Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

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

To: JC Jaros who wrote (19302)	9/4/1999 3:29:00 PM
From: QwikSand	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 64865

While loaded with 'focus', they have absolutely no vision beyond the original proprietary precept... Ok, JC, here's my bet. A month from now, there will be some official M$ FUD-entity being talked about with brow-knitting earnestness by the ZD press, maybe called e.g., "Web Office". It will be some scheme to download and sell MS Office 2000 in pieces over the web instead of on CD, and will have some other little free bundle-goodies attached to it, maybe free music downloads, an MSN ISP membership, or whatever. Most importantly, the ZD press will be saying things of this form: "Now that there are two competing contenders for the portal office suite service crown, WebOffice and StarPortal, users will have to blah blah blah...", with WebOffice always mentioned first. Something along this line has happened every time M$ has been threatened with an innovation, I don't see why it should be different this time. Just My Humble Prediction. You can flame me on it on Oct. 4. Regards, --QwikSand

To: JC Jaros who wrote (19302)	9/4/1999 5:42:00 PM
From: Rusty Johnson	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 64865

Breaking Windows September 06, 1999 Upside upside.com For years, Microsoft has been fighting the notion of Net-based applications. The idea of running programs over the Internet threatens Microsoft's multibillion dollar Office application business, as well as the company's crown jewel--the Windows operating system. Sun Microsystems, on the other hand, has long trumpeted the value of network-based applications. I can't remember when it coined the slogan "the network is the computer," but I know it was long before many people were talking about running applications over the Net. Well, it appears that Microsoft may be in the process of meeting its match. Despite what Janet Reno and Joel Klein have said (generally correctly) about Microsoft's monopoly, the company has a vulnerable spot. And it seems Sun, AOL/Netscape, IBM, Oracle and lots of other vendors are more than happy to exploit it. ... What's most interesting about Sun's play is that free software is only the first step. The next step is to issue a network version of StarOffice that can run via the Internet. Sun has said that this would be offered for free, or at least bundled, with other network services. Microsoft retorted that it plans to issue an Internet version of Microsoft Office--but that it may charge a rental fee for its use. A fee for running software on the Internet? That's practically sacrilegious. Hardly anyone charges a fee for Net-based services. Why, you can do almost anything on the Net (except read the Wall Street Journal) gratis. If Microsoft tries to charge users for access to its Office suite, it might run into some resistance. That wouldn't matter so much if Office had additional benefits than being a rationale for companies to run Windows. But the fundamental problem with Net-based applications, from Microsoft's perspective, is that they don't require an operating system. They'll run on any platform, even so-called "thin clients," making them inherently unattractive to Microsoft. Sun isn't alone in its efforts to change the dominant platform from the PC to the Net. Another Microsoft nemesis, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, has announced his own plans to offer net-based software. Ellison's new startup, NetLedger, is starting to offer Internet-based accounting software for small businesses. As it happens, that's not a market that Microsoft plays in, but the mere fact that businesses may discover the benefits of Net-based applications could be a threat to Microsoft's hegemony. Microsoft, with its multibillion-dollar war chest, isn't going to take this lying down. I'm not sure what the boys of Redmond have up their sleeve but, whatever it is, you can be sure they'll be firing from both barrels. Y2K may be a tumultuous year after all. Larry Magid is a syndicated computer columnist for the Los Angeles Times. To find out about all of his radio, print and advocacy activities, visit his Larry's World Web site. Looks like someday I'll run Excel on my future Mac Powerbook and everything else on Linux. Best of luck.