>>>
Companies whose literature says they make platforms...
MSFT, AAPL, SUNW, NSCP, IBM, ORCL, NOVL
Companies whose literature says they make applications...
MSFT, AAPL, SUNW, NSCP, IBM, ORCL, NOVL<<<
Interesting list, Alan. It does make you think twice. On the third time around, I asked myself, which of these companies has been a serious threat to the application software companies writing to their platform? So far, MSFT, AAPL, IBM for sure, ORCL and NOVL and NSCP somewhat less so. I don't think Sun can be taken very seriously as an application competitor. Perhaps by choice.
There is an inherent advantage in controlling the platform when competing in applications written for that platform, and hardware for that OS. The question is, when has a company gone too far? IBM did, and was punished by the government. Apple did, and was punished by the market, because their share was too small to play the proprietary game they always played, and still is. Microsoft? Right now they are killing the rest of us. A T-Rex in the duckpond.
Chaz |
