has 
started to move for a large-scale acceptance of Open Office.  MS knows 
this and is planning for it.

It makes alot of sense for MS to make the next version of Windows 
Linux-compatible.  IBM did this for their AIX for the big reason that it 
gained them a HUGE base of free packages for their OS.  IBM realized 
that they aren't selling software - they are selling solutions to 
customers.  By increasing the amount of software available for their 
servers, they increase the value of those servers to their customers.

MS is just starting to realize that the software market simply isn't 
there.  People don't buy an OS just to have an OS.  They buy is to make 
their computer work and Windows has no great benefit over the 
alternatives anymore (did it ever?  8-).

The same for office packages.  Users want to click on a file and be able 
to edit it.  They don't care what package they have if it does what they 
want it to.  Office packages have been stagnant for years now - no new 
features.  They do everything users want.

> No sue agreement?  Gee,  I wonder what M$'s army of lawyers could do with something like that.....
>   

This is the "Intellectual Property" BS.  When we get software and 
business practices off the "can be patented" list (as it should be), 
that will go away.

Right now, MS (like many other companies, it seems) are choosing the 
play the legislation game instead of the innovation game.  In this, I 
can't blame them.  Most companies have to play this game right now.

-- 
Ron Lauzon - rlauzon at acm dot org
   Homepage: http://7lauzon.home.comcast.net/
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Microsoft Free since July 06, 2001
Running Mandriva Linux 2007