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Technology Stocks : All About Sun Microsystems -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: derek buckingham who wrote (18410)	8/2/1999 8:10:00 PM
From: Stormweaver	Respond to of 64865

Whats your view on large corps and the PC Model with msft ? Whats your view on 'non techincal' home users ? I think in both cases MSFT has the momentum: 1. Currently most popular; based on % of desktop. 2. Currently most user friendly; maybe MAC is about same. 3. Currently has the most variety of apps/hardware available for it. 4. Easy to self-administer for non-techies; automated installs, plug-n-play:although I know some on this thread would dispute this! Why corporations won't switch in the short term: 1. Thin client commercially available apps to replace the variety/richness of apps on MSFT aren't here yet. 2. If apps were available it would cost big $$$$ - retraining, buying installing new apps,switchover from MSFT apps - converting all data! 3. With Y2K approaching most companies aren't in the mood for any more changes. Rather than thin client I think a Linux desktop is the last big hope (or hype) at putting a kink in MSFT desktop ownership. Linux problem won't inroad the corporate world right away since it would take a real maverick of a corporate IT manager to select it; being loosely supported even though that is tightening now with Redhat,VA-Linux,IBM,DELL, HP all throwing weight behind it. Also for home use it isn't quite as easy to use as MSFT and there isn't the same variety/richness of applications available; people can't run Quake or Quicken or other titles. IMO, thin clients/set-tops for the short term (2 years) will be ideal for niche markets rather than desktop replacements; ie. kiosks, dumb terminal replacement (3270/vt100 etc),net info appliances (stock info etc). It is overly ambitious to think these things can just push something as evolved and widely supported as the MSFT desktop aside. Cheers James