RE: [cc] interesting article about microsoft

[Anders Blauenfeldt]

Title: RE: [cc] interesting article about microsoft

 

Yeah .. ASP can very well be the thing that saved proprietary software.

 

How long will it take before a substantional amount of the cyber cafes around are offering open source software only ?

 

 

/Anders Blauenfeldt

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Dorward, Scott
Sent: 9. november 2000 10:19
To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]'
Subject: RE: [cc] interesting article about microsoft

> I can't even buy a gateway computer without
> a microsoft operating system.

I'm not sure if MS still use the infamous "per processor" licensing agreements with OEMs, but if this is still the case then it's not in Gateway's economic interests to sell PCs without MS Operating systems, as they still have to pay for one even if they don't install it.  In fact, in the early nineties, Dell tried swallowing this cost and pre-installing OS/2 on 10% of their boxes.  Microsoft raised the price Dell were paying for DOS/Windows until they stopped doing it. (Warning - I'm pulling these details out from memory and there may be some variance with what actually happened. :) )

> It wouldn't even work if
> I tried to use UNIX instead, because the modem is a
> "win" modem.

Try: http://linmodems.org/  There are drivers for most (but not all) of the popular Winmodem chipsets.

> Are M.$. OSes/Apps.:
> More stable? "It should be called windows Blue Screen
> of Death."

To be fair, my experience of NT/Win2K is that if it's administered properly it's almost as stable as UNIX.  Your other points to do with control, security, etc. all ring painfully true, though.

> Imagine if you bought a boat and were told you
> couldn't rent it or loan it to others? What if you
> were sold a horse and told that only one person could
> ride it? So what gives software sellers the right to
> say how you can use the computer you bought?

The fundamental difference is that if you buy a horse or a boat you can't give copies of it to other people without giving up your own.

- Scott