Re: Petreley on commercial support for non-MS OSes

[Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org>]

Unfortunately, while Petreley suggests below that support of Linux
MAY indicate long-term thinking, in fact I would contend that just
the opposite is true. The GPL movement has the potential to be as
threatening and all-absorbing as Microsoft, and in fact was intended
to be that way by its originator.

--Brett

At 03:28 AM 12/31/98 -0500, Eric M. Bennett wrote:
 
>Nicholas Petreley has some interesting comments that seem relevant to the
>discussion of what's involved with software companies supporting
>non-Microsoft OSes.
>
>Here are a couple excerpts from his article.
>http://www.linuxworld.com/linuxworld/lw-1998-12/lw-12-penguin.html
>
>"Someone will undoubtedly label 1998 as the year Linux took the market by
>storm. This conclusion is premature. Linux is enjoying remarkable growth
>only because vendors are scrambling to make the most of the brief window
>of opportunity they have while Microsoft is paralyzed. As long as
>Microsoft is engaged in a battle with the Department of Justice, Microsoft
>cannot retaliate against anyone who dares defect from the 'Windows NT is
>the only future' camp. Should Microsoft ultimately win the case, however,
>I guarantee vendors will abandon Linux faster than a rat out of an
>aqueduct."
>
>"Microsoft has made it clear that it wants to control every lucrative or
>strategic software category on Windows. And Microsoft has demonstrated
>time and again that it is willing to (in order of preference) copy, buy,
>or license any competing technology it needs in order to gain that
>control. It would seem unwise, therefore, to support Microsoft or Windows,
>especially if you have a product that competes with a Microsoft product,
>or is likely to compete with a future Microsoft product.
>
>But I remind these readers that when most companies form strategic
>alliances, they rarely look beyond the next few quarters. Microsoft offers
>success today, and most vendors are likely to respond by jumping at the
>opportunity. Some of them have even been foolish enough to share their
>trade secrets based on the unspoken promise of an alliance, only to watch
>Microsoft lose interest and launch a product that looks and works
>remarkably like their own.
>
>If vendors can be so foolish as to walk into the above traps, surely you
>don't think their recent choice to support Linux is indicative of newfound
>wisdom? Even I, someone who believes in miracles, am not that naive."
>
>
>
>--
>Eric Bennett (http://www.pobox.com/~ericb/)
>Cornell University, Field of Biochemistry, 377 Olin Chemistry Lab
>
>Piano, n.  A parlor utensil for subduing the impenitent visitor.  It is
>operated by depressing the keys of the machine and the spirits of the
>audience.
>-Ambrose Bierce
>
>
>
>