I'm no Linux guru but I know business and the article is pretty much correct
,especially the part about the shareholders. We all know Linux is FREE and
it's all based on a sort of "non profit" ideal and wherever you see FREE and
NON PROFIT companies run away, especially software companies. Lets face it,
free=no profit , no profit=no company, and that folks is why Linux will
never kill Windows. After all if you owned a company that sold software why
would you give your product away to the Linux cause if somebody like
Microsoft will give you millions for it? Sorry people but these are the
hard fast rules of business. Microsoft is as big as it is because they used
these rules to create a business monopoly at a time when the computer market
was young and venerable. Also when it comes to a company the size of
Microsoft in order to push them out of the market you have to have a bigger
company doing the pushing and believe me Microsoft is the BIGGEST. For an
example of their size consider this, sources have it that the Soviet Union a
few months ago sold Bill Gates and Microsoft over 600 booster rockets.
Rockets designed to propel satellites into orbit, so if you think their big
now lets see how big they get after they get into the satellite
communications market, in particular internet satellite communications. Face
the facts no free operating system and a world wide group of volunteers will
ever take down a company of that size. Also Bill Gates by himself without
Microsoft is worth more than 35% of all the American software companies put
together. BUT if several operating systems and their respective companies
pooled their resources then perhaps there may be a chance. The only hope
Linux has to overcome Microsoft is to get financial and corporate backing
from Sun Microsystems or some other company that size or perhaps a group of
companies. I know you didn't want to hear this but I'm afraid it's all true,
we can deny it until the cows come home but it won't change the hard facts.
There is one other way, somebody could get a copy of the Windows98 source
code that would be enough to swing things in our favour. This is just a
thought of course :-) --Chris
----- Original Message -----
From: Shaggy Im-erbtham <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: linux-newbie <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2000 11:46 PM
Subject: CNET says Linux is all hype
> This is not exactly a technical question but CNET recently published
> the following article on its website
>
http://home.cnet.com/specialreports/0-6014-7-1508253.html?st.sr.6014-7-15082
> 50.txt.6014-7-1508253:
>
> *****start******
> CNET : Special Reports : Ten Tech Predictions for 2000
>
>
> 8. Linux Is All Hype
>
> The Prediction: Linux will get mountains of press, including articles
in
> venerable mainstream newspapers hailing the new era of open source. But
> virtually no consumers will use it.
>
> The Challenges
> We know what you're thinking: We must be crazy. Linux is the
> up-and-coming thing.
> Everybody wants to see Windows taken down a peg or three. VA Linux
System's
> IPO set a new record for the biggest gain in the first day of trading.
> Linux-based
> companies are springing up like dandelions in the front yard and
getting
> more press
> than the DOJ vs. Microsoft antitrust case. Linux is the future.
>
> Well, we've seen the future, and it was in the past. It was called
OS/2.
> Minus all the
> IPO action--it wasn't in vogue at the time--much of the same things
were
> said and
> hoped for about IBM's alternative operating system. New applications
were
> developed, clubs and user support groups grew. Everyone was abuzz about
> the new
> OS that would topple Windows and free us all from the tyranny of
Microsoft.
>
> The Outcome
> What happened then is what we predict will happen now: inertia,
although
> not quite
> as Sir Isaac defined it. Windows is a cash cow for the major
application
> developers.
> They can pick up extra revenue by diverting some resources to Linux,
> but, for Linux
> to become successful, application developers need to focus all their
> attention on the
> OS. That's something that should prove too risky for their
shareholders,
> most of
> whom still haven't figured out if it's pronounced Lihn-icks or
Line-ucks.
> ****end****
>
> I would not go so far as to say that this is part of the Microsoft
> conspiracy but short of
> trying to be fortune-tellers, could the Gurus amongst us shed some light
on
> the issue?
> Is this a valid argument or just noise from the opposition?
>
> I have been on this list for about a year so please don't try and shoot me
> as traitor
> and spy.
>
> Shaggy
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
