I'm not in the SUNW camp. But the DOJ won't agree on a settlement, that doesn't stop MSFT from what they think is a monopolistic behaviour. The issues here are:
1) Microsoft owns Windows. If somebody else than Microsoft can offer 100% Windows compatibility that would be fine. Reading Windows source-code without being able to copy it license-free, makes reading the source-code a non-option for any company who wants to make something Windows compatible. Try to follow the wine development on that issue... Opening source-code is only relevant to people who want to develop Windows programs, and what has that to do with the DOJ case?
2) Microsoft has defined MSFT proprietary standards based on XML and as extensions on HTML. It seems impossible for other companies to provide a free alternative that is compatible with those standards, which is exactly what makes DOJ call this a monopolistic behaviour. The DOJ wants the abilities in Windows 95 to show HTML code using MSFT proprietary standards removed. Some call it Internet Explorer. MSFT would agree to remove the icon, but not the COM objects.
I don't care about MSFT or SUNW other than I look for the best place to put money. Right now, MSFT seems pretty much self-destructive to me, because it doesn't adapt to a changing world.
I just talked to an american guy, and found out, that the world looks very differently in the U.S. compared to Europe. In the U.S., Microsoft is still a brand that makes people think of good things.
When I walked into the local store this morning, the covers of the magazines read "Linux, Linux, Linux, how to remove some of the bugs in Windows 2000, Linux, Linux, Linux." The press over here is pretty much against MSFT, and the DOJ case doesn't help it much. In Europe, Microsoft is starting to become a curse-word amongst MICROSOFT users!!!!! If MSFT doesn't awake from their american dream, it might become an american nightmare.
Did you know, that the danish version of Word 2000 is not compatible with the danish version of Word 97? And that MSFT says: That's not our problem? This is not good.
Did you know, that the danish version of Microsoft internet explorer cannot view certain U.S. sites, like Yahoo? Netscape just works.
I was also quite amazed, that the typical magazine was only writing one, just one article about Windows 2000, when it was released. There are lots of articles about Macintosh and Linux in traditional Windows based magazines.
It is quite hard to get any newly graduated M.Sc. engineers with knowledge of the Win32 API, but there are LOTS of people who know to compile and edit a Linux kernel. Student dormitories at technical universities traditionally used NT Servers. They are changing now to Linux, because they cannot get any students who know how to operate an NT Server.
Maybe the U.S. is still Microsoft centric, but, frankly, I don't know anybody in Denmark who wouldn't like to stop using Microsoft products. And I know quite a lot engineers, IT bosses etc.
As long as MSFT doesn't wake up, they might lose a lot of customers in Europe. Remember that HTTP and HTML was invented in Europe and Microsoft fought against it. Linux was invented in Europe and MSFT was against it. If Microsoft was a european company, "Microsoft Linux" would already be on the market today. |
