[GRLUG] Novell, having fun are we?

[Michael Mol]

On 11/5/06, Ron Lauzon <rlauzon at gmail.com> wrote:
> 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).

Actually, I expect they'd go with OpenBSD.  The licensing is much,
much more agreeable to their tastes.

>
> > 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.

I disagree.  I expect either Microsoft or a third party will produce a
plugin that allows the import and export of ODF documents

>
> 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-).

For home users, Windows was all they really needed for a long time.
Once home use of the Internet took off, though, Windows started
showing its age.  Windows was never designed around the concepts of
networks.  Even WinNT 3.51 was primarily a workstation, not a server.
(Think about it.  Who in their right minds today wants a software
package that limits you to five users, or even 25?  The Internet
really changed that.)  While UNIX wasn't originally a network OS, it
was designed from the get-go as a multi-user system with a relatively
sophisticated permissions system, and a corporate-driven security
mindset.

If Microsoft hadn't invested in Internet Explorer when they had, they
would have lost a lot of marketshare to operating systems which had
more network functionality and less security risk.  IE saved
Microsoft's keister, because with out it Netscape would have continued
to offer versions of their browser for multiple operating systems.
(Not to mention the browsers already available for those platforms.
The original web browser was developed on NeXT.  Mosaic was develuped
under UNIX.  Arachne was, and still is, available for DOS.)

Internet Explorer offered a free gateway to the newest, hottest
feature of computers, and it only ran on Microsoft Windows. (Then they
integrated IE with Windows, and downloading Netscape became a moot
point.)


>
> 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.

I disagree...each version of Office adds more features.  Not
necessarily useful features, but more features.  And they keep moving
menu options around.  (And they hide them, if they don't think you use
them.)

Thank god none of the new features have been quite as bad as Clippy, though.

>
> > 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/
>    Weblog: http://ronsapartment.blogspot.com/
>
>    DNRC: Lord of All Things That Are Fattening
>
>    "To be sure, conservative radio talk show hosts have a built-in
>    audience unavailable to liberals: People driving cars to some
>    sort of job." - Ann Coulter
>
> Microsoft Free since July 06, 2001
> Running Mandriva Linux 2007
>
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:wq