RE: arrogance toward customers

["Kendall G. Clark" <kclark@computek.net>]

  On Fri, 14 Nov 1997, Dave Hamilton wrote:
  
  >There you go again, assuming things.  Linux guys don't have _me_ beat.
  >I'm not a member of the Association of Windows NT System Professionals
  >that has 16,222 members.  I think maybe I'll join now.
  >
  >Is the 5,000,000 number you note a count of Linux users?  Or is it
  >members of some sort of "Team Linux" that actively supports Linux in the
  >same way you talked of "Team OS/2"?  If you are simply comparing numbers
  >of users, I think NT and Win95 has all the others beat by a mile.  They
  >must, or you and others wouldn't be so concerned by this monopoly thing.
  
  Dave,
  
  I am an advocate of Linux, but I don't really care who has the biggest group
  of advocates. I am proud of the fact that there are Linux User Groups all over
  the world, and that has been accomplished without any appreciable corporate
  funding.
  
  By the way, what are the numbers for worldwide NT boxes in use?
  
  It's really hard to estimate the worldwide Linux market because, obviously, no
  central controlling entity exists. I'd like to find a few million laying
  around my house to commission a study by one of the IT market analyst groups
  to determine the size of the Linux market. Would be a nice thing to have.
  
  The estimates, that are based on some facts, I've seen put the number at 5 to
  10 million.
  
  That's not bad for a free, cooperative effort among geeks of the world.
  
  I would think that MS and MS supporters, even if they don't care for Linux
  technically, would have to admire the social aspects of its accomplishment. It
  speaks well for the willingness to compromise and cooperate of all involved.
  
  Best,
  
  	Kendall Clark