<The problem with this statement is that since there is no consumer advantage to integration, there can be no consumer preference for it. What some consumers have a preference for is bundling the browser, not integration.>
You are wrong here Keith. Integration of the Winsock into Win 95 was a significant boon to the consumer. Many people would not be able to install winsock on thier machines. Even if bundled, many people would not be able to properly configure winsock for use with http, ftp, mime, smime, etc for the multitude of software/hardware configurations that abound. I am not even sure I can still do it, and I consider myself a power user. I still remember how hard it was to get my 486 on the net back in 1984 with different winsock versions running around. The integration of these technologies
(and yes, applications as well - Do you remember Trumpet?) has made the entire Internet experience much smoother and simpler for the average consumer. Remember, a computer programmer is as far from the average consumer as the Indy 500 race car driver is from the daily commuter.
With this being said, and knowing that you are an (advanced?) computer programmer, have you purchased your standalone version of Trumpet software recently or have you, the advanced user, found utility and convenience in MSFT's integration plans as much as the rest of us plain folk??? |
