Jim--
Please define what you mean by "open". NSCP loves to use this term as a rallying cry, but unfortunately, this is often times used more by their marketing team than anyone else. In reality, when people get past the hype and start to do the research, they find that NSCP's definition of "open" isn't necessarily what they were expecting. Leaders of both SUNW and ORCL have openly questioned NSCP's committment to "open" standards in the past.
MSFT is working hard to adopt, comply with, and when possible--advance--Internet standards in our products (one example is NetMeeting, our internet-standards-based conferencing/collaboration software currently in beta--as I understand it, NSCP's CoolTalk product CANNOT make the same claim about suporting "open" standards).
THE INTERNET HAS NOTHING TO FEAR FROM MICROSOFT. There is no "battle" here. We are reshaping ourselves and our products to become completely synergistic with the Internet and what it represents. No one can own the Internet; we want to leverage it's potential in our software--which is what customers are asking for.
DISCLOSURE: I am a Microsoft employee, but my comments only represent my own thoughts and opinions and in no way reflect a position, endorsement, or recommendation by Microsoft, it's officers, representatives, or associates. |
