John,
Appearances can be deceiving. You have to remember that PC/NT
lives in an entirely different market than Unix. It is known as
the workgroup market and it focuses on small intranets running
office applications. You can't compare numbers of NT servers
in one market to numbers of Unix servers in another and come up
with anything meaningful.
I believe that NT (NoThreat) is spinning its wheels in the corporate
market and might as well stay put in the workgroup market, where
they can compete on some level.
The other thing to remember: NT has mainly replaced Windows '9x
(an even WORSE piece of slopware) on the desktop. However, it is
frequently portrayed as "invading Unix". It has had an impact on
the Unix desktop market, but if you're waiting for it create some
kind of critical mass with Unix, I wouldn't hold my breath.
SUNW, for its part has responded with the Ultra 5 & 10, low-end,
PC-like workstations that run Solaris & they're selling like hotcakes.
Also, SUNW is pushing Solaris on the PC & there is also Linux.
In truth, the only advantage NT has EVER had over Solaris is its
support for personal productivity applications. That advantage,
however, is rapidly disappearing with the release of Java. SUNW
is committed to making Solaris easier to install & friendlier on
the desktop. That shouldn't be too difficult.
NT probably started out with some good ideas & the best of intentions.
However, I have the sense that once MicroSlop marketing got their
grubby hands on it, it has turned into another inferior software
product from the company who has brought to you so many other
inferior software products that the computing public has come to
expect it from them. MSFT will not disappoint the public this
time, either. |
