Sure would like to know what is moving volume and price on RRRR today....
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It's Sun Vs. Microsoft, Again
Aug 28, 2000 (Tech Web - CMP via COMTEX) -- Microsoft has said it is ready to launch BizTalk 2000 and Commerce Server 2000 this fall, but it still faces an uphill battle to win the support of Web integrators.
While Microsoft-centric solution providers such as marchFirstand Plural sing the praises of the Redmond, Wash.-based vendor's .Net platform, a growing number of Web integrators are staking their fortunes to Java and joining Sun Microsystems' iForce eIntegrators program.
"Microsoft has two fatal flaws," said Matthew Roche, co-president and CEO of Fort Point Partners, San Francisco. "One is they absolutely, stubbornly refuse to use standards. There's some XML in [Microsoft's operating system platform], but that's only because they can define their own XML. But the fact that there is not a Microsoft Java environment is enough explanation. Second, they would not know a business application if it was stapled to Steve Ballmer's forehead."
Web integrator Novo, San Francisco, said it is investing in competitive packages such as BEA Systems' WebLogic and Art Technology Group's Dynamo.
"Microsoft is not the innovator, but they will always have a play," said Kelly Rodriques, chairman and CEO of Novo, San Francisco.
Even Plural Inc., Microsoft's Solution Provider of the Year in 1999, has shifted some of its focus to new wave e-commerce vendors.
"Our preferred platform is Microsoft, but the reality of our client engagements is that their back-end solutions are sometimes a range of complex systems," said Bill Luddy, chief creative officer at Plural, New York.
However, Microsoft has aligned itself with high-profile Web integrators, including Proxicom Inc. (PXCM), Xpedior Inc. (XPDR), and Rare Medium Group Inc. (RRRR).
MarchFirst's recent launch of its HostOne Center for application monitoring and management in McLean, Va., marked a milestone in the company's alliance with Microsoft, said Ian Small, chief strategist and knowledge officer at MarchFirst Inc. (MRCH).
"There's no question that our iFrame architecture relies heavily on the Microsoft 2000 platform for a great deal of its infrastructure," Small said.
Unix was the preferred platform for early large-scale applications, "but it's different now," said Ed Bell, president of CrossTier.com, a Fairfax, Va.-based developer.
John Bamberger, CEO of SequoiaNET.com, Auburn Hills, Mich., said the argument for Java and Unix superiority is dead.
"Fortune 100 customers such as Ford are talking about these questions, but I've got 999 other customers who don't give a damn about the technology," Bamberger said.
techweb.com
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