Hi everyone. I'm a fairly new poster on this thread, and hope you're up for considering what may be a contrary opinion regarding the Microsoft ruling.
I've had a Mac on my desk since the Apple IIe days, but also frequently use a PC. This morning I was reading NBR online, and there was an interesting lure to: "Download NBR's Y2K Countdown Clock" on the home page...so I bit. It sounded like it would be a fun thing to check out, and maybe save for a revisit some years hence, with nostalgia. Unsurprisingly, when I got to the download page, I received a message that Mac Users everywhere are all too familiar with:
"The Nightly Business Report Y2K Countdown Clock was written using Microsoft's Visual Basic 6.0 and should run on any Windows 95, 98 or NT 4.0 system."
Is Microsoft a monopoly? You bet it is.
I've encountered the same message, literally, thousands of times over the years. I understand the developer's dilemma, and how time-consuming it can be when it comes to developing cross platform materials. Sometimes the variations are subtle, and at others profound. Lots of tweaks required to customize.
The default software for word processing virtually everywhere is Microsoft Word. I wonder if anyone on the thread has encountered any, of the many, anomalous errors that occur when using Word to develop formatted documents. Do we really need all those "tools" in the toolbox? Is this the best product available? Is it quality control checked before being unleashed on the consumer? Have we passively come to accept buggy Microsoft software because 90% of computers come with it pre-installed? How many of you on the thread have never used anything other than a PC? And if this is the case, how easy is it for you to claim objectivity?
It's a landmark case and it's ramifications will be felt and talked about for years. I view it as a victory for new, innovative, products to make it to the marketplace for consumer approval. It reminds me of when upstart MCI dethroned AT&T, and basically set the ball in motion for the rapid-fire advances in telecommunications today. Would we be happily rejoicing the acceptance of QCOM's innovative CDMA technology if AT&T were still at the helm?
Welcome your thoughts, and many thanks for an outstanding thread.
Donna |
