On Sun, Jul 04, 2004 at 06:56:29PM +0800, Andy Sy wrote: > Orlando Andico said: > > > Actually it's great. People out there deriding Windows and pushing > > Linux with the avidity of zealots probably don't know how *good* > > Microsoft products have become, in general. > > This is exactly why we have to be circumspect about all that > 'Open source being an /inherently/ superior development model' > hype propagated by people like ESR. MS was indeed able to rise > up to the challenge of Linux in a _credible technical manner_ > despite its not being open source. >
Brief digression. Now, I won't try to elaborate on the 'inherent superiority' bits there as I think everyone knows that (except perhaps santa claus ;) but rather on the 'inherent *inferiority*' the two development models (FOSS and PACS) both have: _userbase_. Have you thought of that? I was reading the threads and this realization hit me like a truck. It is the users who are keeping both forces in equilibrium and at the same time in orthogonality. The typical Linux user is almost also the typical Windows user, spurned by curiosity to try FOSS, if doesn't click, revert back to PACS and curse FOSS goodbye. The thing is, that when it does click, the user would tend to gravitate more toward the *features* and *candies* FOSS has, and when it doesn't deliver, he, without so much as a thought, runs back to the PACS and hides under their skirts while throwing rocks at the others. The userbase is so fickle it determines the lifespan of specialized FOSS apps (the general-purpose ones, like Linux and X, don't feel this) as well as the profit cycle of PACS apps (like windows). This leads to competition (in PACS) and revisions (in FOSS). If they don't deliver, well, you know what happens next... > If you view open source vs. microsoft as opposing forces, then I > have to say that open source has its [technical/architectural] work > cut out for it to remain relevant and not rest on zealotry and/or > notions of inherent superiority. The Death Star (.NET/Longhorn) is > fast approaching and it looks like it is armed to the teeth. The > situation is so bad that you've already got spies (like de Icaza) > on the inside working for the enemy. ;-D > Heh, I wonder when Luke makes the shot. Cheers, Zakame -- |=-------------ZAK B. ELEP (Registered Linux User #327585)-------------=| || Web: http://zakame.spunge.org GPG ID: 0xFA53851D || || http://zakame.homelinux.org ICQ UIN: 33236644 || || Location: Daet, Camarines Norte Running Linux 2.6 || |=----------1486 7957 454D E529 E4F1 F75E 5787 B1FD FA53 851D----------=| Debian - When you've got better things to do than to fix a borken system
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