Re: If Windows 98 is delayed, we're all in trouble?

[Mitch Stone <mstone@vc.net>]

In reply to John Bryan's message sent 4/7/98 9:33 PM:

>However, I think it should be apparent that if this is all
>it takes to "disrupt the entire computer industry" then there
>is something terribly wrong with the computer industry.
>
>That the delay of one software product, by one company, might
>have severe, long term, detrimental effects on the entire
>computer industry indicates to me that something is exceedingly
>out of balance, and that this imbalance is what we should then be
>concerned about, i.e., treat the disease, not the symptom.

You have identified not only the basic hypocrisy of the Microsoft 
position, but the "inverted pyramid" problem as well -- if the tip of the 
pyramid crumbles, the entire superstructure is in danger of toppling. Any 
biologist will tell you that an overreliance on any one specie poses 
risks. "Diversity is strength" is a solid principle found throughout 
nature, and I would add, politics, economics, etc. 

Still, we've got industry pros like Alsop pleading the case for universal 
standards -- for a computing monoculture -- analogous to only one kind of 
wheat being grown from ocean to ocean. One serious "disease" and everyone 
might starve. Incidents like the Defense Department's recent BSD attack 
and the macro virus epidemic are only the first symptoms of technology 
monoculture-ism. I imagine we'll see even more to come.

   Mitch Stone
   Editor, Boycott Microsoft
   http://www.vcnet.com/bms 
 +---
   Have you paid your Microsoft tax today?