>>But Microsoft's attempted neutering of Java is major news, and it is something these guys need to be called on.
It's a hell of a call, but I think Microsoft is blowing their wad with this scorched earth strategy. Call me idealistic, naive, emotional, or whatever Sal's label du jure is, but choice is an imperative. All the supporters can go on about how masterful Redmond is, but customers , particularly very large ones, go out of their way to keep vendors in check. I've had it happen to me and others in Network TV where we had absolute control of supply throughout the seventies and eighties. Our customers created competitors for us...at great near-term expense to themselves.
Microsoft has become brazenly obvious. They can no longer argue customer benefit. They're in a fight to retain control, and from my experience, large customers will resist accommodation. Microsoft's competitors have fine, working, available technology, and offer a clear path toward choice.
The stakes are enormous here, and it can go either way. However, these actions by Microsoft don't look grounded in confidence. They hold alot of cards, but they're placing some extreme and unstable bets...with serious damage and self-preservation as their goals. It's like a fight to the death ...but from the industry leader? Strange stuff. |
