Justin -- there are not more Linux users than Windows NT, if you
mean NT Workstation & Server.
Secondly, as a programmer I agree with you 100% that Win32 is
non-deterministic (buggy) and given my druthers I would much rather
be running Unix. The reality is that MSFT has marketed, manuevereed,
obfustucated, partnered, and done everything and anything to race past all
others.
It sounds like you are a back-end, Unix-only programmer who works on
server-type applications. Peek out into the corporate landface,
and you will see Windows growth on the desktop accelerating at
an ever faster pace. We may all shake our head and wish it wasn't
so, but thats the reality in IS shops across the world.
I do hope in the next two years Oracle, Sun, Netscape, IBM, and so
on get their act together. Given a NC that can run win32 apps,
is not network-bound, allows user-roaming, and has a very low TCO
Microsoft can easily become the next Apple. But it still seems
like MSFT is moving more nimbly than the others...
P.S. I bring this up not because I am a MSFT-lover (I own shares,
but also own NSCP, ORCL, SUNW) but because you come across to me
as many of the Unix-heads who I work with. Did you read about
SGI's travails? They are giving their entire work force next
week two extra days off (paid), to save $$ before they report
earnings!! Either they are an extremely benovolent company, or
they have completely lost it... |
