Roger,
I agree with the fact that Hydra is Citrix technology. However, Hydra will not completely solve the problems of business, and Picasso is currently best positioned to resolve that issue. Hydra will, in the long-run, eliminate the need for Picasso, but not until it supports the needs of business.
I disagree that this is the same as Stacker, when Microsoft was able to convince the general public to accept an inferior product, because it was FREE. The general opinion is NT will become the network solution of choice. However, this feeling is tempered with a very real skepticism, and reveals itself in the "prove it works before i buy it" attitude I continually encounter.
Businesses WILL NOT blindly follow the NT train if it jumps off track. With the financial means available, businesses will throw money at products like Picasso (while swearing at MSFT) if that is what ii takes. I don't think any compromise will be accepted, since mission critical data demands a stable platform, complimented by a fully complete feature set that allows access to that information.
Hydra will work for smaller companies, but it has no chance of solving the problems of larger companies, at least for now. MSFT will address this issue in time, but offerings from companies like DEC and Citrix are allowing Microsoft to focus on getting an already delayed NT 5 out the door. BIll Gates has publicly stated " It's fair to say Microsoft has bet it's future on Windows NT Version 5".
Thie delay has allowed companies like Citrix to stick their foot into a door left open by MSFT (which is quite rare). NT is quite awesome, but critical add-ons will always provide an opportunity to make money, just like Win 95 anti-virus add-ons, despite being "built-into " the operating system.
Stacker lost the game because at that time Microsoft had great influence over consumers, management lost their vision and focus, and larger hard drives being introduced were making their product obsolete. I cannot say with certainty this will not happen to Citrix, but I can say it will not happen immediately.
I will run some numbers, based on estimated NT sales, applying both the best and worst case scenarios addressing the percentage of installations that may requires Picasso, then estimate the return Citrix may (or may not realize). I am smart enough to never bet against Microsoft, but I will stand on the sidelines when they are short the pieces to independently complete the job at hand.
Win CE will become the client of the future. When MSFT technology fully supports CE from a Hydra server, the game will be over. In fact, the domination might be so complete we could be driving to the Microsoft grocery store, in out Microsoft automobile, burning Microsoft gasoline, while listening to MSFT on the radio. Oh, and my cats will probably be eating Microsoft Kibbles & Bytes too :o)
Monitor the feedback on Hydra once beta release occurs at Comdex. That will tell the story in no uncertasin terms. This thread absolutely POUNDS, offering opinions supported with facts and links, posted by people who get right to the relevent points.To that end : Good Night!
Regards, JB |
