Re: [SLUG] Breaking Up MS - The Fix Is At Hand

[Terry Collins <terryc@nospam.woa.com.au>]

Paul Robinson wrote:

> >.....snip...
> >
> > > Whether you approve of Gates ethics (which I don't), or like his software
> > > (which I don't), you have to respect the man's business accumen.
> >
> >ROTFPMP - Gates business accumen is like sealing yourself in a glass
> >jar so you don't have to deal with other people. Of course. Most
> >people under 30 years will have no idea WTF I'm talking about.
> 
> <snip>

> As a 23 yo, would I be correct in interpreting your glass jar metaphor as
> Microsoft trying to own everything that goes into it's products so it
> doesn't have to deal with 3rd party company's which in the end kills it off
> (Because it's got no air left, so to speak), Is this what (I'm guessing
> from the comment you made later) IBM did some time in the past (a time that
> only >30 yo will remember), or am I totally on the wrong track here?

You are basically on the right track, but generalise it to being in
business and living,etc. Fundamentally, everything is dependent on
something else, right from the natural environment and upwards.

If you are an employee, you are dependent on the business that
provides your wages, so you can not gouge them by slacking off,
foreign orders, 'borrowing' etc and expect them to stay in business
and provide you with pay increases.

Similarly, if you run a business, you are dependent on your employees,
customers and competitors. I'm sure you've read and will continue to
read examples of where Microsoft and other companies are really
gouging the customers.

You are also dependant on your competitors help to build (market
development) and maintain that market by fair competition.

It is easiest to understand this if you first think of it in a small
village scenario, then generalise it. The bigger the arena, the
greater the chances of seemingly getting away with by playing fair,
but eventually things catch up with you; customers boycott, the market
dies or the government intervenes.

MS continued its apparent "innovation" for so long because as Fields
(quoting Barnum?)said "there is a sucker born every minute" and
people/companies just continually offered them stuff, which they
basically continued to steal time and time again.



I suspect part of the reason for the success of the Open source
movement is that many brilliant programmers were just so annoyed with
MS practises and programming apps that when an alternative appeared
(Gnu/Linux) they jumped on to it with absolute joy and just steam
rollered the Os movement to success.



--
   Terry Collins {:-)}}} Ph(02) 4627 2186 Fax(02) 4628 7861  
   email: terryc@nospam.woa.com.au  www: http://www.woa.com.au  
       or terryc@nospam.zip.net.au 
   WOA Computer Services <lan/wan, linux/unix, novell>
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